Go for It
Derrick
“Turn here. No…Okay. I guess you should go to the next one and try again.” I glanced up from my phone. “Hernandez, are you even listening?”
“What?” My friend shook himself and turned so fast we nearly hit another car.
“Dude! Do I need to drive?”
“Oh, no. Sorry.” He sat up straighter. “I’m just a little distracted, that’s all.”
“Yeah, no kidding.” I looked back down at my phone. “Okay, turn left in two lights. Then you’ll make an immediate right.”
“Why don’t you let the GPS just tell us?” He grimaced. “And why’d Massy have to move across town?”
“Because you quit listening to the GPS ten minutes ago.” I shook my head. “And because he says the rent’s going to be cheaper. So,” I gave my friend another skeptical glance, “what’s going on, man?”
“It’s my girlfriend. She turned twenty-six two weeks ago, and suddenly I’m hearing nothing but wedding bells and realtor open houses and babies.” He wiped his forehead. “So many babies. She talks about nothing else.”
“Why don’t you marry her?” I pointed to the stop sign. “You seemed happy enough to have her on your arm yesterday at the picnic. Oh, turn left here.”
“I’m not ready to get married!” Hernandez’s laugh was slightly hysterical. “We’ve only been dating six months.”
“There. It’s the third house on the right.” As soon as Hernandez had pulled in front of the house, I hopped out and began untying the load from the truck’s bed.
Hernandez joined me. As we carried the table up to the front door of a small house with blue siding, he muttered the whole time about how cheap Massy, our coworker who owned this place, was. “The least he could have done was buy us pizza. We’re helping him move after all.”
“Give the guy a break. His wife’s pregnant with twins.” I dusted my hands after we put the first load down. “They’re actually at a doctor’s appointment right now. That’s why he gave me the key.” We went back out to get the chairs. “Besides, it’s a small table, and there are a whopping two chairs.
“And then the rest of his living room,” Hernandez grumbled. “But speaking of couples and kids,” he said, grabbing one of them, “for someone who doesn’t date airmen, you and Jessie looked pretty cozy the other day.”
I put the chair down. “You know we didn’t even touch.”
“Maybe cozy’s not the right word. I guess what I’m trying to say is that if I didn’t know better, I would have thought you two were happily married, and a few years down the marriage road.” He shrugged. “Too bad she doesn’t date airmen. You guys make a good team.”
Why did that make my heart skip just a little?
“Actually,” I said slowly, “now that you bring it up…I’ve been thinking about that.”
He grunted as he moved his chair through the doorway. “How so?”
“I’m going to do it.”
He frowned at me. “Do what?”
“I’m going to go for it.” I took a deep breath. “I want to make her mine.”
Hernandez leaned against the chair right there in the entryway. “Are you nuts? The girl actually has a rule that she doesn’t date people like you. And you want tomarryher?”
I picked up his chair and carried it to the table with mine. “Hey, one thing at a time.” I paused. “But yeah, that’s pretty much it.”
“Wow. Just…wow.” Hernandez shook his head as I locked up. “You’re either really dense or I’m going to have to hail you as the best that’s ever been.”
“Well, you won’t have to wait too long to find out.” I grinned. “I’m starting next Saturday.” I clapped him on the shoulder then I locked the door behind us. “And since we have three more deliveries to make today, you’re going to help me dream up a fairy-tale obsessed, twenty-three-year-old, obsessive-compulsive woman’s dream day.”
“Oh, joy.” Hernandez shut the truck door a little harder than necessary. “Just when I thought this day couldn’t get any better.”
“Aw, cheer up.” I put my seatbelt on. “If you’re really that upset, I’ll buy you a smoothie.”
