“That’s because your dad doesn’t think a lady ought to drive a truck.”
She shifts into gear and zooms away from the curb. She’s got me there. That’s precisely what my dad thinks.
“Like he knows. I think he just googled ‘how to be a lady’ when Mom died and took bits and pieces from every article he could find and foisted it all on me.”
Sarah turns her curly blonde head and narrows her black-lined, powder-blue eyes on me. “You’re probably right, but he still did a good job with you. You’re a lady, that’s for sure.”
“Maybe I’m tired of being a lady.”
She grins. “Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about!”
I laugh. “I think you’re enjoying my rebellion more than I am.”
“Oh, I’m enjoying it all right. Finally…finally we get to live a little.”
“You could’ve been living all this time.”
“And leave my best friend behind? Not a chance.”
“You’re all talk. You weren’t gonna do anything until I did it first.”
“Nuh-huh.”
“Yuh-huh.”
“Hey, I’m not the virgin here.”
“No, but I didn’t see you getting a tattoo.”
“That’s not my idea of wild. Besides, look how that turned out.”
“What do you mean? It hasn’t ‘turned out’ at all yet. I just haven’t decided what I’m going to do.”
“Yes, you have. You just won’t admit it.”
“Won’t admit what?”
“That you’re too chicken shit to go back in there and put him to the test.”
“I’m not too chicken shit. I’m just giving it some time.”
“Time to what? Ferment? This is sex, not wine, Sloane.”
“I know, but…”
“But nothing. What happened to all this ‘spread my wings’ and ‘seize the day’ and ‘no regrets’ shit?”
“Nothing happened to it. It’s just that…I mean, he asked me to leave. It’s not easy to come back after something like that.”
“Look, you are gorgeous, you’re smart, you’re funny as hell and you’ve got a kick-ass rack. What’s not to love? Trust me. You just turn on that smile and you’ll have this guy on his knees.”
“No offense, but I don’t think that’ll work with him. I mean, he’s not like the other guys around here.”
“He’s a man. He thinks with his dick. As long as you keep that in mind, you’re golden.”
“You should put that on a mug.”
“I know. I’m like a modern day Confucius.”
“If Confucius was full of random wisdom involving penises.”
“How do you know he wasn’t?”
“You make a good point.”
“Now, stop changing the subject. When are you gonna go back in there and get him to finish you up? And then ‘finish you up’?” Sarah snorts at her cleverness. I shake my head, but I can’t hide my smile.
“I don’t know. But I will.” I turn to stare out the window for a few seconds before it occurs to me. “Why are you so interested in my virginity anyway?”
“It goes against nature for a girl to reach the ripe old age of twenty-one and still be a virgin. Something like that could disrupt the space-time continuum. Before we know it, there are earthquakes all over the place, volcanoes are disappearing, cave men are popping up in bars.”
“This isn’t Land of the Lost, Sarah.”
“But it could be. This is just me doing my part for the good of mankind.”
“Wow, I never considered that the state of my hymen might be of interest to the world at large.”
“I know. So innocent. So clueless. That’s why I’m here, sweet child,” she says peacefully. “I’ll be your guide.”
I shake my head. “This can’t be good. You get lost in the parking lot at the grocery store.”
“Hey! That happened one time.”
“And that was one too many.”
“Shut up, whore!”
“Not a chance, slut.” We grin at each other. Such is the banter between me and my best friend.
********
I’m antsy. I knew this would happen. I’ve felt this way every evening since the last time I saw Hemi. I asked Sarah if she wanted to do something tonight, but she had already made plans with her on again-off again boyfriend, Todd. And as pathetic as it is, she is pretty much the extent of my plans. When she’s got something else to do, I stay at home. I usually draw. Or read. But for some reason, neither of those activities appeal to me tonight.
It’s not like it’s some random, mysterious “reason.” I know exactly what the reason is. Or, rather, who the reason is.
Hemi.
I want to go back, but something is stopping me. Maybe I was secretly hoping he’d call me, that he’d change his mind and seek me out. Every woman wants to be chased, right? Right. And I mean, my phone number is listed on the release form. But he hasn’t called, hasn’t chased. He made his position clear and he’s sticking to it.
Maybe I should, too.
For the hundredth time, I glance at the clock on my nightstand. Hopping off the bed, I start stripping off my lounge clothes. “That’s it,” I tell the silence in my room. “I’m not sitting around here thinking about him for one more night.” Ten minutes later, I’m dressed in jeans and a BULLDOGS t-shirt, in my car, heading toward Cuff’s. There are many ways to live and I’ve got many things to prove. Tonight, my focus will be my obtuse family. Maybe if I can make some headway in that department, my confidence will get the boost it needs to propel me back to Hemi’s.
When I walk into the bar that my brothers have gone on and on and on about for years, my initial reaction is less than earth shattering. I’m not impressed. It’s just a noisy, crowded bar, like any other. Only this one, I happen to know, is frequented by local law enforcement.
If I didn’t already know that, I’d never guess. No one is in uniform. As I look around, I just see a bunch of guys dressed in regular clothes, drinking and laughing and slapping each other on the back.
The one thing I do notice is the marked lack of women. I mean, there are a few scattered here and there, but it’s not like other places where the ratio is more female-heavy. At least it looks like that on TV. No, this one looks more like a g*y bar with a few beards thrown in for good measure.