The Three B's: Just Another...

"If that is so, why did she cut me off at the knees and run?"

"She was scared to death of you."

"That makes no sense at all to me. She had nothing but good to say about me, but she was scared to death of me?"

"I phrased that wrong. She was scared of what would happen if she stayed with you."

"That didn't clear anything up."

"She fell hard for you, Bobby, so hard that she would have said yes if you had asked her to marry you. That is what she was afraid of; marriage scared her to death. Her parents were divorced. Both her brother and sister were divorced. Her two aunts on her mother's side were divorced, an aunt and uncle on her father's side were divorced and almost all of the divorces were because of the men cheating. She had firsthand experience of all of the hate and bitterness that came out of those divorces and she promised herself that she would never get married and possibly go through all of it herself. You and I might think that was not a reasonable way to behave, but that was her mindset and when the chance came to put some distance between the two of you came up, she jumped at it. You might not agree, but it was probably for the best."

"Why would you say that?"

"Think about it. With her preconceived notions, she would be constantly suspicious and looking for signs that you were being unfaithful. Probably not at the start of the marriage, but likely by the middle of year two, or the beginning of year three. You would eventually become aware of her suspicions and it would start to drive a wedge between the two of you and things would go downhill from there. Or not. Just my opinion."

Just then, Barb came into the room and she was looking good. "Ready to go?" she asked.

"I am. Where are we going?"

"Tricocci's for dinner and then the Comedy Club."

We had a good time and when I took her home, she invited me in for a nite-cap or a cup of coffee. She made coffee and we sat at the kitchen table, talked about the evening, and then I asked her if she would like to go out with me again. She said she would love to. We made a date for Sunday, and she walked me to the door. When I turned to say goodnight, she grabbed my head in both hands and laid a kiss on me that should have melted the metal in my zipper. She broke the kiss and said, "You don't really have to leave if you don't want to."

Truth was that I didn't want to, but being ever practical, I said, "Won't it upset Bev?"

"Why would it upset Bev?"

"Finding me here in the morning?"

"Why would you think that?"

"You live together, right?"

"No. She has her own place. Why would you think she lived with me?"

"Since you were always together every time I've seen you and she was here when I got here, I just assumed that you lived together."

"Well, we don't so don't worry about her."

She kissed me again and then took my hand and led me to her bedroom. As she undressed, she said, "Please don't think bad thoughts about me, Bobby. I'm not an easy piece of ass, but I'm so horny that it is driving me crazy. Ted and I had a very active love life until he went away. I've behaved myself since he left, even though at times I wanted to climb walls. I need to get laid, Bobby. I'm not asking for a commitment or a long-term relationship. I just need to get fucked. Please, Bobby?"

Two hours later I stood up to get dressed, but she grabbed my arm and said, "Don't go, Bobby. Spend the night. Please?" I snuggled up to her and we fell asleep.

In the morning, she woke me by playing with my dick and we made love, after which, we showered together and then she fixed us some breakfast. We checked the morning paper to see what movies were playing and what the start times were, and then we spent the rest of the morning goofing off. There was a line at the ticket booth when we got to the movie complex, and close to the front of the line I saw Mary Alice and Reardon. They were holding hands. Mary Alice never looked around, so she never knew I was there in line.

After the movie, Barb and I had a bite to eat at Denny's and then I took her home. We made a date for Thursday, she kissed me and I went home.

Tuesday, I was having lunch in the cafeteria and going over some class notes when someone sat down at my table. I looked up and saw Mary Alice.

"How have you been, Rob?"

"Okay."

"I've missed you." I said nothing; I just sat there and looked at her. There were several seconds of silence and I think she realized that I wasn't going to respond so she went on:

"I heard that your girlfriend moved away. If you are looking for a replacement, I'm right here."

"What about your boyfriend, Seth?"

"He isn't my boyfriend, Bob. In fact, I haven't seen him since the last time we talked. I haven't dated anyone since that talk. I knew I'd never get you back unless I stopped seeing other guys."

I didn't bother telling her that only two days earlier I'd seen her holding hands with Reardon at the movies. What I did was say, "Nice seeing you Mary Alice, but I need to get to class." I picked up my books and left her sitting at the table.

