Moments in Time

Chapter 6

For the next hour, we all play Foosball in the back room. At the moment, it’s Cindy and Robbie against Amy and Zack. I’m off to the side watching Cindy trounce her unworthy opponents. They’re on the last game as the band warms up. Robbie’s buzzing, but not enough to prevent him appreciating the ample view he’s getting of Cindy’s breasts as she bends over the table. He’s also getting more than a little friendly with her, and she’s not minding it. She zings another shot and scores again on Zack. I look over and there’s a grin on her face. I’ve seen it before—like right before she unzipped my pants under the bleachers at Corcoran High School. We all know how that ended.

She goes over to the drink-rail and picks up her gin-7-lemon and clinks it against the beer bottle in Robbie’s hand.

Zack rolls his eyes and turns to Amy. “I think I’ve had enough embarrassment for one night,” he says, stepping away from the table.

It’s just about time for the band anyway, so we all drift into the noisy front room that’s filled wall to wall with people standing in circles or sliding around each other to get to the bar. We’re like a giant ant colony swarming all over each other, going in different directions, and the alcohol is flowing pretty good at this distorted Chuck E. Cheese party. Even though I’m a younger version of myself, I’m uncomfortable. Was I really like these kids back in the day?

Robbie taps me on the arm. “You want another Bud?”

I shake my head, hold my bottle up, and step out of the way of a group of guys snaking through the crowd to the back room. Robbie has no idea I’ve been nursing this beer since I got here, and he doesn’t need to know. I came here for him, not the band, not to get trashed, and now not to let him do something stupid with Cindy, who for the last ten minutes has been taking inventory of him from the waist up. She’s definitely making plans, and none of them are in Robbie’s best interest. I’m sure he’d disagree with me. I’m not sure why I care, though. (Having just landed in this new life, I barely know Robbie, but we’re supposed to be best friends so far as I know, and don’t best friends look out for each other?)

I tap him on the shoulder and pull him aside. “Careful, man.”

“Of what?”

“Umm…I think there’s more on Cin’s mind than giving you a tonsillectomy if Tiff shows up.” In fact I don’t think it’ll matter if Tiff shows up or not.

Robbie snorts, pats my arm. “Dude, chill. It’s all show. I got this.”

“Uh-huh. Right.”

He purses his lips, looks at me as if I should know this already. “There’s no way she’d cheat on Craig.”

“When’s the last time you saw ’em together?” I say, sounding parental. “A while ago, I’m guessing. You have no idea what’s going on with ’em. All I’m saying is be careful.”

“Okay, Dad,” he says. “I’m going for another beer. Sure you’re not ready?”

I down the last of my Bud, set the bottle on a table beside me, and dig my wallet out. “My turn,” I say, peeling out a ten-spot. “Just a sprite for me, though. I’m driving and you’ll be riding home with me.”

He holds me with a look as if to say, we’ll see, then turns and nudges Cindy to ask if she wants another drink. She hands him her glass and he melts into the mob lining up at the bar across from me. A moment later, The Brigade launches into their first song, “Who’ll Stop the Rain” by CCR, and the crowd goes wild. Ahead of me, Cindy’s swaying back and forth to the thrumming beat, but it’s not Cindy who’s holding my gaze at the moment. I see her coming through the crowd. There’s no mistaking the long legs and the way they walk, or the wispy, long blonde hair kissing her shoulders. (Of course I’m looking. She was once my wife.) My heart thuds as she turns her head, glances at me with those incredible sea-green eyes, and passes without acknowledgement. So, she’s avoiding me, which makes sense, I guess. I have to remind myself that I haven’t met the wife I had in my other life yet. Except, on second thought, I must’ve met her if Robbie and I are friends.

we’ll see, My gaze follows her to the line of women standing outside the ladies’ room. What I don’t get is why I don’t feel the anger I had for her leaving me in my other life. Maybe it’s the tight-fitting dark-blue dress she’s wearing that accentuates every curve of her 5’9” body, which is jacked up by a pair of black leather boots with two-inch heels. Either she’s taunting Robbie or she’s out on the make, or maybe it’s both. Or none of the above.

