Learning From Mistakes

He ran his hands across her creamy white stomach and she moaned.  She shivered as his lips crept down from her neck to her collar bone.  Her natural red hair splayed across the bed beneath her.  His hands moved up to her firm breasts, as his lips worked their way down.  Just before he reached his destination,

Michael was woken by the tires of the plane hitting the ground roughly.
He groaned as he slowly opened his eyes.  He looked out the small window to see his hometown.  He hadn’t been here in a few years.  He was only back for the week to make the decision with his fiancée where to live once they were married in August now that she was graduating from college.  He wanted to stay in Atlanta where he was moving up in the company, but she didn’t like the idea and wanted to stay around her family.  Her father owned a large business in town and had already said Michael could have a position once the two were married.  At first it had sounded like a good idea but after being in Atlanta for the past few years, he wasn’t so sure.  He hoped throughout the week they spent in town together he’d be able to convince her to move to Atlanta.  After that week, he planned on flying both of them up to Atlanta so she could see what it was really like, not what she saw in the weekends she’d gone up there over the years they’d been apart.  His breathing was back to normal and the plane was mostly empty so he decided that he was safe to leave.  He got up and straightened his purple button up shirt and pinstriped pants.  He looked quickly in the compact mirror he’d brought with him and then exited his seat.  He smiled and winked at the stewardess as he exited the plane with his carry-on.

He hadn’t seen Jaimie in over a year now.  She always had school and didn’t have time to fly up like she had when she first started college.  They’d been together since she was a freshman and he was a senior in high school.  It had been an amazing seven years.  After her graduation from high school, he’d proposed and they started to plan the wedding which was only months away.  The past year had been hard not seeing her, but knowing they’d be together soon enough, had made it seem not as bad.  He was excited to see her again, though.  He couldn’t wait to run his fingers through her long, flowing, brown hair again or kiss those perfect, pink lips.  He moved faster through the airport.  Suddenly, he was at the front.  He looked around for her, but didn’t see her.  There was some freak sitting there with short hot pink hair, a piercing, and dark makeup.  Don’t those people look in the mirror before they leave the house, he wondered still glancing through the crowd.  Suddenly the hot pink girl came running at him and jumped, wrapping her legs around his waist.  It took him a second not to throw her to the ground before he focused on her face.  His expression turned to complete horror as he looked at his fiancée.  She smiled at him brightly.

“How ya doin?” She asked.

“Jaimie?  Does that wash out?  Please tell me that’s a wig and your hair is not
going to be that short when we get married, and what is that just below your lip?  And the makeup, what were you thinking?”

“It’s my piercing.  Don’t you like it?  And my hair?  You don’t like my hair,” she pouted.

“No!  Is it fixable?”

“Almost everything is fixable,” she responded, unwrapping her legs from his waist, and pulling the wig off her head and the fake piercing from her lip.  “I just thought you’d like this look better.”

“Why would you think that?”

“I dunno.  Let’s go get your bags.”  He grabbed for her hand, but she left her hand limp in his.  He felt bad for hurting her feelings.

“I really thought it was cute on you,” he said to her.  She looked back at him and gave him a small smile.

“No, you didn’t.  Be honest.”  Her eyes hardened a little at the second half of her statement.  It was only for a moment though, so quick Michael thought he had imagined it.  “What do your bags look like?”

After gathering his few bags, they moved out to the parking lot.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I brought someone along with me,” Jaimie turned back to him waiting on his reaction, keeping a reasonable distance in front of him.

“I would prefer alone time with you, after you take the makeup off, but I guess a friend is ok… for a little bit.”  They reached her little, red BMW convertible, and Michael noticed a guy sitting at the wheel.  He looked toward Jaimie with a question on his lips, but her face lit up instantly and he didn’t get a chance to ask.  The scruffy looking guy got out of the car to help load the baggage.  After baggage was loaded, the guy finally introduced himself.

“Hi, dude, my name is Jackson, in case Jae hasn’t told you about me,” he said sticking out his hand and glancing over at Jaimie who was grinning widely.  Michael shook his hand, also looking to his fiancée.  “Which I’m sure she hasn’t.”

“This is Jackson, my fiancée,” Jaimie mocked, throwing herself in Jackson’s arms.  Michael felt his face grow hot.

