Left Hanging

This was written for a contest entitled "He Said/She Said---He Did/She Did" that was hosted by Cemetarykat says,Bring it on! There were only two entries, so no winner was announced. The prompt was as follows:

You have gone to a party with your new lover. You have only been seeing each other for a few months. You have met a few of their friends. The hosts of this party you have met before, though you know no one else at the party. Their are twenty or so people at this party. You have sat next to your lover on a couch, while everyone is getting introduced to each other. Now, the male host gets up to go attend the bar-b-que in the backyard. The female host approaches your lover, takes their hand (after a whispered conversation takes place) and leads them to what you know is a bedroom. Closing the door behind them. Not a word is said to you. The rest of the party goers stop conversing staring at you waiting for your reaction. Several minutes go by............

How do you react?

*NOTE: You are not driving, and know little of this area of town.




         Sitting in a room full of strangers who are all staring at me like I've sprouted horns is not fun. Especially when I'm simultaneously wondering why my boyfriend just walked into a bedroom with another woman without saying a word. Nothing I can't handle, but still, not fun.

         Shifting uncomfortably on the couch, squirming around as though trying to get comfortable when really all I want are all those eyes off me. Deep breath. Stop and think. I can't think, not with all these people staring. A few conversations begin amongst them but no one is making any effort to include me and they're still staring. Too bad I don't know where the bathroom is. Now would be a good time to get up and go to the bathroom, lock the door and sit on the toilet until someone pounds on the door. However, not knowing where the bathroom is puts a serious kink in escape plan A.

         I need to get out of this room. Purse, where is my purse? As usual in an unfamiliar setting I never let it out of my grip, moments of panic can make you forget the simplest things. I must remember to think or I'll completely lose my cool. Slinging the purse strap over my shoulder I stand up and walk purposefully towards the sliding door just off the dining room. I can feel their eyes on me, tracking me. I make sure to walk at a normal pace, and deliberately so no one can see that I'm shaking. Carefully, so no one can see the tremors in my hands I pull open the sliding glass door and step outside.

         A cool night breeze caresses my face, I didn't know I was sweating. I close my eyes and lift my face to the sky letting the breeze do its work. A wry smile and I dig in my purse, pulling out a crumpled pack of cigarettes and a neon green lighter. I try twice to light my cigarette but the trembling in my hands prevents me. Mumbling curses I take a deep breath and try again. Success! The first drag fills my lungs and I seem to calm down immediately. Sweet, intoxicating nicotine. The tremor in my hands has already subsided. I can feel the panic subsiding as I begin to feel slightly light-headed. I can think now.

         The backyard is dark, lit only by the single bulb of the porch light. The patio is illuminated but the only thing for me to look at is a few rickety lawn chairs, a crappy plastic table and the barbecue. Standing over the barbecue is the male counterpart of our gracious hostess. He's staring at the grilling meat, oblivious to me. I watch him stare at the meat as I smoke my cigarette. Every now and again he prods the steak with a giant two-pronged meat fork or takes a swig from the bottle of beer in his other hand.

         Finishing my cigarette, I drop it to the ground and grind it under my heel. Never mind picking up the butt, usually I'm very good about that but here and now I really don't care. I shall approach this man and ask him what is going on with his wife and my boyfriend. I shall be brave and strong and confront a virtual stranger. One more deep breath and the sliding door opens. Out steps the wife and I wonder where my boyfriend is. But I'm not going to go looking for him, it's his turn to wonder where I am.

         Wrapping her arms around her husband's waist and kissing the back of his neck the wife has no idea that I'm standing right behind them. She says something to him that I can't hear and he laughs then flips over the meat. Letting go she backs up, swats his butt and heads back into the house. A quiet chuckle and the husband drains his beer then turns around and notices me for the first time.

         "Hi." He smiles and takes a step or two closer. "Having a good time?"

         I smile in response then reply as sarcastically as I can, "No." A puzzled look is my response and my smile broadens. "I really don't appreciate being brought to a party where I don't know a soul and then being left alone while my boyfriend goes traipsing into a bedroom with the hostess. Being stared at by total strangers is not my idea of a good time, if it were I'd have gone into theater." As I said this I pulled another cigarette out of my purse and lit it as soon as I finished. Taking a deep drag I blew smoke in the direction of my now flustered host. "Usually I'm not this crass, but I don't really know how to react. Do you have any idea why your wife would be dragging my boyfriend off into another room? Wait, he went willingly so maybe dragging isn't the best word." I stopped and stood staring at my host while I smoked my cigarette, unabashedly blowing smoke into his face. He looked slightly flustered and I could tell that he knew as much about the situation as I did.

         Saved by the door. The sliding glass door opened again only this time it was my boyfriend who came out.

         "There you are! I've been looking for you but no one knew where you were."

         "Bullshit. Everyone in that room watched me get up and come outside just like they all sat there and stared at me after you disappeared into a bedroom with our hostess." I dropped my cigarette and stepped on it. "I don't appreciate being left alone in a room of strangers." He started to speak but I held up my hand, "No. You shut up and listen to me. You go into a bedroom with another woman and don't say anything to me, no explanation, nothing. I come out here and find out that her husband doesn't even seem to know what's going on with you two. So spill it!"

         My boyfriend stares at me for a few moments. We've only been together for a few months and he has not experienced my anger before. Well, there's a first time for everything and if he can't handle it he can take me home and lose my number. At this point I'm not very thrilled with him and unless he does some smooth talking it's Splitsville.

         "It's Dave's birthday." He gestures to our host and smiles. "Camille and I pitched in on a present for him and she hid it in the guest room closet. That's where we went, she wanted to show it to me."

         I could feel like an idiot, but I don't. Instead, I'm a little less pissed. Still pissed but a little less.

         "And you couldn't tell me this before we came over here? You couldn't let me in on your little secret so I wouldn't be left sitting there wondering what was going on? Wondering if I was stupid enough to date someone who would be so blatant about cheating on me?" I took a deep breath and closed my eyes then opened them and stared at Dave. "Happy Birthday and I'm very sorry for being such a bitch."

         A quick shake of his head, as though he were bringing himself back to reality and Dave chuckled, "It's okay, I would have reacted the same way if I'd been in your shoes." He turned to my boyfriend, "She's a fireball, and I like her. You need to kiss her ass and make this up to her." Turning to me with a wink and a smile Dave went back to the barbecue, pulled off the meat and carried it into the house.

         "I'm sorry." I turned to my boyfriend, he was smiling and holding out his hand. Taking it into mine I returned his smile.

         "Don't ever let it happen again."