2. Derek
Another week, another family dinner. It wasn’t bad, necessarily, except when his mom brought up the topic of Mel and marriage. If he’d had his way, he’d be happily married by now. But Mel had other ideas, and he had no choice but to wait.
By the time he returned to his apartment, loneliness had already settled in. The new apartment provided a brief distraction, keeping him busy over the weekend as he made countless trips up and down the staircase to the third-floor unit. But now that the few boxes containing his belongings were unpacked, his apartment stood as a stark reminder of how empty his life felt these days. And lonely. Mel hadn’t seen the new place yet, but he had a sinking feeling that she wouldn’t like it.
He couldn’t spend an entire Friday evening alone in this apartment, waiting for Mel’s phone call and wondering what she was doing halfway across the world. Within a minute, his decision was made. He turned on some music, pulled snack food out of his cabinets, and got to work knocking on his neighbors’ doors.
Less than an hour later, Derek reached into one of the upper cabinets in his new-for-him kitchen and pulled out a large bag of tortilla chips. Loud party music filled the space in the room, almost too loud for any of his guests to have conversations. He filled the empty bowl and passed it back to the guy who had brought it into the kitchen in the first place.
The man took it with a slight nod and said something, but Derek couldn”t hear him over the loud thud of the music.
It was one of his favorite songs. He and Mel went to the band”s concert six months ago, before she left. He instinctively reached his hand into his pocket, feeling for his phone. She wouldn”t call for another hour or so, since she normally called during her morning break between lessons at the school in Cambodia.
He grabbed an extra jar of salsa from the counter and walked through the crowded kitchen toward the more-crowded dining room of his new apartment. The wood floors and tall ceilings with arched doorways were a rare find in this city, especially at his budget. But that was one of the perks of being a real estate agent, finding the best places and renting them when clients decide they want something with less character in a suburb.
Several of his new neighbors nodded at him or patted him on the back as he walked to the large table, heavily laden with all sorts of snack foods.
He glanced up just in time to see his brother walk in with his wife, Kayce. Even though he ate with them at the restaurant earlier that evening, he knew his brother and Kayce wouldn’t say no to his invitation. They were all cut from the same cloth, always happiest surrounded by people.
“Nice place you have here, Derek.” His older brother took a quick survey of the dining room before giving him a half hug. “Did you invite the entire building? Trying to convince them all to move away from you so you can be their realtor and rake in the dough?”
“Leave him alone. He knows when to stop talking business.” Kayce shook her head disapprovingly, but Derek knew that there was no anger behind her words. In the ten years they”d been married, he never once heard them fight.
“There”s never a bad time to talk business,” Jake replied.
Derek had to agree with that. Real estate was in their family”s blood. He and his brother were practically raised at open houses. While other kids were playing video games, Derek and Jake were learning the best adjectives to describe condos with only one closet or semi-detached family homes with peeling vinyl tiles on the kitchen floor. “Did you see that the house on Walnut Street is under contract?”
“The one with the wrap-around porch and second story laundry room?”
“Heard the offer was ten percent over the asking price.”
“Shoot. I had some clients who just asked me about that property today.”
“Tell them they are lucky. I heard there might be old electrical wiring at that house. But I got a call today about another house that”s going?—”
“Enough of the business talk.” Kayce shoved Derek lightly on the shoulder and scowled half-heartedly. “Have you heard from Mel tonight?”
He patted his pocket. “She said she”d call in about an hour. About midnight.”
“Well, um, tell her that Mom is going to go crazy if she doesn”t call her soon.” Kayce and Mel were sisters, but only Mel got the traveling bug in her family. The rest of her family were like his. They had deep roots in the community and didn”t plan on changing that.
Mel said she had deep roots, too, and he believed her. Ever since middle school, when his parents moved to a fixer-upper with a second-story balcony in an older section of town with mature trees and no HOA fees, Mel had sworn that she wanted to raise kids in the same residential area of their city. He agreed. Their neighborhood was perfect for raising kids. Close enough to good restaurants and shopping, convenient to local bike paths and playgrounds, and a good school district.