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

For the rest of my senior year, Barb and I got closer and closer and on the day I graduated, I asked her to marry me and she said yes. Bev's fiancé came home about a week after I had proposed, and Barb and I (we were living together by then) had Bev and Mike over for dinner at least once a week and we doubled dated with them several times. Mike seemed like a good guy, and it was obvious that he and Bev were head over heels in love with each other.

One night, Barb floated the idea of a double wedding on me. I couldn't see a reason not to and the idea seemed to make her happy, so I told her to go ahead and plan it.

A month before graduation I'd mailed out a dozen or so resumes and I'd heard back from six of them. I went for interviews and had three offers. I chose the one that seemed to offer the most chance for advancement, and I started working for them two weeks after walking across the stage and receiving my sheepskin.

Thinks rocked along until about a month before the wedding. Barb seemed to be having mood swings and I figured that it was probably just pre-wedding jitters. They got worse as the wedding drew closer. Finally, one week before the wedding, I found out what was wrong. It was a Tuesday and I'd just gotten home from work. Barb had dinner ready and waiting, which was rare because we usually got home within minutes of each other. I found out later that she had taken the day off from work.

The table was set and for the first ever there wine glasses and a bottle of red wine on the table. Barb seemed nervous and she kept refilling our wine glasses as we ate and I finally said, "Okay sweetie; give it to me. What is it that you have to try and get me drunk for?

She looked down at the table so she wouldn't have to meet my eyes when she said, "I can't marry you, Bob. I'm sorry, but I don't love you enough to marry you."

I sat there stunned. It took several seconds for me to recover enough for me to ask her, "If you don't love me, why did you even say yes when I asked you to marry me?"

"I didn't say I didn't love you," she said with a tear running down her cheek. "I said I didn't love you enough to marry you. I love you, Bob, but I love Ted more."

"So what? He dumped you for some other girl."

The tears were running freely then and she sobbed out, "He's back home now and he wants me back."

"You've been seeing him?"

"No, I haven't. I couldn't do that while I'm wearing your ring. I have to end it with you before I can do that."

I sat there and stared at her while I tried to wrap my mind around what was happening. My silence must have upset her enough that that the story spilled out. For whatever reason, Ted's relationship with the girl he'd dropped Barb for hadn't worked out. He came home determined to win Barb back, only to find out that she was wearing my ring. Bev's beau, Mike, was Ted's best friend, and every time Ted got together with Mike he bemoaned the fact that he'd let the woman that he really loved down, and had dropped her for what turned out to be a short fling. He said he still loved Barb and he wished he had her back.

Mike apparently worked on Barb every time he saw her whenever I wasn't around, and finally convinced Barb that she should talk with Ted. She'd talked with him several times on the phone, and the result of those talks was me getting my walking papers. I just sat there and listened, and when she finished I just sat there, looked at her and said nothing.

Finally, she said, "What are you thinking, Bob; say something."

"What do you want me to say? That I'm happy for you? I'm not. You want me to try and talk you out of it? I won't even try. What I will say is that you will eventually be sorry that you tossed our relationship away. Ted cheated on you once, he will do it again and why wouldn't he? You are taking him back, so he will figure if he does it again and gets caught you will take him back again."

I got up from the table and said, "You need to find a place to stay. You can have the couch tonight and move out tomorrow while I'm at work."

I left the apartment, drove to the nearest sports bar and watched the TV's while I nursed my beer and wondered about my bad luck with the women I chose. I was on my second beer when my cellphone chirped. It was Bev.

"I just got a call from Barb saying that you kicked her out."

"She tell you why?"

"No, she just said she needed a place to stay since you told her to get out."

I told her what had gone down and she said, "I can't believe the girl can be that stupid. Sorry to have bothered you."

I finished my third beer and went home. I saw suitcases by the door when I walked in and I saw that the couch had a pillow and a blanket on it. Barb was in the bathroom when I went into the bedroom and closed the door. I woke up in the morning; she was asleep on the couch and I left without waking her. When I got home that evening, she was gone and the only things that she left behind were the ring I had given her and her apartment key.

