Chapter 15
Fifteen
I was early, of course. I parked my car in the paved lot of Gringos.
I would draw less attention sitting in my car than circling around the streets trying to kill time.
The nap and getting cleaned up had done me good, at least physically.
I looked almost myself again, all the puffiness and splotchiness gone.
I was in a better mood as well. More rested, anyway.
I checked my phone after my nap, and the only messages were from Donnie.
I was starting to get worried. It wasn’t like Jed to not call.
No matter what argument we had, he always wanted to talk.
He never gave me the silent treatment. Maybe he had decided I was right, that he didn’t have to come down here, that seven years was long enough.
Maybe he was already moving to an apartment or making plans to move back to his family, or maybe somewhere else.
We had always dreamed about moving to San Diego.
Maybe he was with some other guy. He had said he was horny.
I couldn’t imagine Jed cheating. No matter how bad things got, it just wasn’t in him.
You never know, though; given the right timing and circumstances, even archangels could be persuaded.
Once again I picked up my phone and hit his speed dial.
Before it even had a chance to ring, I shut the phone again.
At six thirty, I walked into the restaurant.
With the exception of the alteration of color scheme, the building looked just like I remembered, complete with a walk-in vestibule with old wooden pews along either wall and a single chicken coop hanging on the wall with straw inside the cubby and three plastic eggs placed in the middle of the homemade nest. Donnie and Mandy weren’t there yet.
I wished I would have been paying attention to the cars in the parking lot.
I let the hostess seat me; the last thing I wanted was to sit in the vestibule while a parade of townspeople traipsed by, wondering who the stranger was.
The hostess weaved me through the entire restaurant to a little table in a tiny offshoot area that had a full wall of windows on each side.
Sure enough, at every filled table, the patrons turned their heads to gawk at the unknown man invading their restaurant.
This had always been my favorite table to eat at when I was a kid, especially at this time of day. The stars were just starting to shine, and the blanketing darkness made the little space seem cozy and safe.
Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait long. Shelly, the waitress, had just brought me a cherry Coke when I saw Donnie walk into the restaurant and down the steps that led into the main eating area.
He caught my eye and waved cheerfully. After, as he made a small gesture with his hand toward the entrance, a petite brunette rounded the corner and gracefully floated down the stairs to take his hand in hers.
The top of her head barely came to his chest. I took her in as they walked toward me.
She wore a simple white button-down blouse and a denim skirt with white lace at the hem that hit just below her knees.
As she got closer, I was able to better see her face.
She was beautiful. Not stunning or gorgeous, but beautiful.
She looked fresh, childlike. Her bright blue eyes were framed by mahogany-brown hair that fell in delicate waves just above her shoulders.
Her smile was wide and brilliantly white.
Maudra’s comparison to a cherub wasn’t far off.
She was lovely, the way Betty outshone Veronica and Mary Ann bested Ginger.
I stood to greet her, but Donnie got to me first and gave me a quick, tight hug. “Thanks for shuttin’ off your phone, Brooke. Jeesh!” He winked at me. “Hope Maudra’s plans were agreeable to you.”
“Yes, of course they were. I told you I wanted to meet Mandy. Sorry, I just needed time to myself this morning. I left my phone at the house.”
“It doesn’t matter. Everything worked out.” He stepped back and placed his arm around the girl. “This is Mandy.” He beamed with undisguisable pride. “Mandy, this is my favorite and infamous cousin, Brooklyn.”
I held out my hand. “Nice to meet you, Mandy. The family was raving about you the other day, as was Maudra.”
She sidestepped my hand and reached up and pulled me into a hug.
I had to stoop to return her embrace. She was even shorter than I was.
Her hug felt familiar and unintrusive. With a final squeeze, she released me.
“It’s great to finally meet you. Ever since Donnie and I started dating, nearly every story he tells me about his past revolves around you.
I was nervous to meet you in person. I must have tried on three different outfits!
” That was nothing. I tried on at least eight before I settled on my favorite Lucky jeans and a black T-shirt.
I didn’t find it necessary to tell her I was more of a girl than she was.
