Perspectives Series: Martin

Chapter 12

Time flew by as I focused intently on business. I had my eye on a house that had been on the market for several months. It was the last piece of a nasty divorce remaining to be settled. I sensed that the bargain asking price was negotiable. Every month that it didn't sell, positioned me to make a very low offer.

I made the mistake of taking Teresa to see it. She instantly fell in love. It was everything she had dreamed of: huge, expensive, and in a pretentious neighborhood. She urged me to make an offer. That only reinforced my decision to wait.

Simon and I met for drinks at O'Dowd's on The Plaza. We hadn't been there in a long time. There was quite a crowd for a cold, fall day. Everyone seemed to be in the holiday spirit but us. We were standing at the bar because there weren't any available tables. There were people packed around us in their own little circles, carrying on conversations.

"This week is a bye week for the Cowboys, isn't it?" Simon started.

"Yeah, I think so. I tell you, this is going to be one long season."

"I know. Parcells or Jones needs to do something about the roster."

"To make matters worse, the Eagles are real strong this year. I hate those guys."

"Yeah, me too."

I don't want to think about the disappointment. Change of subject...

"Hey, did you listen to it?"

"American Idiot? Yeah, I did. It's awesome!"

"I told you, dude! It's way different than anything they've ever done before."

"The lyrics are tight. They've been playing the shit out of the singles on the radio."

"I know. Even the idiot-critics like the album. I swear, I'm pledging my eternal devotion to Billie Joe Armstrong."

"They've always been your favorite. I think I lost the faith for awhile, but I'm coming back to the light."

"Amen, brother."

We toasted and then took a break to drink.

"You never talk about The Club. I can't believe you haven't been bragging about it non-stop. How is it going?" Simon was dying to hear the details.

"It's great, man," I lied.

"What are the ladies like?"

"They're what you would expect. Very refined and feminine and...what was the word you used? Submissive?"

"Yeah."

"Um, they do whatever you want, you know?"

"Wow! That's awesome."

"You need to hook up with someone. Teresa and I will sponsor you."

"Yeah, well...that's easier said than done."

I changed the subject. "I think I'm going to buy that house in the Northland."

"Really? How much?"

"I can probably pick it up for around 900."

"That would be a bargain."

"I'm going to wait until after the first of the year to do it. They'll be real hungry by then."

Just then, a woman backed up and bumped hard into Simon. His drink glass toppled, spilling all over the front of him before he dropped the glass. We turned toward a very petite redhead. She was wearing a blue sweater and jeans and drinking a martini.

"Oh, my GOD! I'm SO SORRY!" She screeched.

"It's OK." Simon said as he held up his hand.

She plopped her drink down on the bar and leaned over the top of it to pluck napkins from the ledge on the other side.

"Here, let me help." She started patting Simon's chest with the napkins, soaking up the bourbon and coke.

Her curly hair moved with every swipe of her hand, as if it were laughing at him. She started to giggle a little and then laughed harder. Her laugh was so contagious; Simon and I started to laugh with her.

"Oh, hell. I really am sorry about this. My friend just told me the funniest thing and I completely lost my balance laughing. It was...oh, never mind, it's not important. My name is Jill, by the way."

She held out her hand toward Simon.

"I'm Simon. Nice to meet you Jill."

"Are you sure? I mean, most girls don't toss drinks on you in the first minute they meet you, do they?"

"No, not usually. This is Martin."

"Hello."

"Nice to meet you, Martin. What are you drinking, Simon?"

"Bourbon and Coke, but I was about to switch to Miller Lite, anyway."

"Are you sure?" Jill asked as she smiled and looked up into Simon's eyes.

"Yeah, I'm sure but you don't have to do that."

"Oh, I know...but I really should." She turned to the bartender and ordered a beer. Then she grabbed another napkin and started writing on it. She handed the beer to Simon.

"Here's your beer." Then she handed him the napkin. "And here's my phone number. You know, in case you need to have that dry cleaned. It's the least I can do."

"Oh, it's not necessary, really."

"No, I want you to have it."

"Thanks...and thanks for the beer."

Jill waved at us as her cheeks flushed slightly. She turned around to her group.

Simon tucked the napkin into his pocket carelessly. I could tell by the way he was acting that he intended to throw the phone number away. After we left the bar, I turned to him.

"You're going to call her, aren't you?"

"Who? Jill? No, man. This shirt is fine."

"That's not why she gave you her number."

"Nah, she was just trying to be polite."

"Bullshit she was. She wants you to ask her out."