“I thought…” he started but couldn’t get it out.  She turned to him, her eyes cold and unforgiving.

“Thought what, Michael?”  After he gave her no response, she let her expression fall back into the innocent smile.  “Where would you like us to drop you off?”  He was fuming, but he had no one else to call because his parents were working, and he’d made the mistake only once of taking a taxi in this town.  All his friends had moved away, and on top of everything else, he hoped that it was a joke.  He decided he’d play along, but was still in shock.

“My parent’s house, I guess,” he mumbled almost incoherently.  Jaimie opened the car door and moved the front seat forward offering him the cramped back seat.  He wasn’t sure how he was going to fold his body into it, but at least the top was down.

“Let’s put the top up so my hair doesn’t get blown around,” Jaimie stated in an innocent, unknowing way.  He groaned inwardly.  He wondered why she was doing this to him.  After putting the top up and getting in the car, she turned back to him. “Good?”  He just nodded not able to get around the large lump that was forming in his throat.  He had always thought it was sexy the way her dark skin got darker when she was mad, but not right now.  He wished he knew what was going on.  Jackson was talking, but Michael could barely make out what he was saying over the pumping blood in his ears.

“I told her she shoulda just told you in the beginning, but you know Jae.  She’s a stubborn thing.”

“I’m right here, baby.  Don’t talk about me like I’m not.  It’s rude.”

“Well, I did tell you though.”

“Yes, you did, but there’s a reason I didn’t.”

“I know, I know, but it’s still cold and look how pale old fella has gotten.”

“Michael.”

“He knows who I’m talking about.  He’s the only pale one in the car.”

“That’s cause he works all day and plays all night.  Doesn’t get out in the sun like us.”

“Sounds boring.”

“Not the play he does.  I hear it’s exciting,” Jaimie replied with a tinge of bitterness, looking out the window.  Michael wondered what she was referring to, but decided to ignore it for now.

“So how long have you two been together?” Michael asked over the lump in his throat.

“Six or seven .. or eight months, but we’ve known each other for years.  Went to elementary school together.  You know how it goes in this town.  Had a class at the college together and reconnected.  Learned we have a lot in common.  Kinda amazing.” Jackson answered lovestruck.  Jaimie giggled at him.  The lump grew larger as Michael tried unsuccessfully to swallow it down.

“So, um… why didn’t you let me know, Jaimie?”

“You were so busy with… everything I didn’t think you’d notice.  ” Jaimie answered, the bitterness ringing stronger.

“I always noticed your emails and responded back.”

“Well, I wanted to tell you face to face, and seeing as this is the first time you’ve visited and I didn’t have time to fly to Atlanta anymore…” Jaimie replied nonchalantly.  Jackson glanced over at her from the corner of his eyes, and she smiled back at him rubbing his arm gently.  He smiled and brought her hand to his lips.  Michael’s eyes burned with the tears he held back.  He looked out the window to see where they were at because he didn’t think he could take much more of this.  There was silence in the car for the rest of the trip.  When they reached his parent’s driveway, Michael thought he’d finally be able to breathe.  Jackson got out to remove Michael’s baggage from the trunk. Jaimie got out and opened up the seat so Michael could extricate himself from the backseat.  He wished she’d take the top down to make it easier, but she wasn’t trying to make anything easier for him it seemed.  When he finally was able to remove himself from the car, she stood there, watching him.  There had been a dark look on her face, but she instantly covered it with that same nonchalant, happy-go-lucky smile she’d been using since he arrived.  She threw her arms around his neck.  He could smell the vanilla in her hair.  He loved that smell on her.  He wrapped his arms around her tightly, not wanting to let go of this moment.  Not wanting to let go of her and make this nightmare real.  She finally pulled away with a tight smile and handed him something that she’d been holding.  It was a small, manila envelope.  He looked at her confused.  She smiled the same tight smile.  She put her hand gently to his soft face.  He wished he hadn’t shaved this morning.

