33. Jeanie
33 /
jeanie
Sleazy Snowbirds
Even though Mom invited us to brunch, she doesn’t appear until we’re finishing eating. She drops onto the chair at our poolside table.
“Hey, kiddos. Did I miss anything fun?” She waves over a server.
She did, in fact, miss a lot of fun. But I’ll let her discover that Dex and Freddie are rocketing into the dating life. And as far as Roman goes, she already knew he needed to take a plunge with the fishes.
Across the patio, Roman is sprawled on the sundeck, drying out like a starfish. He’s treating his wounded ego with frozen drinks from the tiki bar. The important part? He’s kept his distance from Dex.
Dex floats around the lazy river on an inner tube with a chain of several young ladies in tow. Freddie, well, he’s ...
I glance around and find him.
On a stage, he’s singing karaoke to his new sweetheart. I cringe when he licks the microphone like a lollipop and quickly avert my eyes.
“Where’s Alfonso?” I ask Mom.
“Sent him back to Brazil.” Mom orders an Aperol spritz and winks at the handsome waiter.
“Betty.” Nathan pauses until he has her full attention. She’s busy checking out the server as he walks away. “I’ve only known you a few days and have seen you with, oh, I don’t know, five different men.”
“And?” She glares from over her jeweled sunglasses.
“Don’t get me wrong, it’s impressive. I’m a big fan. But I’m curious, do you ever date anyone seriously?”
“Wolf, can I call you Wolf?” She removes her glasses and cleans the lenses with a table napkin.
He nods with a quirked lip.
“I’ve had one serious relationship, and it was with Jeanie’s father. We were together for one year before he cheated on me, and I didn’t find out until the fifth year. Then I tried to change his ways for the next five. If you’re counting, that’s ten years of my life wasted. Ten! He knew how to play my heart. Because of that, he flew in and out of our lives like a snowbird. Do you remember, Tweedledee?”
Mom regards me, but I’m already reliving the painful past.
Dad promised us the world and then left repeatedly. Eventually, my parents divorced. That’s when he dated step-Satan, who’s technically not a step anything. Little Sophia was part of the package. Eventually, Dad left them too. After that, we don’t know where he went. For all I know, I could have sixteen more Sophias out there .
That’s a terrifying thought.
“I remember.” I flick the corner of the menu with my fingernail.
A thought unravels in my mind. Did my abandonment issues make me hold on tighter to Roman? Was I waiting for him to repeat my dad’s pattern and return to me?
Considering, I stare into space for a few seconds.
Mom pats my arm. “I promised myself I’d never let another man control me, and I’ve kept that promise. I warned Jeanie not to get married, but here we are.”
“Here we are.” My voice turns monotone as a daydream flashes behind my gaze. It features me tackling Mom into the pool.
The server places new drinks on the table. He slips Mom his number.
Instead of taking it, she stands and asks if he can help her to her room. “I’m feeling faint.”
As she rises from her seat, she covertly winks at us. Mom leans on his shoulder for support as they stroll away.
Nathan takes my hand. “I’m sorry you went through all that.”
“It was a long time ago.”
The reality is, no relationship is guaranteed. We must enjoy the people we care about while we have them. And I intend to do that with Nathan. If I’m lucky, he can make me forget why I came here. I attempt to perk up.
“How do you feel about threesomes?” I ask, thinking this new adventure might lift my mood.