Part 7

She unfolded out of his arms, but held on loosely to the tips of his fingers with her right hand. All he could see was the back of her head as her other hand wiped her eyes.

“Mandy, come on, look at me! What’s hurting you this much?”

Collecting her composure, “Remember- Remember when you went to stay with your grandfather-”

Interrupting, “Mandy, what does that have to do with anything?”

“Don’t do this, let me get this out, please! I’ve got to do this, you have to know.” Finally letting go of his hand and getting some confidence, but still not able to bring her chin up and let her eyes engage his.

She continues without a retaliatory reply from him, “Remember when you went to visit with your grandfather; you stayed in Florida with him for six or seven days or so and we didn’t say goodbye on good terms, right?”

“What’d you do Mandy? I called you two or three times a day, what’d you do?”

She pauses grasping for the words to go on… “I didn’t mean to, I swear! I had too much to drink.”

While hearing her, the lump that welled up in his throat kept him from saying anything and the numbness in his chest where he heart used to be kept him from trembling. He watched it roll from his chest and crash to her living room floor while she continued in what seemed like a soliloquy from a tragic comedy.

“We went to the Pub on 12th street the night after you left and we were all having a good time. Then I don’t remember much, but we left with some guys who were celebrating one of their buddies getting engaged or something. I was so drunk, I don’t remember. I had way to much to drink like the time you and I went to Marty’s. I didn’t mean to.

“What didn’t you mean to do? What did you do? Who is it Mandy?”

“We weren’t doing well when you left,” convincing herself.

“Does that make you feel better to say that? I called you, I called you every day and before I went to bed. You talked to me, everything seemed okay, and you picked me up from the airport when I got back, you wanted to know how my grandfather was doing. How could you fake all that?”

“I wasn’t faking, I love you, and I loved you then. I don’t remember doing anything, it couldn’t have happened... he charmed me. He said things I had never heard before.”