Chris arrived at Erin’s front door, hesitantly knocking, he felt utterly disheveled.
"Come on in," Erin invited, fumbling with a stubborn ear ring. "I just need about fifteen minutes; I’m runnin’ late."
Chris smiled, thinking to himself about how some things never change. It was wonderful, he thought. What was once an irritating occurrence became an endearing quality in retrospect.
Erin paused for a moment, looking at Chris’ shirt.
"What?" He shyly asked.
"Nothing," Erin quickly dismissed.
She looked again, trying not to laugh.
"This isn’t mine," Chris quickly admitted.
"Hope not baby," she anounced, finally laughing."
"It’s Thomas’ shirt!"
"Yeah? You should give it back to Thomas," Erin teasingly suggested.
"I just got a T-shirt on under this though, so I'll look way dressed down," Chris sulked.
"Perfect, T-shirt and jeans…sounds like the perfect outfit for when I beat your ass at a round of putt-putt," Erin smiled.
"Oh, is that right?" He asked. "Just so you know, I’m better at putt-putt than pool, as long as they don‘t let you use a pool cue I should be fine," Chris bragged.
Erin laughed; "I’ll be ready soon, make yourself at home," she called out from the hall, heading back to her room.
Chris scanned the living room, remembering Erin’s eclectic taste in art and furnishings. Standing in her house, surrounded by a décor that was distinctly Erin, Chris felt a sense of comfort; it was almost like being back at home.
Chris' attention turned to something against his leg. "Shit!" The cat took him by surprise. Looking down to find Erin’s cat rubbing against his legs, circling in full figure eights between them, Chris gently lifted the cat to his chest, rubbing its head.
"You don’t happen to remember me do you?" He whispered.
Chris’ thoughts drifted back. A vase wooshed past his head, shattering against the wall.
"I’m sick of this shit Chris!" Erin screamed.
Chris picked up the closest thing he could find and returned fire. They’d been fighting and things had, once again, spiraled out of control. It was one of many scenes that visited Chris’ mind quite often. He stared blankly at the wall as he shook the memory from his mind.
"Whew! OK, I’m finally ready," Erin cheerfully announced as she emerged from the hallway, breaking Chris’ unsettling visit down memory lane.
"Great!" A smile quickly returned to his face; "let’s go."
After a round of putt-putt Chris and Erin hit a Mexican restaurant. It was a dive, but a local favorite; a perfect jeans and t-shirt, post putt-putt dinner spot, Chris thought.
They chatted over a colossal tray of chips and salsa.
"So," Chris began, "what exactly do you manage in your office?"
"Other than the egos of the guys I work for??" she laughed.
"Sounds like fun," Chris replied.
"I do pretty much anything that they suck at," she answered.
"Which is??" Chris pressed.
"Almost everything, it seems."
"Wow, maybe they should eliminate some positions and give you all the money; better yet, let me negotiate your next pay raise evaluation and get you more money, then you give me half. "Or, we can just both quit our jobs and go rob a few gas stations tonight," Chris joked.
Erin laughed. "How bout’ you?"
"I’m a news reporter," Chris confidently answered.
"Aaah, part of the problem," she smiled.
"Oh, c’mon," Chris retorted.
"Well then, Mr. Reporter, what do you think about the Prez; you like him?"
"You know what they say Erin, never talk about politics or religion in a bar."
"Says he who wants to duck the subject," she interjected.
"Touché," Chris conceded.
"Plus, this is a restaurant...we happen to be sitting in the bar area," she helpfully reminded.
"Well," Chris began, "I think that the president is doing as well as he can."
"I’ll read between the lines on that one," Erin toasted as she hoisted a beer.
Chris and Erin talked for over an hour through dinner. The conversation was light hearted. They exchanged funny stories about family, friends and work. It was one of those encounters where time seemed to be lost as it flew past both of them.
After dinner, they strolled to the car; Chris made certain that he opened the car door. Marie would be proud.
