Rob and Mickey

"Give it up Bev. I've told you several times that I want nothing to do with the money grubbing bitch that Mick has shown herself to be and I have no interest in Nancy. She is a nice girl and I like her as a friend, but other than that there is nothing there. No attraction at all."

"That's because you haven't given her a decent chance."

"I'm going to stop coming over here if you keep it up Bev. I'll handle my love life without your help."

I walked away and went looking for Jess. I found her talking with Nancy so I stayed clear of them.

Either Mickey had finally accepted that I wasn't going to talk with her or she changed tactics and decided that trying to make me jealous was the way to go. Every time I saw her she was in a clinch with her date and twice when she saw me looking her way she pulled the guy to her and kissed him. Did it make me jealous? Yes it did. Denial was a river in Egypt and I couldn't deny that I loved Mickey. I had loved her since the day I heard the first words come out of her mouth. I'm sure that anyone reading this realizes that I couldn't spend so much time and thought thinking about ways to tweak her if I didn't have strong feelings where she was concerned. But that didn't change the fact that she wanted a man with money instead of me so my still loving her didn't mean jack shit!

If what she was doing was meant to torque me off it backfired on her because I decided to go tit for tat. Every time I saw her looking my way if Jess was near I kissed her. Take that Mick I thought to myself as I did it.

When Jess walked away from Nancy to us the bathroom I got us fresh drinks and was waiting for her when she got back. I handed her a drink and asked:

"What were you and Nancy talking about?"

"You."

"Me?"

"Yep. You. She wanted to know if we were going to become a steady couple and I told her the truth. That I was working on it but that you were proving to be difficult."

"Why did you tell her that? You know when you go back to school we are over."

"That remains to be seen. I have almost a week and anything can happen. You may decide that you can't live without me, but as far as Nancy is concerned she wants you baby so I gave her some hope. If you are resisting me you must have some other girl on your mind and since we all know how you feel about Michelle that leaves Nancy to think that maybe it is her that is on your mind. From what I've found out God knows that Bev is putting the two of you together often enough."

"Why do I have to keep telling every one that I have no interest in Nancy?"

"Maybe because everyone thinks you are perfect for each other. Might not be so, but you can't stop people from thinking it."

"One way to stop it is to let them see that I already have a woman" and I took her in my arms and gave her a kiss that should have had steam coming out her ears. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Bev, Nancy and Mickey watching.

"Now let's get out of here and find something fun to do."

"Oh goodie."

"Oh goodie?"

"Something fun means going back to your place and getting naked right?"

"Is that all you ever think of?"

"I've only got a week lover and I need to make the most of it."

"What are you telling your mother?"

"That I'm staying with a girlfriend so that mom can play with her boyfriend."

"And she buys that?"

"Hook, line and sinker."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Except that she didn't.

Four days later when I got home from work I found the familiar Honda Civic parked in the parking lot in front of my place. I hadn't been expecting Jess because she had told me that she needed to pack to be ready to leave for school the next day. It wasn't Jessica who got out of the Civic -- it was her mother. She was not smiling when she walked up to me and said:

"We need to talk Rob."

"Here or would you like to come in?"

"Inside would be better."

We went inside and I asked her if she would like something to drink and she said no. I motioned her to the couch and she said:

"I won't be here that long. You have been seeing my daughter Jessica."

It was a statement and not a question and that meant she knew so there was no sense in trying to duck it or evade.

"I have."

"How could you do that to me?"

No sense in hiding it so I told her how it came about and how it had progressed. She looked at me with a shocked expression on her face and said:

"She saw us? She saw us doing it?"

I nodded a yes and she muttered, "Oh my God" and she went over and sat down on the couch.

"Do you have anything stronger than beer?"

"Afraid not. I'm not much of a drinker and beer is all I bother with. Want one?"

"Yes, please."

I got her a Bud and she took a long pull on it. "She saw us. She actually saw us and heard me?" I nodded again. "Oh my God" she said again.

"For what it is worth she knows that it is over when she leaves to go back to school."

