Sweeter Than Fiction

Chapter Eight

Don

“Tell me something I don’t know about you,” Abby prompts.

We’re in between episodes, and she’s pulling out some yarn and a couple of knitting needles. My eyes are glued to her hands when her fingers start moving fast as hell to add to the little bit she’s already completed.

“Hmm.” I think for a moment. “You mean besides the bodies I have hidden in my closet?”

“Yeah, I mean the important stuff.”

I like her sarcasm.

Not knowing exactly what I want to share, I say, “I used to be engaged.”

Her eyes get big. “Really? You?”

“Believe it or not, once upon a time, I wasn’t such a man whore.”

“I didn’t mean to imply,” she stammers.

“Abby, it’s okay. I can admit it. But back in the day, I was ready to settle down.”

“What happened?”

“Her name was Alicia. We were crazy about each other and had all these big plans for the future. When I booked the job here in New York, I thought it would be great for us, and Alicia was excited too. But she was a teacher in the middle of the school year. We decided she would wait until summer break and then join me. But after I left, she got weird and distant. When I called her out on it, she admitted she’d been cheating on me with one of my buddies.”

“Oh, shit,” Abby gasps.

“The fucked-up thing was that I honestly probably would’ve forgiven her and taken her back. But she told me she wanted to be with him.”

“What a bitch!” She cries. “I’m sorry, but she sounds awful. And let me guess—the two of them broke up shortly after and she regrets her stupid decisions?”

“Uh, no, actually, they’re still together. Married with a kid.”

Abby scoffs. “I hate it when shitty people get to have happy endings.”

“Eh, it is what it is. It just sucks that I have to see them when I go home. It’s almost impossible to constantly avoid them.”

She shakes her head. “Fucking small towns. Are you mean to her? I’d be mean to her. Okay, that’s probably not true. I’m far too awkward to do that. But I’d want to. And later, I’d play out some ridiculous scenario while I’m in the shower where I give that bitch what for.”

Her honesty gets a small laugh out of me. “No, I’m not really mean. For a while right after it happened, I was so pissed that I avoided going home. Took me some time to realize that wasn’t fair to my family…or to myself. I figure we just weren’t meant to be.”

“Oh, you’re one of those.”

“One of what?” I ask.

“One of the people who believes in soulmates and fate.”

I smile. “I don’t know about all that. But I like to believe that there’s someone out there who will be that right fit. What do you believe?”

“Don, I have always lived in a city that has over eight million people. Thinking about finding that one perfect person sounds like finding a needle in a haystack. I think that there are a shit ton of people in the world and believing that there’s only one that you could be happy with just seems a little far-fetched.”

“So, no fate for you, huh?”

She shrugs her shoulders. “Not really. But mind you, I’m probably the last person in the world who knows anything about any love-related matters.”

“And why’s that?”

“Because my dating life in its entirety could fit on an index card. I suck at everything associated with dating.”

“Oh, I’m sure it’s not that bad,” I argue.

“You know my date that ended in tears the other night?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s not even the worst experience I’ve had with the opposite sex.”

“Ouch.”

She nods. “Yeah. At this point, I wonder if I should just give up.”

“Oh, come on, you can’t be more than thirty,” I tell her.

“Thirty-three,” she corrects.

“Still, that’s way too young to give up on love.”

“Eh, I don’t know. It may be for the best.” She gives me a small smile.

“Why do you think that?”

“Because I’m weird.”

“You’re not—”

She cuts me off. “Yes, I am. And I like being weird. Sure, my life might seem boring or lame to some, but I like it. I have my routines and my hobbies, and I don’t need a man if he’s just going to tell me I should change. And that’s been my experience in the past.”

I hate that Abby seems so skeptical when it comes to men and dating. It sounds like she’s been through a whole hell of a lot of the wrong ones. We may not have been hanging out long, but I can already tell she’s awesome. She might see herself as weird and awkward, but when she meets the right person, none of that will matter.

You’d think after what I went through with Alicia that I would be cynical as fuck. But I need to believe that eventually, I’ll find something real. It’s what makes the shitty dates worth it.

Well, that and the sex.

I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t a perk.

“For what it’s worth, Abby, I think you’ll find someone great.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence. You have far more of it than I do.”

She pushes a strand of her dark blonde wavy hair behind her ear as she starts on her knitting.

“What are you making?” I ask.

“A hat,” she holds up what she already has done.

“For someone with a freakishly small head?”

“It’s for a baby.”

I look her up and down. “Something you need to tell me?”

“Do I look pregnant?”

“No! I’m walking a very thin line here, aren’t I?”

She starts laughing and even lets out a cute little snort. “No, I’m not with child. I knit hats for babies in the NICU at the hospital.”

“Really?”

She nods. “I knit hats during the colder months, and then, in the warmer months, I crochet little stuffed animals for the children’s hospital. They give them to the kids who are new and may be scared.”

“Wow,” I say. “That’s really awesome of you. What made you decide to do that?”

Her shoulders shrug. “Knitting and crocheting help ground me, but I could only make so many blankets and scarves before it seemed a bit excessive.”

I feel like I’m not getting the full story, but I’m not going to pry.

She offers up a little more, though. “When I was younger, I spent a little time in the hospital, so I know how comforting little things can be.”

“That had to be rough,” I reply, still trying not to be too intrusive.

“I was never in very long. Just mainly there so they could run a bunch of tests. I can’t imagine what some of the kids go through that have to be there for an extended stay.”

Another piece of the Abby puzzle that makes me realize how great she is.

My phone vibrates in my pocket, and when I pull it out, I see that it’s a message from Shar.

Hey, sexy. Want to get together tonight?

Seeing my face, Abby asks, “What’s wrong? Why do you look surprised?”

“It’s that woman I went on a date with a few nights ago. Shar.”

Abby’s face contorts. “Shar? Really?”

“Hey, I didn’t pick her name.”

“What does she want? Oh, let me guess—she wants more of your man meat?”

“Well, that’s an odd name for it.” I laugh.

“Odd name? Really? Shar?”

“Point taken.”

“So, really, what does Miss Shar want?”

With a heavy sigh, I reply, “She wants my man meat.”

“Aha! I knew it!” She cries. “So, are you going to go give it to her?”

“Nope,” I reply, shoving my phone back in my pocket.

“Why not?” She looks shocked.

“Because I’m hanging out with you.”

“But you have an opportunity to get laid.”

“So?” I ask.

“So, I would think you’d rather go do that than hang out with me watching Gilmore Girls.”

“Well, then, you’d be wrong,” I tell her. “Look, I told you that I’m taking a break from that whole scene. So, no, I’ll not be going to meet up with Shar.”

Abby smiles. “Alright then.”

“Now, let’s watch some more of the show.”