I blew out a loud exhale and glanced out the window. “You were?”
She rolled her eyes and laughed. “Oh. My. God. You don’t remember anything about that weekend, do you?”
“I remember we were hanging out at Michigan State ...”
“No. It wasn’t Michigan State, it was the University of Michigan. It was the spring, and you had an off day on a Saturday, and I asked if you wanted to tag along for a girl’s weekend.”
I mined the recesses of my memory. College was a hazy time for me, and every year I got older, the memory grew more distant. It was funny how I could recall vividly a few specific, brilliant highs and lows: the time I scored a goal to win the national college championship. The curve of the hips of the woman I fell in love with in one night. The punch in the gut feeling when I woke up the next morning in bed by myself.
The resolution to myself I would never, ever fall in love again.
Swallowing, I looked back at Jenny and I was grateful for the friends I’d brought along in this life, so I didn’t forget moments like this. I noticed the clock, then looked back at her.
“Is quarter after noon too early for wine?”
“It’s Cinco de Mayo. Margaritas?”
“Hell yes.”
The afternoon turned into Margarita and reminisce about college night. Turned out that Jenny needed to be cheered up, too, because Nate had broke things off with her.
“I knew that guy was a dick.”
She didn’t deny it. “I have a problem. I like the dicks.”
I laughed, refilled our pitcher of margaritas, and then put on some music we had played freshman year in our dorm in college. Jenny connected her laptop to my TV and started going through a slideshow of some old pictures she had from various nights we had been out.
For the first time in weeks, I felt light-hearted, like I was just a guy without a care in the world, hanging out with a friend. And then I remembered the days and nights and fun with Cat and twisted at my ring. Part of me felt like since she effectively ghosted me, she was sending a clear message she was better off without me in the long run.
Another part of me was ready to board a plane, head to Spain, and figure out the rest of my plan on the fly. I wasn’t sure which side would win out. I wished for a sign, something that would guide me.
Jenny asked me what I was so deep in thought about and I told her I was praying to the God of Margaritaville. So she clicked the album that said, ‘Jimmy Buffet concert weekend.’
It happened to be the trip I had tagged along on to Ann Arbor.
“Yes,that’swhat it was. You wanted to see the Jimmy Buffett concert, but you couldn’t get a ticket. And when we met up withyou at the bars, later, you had already met your little one-night stand girl.” She wrinkled her forehead and gave me a weird look. “Can I ask you something?”
“Shoot.”
“You’ve had other one-night stands, right?”
“Yes.”
“Why did this one stand out?”
I didn’t even have to think. “It was like the sun and the moon came together. I filled in her holes, and she filled in mine.” Realizing how dirty that sounded, I quickly added. “In our souls. Souls! Like a yin and yang puzzle.”
After she recovered from dying of laughter, she shook her head. “I’d just never seen you so gaga over someone. Kind of like you were with Cat. It was ... good to see. You were a different person. I wouldn’t say ‘happier.’ But deeper, more driven, and satisfied.”
“To be honest, I couldn’t even tell you what that girl looks like anymore. After she bounced—I pushed her out of my memory. I didn’twantto remember her. I don’t even think she gave me her real name. But it definitely wasn’t Fio. And she didn’t go to Michigan State.”
“Is that what she told you?”
“There were no ‘Fios’ or ‘Fiorellas’ in all the student body that year. I checked.”
“Creepy,” she smirked.
“No, what’s ‘creepy’ is making up a fake name, getting a guy to fall in love with you, having the best sex of your life, then disappearing. Look, let’s move on. The thing I’m thinking about right now is if there’s a sign I should ...”