"Are you sure about that? You just told me how persistent she was in getting you to go along with what she wanted. You might say it is over, but what if she has other ideas?"

"Won't matter. I've already told her that other than as a friend I have no feelings toward her."

"Why not? What's wrong with my baby?"

"Nothing. There just isn't any spark between us. Besides, I was spoiled by her mother. In fact, her mom pretty much spoiled it for other girls. I've not been able to find any who could hold a candle to her mom."

She looked at me and said, "Damned if I don't believe that you really mean that. But that is just so much bull. You are young yet and there are tons of girls you haven't even met yet that will make you forget this old broad. But back to Jessica. What are you going to do if she keeps chasing you? The girl does have a stubborn streak and once she decides she wants something she goes all out."

"I doubt that I'll be her target. Some guy at school will get lucky and she will teach him what to do. If he does what she teaches him he will make her respond like I made her respond and once she realizes that other guys can make her feel that way she will forget all about me."

"Don't sell yourself short baby. She won't forget about you any more than I have."

I raised an eyebrow at that and she said, "How about one for old time's sake" as she stood up and started pulling her sweater off.

DESC+++++

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

With Jessica and Mickey gone back to school things slowed down a little for me. I dated some, scored a few times and probably could have scored more often if I would have really tried. Bev kept trying to set me up with Nancy and I kept avoiding it.

Finally one evening Nancy cornered me while I was having my dinner at Denny's. She took the seat across from me in the booth and said:

"Hi Rob. How have you been?"

"Fine. How about you?"

"Not bad, but I could be a lot better if I could get you to pay some attention to me. I know Bev has let you know that I'm interested you so why don't you ever call and ask me for a date?"

It was the perfect opportunity to just tell her that I just wasn't interested in her, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I just couldn't be that cold so I lied.

"The reason Nance is that you are just too damned close to Mick and I'm trying to put as much distance between Michelle and myself as I can. You would not only be a constant reminder, but whenever she comes home from school you hook up with her and the absolute last thing I want is to have her anywhere near me."

"That's nonsense Rob. She's just as close to Bev as she is to me, but you don't have any trouble being around her."

"That's different Nance and you know it. She's married to my brother and short of cutting myself off from my family there is no way I can avoid her, but Bev is a case in point. The last time Michelle was home from school Bev invited her to a couple of barbecues that I was also invited to. It was like putting fire and gasoline together. Both times did not work out well. The first one Michelle got seriously pissed at me over something I said to her. She was so pissed that it upset Bev. The second time Michelle ran from the party crying. No Nance, I just don't need that crap going on in my life. I'm sure that you would be a fun date and that we would get along fine, but the fact that you are one of Michelle's best friends is always going to be in the way and I just will not put myself through that."

"That's not fair Rob."

"Not to you Nance, but it is to me."

The look on her face got to me and I sighed and said, "Tell you what. You call Michelle and tell her that you are going to date me and that you just wanted to let her know so she would know why you were avoiding her when she got home from school. If you two can stay apart I might be able to do it."

I reached for my check and stood up to go. "There are a lot of nice guys out there who would love to be with you Nance. You need to find one that's a keeper. Goodnight."

I walked to the register, paid my bill and then headed on home. I was sure that I'd just put an end to my 'Nancy' problem because there was no way in hell that Nancy was going to make that call. Then I suddenly remembered that I'd said basically the same thing to Jessica when I'd told her to call her mother and I remembered how well THAT had worked.

Three days later I was again having dinner at Denny's when Nancy sat down across from me.

"I did it."

"You did what?"

"I called Mickey and told her I was going to start dating you."

"You didn't!"

"Yes I did. She was not happy to hear that and she told me that if I said so much as hello to you in passing she would never speak to me again. So, when is our first date?"

"You are serious? You would throw away a great fifteen year friendship with one of your best friends just to go out with me?"

"I'm not throwing it away, she is. She is the one who dumped you so what gives her the right to decide who can date you once she walked away? I think there could be something there for us Rob and all I'm asking for is a chance to find out."