He thought she wanted the same things, but couldn”t ignore the doubt that had been creeping in over the past two years.
“Kayce, can I get you something to drink?” He needed to stop thinking about Mel”s promises before he became the party-pooper at his own party.
“Rum and coke?” She twisted a strand of hair around her finger, the same way Mel did when she was uncomfortable in a situation.
“Sure. Jake?”
“Huh?” Jake had suddenly taken a deep interest in a poster hanging on Derek”s newly painted wall and missed the question.
“Want a drink?”
“Sure.” He looked back at the poster. “Whatever beer you have.”
Something was strange, but he wasn”t about to pry into it in front of all his guests. Instead, he walked to the kitchen, mixed a drink for Kayce, and then grabbed a beer from the fridge.
By the time he found his brother and sister-in-law again, the music was turned up higher. He handed over the drinks, noticing that Jake still failed to make eye contact, but Kayce offered him a weird sort of smile, almost like a pity smile.
But he didn”t need any pity. He had an awesome new apartment, some of his neighbors seemed pretty cool, and work was better than ever. Plus, Mel was going to call in about thirty minutes.
He made his rounds through the apartment again, keeping to the quieter areas where he could chat and get to know some of his neighbors. He was about to excuse himself and seek out a quiet spot in his bedroom to talk with Mel when a hard tap landed on his shoulder.
He turned around to see a short, blonde woman with a scowl on her face. She looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn’t place her. Blonde hair, curvy, not too thin, but the scowl on her face made him pause.
“Are you the new neighbor?” Her tone, which was hard to hear over the music, did not sound welcoming.
“Guilty. Want a beer?” He motioned to the kitchen where the alcohol supply was dwindling, but still offered enough to share.
“If you don”t stop the party, I”m calling the police.”
This was the second time today someone threatened to call the police on him. He narrowed his eyes at her again, trying to remember if he’d met her before.
His phone vibrated in his pocket and he pulled it out. A text from his brother popped up on the screen. An angry blonde is looking for you.
Too late, bro. “I also have wine, red and white. Or soda.” A little alcohol might erase some of whatever made her look like she was ready to beat him up with her small fists and bright pink nails.
“Do you know what time it is? This building has a noise policy and you are breaking it.” She had to yell to be heard over the music.
“I can introduce you to some of the people here. Mostly neighbors, so you might already know them, but I can introduce you anyway. My sister-in-law is here, too, if you want to meet her?” Good manners could solve almost any situation, and if this one was solved in three minutes or less, great. Nothing would stop him from answering Mel’s call, but he also didn’t want to be the jerk who walked away mid-conversation. Or, in this case, mid-confrontation.
The woman in front of him looked even more annoyed at the suggestion of meeting other people, calling for a different strategy. He grabbed her lightly by the elbow and led her out the front door to the hallway, where the noise from the party was a dim roar. A harsh odor hit his nose as he closed the door to his apartment. Something smelled stale and smoky, like a mixture of onions and body odor. With a touch of vomit and rotting food. The urge to plug his nose was strong, but he resisted and focused on the blonde problem in front of him.
“Sorry for all the noise. You--”
“Your noise is keeping me awake. Some people have things to do in the morning and like to sleep at night.” She looked dead serious, like he’d never met someone who didn”t sleep during the day and wander the streets at night.
“It”s Friday. Have some fun. There’s plenty of food and drinks left, and you might actually enjoy yourself.” He leaned up against the wall in a relaxed, hopefully inviting manner, placing one hand strategically in his pocket so he”d feel the phone as soon as it started buzzing. “Beers on the house. Free,” he explained as she narrowed her eyes at him like he spoke a different language.
“I know what you meant. And I don”t drink.” She wrinkled her nose as if he had offered her a drink made from water left over from washing dishes.
“I don”t have any other substances, if that”s what you are asking for.”