“Well,” she stated, “it’s been fun, but the fun is over, so… goodbye.”  With that, she put the top down on the convertible and crawled back in the car.  She leaned over and kissed Jackson.  “Oh, by the way, hope to see you at graduation.”  They drove off, as she turned the music up.  He stood in the driveway staring as they drove off.  He waited a few minutes hoping she’d come back and say it was all a bad joke.  A horrible joke.  When they didn’t return, he turned slowly, gathering his bags and dragging them inside.  Luckily, his parents left the key where they always had when he lived here.  What a great homecoming, he thought.  It wasn’t until he had pulled his baggage inside and flopped angrily on the couch that he noticed the manila envelope still in his hand.  He opened it up.  There was cd in the package.  He pulled out his laptop and placed the cd in.  He saw a poorly taped home video and then he saw a familiar face.

“You said you always wanted to film it,” she giggled as she set up the camera.  “Well, I don’t have an actual video cam, but this seems to be as good as any.”

“Works for me,” he said moving her red hair from her creamy white neck as he started to place kisses on it.  She giggled again and pushed him away so that she could finish setting it up.  He grabbed the camera and moved it up and down her body.  “This is what perfection is.”

“Even more perfect than your precious Jaimie?” she asked innocently.

“Nothing is more perfect than Jaimie,” he stated very seriously behind the camera.  Vitoria’s beautiful eyes darkened at these words.

“Then why are you here with me and not with her?”

“I’m making a name for myself in my company while she’s finishing college.  But I got needs, baby, and you are the perfect filler.”

“Was Jenna the perfect filler before me?” she asked her pale face growing a little redder.

“Nobody was the perfect filler before you.  They were just… fillers.  Now show me that pretty smile.  Come on, smile for the camera.”  He wasn’t getting any smiles from her.  Her lips were in a pout and her eyes kept getting darker with rage, but he ignored it.

“So I’m just… just… your whore?”

“No, baby, you’re just… mine.”

“For now?”

“Exactly, but you knew that from the beginning.  I’ve told you from the beginning I’m marrying Jaimie once she finished school.  Come on, Victory, don’t get upset on me.”  He set the camera on the night stand so there was a view of his face close to hers.  He kissed her gently.  “I love you, Victory.  You know that.  If things don’t work out here, her father has a nice business that I’ll be running if I marry her.  So I’ve got to do it.  I don’t actually expect it to last with her though.”

“Then why do it?”

“I don’t know… business connections?  Plus, I think I might just love her.  But I’d much rather be with you.  You are definitely a much better lay.”

“Get off me,” she said pushing him off.  “It’s over. I’m done.”

“Well,” he stated still lying on the bed, his hand holding up his head, “it’s been fun, but the fun is over, so goodbye.”

He saw flashes of her red hair and pale skin, until she grabbed the camera and turned it off.  He was left sitting on the couch his mouth slightly agape.  When his brain started working again, he worked himself into a frenzy.  Those manipulative… and he continued the thought with a string of obscenities.  He wondered when Victoria had sent this to Jaimie and then he remembered the last time Jaimie was there.  They had been out at a club and Victoria was a server. He remember thinking it was weird that she was there cause she’d called him the night before to hang out that evening, and he’d told her about Jaimie being in town, so he hadn’t thought she was working.  That was the only reason he’d even taken Jaimie to the club.  He remembered thinking he’d seen her pass something off but hadn’t been sure so he didn’t worry about it.  He couldn’t believe that Jaimie had known for over a year and hadn’t said anything to him at all.  He couldn’t believe how manipulative she was.  And then there was Victoria.  They’d resumed their “relationship” after Jaimie left, and she’d never mentioned it.  He was so pissed.  Manipulative, lying… he went on another rant.  When he calmed down a little he grabbed the manila envelope and looked inside again.  There was a note from Jaimie telling him just exactly what she’d been thinking for the last year and why she waited until he was here to do it.  She also put in an invitation to her wedding with Jackson.  They were to get married on August 20, the same day Michael and she were to have gotten married.  He grabbed a beer and sat down on the couch.  What was he going to do now, he thought.  He couldn’t go back to Atlanta, to Victoria knowing what she did, and tell her she’d won.  He sighed.  He had a week in this hell hole before he left for Atlanta to go to more trouble there.  After he finished his beer, he got up and started looking through his luggage.  Since he was here he might at least have some fun.  He changed into a collared shirt and some blue jeans and grabbed the keys to his parent’s extra car.  They wouldn’t mind.  They’d understand how heartbroken he was after such a betrayal as hers.  Of course, he wasn’t aware that they knew of his betrayal.  After all, word travels quickly in a small town.  He smiled to himself.  Yeah, he could have some fun while he was in town.  He knew of some girls that wanted him.  He walked out to the car happy in his new thoughts.  And if worse came to worse, there was a graduation he could attend.