I was rapidly being pushed into a corner and to the point where I'd have to flat out tell Nancy I just did not have any interest in her. Stalling for time I said:

"I'm in sort of a relationship with Jessica (which I wasn't) and I'll need to do something there before I can date someone else."

"The last time I talked to her she said that she didn't have anything serious going on with you."

"Well I don't know when that was, but the day she left to go back to school we more or less promised each other that we would be exclusive. I did promise and so I have to keep my word unless she releases me from the promise or I find out that she didn't honor hers.'

She gave me a long look and then said, "I know some kids where she is going to school and I'm going to ask them to check up on her. I'm as serious as death about wanting us to get together Rob. Don't doubt it. Don't doubt it even for a second."

When I got home the little red light on the telephone answering machine was blinking. It was a message from Bev asking me to call her. I did and as soon as she heard my voice she asked:

"What the hell have you done to Mickey now?"

"What do you mean?"

"She just called me and Jesus was she mad. Ranting and raving about you and Nancy dating."

"Nance and I are not dating, but what if we were? Isn't that what you were pushing for? I can't even count the times you have tried playing match-maker with Nancy and me."

"I guess I didn't think it through. I never thought Mickey would take it like that."

"Well Nancy and I are not dating. What happened is that I told Nancy if she really wanted to date me she would have to call Michelle and let her know why she would be avoiding her when she came home from school."

"Oh my God; you didn't!!"

"I did and Nancy did it and that's what wound up Michelle."

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't have a clue. I never expected Nancy to make the call. I figured after I told her to do it she would stop and think about it and decide not to toss out her friendship with Michelle over a date with me. Guess I was wrong."

"Now what?"

"I'm using my relationship with Jessica to hold Nancy off."

"You said you didn't have a relationship with Jessica."

"I don't, but Nancy doesn't know that."

"Jesus Rob; what a mess."

"Yes indeed Bev; a mess is just what we have."

The next day as I was replacing the oxygen sensor on a Taurus it suddenly occurred to me that with the weekend coming up it was likely that Jessica would be coming home and I'd almost bet that Mickey would be coming home just to see what was going on with me and Nancy. Of course they might not come home. Neither of them had come home over the last two weeks, but that didn't mean anything other than they were due to come home.

I didn't care if Michelle came home or not, but if Jessica came home there was a chance she would run across Nancy and Nancy would wonder why I wasn't with Jess and she might even ask her. If that happened she would know that Jess and I were NOT in a relationship and that I had lied about it. Shit!!! It seemed like everything I did just made my hole deeper.

I worried about it until quitting time and as I was washing my hands before leaving work I finally said to myself "Fuck it!!!" What happens happens and if it means that I ended up hurting Nancy's feelings because I'm not interested in her so be it.

That night was my parent's anniversary and the family gathered for dinner and a party. Bev came up to me and asked me if I had decided what I was going to do and I told her that I had decided to just let the chips fall where they may.

"Have you considered getting together with Mickey and talking it out? Maybe that would make things easier for you and Nancy."

"Don't you ever listen to me Bev? I don't need to make things easier for me and Nancy. I have no interest in Nancy. I don't want to date Nancy. I don't want anything to do with Nancy."

"Okay, okay Rob; I get the message, but I still think you should sit down with Mickey and have a talk. She must have something to say or she wouldn't keep trying to get you to talk with her."

"I've heard all I want to hear from her Bev. What's she going to say? I'm sorry I hurt you Rob? Or maybe I was only kidding Rob. I really didn't mean it. It was just a joke that backfired on me? No matter what she says Bev Mick and I are over with. Whatever we had is dead and it ain't going to come back to life. No Bev, Mick has nothing to say that I want or need to hear."

"Would you please do it for me then? Mickey is still my best friend and I'll have her over a lot and you are family so you will be over a lot also. It will make it a whole lot easier on me if the two of you can be here at the same time with no problems. Let Mickey have her say and get it out of the way."

"I'll think on it Bev. No promises, but I will think on it."