By 11:30, The Brigade is on their second set and the crowd is oiled up and swaying to the band’s driving rendition of Jefferson Starship’s “Miracles.” To the far right, near the front window, I see Tiff with her friends singing along at the top of their lungs. Monica’s face flashes before me and I remember the other night when she told me how she loves me. You see me for me. It rings in my ears. I feel like a s**t for the things I’m thinking right now. It’s not Monica’s fault I’ve been plopped into her life. I should stop looking at Tiff and start paying attention to Robbie next to me. At the moment, he’s getting an oral exam from Cindy.

You see me for me.. Jabbing him with my elbow, I say, “Hey! Come up for air already or get a room.” Well, that was brilliant. Why don’t I just spring for a box of condoms while I’m at it?

When they pull back from their lip lock, Cindy’s eyes alight. Robbie laughs it off, then turns back to her and says, “You know, if you were singled up, Cin, I’d probably take him up on that.”

“Maybe you should,” she says, dead level, then grins. But her provocative gaze isn’t leaving Robbie.

For a moment, he considers her comment. I can tell he’s trying to figure out if she’s just playing along or if she’s serious. At the rate they’ve been sucking each other’s lungs out under the pretext of putting on a show for Tiff, who, by the way, isn’t paying attention to them, I’m sure things must be getting rather snug in Robbie’s shorts.

I need to get him out of here, but at this point it’s too late unless I make a scene. Still, it’s worth a shot, so I lean in close and say into his ear, “I was joking, but I don’t think she is. You don’t want to go there. It’s not worth it.”

Robbie nods, backs away, then leans in and says in my other ear, “No worries, dude, I got this.”

Right. Like I said earlier, a lot of bad decisions are going to be made tonight. As I look on at the impending train wreck, it occurs to me that if Robbie gets thoroughly trashed, he won’t be good for anything Cindy’s hoping for. I hold my glass up, point to the bar. “You want anything?”

Right.Robbie looks at Cindy and says something in her ear. She shakes her head, then replies something back to him. He turns to me. “We’re good.”

So it’s game on. Wonderful. “Be right back.” I worm my way through the hot, sweaty crowd, consoling myself I’ve done what I could and now it’s all up to Robbie. I don’t have a lot of faith in his decision-making at this point, and when I get back I’m not disappointed. They’re gone!

So it’s game on. Wonderful.For the next five minutes, I stand nursing my soda, listening to the band. After I finish this drink, I’ll be leaving. When I look over to my right, Tiff isn’t there anymore and I have to wonder if she saw the goings-on between Cindy and Robbie. In a way, I feel sorry for her. Even though it was her choice to end things between them (sound familiar?), she didn’t need to have that thrown in her face.

thatThe band ends their set, and as I drain the rest of my soda and get ready to leave, I feel a tap on my shoulder. Turning, I come face to face with Tiff. She has that crooked smile on her face I knew so well in another life.

“Hey.”

“Hey yourself,” I answer. She has this way of disarming me with just a look. Her being so close also has my heart racing. Easy, knucklehead. “Enjoying the band?”

Easy, knucklehead. Her smile widens, but I can feel the tension in her. Then again, I always could sense when she was nervous or upset. “Yeah, you?”

“Always. I saw you earlier, but I….”

“Don’t worry about it,” she says. She clears her throat. “Where’s Monie?”

“Working.”

She nods, looks toward the front door. “So, I see Robbie hooked up.”

I sigh. “Yeah, you could say that.”

“You know her?”

“We went to school together a long time ago.”

Another nod. “I debated about coming tonight. I thought maybe he and I could talk, but I guess not. I see I don’t need to ask you how he’s doing.”

I want to tell her I understand how she feels. “Despite what you may have seen, he’s reeling.”

“Yeah…He’s reeling. Reeling something in. You know, despite what you may have heard, it wasn’t easy breaking up with him. Part of me really loves him, but it’s always been about him. He never listens to what I want. I’m tired of being a trophy he trots out for his buds.”

“Right. I tried to tell him that,” I say, but I’m really thinking about myself here, because that’s exactly how I treated her toward the end in my other life.