“I”m giving you ten minutes to shut this down before I call the superintendent of the building.”
“I saw him in the kitchen about ten minutes ago.” He gestured to the door and tried to hide his grin as she huffed again.
“Then I”ll call the police.”
He inhaled deeply and immediately regretted it as his nose tingled from the stench of whatever caused the hallway to reek. “Do you smell that? I don”t remember that smell being here yesterday.”
Her face paled slightly. “I know a lot of police officers here. At least one of them is on duty tonight.”
Something about her tone registered in his memory. “You’re the bathroom girl!” She wasn’t wearing the tight black dress that showed off her legs, but it was definitely her. “Guess you ditched your date. Gene, was it?”
Her mouth dropped open again, in the exact same manner it did when she first realized that she had been the person using the wrong bathroom. “Did you follow me home or something? I swear, I will call the police. Stalking is illegal.” She looked even more angry, if possible.
“First, I live here. I did not follow you home. Second, call the police if you want, but I know they won”t do anything. It”s barely midnight. They won”t stop by until after 1am, and the party will be done by then.” He paused as his apartment door opened and two people walked out, hand in hand, and nodded to him, proving his point. “The party will be over within an hour, I promise. Sure you don”t want to join us?”
She crossed her arms and wrinkled her nose. “I don”t care?—”
“Seriously, what is that smell??” He didn”t mean to interrupt her, but the stench was worse than before. He pushed off the wall and took a few steps down the hall, sniffing as he went. The smell faded slightly but returned in full force when he returned to his apartment door.
“Forget about the smell. It”s probably from all the alcohol at your party. Shut it down. Now.”
He sniffed again. “No, it”s definitely not that.” The closer he got to the blonde, the stronger the smell. He shook his head as realization sunk in and waved his hand in front of his nose. “What have you been doing tonight? You smell like a hamburger grill.” And a dumpster filled with rotten onions and vomit. But adding the last part would prolong the conversation, and it needed to end.
The look on her face was priceless. “I do not. I”m a vegetarian. I don”t eat hamburgers.”
“Then why do you smell like you”ve been working in a fast-food restaurant all day?”
“Are you going to shut down your party or not?”
He pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked the time. One minute before Mel was supposed to call. Her break between teaching classes was only twenty minutes. “I”ll have everything shut down in an hour.”
“Ten minutes.”
“Forty-five minutes. You’ll need to take a shower before you sleep.”
She did not look amused. Instead, she pivoted on her feet and started walking down the hall to the apartment next to his. “I”ll give you thirty minutes.”
A chiming noise came from his pocket as his cell phone vibrated. The last picture he and Mel took together popped up on his screen. He raised the phone to his ear and turned, walking down the hallway in the opposite direction. “Hey Mel, I”ve missed you.”
“I”ve missed you too.” Mel”s soft voice filled his ears. He could almost see the crease around her eyes when she smiled, the flecks of gold in her blue eyes. Unfortunately, the school she taught at had poor internet connection, so most of their conversations over the past six months had been voice only. He missed seeing her face.
“Are the students behaving themselves this morning? What are you teaching them today?” Last week, she worked on teaching the young students English words for different fruits and vegetables. He didn”t know how she did it. Being stuck in a classroom all day would drive him crazy.
“It”s Saturday here. I don”t teach today.”
“Oh, right.” How had he forgotten? But why did she insist on scheduling a call now when she usually called him later in the day on her Saturdays? Cambodia was about eleven hours ahead of his time zone.
“I wanted to talk to you before the weekend got started. I”m going on an adventure today.”
Something in the tone of her voice made him hesitate. He recognized that tone. He’d only heard it twice before, but it was enough to make his blood run cold.
She cleared her throat. “I know we”ve been together since we were thirteen, but?—”
“Twelve. I was thirteen, you were twelve.” The words came out automatically, almost like a defense about whatever was coming next. They”d had conversations that started like this twice now. This couldn”t be happening again.
“It”s so different here, and I really want to have time to explore everything without being tied down.”