He got in the car and started it up.  It was fine at first, but then it started to kick and wheeze.  He groaned.  He missed his new, working vehicle at home.  He considered using money on a rental but decided against it.  He drove around for a couple of hours but no one was out at the old hang out spots yet, so he returned to his parents house.  He saw that his father was home already.  He walked in ready to rage about Jaimie when his father looked up and grinned at him.

“She was a hot little thing.  Bet she was amazing in bed.”

“Who are you talking about?” Michael asked.

“The red head.”

“How do you…?”

“Word travels quickly in this town, son.  You should know that.  Why do you think
all my mistresses were in other towns?  Harder for your mother to find out.”

“Well, I didn’t expect Jaimie to find out.”

“A woman scorned, son, a woman scorned… So how did Jaimie react when you go here?”

“Wait, so you knew the whole time what was going to happen and didn’t warn me or anything?”

“Your mom threatened the boys if I told you.  She said you needed to learn it wasn’t nice the way you treated women.  You know, all that women’s lib crap she has a tendency to spout.”

“But you knew the whole time and didn’t warn me?”

“Your mother knows where I sleep, son, and she scares me.  Ever since she went through that woman’s midlife thing, she’s kind of crazy.  I even stopped sleeping around for fear of what she’d do if she caught me.  Oh, by the way, move lightly around her.  She flips real easy.”

“Thanks, dad, for the warning.  I appreciate it,” Michael replied with disgust as he grabbed a beer and headed back to where his room used to be.

“Son, get your stuff out of the living room.  She doesn’t like mess and that’ll piss her off real quick, and trust me, you don’t ever want to see that.”  Michael returned to the living room and dragged his stuff back to what appeared to be a guest room.  He groaned.  When had his father turned into such a pansy?  He laid down for a little bit trying to decide what to do with the rest of his week.  Atlanta would be just as tortuous as here so he decided not to leave early.  He heard the front door open and close and decided to go see who it was.  He heard voices coming from the kitchen so he followed.  His mother stood there as he walked in.  She turned slowly and looked at him.  Her eyes lit up angrily.

“I’m surprised you’re still here,” she said. “I thought you would have slithered back to Atlanta by now.”

“Mom, I love you too,” Michael responded putting his hands in his pockets and his head down like a kid getting in trouble.

“I do love you, Michael.  I have to, you’re my only son, but after what you’ve done, you should be ashamed of yourself.”

“I am, Mom.  I lost a really great girl and for absolutely nothing.”

“So, you’re staying in a hotel, right?”

“What?”

“I don’t want you here,” she stated very firmly.  Michael felt his heart drop and looked to his father for help.  His father looked shocked, but then gathered “his boys.”

“Now listen here, Martha, Jaimie is not your child, but Michael is.  You are not going to throw him out on the street because of he made a mistake.  I mean, what have you been telling me about that one guy… Jesus or something, would he do that, or would he be understanding and forgiving?”

“Oh, James, why do you have to listen to me at the wrong times?” Michael’s mother started to cry.  “I loved that girl as a daughter for years and years and now she won’t even talk to me cause she thinks I raised a monster just to tear out her heart.  I just want her to talk to me again and come over and visit since Michael never does.”  Michael grew uncomfortable at all the emotion in the room and slowly exited so as not to gain her attention again.  Michael’s father just looked up at him and shrugged as he held his wife and let her cry.  As Michael left the house, he wondered what had happened to his family.

He looked at the time as he drove away from the house, the car sputtering off and on, and decided to head to the graduation.  Maybe he’d see someone he knew that was worth spending time with.  It took him an hour in the death trap to reach where they were holding the graduation.  It wasn’t a big college so they held it outside on the soccer field.  He remembered his graduation, they had been in the stadium and it had been packed, but he’d gone to a popular state college.  He didn’t see anybody he recognized and then he saw Jackson.  He started to duck away, but heard Jackson’s voice.