I spent the rest of the week pretty much in a funk. The only thing that kept me from going bonkers was my job. I had much to do and a deadline to meet. By Friday, I was in bad need of some stress relief. What did I do when I needed cheering up? Go to The Crystal Palace, of course, but on the way there it dawned on me that it was likely that the sisters and their boyfriends would also be there. Did I really want to see them? I had almost convinced myself to make a U-turn and go find a bar where I could just drink beer and maybe shoot some pool. I was checking my mirrors to see if it was clear for me to turn when I suddenly decided, "Fuck it! I'm not going to let Barb and her cheating asshole of a boyfriend dictate how I was going to spend my time."

When I got there, I saw Barb, Bev, Mike and a guy I assumed was Ted, sitting at a table. I found a table on the other side of the dance floor from them and took the seat that put my back to them. I'd been there about a half an hour and had done several line dances. I was working on my second beer when I had to make a trip to the bathroom. When I finished taking care of business and walked out, I found Bev standing there waiting for me.

"Why haven't you asked me to dance tonight? Just because my sister is an idiot doesn't mean that you and I can't stay friends."

"I just don't want the trouble I might get into if I were to come over and ask you to dance."

"What trouble?"

"I'm afraid that the wrong look or the wrong word from Mike would have me punching him in the mouth and that could lead me into a jail cell and get me barred from here."

"Why would you punch Mike?"

"Because he is the shithead that kept after Barb to give her cheating boyfriend another chance."

"He did what?"

I told her what Barb had told me and I saw her get a nasty look on her face.

"We are still friends, right?"

"You bet," I said, as I turned and went back to my table. I had a surprise when I got back the table. There were three girls sitting there, and one of them was Mary Alice. The only seat they left open for me was the one that had me looking across the floor to Bev and Barb's table. I half-assed smiled to myself as I had a flashback. It was three girls joining me at my table that had started the whole thing. As I took my seat, I made up my mind to enjoy myself and show Barb that I could get over her, and quickly.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" I asked as I took my seat.

"The place was full when we got here and I saw you sitting here alone," Mary Alice said, "But you got up to use the restroom before I could ask you if we could join you. I gambled that you wouldn't chase us away when you got back."

"Chase away three lovely dance partners? Not likely."

Mary Alice introduced me to her friends, Samantha (call me Sam) and Sally, and from that point on I danced every dance until last call. Along the way, Mary Alice made another pitch to get us back together. I was in just the right mood to say why not. Sally had driven and Mary Alice asked me if she could leave with me. I will admit that the way I'd seen Barb looking at me while I was enjoying my dance partners figured heavily in my decision to say yes to Mary Alice. The frosting on the cake for me was Sam and Sally leaving, and Mary Alice staying with me. I saw a pissed off expression on Barb's face. The sprinkles on top of the frosting was Barb seeing Mary Alice get in my car with me as we left the dance hall.

I didn't think for one minute that Mary Alice and I had a future, but I was asshole enough to take what pussy I could get while I could get it. You have absolutely no idea of how easy it was to forget Barb while Mary Alice was sucking my cock. "Barb who?" is what I would have said while Mary Alice bounced up and down, doing cowgirl on my dick. I'm not sure I could even have spelled "Barb" while I was pounding my cock in Mary Alice's ass as she moaned "Oh yes, Bobby; oh yes." But I can't lie. I did miss Barb, even if I sometimes forgot her in moments of passion.

During the next three months, Mary Alice worked hard to get me to let her move in with me and put a ring on her finger, but I just couldn't let myself forget all of the lies she'd told me in the past. The truth of the matter was that I flat out didn't trust her and in that, I was right on the money.

My job didn't require much in the way of travel, but every once in a while there was a seminar or training session somewhere that had me gone a couple of days. I had gone to a two-day training session at the home office in Houston. My return flight wasn't supposed to be until Saturday, but they cut us loose early and I was able to catch an evening flight. I got back too late to call Mary Alice and I decided to stop and get a bite to eat. I picked Angie's because it was close to home. When the hostess led me to a booth in the back, I saw Mary Alice sitting in a booth with Seth Reardon. He had his arm around her and she was resting her head on his shoulder. She looked up just as the hostess and I walked by her booth. Her eyes went wide and her face paled. I was sitting where I could see Mary Alice and Reardon when they got up to leave, and Mary Alice looked back toward me. I saw tears running down her cheeks.

