“How did you not KNOW?” Olivia can barely get the words out. “How long have you been dating him?!”
“He goes by Rodriguez! Everyone calls him Rodriguez!”
“His NAME is ROMEO RODRIGUEZ and you’re JULIETTE!” She’s crying now. Tears running down her face. “ROMEO AND JULIETTE!”
The cop clears his throat again. He’s trying very hard to not laugh but I can see the corner of his mouth twitching. “Ma’am, if you could come down to the security office?—”
“Wait.” I hold up a hand. “What happened? What kind of altercation?”
“A physical altercation between Mr. Rodriguez and another guest. We need someone to collect Mr. Rodriguez and confirm his identity.”
Physical altercation. Hotel bar. Another guest.
Garrett.
It has to be Garrett.
“Is the other guest okay?”
“He’s being treated by hotel medical staff for a possiblebroken nose.”
Rodriguez broke Garrett’s nose. On my sister’s wedding day. While I was upstairs getting my hair done and obsessing over whether he was okay.
“I’ll handle it,” my mom says, but she’s still laughing. “Juliette?—”
“No.” I’m already moving. “I’ll go and?—”
I look down at myself. Silk robe. Bare legs. Slippers. My hair is pinned up in an elaborate style that took almost an hour. My makeup is camera-ready.
“I can’t go down like this.”
“Ma’am—”
Olivia’s still in full hysterics. “You have to go get your boyfriend Romeo from hotel security on my wedding day while wearing a bathrobe.”
“Olivia—”
“This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” She’s crying and laughing at the same time, she’s ruining her makeup. “ROMEO!”
“Can someone please make her stop.”
My mom is trying to compose herself. Failing spectacularly. “Sweetheart, just go. We’ll be fine here. Go collect your Romeo.”
“Mom, please don’t?—”
“Romeo and Juliette,” she says again and dissolves into fresh laughter.
“Ma’am?” The cop is waiting and he sounds tired.
“Okay, yes, I’m coming.”
I follow them out into the hallway. Both cops walking ahead, me trailing behind in a silk bridesmaid robe and slippers.
We pass other hotel guests. A family with kids who stop and stare. A couple checking in who pause mid-conversation.
But I keep my head up because if I’m going to do this, I’m doing it with whatever dignity I can scrape together.
Rodriguez got in a fight, on my sister’s wedding day, with my ex-boyfriend.