“Hey, old boy, who you here with?”

Michael turned to him and put on a fake smile. “Nobody, but Jaimie invited me and there’s nothing really else to do so…”

“You should sit with me then.” Jackson seemed to have no qualms with him, no anger.  It was nice after all he’d been through in one day.  He decided to sit with him.  “I just wanted to apologize for Jae again.  I know I shouldn’t, and she told me not to, but that was low down.  I don’t care what you did to her, that was still low down on her part.”

“Do you love her?” Michael asked deciding to pick at a festering wound.

“Since middle school.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, she was a sweet little thing then.  I remember the kids picking on me and she stood right beside me and told them to leave me alone.  Since she was “cool” then they didn’t mess with me anymore.  We’ve been friends ever since.  I was madly in love with her, but she was a smart one and didn’t want a relationship so young.  At least, that’s what she told me.  Then she met you, and that’s where the story ends.”

“I don’t remember you around.”

“Well, you were only really around your senior year and then you were gone again.  You don’t really know much about her except what she filled you in on.”

“True…” Michael started to get a lump in his throat again. “So you’re not graduating?”

“Nah, still got a few more classes to go.  May finish this summer.  Probably won’t.”

“But you’re getting married in August?”

“Yeah, it’ll be fun.  I’m excited.”

“How are you going to take care of Jaimie?” Michael asked astonished.

“She’s rich… not saying that I plan to be a lush all our marriage, but she wanted to get married on August 20th… had everything set for that day and didn’t want to waste money on deposits and all, so we’re getting married on August 20th.  Fine with me.  Can’t wait to make it official that we’ll be together til death do us part…”

“Or divorce…”

“Nah, I don’t think it’ll come to that.  We work well together… and if I thought I were rebound, then I’d worry, but she got that out of the way before we got together… poor dude, didn’t know what was going on.  She went nuts on him.”

“She was with others?”

“She dated others.  She’s only been with you.  We decided to wait til we’re married to do that… she thinks that’s what hurt the most is that she gave something really special to you and you didn’t appreciate it.”

“You haven’t had sex yet?”

“Nope.”

“Thank god,” Michael breathed a sigh of relief.  Jackson glanced at him and he caught himself. “Sorry.”

“No prob, I’m not worried about it.  Oh, here they come.”  They went through the graduation.  Michael thought he saw a few people he knew, but he wasn’t sure.  He was ready to go and get drunk.  When it finished, he started to leave.

Jackson caught his arm, “So what are you up to tonight?”

“Drinking.  Thanks for sitting with me.  You seem to be all right, but I’m going to nurse a broken heart.”

“Are you really broken hearted?” Jackson asked eyeing him.

“Hopefully you’ll never know just how much.”  Michael walked off leaving him to find Jaimie.

It took Michael an hour to get back to town and find the bar that had been a popular hangout when he was around.  As he pulled up, he noticed a lot of cars in the parking lot.  He walked in and ordered a beer and started flirting with all the pretty girls.  They all giggled but didn’t take the bait.  Then he noticed a girl in the corner that he had dated in high school, before Jaimie and some while with Jaimie.  She wasn’t as beautiful as she had been back there.  Life had seemed to wear on her.  He walked over to her table.  She looked up at him from her beer and grinned.

“Well, Michael Dugan back in town.  How long has it been?”

“A coupla years at least, Missy.  How are you doin?”

“Better than you from what I hear,” she said offering him a seat.

“What are you talking about?” he asked and regretted it almost as soon as it came out of his mouth.  She smiled and passed him a poster with his picture on it with a warning against him.  No wonder the girls giggled and walked away, he thought.  Damn Jaimie.

“You must have really pissed her off,” Missy said.

“Nope, she’s just immature and couldn’t handle the break up.”

“Mmhmm, I’m sure that’s all it was, baby.  So what are you in town for?”

“Just a visit.  Ready to head home though.”

“But you just got here.  Come dance with me,” and suddenly he was pulled onto the dance floor.  Her body felt good under his hands.  Her smile was still as pretty as it always had been and she was getting better with every beer.  He’d been there about an hour when there was lots of clapping and the crowds parted and there was Jaimie.  Michael grabbed Missy close.  She looked up at him and smiled a small smile.

