The Three B's: Just Another...

"Please Bob; can I..."

"NO! NO! NO! Just leave, Mary Alice. Just get up and leave!!!"

There were tears on her cheeks as she got up, and I heard a sob as she went through the patio door and into the house. A couple of minutes later my mother came out and asked me why Mary Alice was crying. I told mom that MA and I had just broken up.

"She decided that we didn't need to be exclusive and I let her know that I didn't agree with her on that."

"But you two have been together forever."

"Maybe that's the problem. Maybe she needed or felt the need to see what other guys were like."

"That's not a bad thing, Bobby. Better to satisfy your curiosities before tying the knot than after."

"Maybe so, but she should have been honest and upfront about it instead of lying to me and going behind my back."

Mom didn't respond to that, and I got back to working on my outline. By noon, I had it done. All I needed to do was hit the library for a few reference works and then start typing.

At one, I called Irene, got directions to her place and rang her doorbell at one-thirty. Irene opened the door, smiled and said "Right on time. I like that in a man." Once in the car she asked me what I had planned.

"A showing at an art gallery downtown, then an early dinner followed by a movie of your choice. Or, we can scrap my plan and do whatever you would like to do."

"I'm good with your plan. Any particular reason for going to this particular showing?"

"I know her and want to show support."

"Is she any good?"

"I don't know. I've never seen any of her stuff, but it must be good if an art gallery wants to show it."

It turned out that Helen's stuff was pretty good. It was mostly landscapes and there was one that I really liked, but the price tag on it put it out of my reach. We had dinner at Mario's and then Irene talked me out of going to a movie and instead, suggested that we go back to her place for coffee or a drink and just relax and get to know each other better.

Irene was a year older than I was, had a degree in Business Management and was working for a nationally known freight company. She had a brother and sister still living at home with her parents who unfortunately, lived four hundred miles away. We sat, nursed our drinks and talked about likes and dislikes, turn-offs and turn-ons until ten, at which time I said that I had to be going since I had an early class the next day. We made a date for Tuesday evening, and then Irene walked me to her door, thanked me for a nice date and gave me a nice kiss on the lips.

I went home in a good mood. The good mood lasted until I got to school. I saw MA waiting for me on the steps of Bryant Hall, which was the building that my first class was in. I couldn't just turn around and walk away because I couldn't afford to miss this particular class. I was just going to walk by her, but she stepped in front of me and said, "I need to talk to you, Bob. I know you are upset with me, but please give me a chance to explain." I said nothing and then she said, "Give me half an hour, and then if you still want it that way I'll leave you alone and stay away from you."

"Okay, Mary Alice; meet me in the cafeteria at 11:30," I said, and then I walked around her and went to class.

I got to the cafeteria at 11:20 and got a table. I half expected MA to be there waiting, but she didn't show up until 11:35 and her arrival didn't bode well for what she was hoping. Where I was sitting, I had a straight line of sight to the cafeteria entrance, and the hallway outside the entrance. I was looking at the entrance when MA showed up. She was with Seth Reardon. They stopped, said something to each other and then he headed down the hallway and MA came in, looked around, saw me and headed for my table.

She took her seat and said, "Thank you for letting me talk to you."

I didn't say anything, just sat there waiting. She finally realized that it was all going to be on her and she said, "I love you, Bob, and I am pretty sure that I want to spend the rest of my life with you, but I'm not ready to do it now. We have been together since the seventh grade and you are the only guy I've ever dated. Notice that I said pretty sure? Well I want to be dead certain; not pretty sure, but certain. I need to see what other guys are like, Bob. I need to make certain sure that I'm making the right choice."

I said nothing. I just sat there and looked at her. I knew what she wanted. I knew exactly what she was working up to. She wanted me to say that I saw her point and that I would be okay with her dating other guys while still staying my girlfriend. What she wanted was to have her cake and eat it, too.

Sure enough, her next words were, "We both need this, Bob. You should be seeing other girls. There is no reason we can't stay together, but open the relationship to see what else is out there. Marriage is a big step, Bob; we need to go into it with no doubts or curiosities."