"You think so? I don't know, maybe."

"You need to fucking call her, Simon. She'd be a blast to go out with."

"Yeah, I think so, too. OK. I'll call her tomorrow."

I was right, of course. Simon called her and they talked on the phone for a long time. He finally asked her to dinner. He took her to a little bistro down the street from my house and then they ended up coming over and crashing in the spare bedroom. It irked the hell out of Teresa.

The next morning, Simon and Jill were in the kitchen when I walked in.

"Hey, how was dinner last night?" I asked.

Simon looked over at Jill and then at me.

"Fine. I think. I don't remember much."

I looked over at Jill as she explained.

"Yeah, we started drinking wine at my house and then just kept going. We were hammered."

I laughed, "Really?! How did you make it here?"

"We walked, believe it or not." Simon moaned.

"Gee, I wonder how you mustered up the energy for the bedroom." I sarcastically commented. "Teresa and I could hear the headboard banging against the wall from our room."

Jill busted out laughing. Simon covered his eyes with his right palm.

"Sounds like you guys had a good time." I couldn't resist adding.

Simon shook his head and covered his face with both his hands. Jill laughed louder.

Simon's hands slid down off his bloodshot eyes and he looked at her.

"It wasn't that bad."

She couldn't talk because tears were now welling up in her eyes. She just nodded.

Simon started laughing, "Fuck!"

Simon finally regained some composure. "It wasn't my best effort, dude. That's all I have to say."

Jill started wiping the tears from her eyes and sat upright again.

"We finally just called it quits and passed out."

I looked at Simon; he nodded.

"Nice. Next time you're going to have bad sex, have it at your own place. We only have good sex here."

I made eye contact with Jill. I fell asleep with a hard-on thinking about you.

I offered to drive them to the restaurant but they insisted on walking. I walked back to the master bedroom where Teresa was hiding. She was dressed with full makeup.

"Where are you going?"

"Shopping"

"Simon and Jill just left."

"Good"

"You didn't even come out and meet her."

Teresa rolled her eyes at me. "Gee, I'm so disappointed. I missed my chance to see a real slut up close."

"That's not true. You looked in the mirror this morning, didn't you?" I could feel my blood pressure starting to rise. I was pissed off at her for talking about Jill that way.

"Oh, very funny." She sneered.

I wasn't kidding.

"Listen, you will not disrespect Simon or any guest of his in this house, do you understand?"

She brushed past me and snatched up her purse on the way out the door. Fucking bitch.

It was a good thing she left. I was in the mood to really have a knockdown. I paced around the kitchen with my coffee for awhile, and then I opened my laptop and started working.

Every moment that my mind was allowed to wander, I thought of her. Her laugh, her red, curly hair, the way she wrinkled her nose when she said something uncomfortable. It wasn't one thing about her. She was funny, witty, charming, cute, and friendly. Jill is everything Teresa isn't.

By the next day, I'd had all I could stand. I called Simon.

~Hello?

"Hey, how are you feeling?"

~Better. Fine, actually. What's up? Did we leave something there?

"I'm sure you did, but it will come out in the wash."

~Ha, ha. What's up?

"So, what happened in my spare bedroom Friday night?"

~I told you. It was a disaster.

"Because of you or because of her?"

~Because of alcohol, I don't know. Me, mostly. Why the fuck do you want to know?

"No reason. Just curious. Are you going to ask her out again?"

~No. We're just going to be friends.

"How come?"

~Because there isn't anything there, you know what I mean?

"Uh, yeah. Would you mind if I asked her out?"

~Huh? You want to ask Jill out?

"Yeah. Would you mind?"

~No, man. But what about Teresa?

"What about her?"

~Dude, I'm pretty sure she'll mind. Are you guys breaking up?

"Not exactly."

~OK. Well, that's your business, but you better be straight with Jill. She deserves better than you.

"Uh, huh."

Simon gave me Jill's phone number.

~The only reason I'm giving this to you is because I don't think she'll go out with you, anyway. She knows you live with Teresa.

"We'll see. It's worth a shot."

~OK. Let me know how it goes.

I waited another half hour before calling her. It was 2:30 in the afternoon and I had maybe thirty minutes before Teresa returned from the movies with Sarah.

~Hello?

"Hi, Jill?"

~Yes.

"It's Martin; Simon's friend."

~Hi, Martin. How are you doin'?

"Good, thanks. Are you recovered from your hangover?"

~From Friday night?

"Yeah."

~Oh, hell yeah. I'm still shaking off the one from last night, though.

