Chapter 29
Darren
I’d considered keeping the week off from work and chilling. Monday morning came and went, and my boredom could barely be contained. Bo was sleeping the day away, and there was nothing good on TV.
I refused to be left alone with my thoughts, so I chose to surprise everyone at Mel’s A/C and show up ready for work.
Garrett was the most surprised to see me. We gave each other a bro-hug, followed by us standing there quietly, happy to see each other.
“So, what the hell are you doing back so soon?” Garrett asked me. “She have to go out on tour?”
“No, I think we’re done.”
“Beg your pardon?” he asked.
“You were right all along,” I said. “It was stupid of me to go to Memphis—for a huge number of reasons.”
“Oh, no,” he said. “Trouble in paradise?”
“There’s no paradise, Garrett,” I told him. “We both knew what it was. Old friends with heavy sexual tension reconnected after years of forced separation.”
“What happened?”
“Honestly, dude, I don’t know if I could tell you,” I said sincerely. “I was telling her that I wasn’t insanely crazy about Memphis in the day or so I’d been there. She freaked out and told me she wanted me to leave. So, I left.”
“Hmm,” he hummed. “Help me load and install this A/C unit. Clock in. We’ll talk in the car.”
We each moved and lifted an enormous air-conditioning unit into one of the company vans. We strapped it in, ensured that we had all the loose parts kept nearby, and got on the road.
We didn’t get to talk like we wanted to while driving and working, but it was still a fun day for me. I loved lifting heavy things and moving them places, and I loved the feeling of completion whenever I finished a tricky installation.
Garrett and I worked an hour past close. My boss was happy I was there with all the work that had come in that day. By the time we were done, we were ready to go drinking. Garrett suggested going over to Chelsea’s for beers, but it was still rather unreal to me. The last time we went to Chelsea’s was the last time we saw Wayne Wright alive.
“We can’t let Wayne’s memory affect where we go to drink,” said Garrett. “Plus, there are tons of babes there tonight. Let’s get something going!”
“I’m down to go to Chelsea’s, and I’m down to talk more,” I said. “I’m not down to chase pussy tonight. Sorry, man.”
“Chasing pussy might be a sport you should play to get your mind off Baileyball! Baileyball: The game where nobody wins, and both the players look like nincompoops.”
“Thank you, Garrett,” I said rolling my eyes. “I’m down to drink. I’m down to play pool. But I’m laying off the girls tonight. I’ll help you get laid if you want, though.”
“Spare me your pity, mongrel,” he said, kicking me lightly in the shins.
We got to Chelsea’s, and to our surprise, there was barely anyone in the place, drinking or otherwise. The only attractive women there were some of the waitresses, and we both knew several of them by name. Garrett had been rejected by all but one of them.
We sat at a booth near the pool table and a TV showing a hockey game.
“I’ll get us a pitcher of beer,” Garrett said, immediately standing back up. “Anything particular you want?”
“I’m good with whatever, man.”
Garrett went over to the bar, and he came back with a pitcher of golden beer and two shots of Jäger.
After we downed our shots, we nursed on our beers. We were watching the hockey game, even though neither of us knew how to follow hockey.
“So, how were things going before your fight?” he asked me.
“Good, I think. We didn’t do much of the city together. When we got there, we were both exhausted. We went and looked at some places together, had some nice food and had some fantastic sex.”
“Nice.” He grinned.
“Then, I went out into the city for a bit while she was taking care of business,” I said. “I wasn’t too crazy about it. I’ll be totally honest with you. Like I said, you were right. Memphis ain’t for me.”
“Memphis isn’t for a lot of people if we’re being real,” said Garrett. “You’re just not one for the city, bud. Maybe you and Bailey could move to Berkeley, California. Music is what runs the town. You’re sort of in a big city, but not really. You’re by beaches and buildings, but you’re by a lot of nature.”
“Wow. You’ve put more thought into my future than I have.”
“No one’s stopping you,” he said grinning. “Imagine the future. What do you want it to be like?”
“I want to be happy. I want to have another dog, and maybe even a cat. They all have to get along with Bo. We’re in the country, but we have a movie theater and two Starbucks.’”
Garrett chuckled knowingly. “Kind of like how it is here.”
“I’m sure there are lots of cities like Rome somewhere else in the country,” I said. “If I go searching for it, maybe I’ll find it. I might be able to travel the country if Bailey decides to go on tour. We could go to Ireland”
“See, look at you, ya’ dreamer!” said Garrett. “So, you understand that you have to go.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, you shouldn’t stay in Rome for much longer, right? You know there’s something better out there. You’ve been putting this off long enough.”
“What the hell are you smoking, mate?” I asked him.
“You have more talent, more skill, and more ability than anyone else in this little ol’ town in the corner of Georgia,” he said to me. “You shouldn’t stay here. You have no reason to stay here.”
“Are you fucking kidding me right now?” I asked, hurt and insulted.
“Look, we’re brothers, you and me. We might not be bonded by blood, but we’re brothers.”
“Hell yeah, we are,” I agreed wholeheartedly.
“But, we can still talk if you don’t live here in town with me,” he said. “We have cell phones, computers, and video games. Our friendship isn’t going anywhere.”
“Why does everyone in my life want me to leave my house and my job that I’m really happy with?”
“I wouldn’t exactly say you’re ‘really happy’ with those things,” he challenged. “I’d say you’re content with those things. I might say you enjoy those things. I’m not saying you think badly of or want out of those things. But, maybe it isn’t about feeling bad. Could you honestly say that you’re fulfilled by those things?”
I wanted to answer his question honestly, but I couldn’t do it. Instead, I chugged the rest of my beer and stood up to take my leave.
“What are you doing?” he wondered.
“I’m going home,” I answered. “I’m going back to the house that I live in. The house I could easily die in someday. And, I will be satisfied with the roof over my head.”
I headed out the door. Garrett ran up from our seats and chased me out the exit.
“Darren!” he beckoned.
“I have no reason to be here, so let’s just leave ourselves alone,” I said.
I unlocked my car doors and leaned against the car, testing myself to deduce how tipsy I was and if I should drive.
“Come on, don’t blow me off, man,” said Garrett. “You’re my brother. I’m just looking out for you.”
“I understand that, and I appreciate it, but I don’t need it,” I said. “And if I pursued a career in music, I wouldn’t actually make it. You know it. I know it. Bailey probably definitely knows it. There’s no reason to feed my fantasies. I know where I belong, just as many others in this town know they belong.”
“You’re better than here, man,” he emphasized. “Your ego and self-esteem are injured, but you’re being way too modest. You were an incredible performer back in high school and right after. It really bummed me out that you didn’t chase the dream. I was a little bummed out that you didn’t go with Bailey back in the day. I was so sure you were going to do that.”
I was unable to process his touching words. Instead of thinking about it, I did what I frequently do, and chose to ignore it.
“It’s not too late, Darren. Go back to Memphis and plan out your future with that girl. We both know you two are going to end up together.”
I felt incredibly confident as I found the energy to segue from the outside of my car to the inside of my car.
“That’s the thing, Garrett,” I told him. “She and I aren’t going to end up together. I know it for a fact. If I were a bettin’ man, I’d be willing to bet my house on it!”