When she finished, she looked at me and waited for a response. I let the silence set there for a bit and then I said "I agree that I should be seeing other girls." She got a big smile on her face that instantly disappeared when I continued, "Now that you and I are through."

"You can't mean that."

"But I do. This little talk is the one you should have had with me before you started going out with other guys. There is a good chance that I might have gone along with you. The only reason we are having it now is that I caught you sneaking around behind my back. If I hadn't caught you cheating on me you would have gone on stabbing me in the back. The good side of this is that now you no longer have to hide it from me."

I stood up and said, "Nice talking with you Mary Alice," and I walked away.

It wasn't that easy, of course. Mary Alice got my mother involved. She told Mom that she had made a terrible mistake, was extremely sorry about it and that I wouldn't give her a chance to make up for it. Mom told me it was only normal for young inexperienced girls and boys to make mistakes, and that I should be more understanding.

"It is obvious that she loves you, Rob. Give the poor girl a chance to make it up to you."

Mary Alice enlisted friends that we had in common to try and get me back with her.

"The poor girl is a wreck, Rob. She knows she screwed up. You guys have been together far too long not to try and fix this."

What no one knew was that I had also enlisted some friends. I asked them to keep an eye on Mary Alice and what she did. Yes, I was pissed at her, but we had been together for a long time and I couldn't just turn my feelings for her off overnight. There was a chance -- slight, but still a chance -- that we could get back together, but it depended on how Mary Alice acted after our last talk. My feeling was that if she was truly sorry and wanted us back together she would stop dating other guys and concentrate on getting me back.

It wasn't to be.

My spies kept me abreast of Mary Alice's doings and what she was doing was spending all of her free time with Reardon. The entire time she was trying to get my mother and our common friends to talk me into giving her a chance, she and Seth were practically joined at the hip.

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

Irene and I were dating two and sometimes three times a week, almost always on a Friday or a Saturday, and on those dates we always ended up at the Palace and almost always shared a table with Bev and Barb. I could never understand why the two of them never had dates, but I did know that it wasn't because they wanted to pick up some guy, because while they never lacked for dance partners, they always left alone.

The first few dates with Irene ended with a, "Thank you; I had fun," followed by a soft kiss on the lips. The fourth date ended with a make out session that steamed up the windows of the car. On the fifth and sixth dates, the make out sessions moved into the living room of Irene's apartment. The seventh date was the game changer. It was a Friday night, we had closed the Palace and then stopped at the Village Inn to get pie and coffee. We were talking about the dances that we liked best when she suddenly changed the conversation.

"Who wore the pants in your relationship with Mary Alice?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Simple question, Rob. Who was in charge? Who made the decisions?"

"I would like to think that it was me. Why do you ask that?"

"Just trying to get a feel for things."

"I don't understand."

"I was the one who got us going when I laid claim to you in front of Bev and Barb. I was the one who initiated the first kiss, the make out sessions and decided, for the most part anyway, where we would go and what we would do."

I smiled at her and said, "A smart guy lets the female take the lead until he sees where things are going and then he steps up. Let me explain. I didn't know you or the sisters that first night at the Palace. I'd never seen the three of you before that night. I wasn't there to find someone to hook up with; I was only there to try and have a little fun to try and help me get over what went down with Mary Alice. I had absolutely no intention of trying to hit on you three. To be honest about it, if I had been out looking to hook up I'm not all that sure that I would have been able to choose between the three of you. Again, all I was looking for was some fun to pull me out of the funk I was in.

"When you decided to appoint yourself as my new girlfriend, I decided why not go with the flow? You are damned fine looking and I like talking with you, so why not? Once we started dating, I let you set the pace. I had no idea where we were going, if anywhere, so again, I just went with the flow. You have to remember that Mary Alice was the only other girlfriend I've ever had. I have dated other girls when Mary Alice and I got into arguments and broke up, but those dates never went anywhere because Mary Alice and I always got back together before those dates could go anywhere. I did watch other couples, and what I saw were a lot of breakups when the guy pushed too hard to get where the girl wasn't ready to go.