"Oh, yeah? Where did you go?"

~We started at the Brio and then migrated to Blonde. We closed the place down.

"That's easy to do at Blonde. Lots of eye candy there."

~Yep. This chick climbed her way up the pole and crashed down on her butt. It was hilarious.

"Oh, shit! Really?"

~Yeah, I thought they were going to have to call the paramedics. Apparently, alcohol makes you invincible. She bounced right back up and kept dancing. I'm sure she has a few bruises this morning.

"And a few regrets, no doubt."

~Oh, always those. They are a given where alcohol is concerned.

"I've had a few as I recall. What about you, do you have regrets for last night?"

~Nah, I was with my friend Marcus. He's gay, so there's not much chance of hooking up and regretting it or anything, and we keep each other out of any real danger. Anyway, we end up dancing more than drinking at Blonde.

"You save money that way."

~No kidding. Their drinks are getting outrageous.

"I know. It's crazy." We talked like we'd been friends for years. I didn't want to cut the conversation short, but I was afraid of being confronted by Teresa.

"Listen. I was wondering if you would like to go out sometime. Maybe next weekend?"

~Really? Um...don't you live with your girlfriend?

"Uh, yeah. But it's not permanent."

~OK.

"I mean, we're not...it's not...working out the best. You know what I mean?"

~Yeah, I guess.

"I saw you the other night and, I don't know, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. I called Simon to make sure..."

~No, we're not...we're just friends, I think.

"Yeah, that's what he said. So, um, I'd really like to see you."

~OK. I think I'd like that. When?

"How about I call you tomorrow and we'll make plans."

~That's great. I'll be home after 6.

"OK. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

~OK. Bye.

"Bye."

I sat back and took a deep breath. I hadn't been that truthful with a girl in my life. My heart was beating hard in my chest. I can't wait until tomorrow.

Teresa came home with groceries and started making dinner. She didn't utter a word to me. She's on her way down. It was becoming easier to identify where she was in her bi-polar cycle.

How different could two women be? I sat and thought about how easy it was to carry on a conversation with Jill. And how difficult Teresa made everything. I wish things were different with Teresa.

Teresa hardly touched her food and then went downstairs to walk on her treadmill. She was obsessed with her weight. Or more accurately, she was obsessed with her appearance, in general.

I finished my dinner and set my plate in the sink. I couldn't stand it another minute. I picked up my cell phone and re-dialed.

~Hello?

"Hey, Jill. It's Martin."

~Hey, Martin.

"I couldn't wait until tomorrow. I had to hear your voice again."

~Aw. You're so sweet.

"No, I'm not. Really. In fact, I've been having some not-so-very-sweet thoughts about you."

~What kind of thoughts?

"Naughty ones. Real naughty."

~Mmmm. That's interesting. Don't you think you better wait and see if we're compatible first?

"I already know we are. I can tell."

~You can, huh?! What if I told you I had this enormous scar down my side that was so unsightly, it made guys sick to look at it?

"I wouldn't care."

~Bullshit! You would care; all guys care.

"I'd care a little but your looks aren't what I'm attracted to. It's your personality."

~OK. So, what if I told you I was a total psycho?

"I'd have to tell you that I've been living with one for a couple of years and there isn't anything you can do or say to surprise me."

~Really. Why are you still living with her, then?

"I don't know. Partly because I feel sorry for her and partly because I feel obligated."

~Oh. That's very sad.

"I know."

~And completely wrong, Martin.

"I know. But I'll fix it. Please don't hold it against me."

~You're either one of the sweetest men I've ever met, or one of the best players. I'm not sure which one.

"You'll just have to find out. I mean, you wouldn't want to miss out on your chance to date a truly sweet guy, would you?"

~Oh, my God...you remind me of Jake so much.

"Who?"

~Oh, a guy I dated in High School. Never mind.

"Oh. I hope that's good."

~It is. I lost my virginity to him.

"Well, that's promising."

~So, are you calling to make plans for this weekend?

"No, not yet. I told you, I just wanted to hear your voice."

~Oh, yeah, I forgot.

"I can't stay on the line long."

~Psycho girlfriend?

"Yeah."

~I see.

"I'll call you tomorrow night if I can wait that long."

~Do you have something to write with?

"I can get something."

~Write this number down.

She recited a phone number.

"Is this work?"

~No...better. It's my cell phone. I have it on me all the time.

"Can I call you during the day?"

~Sure

"I'm serious."

~I know you are.