“I don’t play these games, sweetheart.  I was just trying to help you have a little bit of fun while you’re here.  I’m not about to get into the middle of a lover’s quarrel.  Not in this town.”  With that she pulled away, grabbed her beer, and walked away.  He saw her go and congratulate Jaimie.  He sat in a dark corner and brooded as he drank another beer.  He watched her dance and flirt and hang all over Jackson.  Jackson’s face was shining.  Michael wondered if he’d ever felt like that about her.  He sat in the dark corner just downing one beer after another for a half hour before anyone noticed him.  He grimaced when Jaime sauntered over to him.

“Why are you here?” she asked.

“What else is there to do in this town on a night like tonight?”

“Having any luck with the ladies?”

“Do you really care?”

At that, her dark eyes started to water a little bit, “I did… did you?”

“I did… do you love him?”

“What does that matter to you?  Did you really love her?”

“So many questions with no answers,” he said taking another swig of beer.

“Do you have a heart to love?” Jaimie asked tears starting to slip down her face.  Michael couldn’t handle the emotion.

“Don’t be mad at my mother for what I’ve done.  Please visit her.  Not for me.  Please don’t do anything for me, but for her.  She misses you.  You were always the daughter she never had but always wanted.  Don’t punish her for having a loser son that followed his father’s footsteps.”  With that he got up, paid his bill, and left.

Michael was so inebriated at this point that he couldn’t navigate the back roads and soon became lost on a long strip of road with just trees.  That’s when he noticed the gas light… at least he thought it was the gas light.  He wondered how long it had been on.  The car sputtered to a stop as if to answer him.  Angrily he got out of the car and yelled to the moon his frustrations.  He pushed the car off to the side of the road.  That was when he noticed his cell phone in his pocket.  He slumped to the ground leaning against his car as he checked his messages.

“Hey there, sweetie, just checking in with you.  How is your trip home going?” came Victoria’s sweet voice across the line.  “Hope you’re having a good time.  Can’t wait til you get back.  Well, I guess I’ll talk to you later.  Bye, sweetheart, be good.”  Michael groaned.  Maybe she’d done him a favor after all.  He hadn’t wanted to come back to this small town, and when he was honest with himself, he knew Jaimie wouldn’t have had it any other way.  Plus, he knew he loved her, but did he love her the right way or was it just comfortable.  These thoughts played across his drunken mind while he dialed Victoria’s number.

“Hello?”

“Victoria?  It’s Michael.”

“Oh, hi, what do you want?”

“I just wanted to talk to you.  I’m sorry how I treated you.”

“Ok, whatever.  Listen, I’m busy, I’ll talk to you later… maybe.  Bye.” And as she hung up the phone Michael heard a male’s voice in the background asking who was on the phone.  Just before it clicked he heard, “No one important.”  He slid to the ground, lying his head down on the rocky ground as the tears spilled down his face.

Michael stood on top of the world, a dark skinned brunette and a pale skinned red head under each arm.  They smiled at each other.  Then the girls were kissing and touching each other, taking each other’s clothes off.  Michael smiled as his dreams were about to come true.  Then Jackson entered, and the girls moved to him, touching and kissing him.  Michael felt the Earth underneath him start to tear apart and he started to fall down in the vast darkness below him.

He jumped awake, staring at feet that were right beside his head. The sunlight was bright and he winced as he looked up to see a woman officer standing above him.  He slowly sat up and wiped the drool from his cheek.  He felt rocks sticking in his cheek and wiped them off as well.  The officer smirked.

“Drinking?” she asked.

“Of course not, it’s very dangerous to drink and drive,” he responded standing up and straightening his clothes and hair.  He checked the side view mirror to see how bad he looked.

“And very illegal.  So why did you decide to camp beside the side of the road?”

“Guess I didn’t keep an eye on the gas and ran out.”

“Hmmm…” she responded as she checked his car out.  “Just gotta be sure no drugs or anything.  Normal inspection.”

“Sure, sure,” Michael answered watching her bend over as she checked out his car.  She had a nice body.  She turned the key in the car and Michael watched the gas level go up to a quarter of a tank.  “Well, last night, the light was on and then the stupid car died.”

