Day of Reckoning
If there’s anything more difficult than coming to terms with a failed relationship – that dark day when you realize, something I guess like you’ve had this cut of glass embedded deep in your skin so long you’ve gotten a bit comfortable with the pain of it, and pulling it out is going to hurt like you wouldn’t believe but you know the skin will never heal if you don’t just brace yourself and get on with it – it’s when the failed relationship is with your best friend. And if a boyfriend is like a cut of glass, well that is – I don’t know. Shrapnel or something. Lisette (from work) said the motto went, "chicks before dicks". I love Lisette! I just wish there were room for the two of us under her rock...
All this coming on the heels of not engaging Julie in eye contact as she passed me on her way out of Alan’s room this morning. First she swoops down on The Ex (are they even still living together, I wonder? Does he know about Alan? There is no way I could get this information without breaking character as the ex who is above it all). And now she can’t even look me in the eye when she comes over to see Alan (an ex...well let’s call him an ex-"what-was-I-thinking") Maybe I should take out an ad to warn all the exes to be on the lookout for a short cheeky brunette with falsies. I can’t help but think the sadder comment here is on me, for having ever looked up to her.
And then there is mild, dad-pants Nick. He always wears a belt. Jeans with a belt. Lisette says baggy jeans are a good sign. I asked if baggy jeans with a belt were a good sign and she frowned and asked if he wore sneakers or loafers or slippers or what (Doc Martins). Her eyes lit up with that which gave me pause. I got a visual of brushing past her in the hall and not making eye contact.
I want to know more about Nick, short of giving him the impression I’m interested. He’s attractive enough, well-off enough. If he had more of a baby face the Beatles haircut might even work. So why is he single at - well and how much older is he? Alan thinks he’s a joke (but well, consider the source). I don’t get the impression he gets on much better with Joey. But everything about him cancels everything else out – he has sexy arms (that is, when they're not obscured by some starched-out shirt his mum gave him for Christmas, which she must every year in the same three colors) – but then a little (no, a lot) too London Tower with the "drugs" policy. And I can’t help but wonder, if in that moment of youth when the decision was made, he had just said, "Screw the belt, I’m going to splurge on designer jeans!" if he wouldn’t be happily married with a teenager right now.
He invited me to the football match this Sunday...he was cleaning the oven, wearing an apron (an apron) and bright yellow rubber gloves as I was leaving for work when he asked me – the way he asked was, well - somewhere right in between asking me if the oven looked clean and asking me to dinner. Of course I had to accept – three hours of potentially awkward small-talk is better than the perpetual awkwardness of living with a snubbed landlord with a demonstrated proclivity toward sulking and zero-tolerance policies.
I’m doing my best to keep an open mind. My mum told me once that before the blind date on which she met my father she had sighed to her girlfriends, "At least I’ll get to wear my new dress."
Yellow Rubber Gloves.
------------------------------------
Nine Rooms updates every Tuesday - Gina - Nick - Claire - Alan - Joey
All this coming on the heels of not engaging Julie in eye contact as she passed me on her way out of Alan’s room this morning. First she swoops down on The Ex (are they even still living together, I wonder? Does he know about Alan? There is no way I could get this information without breaking character as the ex who is above it all). And now she can’t even look me in the eye when she comes over to see Alan (an ex...well let’s call him an ex-"what-was-I-thinking") Maybe I should take out an ad to warn all the exes to be on the lookout for a short cheeky brunette with falsies. I can’t help but think the sadder comment here is on me, for having ever looked up to her.
And then there is mild, dad-pants Nick. He always wears a belt. Jeans with a belt. Lisette says baggy jeans are a good sign. I asked if baggy jeans with a belt were a good sign and she frowned and asked if he wore sneakers or loafers or slippers or what (Doc Martins). Her eyes lit up with that which gave me pause. I got a visual of brushing past her in the hall and not making eye contact.
I want to know more about Nick, short of giving him the impression I’m interested. He’s attractive enough, well-off enough. If he had more of a baby face the Beatles haircut might even work. So why is he single at - well and how much older is he? Alan thinks he’s a joke (but well, consider the source). I don’t get the impression he gets on much better with Joey. But everything about him cancels everything else out – he has sexy arms (that is, when they're not obscured by some starched-out shirt his mum gave him for Christmas, which she must every year in the same three colors) – but then a little (no, a lot) too London Tower with the "drugs" policy. And I can’t help but wonder, if in that moment of youth when the decision was made, he had just said, "Screw the belt, I’m going to splurge on designer jeans!" if he wouldn’t be happily married with a teenager right now.
He invited me to the football match this Sunday...he was cleaning the oven, wearing an apron (an apron) and bright yellow rubber gloves as I was leaving for work when he asked me – the way he asked was, well - somewhere right in between asking me if the oven looked clean and asking me to dinner. Of course I had to accept – three hours of potentially awkward small-talk is better than the perpetual awkwardness of living with a snubbed landlord with a demonstrated proclivity toward sulking and zero-tolerance policies.
I’m doing my best to keep an open mind. My mum told me once that before the blind date on which she met my father she had sighed to her girlfriends, "At least I’ll get to wear my new dress."
Yellow Rubber Gloves.
------------------------------------
Nine Rooms updates every Tuesday - Gina - Nick - Claire - Alan - Joey
posted by Claire Goodwin | 1:15 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home