She is definitely flirting with me.

"I don't want to hang up."

~It's OK. We'll talk tomorrow.

"I know. I can't wait to see you."

~Yes you can. You'll be fine. It's coming up on my bed time.

"I wish I were there to tuck you in."

~Sweetheart, we wouldn't sleep.

She sounds like me.

"Who said anything about sleeping?"

~Uh, huh. Wait until you see the scar.

"You forget. I'm best friends with Simon. He would have told me something like that."

~Oh, yeah. But he was blot-toed, he wouldn't have noticed if I had two heads.

"Uh, huh. Good night, Jill."

~Sweet dreams, Martin.

Her charming voice was intoxicating.

Chapter 13

We talked on the phone at least three times on Monday. I would have called her more often if work and Teresa hadn't been in the way. We made plans for Friday night.

Tuesday was similar. I talked to her briefly a couple of times during work hours. That night, Teresa went to Sarah's house to watch some television show. Jill and I talked on the phone for over an hour. We talked about everything and nothing in particular.

I managed to call her only once on Wednesday before bedtime. I was growing very fond of hearing her voice just before I fell asleep.

Thursday, I called her in the morning. I woke her up. Her sleepy voice was so adorable.

~Hello?

"Good morning, sweetie."

~Martin, what are you doing calling so early?

"I couldn't resist."

~Honey, seriously.

"I am being serious. Are you in bed?"

~Mmmm, hmmm.

"What are you wearing?"

~Mmmm...nothing.

She sounds so sexy when she's half asleep.

"Oh, yeah? Are you completely nude?"

~Oh, yes. Completely. It's such a shame that I'm all alone in this big bed.

"Why is that?"

~Because I'm really horny when I first wake up in the morning.

"You are? What would you do if you weren't alone?"

~You mean, if YOU were here with me?

"Yeah. What would you do then?"

~Oh, I don't know. I might just have to roll over and climb on top of you.

"I see. I'd like that." Jill sighed. I could hear her breathing harder. "What are you doing?"

~Um. Nothing.

"Yes you are. Are you masturbating?"

~Maybe.

"Oh, shit. I am so...you are totally going to get it Friday night. I swear."

Jill giggled.

~You're the one who called me first thing in the morning. It's not my fault.

"Shit! I'll talk to you later."

~OK. I'll be a lot more relaxed later.

"And I'll be wound up like a top."

~You can take care of that, you know.

"I'm well aware. I have meetings this morning."

~Sucks to own your own business, doesn't it?!

She started moaning out loud for effect.

"I'm hanging up now."

~Bye, honey.

She's so easy to talk to. There isn't any tension or anything. And she talks about sex so openly, like it is the most natural thing in the world. I can't ever recall Teresa masturbating, much less talking about it.

~Hello?

"Hey, Simon."

~Hey, what's up Martin?

"I've got a date with Jill tonight."

~You do?

"Yeah. I've been talking to her on the phone every day this week."

~Oh, yeah. She's easy to talk to, isn't she?

"Yes. Very easy. Listen, I don't know how tonight is going to play out. I told Teresa that you and I are going out. I may end up spending the night at Jill's."

~You're being a little over-confident, don't you think?

"Why? You spent the first night with her."

~Yeah, but that's me.

"Uh, huh. Anyway, cover for me, OK? Call me on my cell if Teresa calls your house."

~OK. No problem. But you're not going to want Teresa after you go out with Jill, I can tell you that right now.

"I know. She's something else. Listen, I've got to go."

~OK. Call me when you're on your way home tonight, or tomorrow, so I know.

"Will do. See ya."

I couldn't tell if it was nervousness or excitement. The entire day leading up to our date was a blur. My mind wandered from one subject to the next and it was impossible to focus on tedious tasks at work.

I jumped out of my skin when my cell phone rang. It was Jill.

"Hey."

~Hey. Are you having second thoughts? You haven't called me all day.

"No, not at all."

~Are you nervous?

"Very and I'm not exactly sure why."

~That's so cute.

"It's not cute, it's disturbing."

~Well, let me take some of the mystery out of this: I would say that you have a better than 80% chance of getting lucky tonight.

"80%?"

~Yeah. What did you think?

"I was hoping for something along the lines of 99% chance."

~Hmmmm. That's an awful high percentage.

"OK, how 'bout 90%?"

~Uh, 85%

"88"

~Deal

"OK, 88% is a lot better than 80%."

~Yeah, but I would have agreed to 99. You should have held out longer. Bye.

"Jill? Jill?"