“Well, come on. I’m starving! Let’s sit down and order the grub!” Donnie pulled out a chair for Mandy directly across from mine, then took his place beside her.
“Maudra told me I had to order the cheese enchiladas, so I’ve already got that figured out. I hope you don’t mind, but I placed an order for chips and queso.”
Mandy’s smile got even brighter. “Oh, that’s wonderful. I love queso, and Maudra’s right. The enchiladas are amazing. They put bleu cheese in them! Have you ever heard of that? I don’t think it is very ethnically accurate, but it’s very good.”
Donnie placed his hand over Mandy’s. “Mandy is very concerned about keeping things ethnically and culturally accurate. She doesn’t like things to become gentrified.
” He laughed. “I didn’t even know what that word meant until Mandy.
She’s more progressive than most of us down here.
Well, you know, she’s a big city girl, like you! ”
Mandy gasped at him. “Donnie!” She looked at me, eyes wide. “I am so sorry. He was just teasing. Just because you’re gay doesn’t make you a girl.”
She really was charming, and innocently na?ve. “Believe me, if Donnie’s mockery could hurt me, I would have died before the fifth grade.”
She leaned closer and whispered, “Well, then, between us girls, I think I like the big city a little bit better than here, don’t you?” Maybe not as na?ve as I had thought.
Donnie burst out laughing. A few of the patrons at the other tables twisted their heads to get a better look. “She’s a spitfire, I tell you! An adorable spitfire, but a spitfire, nonetheless.”
Surprisingly, I realized before we had finished our chips and queso that I was thoroughly enjoying myself.
Maudra was right. I didn’t remember seeing Donnie so happy.
He’d always been cheerful and never complained, no matter how bad things got, but he never seemed quite so carefree and willing to let the attention linger on himself.
As for Mandy, I don’t think I could have designed a better match.
Indeed, she had qualities I never would have thought complementary to Donnie.
She never stopped talking, but she spoke in such a way that it never seemed to be based out of self-importance or a desire to have her own thoughts heard by everyone else.
She had the type of personality that would seem artificially sweet from most people, but her genuineness was so palpable you felt like you were in the presence of someone who has never had the realization that there were people in the world who would hurt her.
She had the same giving personality as Donnie, but where his was demonstrated though his constant selflessness and willingness to give of his time and resources, Mandy’s was manifest through her graciousness that overflowed to everyone around her.
Even Shelly, who had seemed to be unequivocally irritated when I asked her to refill my cherry Coke, after a few moments with Mandy, seemed to be completely fulfilled in her life’s career and position.
In between bites of her own enchiladas, Mandy brought up the topic I was hoping to avoid.
“I know this might sound trite, and I don’t mean it that way, but I can’t wait to meet Jed.
I’ve never had any gay friends. Doesn’t that sound horrible?
How could I have lived so long and not had any gay friends?
I’m sure I’ve met people who were gay, but I’ve never really had any long conversations about the topic and seen it in motion. ”
Donnie guffawed. “Seen it in motion? Mandy! I don’t think Brooke and Jed are going to get it on in front of us!”
She blushed and smacked his hand with her fork. “You’re horrible! You know what I meant!” She turned to me. “Oh, Brooke, you knew what I meant, right?”
“Of course, I knew what you meant, sweetie. I’m glad to know I’m not the only one Donnie likes to give a hard time to.”
“Hardly.” She took another bite and swallowed before continuing.
“I just meant I am excited about getting to experience your relationship together. I grew up hearing such horrible things about gay people in church. Comparing them to pedophiles and people who like animals to… to… well, you know. It just never made sense to me. Can you believe people say such things?”
I laughed darkly. “Yeah, I can believe.” Donnie caught my eye and winked at me in brotherly support. “My mother helped get me caught up on what people like to say about homosexuals.”
Mandy quickly picked up on my sarcastic tone and continued. “Luckily, Mom and Daddy would always take me home after church and explain that a lot of people use the Bible to hurt others. They told me that gay people were not evil and deserved God’s love as much as they did.”
“Your parents sound great. Donnie was really bragging about your dad the other night.”