"Wow, it’s nice outside," Erin observed.
"Hey, you in a hurry?" She asked.
"No, not at all, why?"
Chris and Erin soon found themselves walking along the Moonwalk on the Mississippi Riverfront. Usually filled with tourists during the day, it was especially quiet tonight as live music resonated from a nearby bench.
At night the Riverfront is quite peaceful, a perfect place for private time alone or for romantic moments shared between couples.
A lone saxophonist played for tips nearby as they stopped for a moment to soak in the melody; the stanza echoed through the Moon Walk as they took turns to steal a quick glance while the other wasn’t looking.
Strolling farther down, they found a quiet spot overlooking the river. The sky was crystal clear, the moon hung brightly, illuminating the river bank with a soft glow as their conversation turned personal.
"So, did you date much after your divorce?" Erin quizzed.
"Hmm," Chris began, "I suppose you could say that I began dating during the marriage, he reluctantly replied.
"Recipe for disaster don’t ya’ think?"
"Yeah," Chris admitted, lowering his tone.
"What happened?" Erin pressed.
Chris’ thoughts turned introspective, carefully scripting his words before replying. He stared at the river before answering.
"I should have acted quicker and I definitely should have done a few things much better."
"I’m sure there’s some blame to share for both of you, or maybe the three of you; I mean the ex wife somehow caused you to look elsewhere. And as far as the ex girlfriend is concerned," Erin paused before continuing. "Listen, a girl knows that getting involved in a triangle is gonna end up badly for someone, usually herself or both girls. Sometimes all three," she continued.
"I suppose I was blinded because everything was goin' so well, and then..." Chris paused.
"And then everyone got hurt," Erin completed his sentence.
"Yeah," he grimly affirmed.
"The way I see it, at least you recognize that; do you still love her?
Chris thought carefully before answering Erin’s question. In his mind, he knew that the answer was simply YES, but how could he answer Erin truthfully while he was on a first date?
He’d be damaged goods, end of story. He couldn’t tell her about the events at the shop gate, that he was given a second chance and he was in love with her; she‘d surely think that he‘s a psycho.
After a moment of awkward silence, Erin gave Chris an easy way out. "Don’t worry," she assured; "I still love my ex too," she admitted with a comforting smile.
"How bout’ you?" Chris redirected the question back to Erin. "What happened with you and your ex boyfriend?"
"Oddly, a similar situation such as yours. The stress built, it became violent and heartbreaking. The triangle. I was the loser though, I don‘t know, maybe the wife was too. I do love him."
"You ever see him?" Chris quizzed.
"No, not in a long time." Chris quietly studied Erin‘s face, wondering what she must be thinking.
"How bout now? You found someone who interests you since the ex?" Chris pried.
Erin smiled before answering. "Yeah, a couple people."
"Aaah, a reverse triangle," Chris laughed. "Recipe for disaster," he continued.
"Yeah, I know," she agreed.
"well, fuck it...I was always terrible with love anyway. Ooops, did I say that out loud? I meant that I was always terrible with geometry," Chris joked.
Chris and Erin slowly strolled back to the car; the night went well and seemed to be winding up even better. He escorted Erin to her front door where they exchanged good night wishes.
"I had a good time Chris."
"Me too; I hope it was worth taking a night off from bartending."
"It was," she quickly assured.
"Oh, hey…wanna go to the zoo tomorrow??"
Erin shot a puzzled expression to Chris.
"Um, well, I don’t know Chris, maybe."
"No big deal if you cant, but I gotta take Thomas’ daughter to the zoo."
Erin thought about the invitation for a moment before answering. "OK, uh, just give me a call tomorrow morning I suppose."
"Great! OK, I'll talk to ya’ then. Have a good night Erin." Chris turned and walked to the car.
"I just did," Erin whispered to herself with a smile as she watched him drive away. She felt comfortable with Chris in a way that she refused to question.
copyright, Pontchartrain Press 2008
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