“Maybe the elves brought some gas for you,” the officer responded standing back up.  Michael looked into her face.  She had Jaimie’s eyes and Victoria’s hair.  He shivered.  She was perfection, other than he was sure she was about to haul him off to jail.  She gave him a breathalyzer test.  “I guess you’re lucky your car ran out of gas, sir.  Maybe it was protecting you.  Don’t let me catch you driving drunk.”  With that she left and he picked his cell phone up off the ground.

He crawled behind the wheel and sat there for a minute staring at the dashboard.  With a sigh, he started the car and headed back to his parent’s house.  When he got there, his mother rushed outside the house and wrapped her arms around him.

“I’m so sorry.  Are you okay?  Jaimie came by this morning to check on you and when you weren’t here we expected the worse.  Are you okay?”

“Yes, mother, I’m fine.  The car just stopped working along Keegan Highway.  I didn’t think to call anybody, just fell asleep cause it was late.  Sorry, I worried you.  Jaimie came by?”

“Yeah, and she’s still here.  She wanted to wait til we heard from you.  She said they’d passed the car on the side of the road but that you weren’t in it so they thought someone had come and picked you up.  So when you weren’t here this morning we thought… after I was so mean to you yesterday and everything else, we thought…” His mother started sobbing unable to get the horrible thought out of her head.  He wrapped his arms around her tighter.

“I’m fine.  I’m not going to hurt myself over some girl.  Even Jaimie.”

“That’s… good…”she answered in between sobs.  “Come in and get some breakfast and don’t ever do that to me again.”

“I won’t,” he said grinning at the mess that was his mother.  Jaimie sat at the table, her hands clasped together when he walked in.  She looked up at him.  He gave a small smile to her before ducking his head.

“I just wanted to apologize for my behavior,” she started.

“Don’t.  I deserved it.  I deserved a lot worse, so thanks for not doing worse,” he said grabbing the plate of food his mother made him.  Jaimie smiled slightly.
“Yes, I love him.”

“Good, he loves you too.  Not in a way I ever could.  You’re lucky you found it before it was too late.”

“So you’re okay with everything.”

“I guess… don’t expect me at the wedding though.”

“Good… I mean, I’ll try not to be heartbroken if you’re not there.”  They smiled at each other and then she got up uncomfortable.  “Well, I guess I better go.  I’ll come by sometime next week, Mrs. Dugan, let you see the dress and everything.  If you still wanna help me out with the wedding.”

“Of course, I do, dear,” Michael’s mother replied happily.  “You’re still a part of the family in my book.”  Jaimie smiled, but Michael could still feel the underlying tension between them that would probably always be there.  He was sure she wanted to jump him in only the most sexual of ways right there in the kitchen, and that made him smile.

“I’ll see you guys later,” Jaimie said as she walked out the door.

“Such a nice girl,” his mother muttered as she straightened the kitchen up.

“Hey, Mom?”

“Yes, dear?”

“Can you take me to the car rental place?”

“Why?”

“I think I’m ready to head back to Atlanta.  I think I’ve overstayed my welcome.”

“Oh, you could never overstay your welcome here, dear.”

“I just think I need to get back home.  Got some stuff to straighten out in Atlanta.”

“Oh, with that nice little red head from the video?”

“Uh, yeah, sure, Mom.”

“Ok, dear, but why don’t you fly back?”

“Too much money to get same day ticket and don’t want to wait til tomorrow.”  Michael had forgotten how nosy she was.

“Oh, ok, well, we can head to the car rental place as soon as you’re done with breakfast,” she said and started humming.  He sat there eating, thinking about the dream he had.  He smiled again as the images floated across his eyes except for the ending.  He cut everything starting with the entrance of Jackson.

With the plane ticket cancelled and the rental car packed up, he waved to his mother and father, with the last words of, “Make more videos and send them to me, so I can live vicariously through you,” from his father, Michael headed back to Atlanta.  When he was far enough out of town, as if fearing someone would hear him and ruin his plans, he called Elsie.

“Hey, Else, what are you up to?”

“Nothing much.  Long time no talk, stranger.”

“Yeah, shame on me.  So you know how I turned you and your best friend down for a threesome before?”

“Yeah, change your mind?”

“Definitely.  Want to have some fun tonight?”

“With you?  Anytime.”