Chapter 42
Bright and early the next morning, I’m at Walmart in the teen girl’s section. I step over to the mirror and hold up a lacy, foam green taffeta dress in front of me.
“Nah,” I mumble to myself as I set it back on the rack and snatch up a flouncy lavender gown instead. I swing left to right a few times to check the dress’ bounce factor.
Very, very important that this dress have sufficient bounce.
“Much better,” I mumble with a satisfied grin as I toss it into my shopping cart along with some thick, flesh-toned pantyhose and a pair of clunky Mary-Janes.
A mean-looking woman in her mid- to late-40s gives me a sideways glance as she hovers protectively over her teenaged daughter. “This isn’t for me,” I say to her with way too much defensiveness in my tone. She cocks a judgmental eyebrow at me. “It’s for my girlfriend.” I don’t know why I feel the need to explain, but I do.
Her daughter stops rifling through the racks and turns to me. “Your girlfriend’s going to prom?” the teen asks, her lips scrunching condemnatorily. “Aren’t you like…old?”
Her mother doesn’t wait for me to answer. “Come on, Stacy.” She braces her daughter by the shoulders and leads her toward the other side of the busy store.
Great — now this woman and her daughter think that I’m a cradle-robbing sicko.
But nothing can repress the smile I’m wearing. Not the judgmental helicopter mom and her bratty kid who have chalked me up as a maybe-cross-dresser, maybe-pervert. Not the long Walmart lines that seem to go on forever. Not even the six missed calls and two threatening text messages I received from Daniel this morning, promising to slice my balls off with a rusty hand saw for messing with his sister.
Nothing can get me down.
Because tonight is all about Sammie.
I kind of ruined girls’ night last night. So, I want to do something extra special to make it up to her. I’m going to give her an over-the-top, memorable evening she’ll never forget.
Tonight is prom night.
It’s going to be so much better than that lame high school dance we missed eight years ago. It’s going to be cheesy and clichéd and everything that prom is supposed to be.
It’s going to be perfect.
I downloaded all the Katy Perry songs she used to like back when she was 17. I’ve decorated my living room with colorful balloons and streamers. I even made fruit punch and mini egg sandwiches. I bought myself a dorky tuxedo and ordered a corsage and a boutonniere from the florist in town.
I’ll give her prom. Just to see her smile. Just to show her that I’m seriously sorry about making a scene last night and I’m serious about making up for lost time and I’m serious about making her happy.
The way she responded to that jerk at the club last night showed me clearly that I can trust her. And now, I want her to trust me too. I want her to believe me when I tell her that I love her.
But there’s one major pickle that I have to address. There’s a huge chunk of my past that I never filled in for her. I’ve never told her about my time in jail.
Whenever she’s asked about where I was and what I was up to over the last few years, I’ve given her vague, noncommittal answers. And she’s accepted that, probably because she hasn’t been allowing herself to fully commit to this relationship. But she deserves to know because this thing between us is getting more and more serious. And besides, now that Daniel knows that Sammie and I are together, there’s no way that he’ll continue to protect my secret.
Sisters over bros. I totally understand.
Thank god he’s in Baltimore on a business trip for a few days. That buys me some time.
I’ll tell her everything tomorrow. I’m going to make her breakfast, sit her down and tell her, and hope that she can accept me. I’m going to take a chance and let the chips fall where they may.
And y’know what? I’m nervous but I have a good feeling about it. Our attraction to each other has endured eight years and thousands of miles of distance. I have to believe that we’ll be able to work things out once I confess what I’ve been keeping from her.
I’m grinning like an idiot when I step out of Walmart and into the mid-morning sun with my purchases in hand. Things are looking up for Sammie and me.
Finally, things are looking up and I’m fucking excited, man.