“Really?”

“Yeah. But you know Robbie.”

“All too well,” she says. “Anyway, I just wanted to say hi. I would’ve come over sooner, but—”

“Yeah, I know,” I pipe in. I glance toward the front door. “You leaving?”

“Not for a while. Probably after the next set.”

I nod, not sure what else to say. I pause and stamp my feet on the sticky floor. “You look great. Love the dress. Blue is really you.”

“Thanks. Thought I’d get dressed up tonight.”

(Remember what I said earlier about bad decisions? Well, I’m about to make one.)

“Say, you wanna do breakfast after the band? I’m buying.”

“Sure, why not?”

* * *

Two hours later, we’re at Garfield’s sitting at a table across from each other, sipping coffee. It’s surreal looking at this woman who I was married to in another life. I shouldn’t be here. She was the one who walked out. But I can’t help myself. Despite everything that happened between us in the end, I have to admit she had always been there when I needed her. And as I keep reminding myself, I had everything to do with how things ended. Maybe it’s the passage of time and the situation I find myself in that’s tempering me, I don’t know.

Suddenly I find myself wanting to tell her about our children who will never be born, the places we went, camping trips we took the kids on in the early years. So many memories that’ll never happen. Then I wonder if we’ll continue to be friends in this new life or if we’ll drift away from each other. Can I ever look at her as anything other than the wife I was once married to? There are so many things I don’t know about this alternate woman across from me that I can’t ask about. Like how long we’ve known each other, how close our friendship is, how we met, what her hopes and dreams are. I try not to think of the future—whom she might marry and have children with, the places they’ll go and the things they’ll do.

She sets her coffee cup down. “Tonight felt so weird.”

You think? “What do you mean?”

You think?“Well, we’ve been friends for a long time, and…well, you and Robbie being tight and all, and with everything that went down between Robbie and me…it just felt weird not talking to each other, like we were trying to avoid each other and shit.”

“Yeah, I know. I felt like I was trapped in the middle, wanting to be there for both of you, but I couldn’t because—”

“He’d feel betrayed. I get it.” She shakes her head. “I hope he’s having fun.”

“He wasn’t looking for it, I promise you. It sort of landed in his lap.”

“And is heading down his pants.” I’m thankful I don’t have a mouthful of coffee as Tiff sips her drink. She sets her cup down. “You said you went to school with her?”

“Yeah. Robbie and I both knew her. She lives in Florida and is up here on family biz. She’ll be gone pretty soon.”

“I see.”

“See what?” I ask, confused.

She gives a knowing look. “Tonight’s show was all for my entertainment.”

I try to wipe the vision of Robbie and Cindy doing the horizontal ballet out of my mind. “Or was.”

Tiffany sits back and I can see her turning thoughts over. Finally, she says, “So, how’s school?”

“It’s good. Keeps me busy,” I say, glad to be off the subject. “What about you? How’s life?”

“Busy. Between working my father’s dealership and night classes at OCC, I’m going a hundred miles an hour.”

“I know what that’s like, so I sympathize. That’s a lot on your plate.”

“That’s a term I haven’t heard before,” she says, leaning forward and tucking a lock of hair over her ear.

“What?”

“A lot on your plate.”

“Oh, just something I picked up at school.”

“I like it,” she says and takes another sip of coffee. “How’s Tommy doing?”

So she knows about Tommy. Duh, of course she would. “He’s good. First grade now.”

So she knows about Tommy. Duh, of course she would.“I got to get over and see him sometime,” she says, then looks at her watch. Her eyes widen. “s**t, it’s after one. I’m supposed to work the annual chicken dinner at church today. I’m sorry, I gotta run.”

“Don’t worry about it. Let me get the tab and I’ll walk you out.”

When we get to her car, she turns and gives me a hug. For a moment I’m back in my old life, melting into her body, breathing her in and wanting more. When she pulls back, our gazes meet and it’s all I can do to keep from kissing her. “Night. Drive safe.”

“You, too.” She gets in her car and I’m breathless as I watch her drive off.