He flinched, glad for once that they weren”t able to video chat. She”d used the same phrase before, when she”d taught in Vietnam and again when she taught in Columbia. Each time, she left for a year abroad to teach English in a local elementary school, and each time she said that she didn”t want to end their relationship when she left. And each time, around the six-month mark, she got tired of being ”tied down.”
“I”ll be back in another few months, and then we can be back together again. It”s temporary.”
Temporary? He didn”t believe her the first time she wanted a break, but they got back together as soon as she returned from Vietnam. When she needed a break while teaching in Columbia, he doubted her again. But as soon as she returned home, it was like their relationship never stopped. Perhaps being with someone for nearly 20 years meant that small breaks were just that. Small breaks.
“You’re still my best friend. You know me better than anyone else. It”s just a lot to handle, you know? Making sure I can call you every few days, feeling bad when I forget to call or text you . . . this is the last time I”m teaching overseas. I”ll come home and then we can get engaged, like we planned.”
Derek made a fist and hit it against the hallway wall gently, not really wanting to punch a hole in the wall but needing to hit something. “I never asked you to call every few days. I know you”re busy over there. And I’ve never wanted you to feel guilty for not calling me.” He wanted her to miss him enough that she thought about him and wanted to call him, not guilted into calling. No one likes to feel like they are just something to be ticked off of someone else’s to-do list.
“This is my dream, Derek. You know I want to travel. You could have come with me, but you didn”t.” A hint of anger crept in her voice.
“I can”t sell real estate in Cambodia.”
“You could have found something else to do.”
“My parents count on me. My brother counts on me. The family business?—”
“Then the best solution is to take a break until I get back. It doesn”t mean anything, just that we can live our lives separately until we are together again.”
“Is there another guy?” He struggled to get the words out in a normal sounding voice, hating that he jumped to that question.
“It”s not about that, Derek. It”s about freedom. I don”t want to be tied down right now.”
He tried to ignore that she hadn”t answered his question. She deserved better than a jealous boyfriend, after twenty years of growing up together, dating off and on throughout that time.
“Kayce said you were having a party tonight. Are you having a good time?” she asked as if she hadn”t just detonated a bomb from halfway across the globe.
“Did you tell them you were going to break up with me tonight?” That would explain why they both acted weird earlier. Even at dinner, they seemed a little on edge. They”d come over to babysit him after Mel delivered her news, and didn”t know how to act around him while waiting for his world to crash.
“It”s temporary. You don”t even need to tell your parents or mine. They”ll be crushed, and there”s no reason to upset any of them. You know how badly they want us to get married. If you can wait until I get back, it will be like this never happened.”
Part of him wanted to yell at her, convince her that this was a bad idea. But how could he yell at Mel?
“Derek, are you still there?”
He cleared his throat and tried to organize his thoughts. “So you want us to break up, not tell our parents, and get back together when you return, like nothing ever happened?”
“I know it”s a lot to ask.”
“Are we dating other people during this break?” In other words, did she meet someone else?
She let out a loud sigh over the phone. “Does it really matter what we do between now and when we get back together? I know you aren”t going to do anything stupid, and I won”t do anything stupid. I trust you.”
A noise from down the hallway caught his attention. A police officer strolled down the hall, walkie-talkie chirping as he approached. The pain in his chest that he”d been trying to ignore turned into a ball of anger.
“Mel, I have to go.”
“Don”t hang up on me like this. I need to know you are ok with everything.” There was an edge of pain in her voice.
“It”s fine, Mel. I”ll be here for you when you get back.” He”d never been able to say no to Mel for anything.
The security guard stopped in front of him, standing tall and looking stern. “This noise coming from your apartment?”
Derek nodded to the officer and spoke into the phone. “I have to go, Mel. We”ll talk soon.”
The man pulled out a notebook and started writing before Derek even had a chance to put his phone in his pocket. “Had a complaint from your neighbor. You”ve violated a noise ordinance. I”m going to need your ID.”