And think on it I did and my thinking didn't run to me talking with Mickey, but instead I was thinking more along the lines of not going to events at Bev and Rich's place unless they were family events. That would not only let me avoid Mickey, but it would also let me avoid Nancy.

The weekend came and if Mickey and Jessica came home I didn't see them.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

On Monday Bill called me into his office and asked, "Anything tying you down to this place Rob?"

"Other than I like my job? No, not really."

"I don't mean here at work; I mean here in this city."

"No. All my family is here, but that's all. Why?"

"Mr. Blankenship is going to open another dealership in New Mexico and he wants a few people from here to help him get it up and running. I thought that since you are single and don't own a home that it would be easy for you to pick up and make the move. We would pay for the cost of the move and pay the first three months rent on where you choose to live when you get there."

I didn't have to spend any time al all thinking on it. It would take me away from Michelle, Nancy and any possible problems with Jessica and her mother. It would make dating easier because the pool of prospective dates wouldn't be tainted as was the pool here. By 'tainted' I mean the attitudes of a lot of the girls I wanted to date. There were a lot I asked out who turned me down because I was 'Mickey's guy" or because they knew that Nancy had set her sights on me. Some of them even thought I was not 'stable enough' to be considered because of the way I had treated poor Michelle and taken up with that tramp Jessica.

A move would be a fresh start. "When do I leave?"

"We need to work out the details, but I'd say next Monday."

"I'll start packing."

I spent the rest of the week after work doing what needed to be done like telling the apartment manager that I was moving out, arranging to shut off the phone and electricity and putting a hold on my mail pending forwarding it to a new address. I called Rich and asked him to meet me after work for a beer and when we met I made him promise not to tell Bev and then I told him what was going on.

"I don't want Bev to know until Sunday because I don't want to give her time to get with Mick or Nancy and let them know or give her time to set something up. I'll stop by your place Sunday afternoon and tell you both what's happening. I'll tell mom and dad tonight and swear then to secrecy also."

"Aren't you being a little extreme? Just talk to Mickey and Nancy. No need to move."

"I need a change Rich. It won't matter if I talk to Michelle and Nancy or not; they would still be around and I'd always be running into them. And then there is Alicia and her daughter Jessica. There could be a problem there that I can avoid by being gone. Plus there are some other reasons. One is the job itself. They must think well of me to consider me for this and that might play into something. I just think that it is the thing to do right now. I can always move back if things don't work out."

Mom and dad weren't all that happy, but they understood where I was coming from and why I felt I needed to make the move.

By Sunday noon I was all packed and ready to go. I called Alicia and told her what was going on.

"So you don't have to worry about anything happening between me and Jess. You take care and remember me okay?"

"When do you leave?"

"First thing Monday morning."

"Where are you going to spend tonight night?"

"In a motel."

"Oh no you won't! I'll have dinner on the table at six. Be here."

I swung by Rich's and pretended that I was telling Rich for the first time that I was moving. Bev asked:

"How long have you known you were going to be leaving?"

"Since Friday afternoon. They asked me last Monday, but it took me until Friday to make up my mind to do it."

"Why didn't you tell us Friday so we could have set up a going away party for you?"

"Didn't think of it. I had so much to do to get ready to go that time kind of got away from me. As it is I didn't get everything I needed to do done until around noon today. I have to be there in the morning so I'll need to leave in about an hour. Wouldn't have had time for a party any way."

Half an hour later I hugged them both and headed for Alicia's.

DESC++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I kissed Alicia goodbye and an hour later I was in a U-Haul truck loaded with everything I had and pulling a trailer that had my Mustang on it.

++++++++++++++++++++

The next two years went by in a rush. The first six months were taken up in setting up the dealership and getting the service department up and running smoothly.

I found an apartment fairly close to work and it had a pool and an exercise room so I was pretty much set. There were several single girls who lived in the complex and I met quite a few of them in the exercise room and around the pool. I dated a few of them, bedded a couple, but never found one that made me want to pursue her. There were five women working at the dealership; three married and two single and I did date both of the single ones, but again, no spark that made me want to develop anything long term.