For the next week, she tried calling me two or three times a day, but I never took her calls. I needed to get out and drown my sorrows and cheer myself up on Saturday, but I decided to skip the Crystal Palace. Everything that started there seemed to end badly for me. There was a new country western place -- The Stagecoach -- on the other side of town and I decided to give them a shot. I got there early and the place was only about half full, so I had no trouble in finding a table.

The band was good and I'd gotten in several line dances by my third beer. I suppose I could have guessed it would happen. Sam and Sally came in, saw me, came over and asked if they could join me. I bought a round and then took turn dancing with them for the rest of the night. Just before last call Mary Alice was mentioned for the first time that night.

"What happened with you and Mary Alice? The girl has been a mess all week. We couldn't even get her to come out with us tonight. What happened?"

"Seth Reardon happened."

"Who is Seth Reardon?"

"Ask Mary Alice."

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

The next two weeks were busy ones, and I didn't go out on Friday or Saturday, so it was three weeks later when I went back to The Stagecoach. The first people I saw were Barb, Bev and Bev's fiancé, Mike. I looked around and found a place to sit that was as far away from them as I could get. I was just starting on my second beer when Bev came up to me and asked me if I would like to join her little group. I politely declined.

"Why not? We've always been friends."

"Two reasons: Barb and Mike. What she did to me still hurts and I don't want to go anywhere near Mike because I'm afraid of what I might do. I haven't forgotten his part in ruining the relationship I had with Barb.'

"Can you at least dance with me?"

The band had just started George Strait's "The Chair," so I smiled, got up and took her out onto the dance floor to do a Cowboy Cha Cha.

As we danced, Bev said, "Barb misses you."

"Her choice, not mine."

"You were right about Ted. You told her that if he cheated on her once he would do it again, and he did. She could use some cheering up."

"It won't be by me. She is a good looking girl and she will find someone sooner or later."

The song ended and I walked her back to her table, nodded at Barb and Mike, thanked Bev for the dance and then went back to my seat to find Sam and Sally there.

"Like bad pennies we keep turning up," Sam said.

"As long as you are willing to dance with me, I'm not going to bitch."

I bought a round and then took turns dancing with them until last call. I did notice that Barb never seemed to take her eyes off me the entire time I was there.

The next Saturday, figuring that Barb, Bev and Mike would be at The Stagecoach, I went to the Crystal Palace. I guessed wrong. I was working on my second beer when the three of them came in. Fortunately for me, Sam came in right behind them, saw me and headed for me.

"Need a dance partner?"

"Indeed I do. Where is your partner?"

"It is her time of the month and she is cramping badly."

"TMI, girl. That isn't anyway near what guys want to talk about."

"Oh my, big man going to go all wussy on me?"

"Obviously I can't win here, so I'm just going to shut up."

"Wise move. Let's dance."

About an hour later I got up to use the bathroom. While I was standing at the urinal taking my whiz, Mike came in and took the one next to me. Without looking over at me he said, "My lady tells me that I'm in the way of your continuing relationship. Care to tell me why?"

"What kind of friendship could we have if every time I see her man I want to beat him half to death?"

"I'm not going to apologize for what I did. Ted has been my best friend since the third grade and I hardly knew you, so yes, I was going to take his part. That said, I don't want to come between you and Bev's friendship, so I'm willing to step out into the parking lot and let you try and get your anger at me out of your system. I said try, because I try to give as good as I get and you just might end up on the ground looking up at me instead of standing there looking down at me."

What could I say to that? He was right, and in that instant I decided that I could like the guy if I gave myself a chance. Hard not to like a guy who can be upfront with you. I finished my business, washed my hands and then held out my right as an offer to shake. He took it and I told him that Bev didn't have to worry about us staying friends.