"I decided that if Mary Alice and I ever broke up for good and I went back to dating, I would let the girl take us to where she wanted to go rather than trying to get her to where I wanted to go. I've been letting you lead and so far, you haven't taken me anywhere I haven't wanted to go. I will say that given the hot make out sessions we've had that I was thinking hard on putting out feelers to see if you might be interested in taking things into the bedroom."

She looked at me for several seconds before saying, "Why are we wasting time here when that bedroom is only five minutes away?"

I smiled, stood up and dropped enough money on the table to cover the tab and a tip and said, "Lead the way."

When we got to her place, we went straight to the bedroom. I watched her as she undressed and once she was naked, I started to strip. I was down to socks, boxers and the t-shirt that I was pulling over my head when Ilene came over to me, pulled my boxers down and took my erection in her mouth. My socks didn't get taken off until after we woke up in the morning and went to shower together.

After that evening, our dates boiled down to going out for dinner and maybe drinks before heading back to Ilene's bedroom. The only difference was that either Friday or Saturday, we went to the Crystal Palace and occasionally were there both nights. On one of those nights, I got the story on Barb and Bev. Out on the dance floor I asked Irene about the sisters. They both had boyfriends or rather a boyfriend in Bev's case and fiancé in Barb's case, and both guys were in the Army Reserve. Both were on deployment in the Middle East and the girls were staying true to their men. They wanted to go out and have fun, but they always went home alone.

Two weeks after Irene and I had moved our relationship into the bedroom, Mary Alice caught me alone in the school cafeteria and sat down at my table. While I was eating my lunch, I was studying for the pop quiz I knew I was likely to get in my three o'clock class. I put my notes down, looked at Mary Alice and waited for her to speak.

"Are you ever going to give me a chance to fix things between us, Bobby?"

"You have had over a month to try and fix things, Mary Alice, but I have noticed that you haven't bothered."

"What do you mean? I've tried and tried."

"No you haven't, M A. All you have done is pester my mother and our common friends to try and push me back to you. What have you been doing while the others were pushing?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"Simple question, M A. What have you been doing since the night you lied to me and broke our date? Trying hard to get me back, or spending all of your spare time with Seth Reardon?"

"He is just a friend, Bobby."

"Right! And next you have a bridge you want to sell me, or is it beach front property in Florida?"

"What are you saying?"

"I have friends too, M A, and they keep me up to date on the things that you and Reardon do. I know all about your make out sessions, your visits to the Capri Isle Motel and even the backseat fuck you did behind Maxine's Café. You sure weren't trying hard to get me back then, were you?"

"He means nothing to me, Bobby. I love you and you know I do."

"Just not enough, Mary Alice, just not nearly enough."

I got up and walked away from her.

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

Irene and I didn't last. I thought we had something good going, but I guess I was wrong. A month into my senior year I received a call from her telling me that I needed to stop by her place after I got out of class. It was a Tuesday and not one of our normal date nights. Because of my class schedule and study requirements, we were limited on dating to Thursday through Sunday. I got to her place, and saw a U-Haul truck in front of her apartment and found Irene busy packing boxes.

"Oh, good, you're here," she said. "You've got some stuff here that you need to pick up."

"What's going on?"

"I've been given a promotion, but it is in Atlanta and I've got to be there by day after tomorrow."

I knew that they were not the same thing, but Irene's announcement hit me pretty much the same way that Mary Alice's going behind my back with Reardon had. Being offered a promotion, accepting it, dealing with a landlord and utilities and arranging for a truck and boxes takes a little bit of time, more time than the thirty-two hours between my leaving her place for Monday's first class after spending the weekend in her bed. I didn't say anything. I just walked into the bedroom and got the clothes I had there and headed for the door. Irene's back was to me as she packed a box and I walked out without a word.

I went home, put my stuff away and then studied until Mom called me to dinner. Over dinner, Mom said that Mary Alice had called her that afternoon.

"Are you ever going to cut that poor girl some slack?"

