Epilogue
The next morning, we walked back to campus hand-in-hand, and it was like the world had changed. We talked the entire way and made an agreement that she wouldn’t bother me about the frat life and the parties and stuff like that as long as I didn’t try to stop her from enjoying her DJ gig at the club. I agreed to never get frisky with any of the women who visited the frat house and she agreed to stay away from all the dudes who flirted with her at the club. In addition, we both made plans to go to our motel spot at least once a week, so no amount of studying, partying, or her practicing of music would stop us from finding time to be together.
As we walked through the campus center and passed couples studying and making out on blankets, we came upon an old homeless guy the campus cops allowed to serenade students. Rumor had it he was a graduate of Logan University and had fallen on hard times. His clothes were ragged, his shoes were worn, and his skin was filthy, but his violin was immaculate.
Natalia stopped walking when we reached him. She pulled me close to her body and wrapped her arms around me. For a long while, no words were spoken. She wanted me to listen to the man’s playing. He was amazing. He kept his tongue pursed between his lips the same way she did and I realized why she was so content watching him. He played with the same passion. No matter how horrible his life was. No matter what he’d lost. He still had his music.
“You know,” I said. “I wasn’t kidding that day in the music room. You were amazing…”
“Shh,” she said, and when I looked down at her face, she smiled back at me.
The sun reflected off her eyes and gave them a warm glow that made me feel like there was no other place I’d rather be. If I could have paused time and stayed there in that moment with her forever, I would have.
Words can’t explain the feeling, but it was like I’d realized I was standing next to a girl who could change it all. She wouldn’t run from me and I couldn’t run from her. The look on her face and the music blended together and wrapped me in an emotional bubble I couldn’t pop. We were there together, just us two, and it felt great.
“He has given up everything,” she told me. “He has nothing left. And do you know how valuable that violin is?”
“No idea,” I admitted.
“It’s old. Really old and it’s in beautiful condition. He could sell that easily to a collector and make enough money to get back on his feet, but he won’t. He would never. Do you know why?”
I didn’t. I shook my head.
“Loyalty,” she said. “When you find something you love, you have to be loyal to it. The music will always be there for him as long as he doesn’t betray that trust. If he were to sell that instrument, he would never play music the same again. It’s the most valuable thing in the world to him.”
It made sense and I knew that I was holding my violin. Natalia was valuable to me and I knew I wouldn’t betray her. Like a puppet, I now had strings on me, and she held onto them. I would do anything to keep her.
Natalia became the best thing about college life. I’d been with a lot of girls, but she was the one. I knew within the first week of dating her that I could see us getting married and having kids one day. She was perfect in every way.
Oddly, what truly sealed the deal was Paydirt’s cock.
Hey, I told you it started and ended with that filthy thing.
Natalia was in my bed and we were doing nothing but watching a movie when he burst in with his hand down at his zipper. With his other, he’d pulled his flaccid cock out of his jeans and had stretched it over his wrist.
“Hey, y’all seen my new leather watch?” he asked innocently.
As he stepped closer to the bed, Natalia squealed. I’d already seen the trick a dozen times.
“You’re repulsive,” she shouted as she swatted at him with an open hand and laughed.
He stepped closer to her and she hid beneath the blanket, laughing the entire time. As Paydirt walked out of the room and asked one of our other roommates to check out his new fashion accessory, I slid beneath the blanket and kissed her.
“Is he gone?” she asked and she was so adorable.
“He’s gone,” I promised and then kissed her.
Paydirt’s cock had shown me something. She’d opened up to my world and it was all I could ask for. She was the girl for me. I was ready to start our happily ever after.
THE END
…or is it?
I know that was a short ending packed with hope for the future. Lucky and Natalia could have an amazing life together.
If you want to believe in Lucky and Natalia’s happily ever after, you should skip the next story in the anthology. If you want to know the real ending, go ahead and read on.
You’ve gotten to know a little bit about my Chris Genovese style by reading this story. Now, try my darker, more twisted alter ego, Carver Pike. So…if you want to read the rest of this story about Lucky and Natalia, keep reading, but you must understand that Carver Pike isn’t flowery or romantic most of the time. Shit’s about to get real for this couple.
So, again, if you like where this story had ended and want to believe that these two will graduate, get married, and have cute cuddly babies…then skip the next story and go on to the one after that. You’ll be happier that way. You’ll have your happily ever after.
If not, read Cutting Strings by Carver Pike.