I didn't mean it, but it would shut Mom up so I said, "I'm thinking on it."

She got a small smile on her face and before she could say anything, I changed the subject.

"Have you given any more thought to going to live with Aunt Edith?"

"Not a lot. Why?"

"It won't be long before I graduate, and when that happens I'm going to strike out on my own. I don't think you are going to like living in this big house alone."

"Why would you move out? There is plenty of room here for you and Mary Alice."

"There is a very good chance that my job prospects after graduation will take me away from this town and possibly even this state."

"I'm sure that you can find something to do here."

"I don't want to find 'something' here. If I was willing to settle for 'something,' I wouldn't have needed to spend all that money on college. You know that I planned on leaving when I graduated. Our agreement when Dad died was that I would stay at home until I had my degree. Quite frankly, I had expected to be moved out by now."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because I expected that you would have a new man in your life by now."

"Really, Robert! Your father has only been gone four years."

"Don't call me Robert! Rob, Bob, Bobby or even Robby, but I don't like to be called Robert and you know full well why (I was named after my mother's father, he was a mean old bastard and I hated his sorry ass). "The key word there, Mom, is 'gone'. He isn't coming back and you are young enough to get another life."

"I just can't find anyone like your father."

"And you never will. He was one of a kind. You need to find someone new and different and move on. I've got to get back to my homework" I said as I stood up, kissed her cheek and left the kitchen.

I put Irene out of my mind and managed to get through the week okay. Friday, I decided that I needed some cheering up so I headed for the Crystal Palace thinking that a few drinks and a line dance or three would lift my spirits. I was not surprised to see Barb and Bev at a table, but I headed for a seat at the bar. I'd no sooner planted my butt on the barstool than Barb was there grabbing my arm.

"Oh no you don't, sweetie. Your place is with us."

I opened my mouth to say, "Not tonight, Barb," but she figured that is what I was going to say and she said, "Hush now, Bubba," and she pulled me off the stool and pulled me over to her table

In retrospect, it was the right thing for me at the time. By unspoken agreement, Irene's name was never mentioned and the two sisters took turns dancing with me until closing time, and for the first time since I'd met them, they left the bar with a man. We went to the Town and Country Restaurant for coffee and a bite to eat. Once seated in a booth with me on one side and Barb and Bev on the other side, Irene's name was mentioned for the first time. Barb said, "Way back when Irene appointed herself as your new girlfriend, I said that if it didn't work out I wanted the next shot."

Then Bev said, "At that time I said, like hell, and that we would do rock, paper and scissors to see who was next."

And then, damned if they didn't do it right there in the booth. Barb won and asked, "So when is our first date?"

I sat there and looked at her as if she'd slipped a cog and then I asked, "What about staying true to you boyfriend while he is gone?"

"He is history. He went to Spain on leave, or R and R, or whatever it is that they call it, and he met some girl. I got a Dear John type letter and I decided not to stay home and cry over spilt milk. So what are we going to do on our first date?"

Like her, I had no intension of staying home and crying over what had happened, so I said, "First dates get to be the woman's choice. What do you want to do?"

"Tomorrow good for you?"

"It is," I said, and she grabbed a napkin, wrote her address and phone number down on it, and handed it to me.

"Dress casual," she said, "and pick me up at six. By then, I'll have come up with an idea or two."

The address Barb had given me was an apartment building, and I was not surprised when Bev answered my knock. I had already figured that they probably lived together.

"She is still getting ready," Bev said, as she led me into the living room, sat me down on the couch and she took the easy chair across from me. "Irene had nothing but good to say about you, so my sister is going to be in good hands tonight?"

I just smiled at her and said, "This is a setup, right? You had no intension of slipping around on your fiancé, so the rock, paper scissors thing was rigged. Am I right?"

She blushed and looked down for a moment or two before looking back at me and saying, "Are we forgiven?"

"Of course you are. In a way, I am flattered that your sister would pick me to help her pick up the pieces."

"It wasn't a hard choice to make, Bobby. Like I said, we've heard nothing but good about you."