westward grove

epilogue

"I still like this one."

"I still don't like that one. I like this one."

"We're never going to agree on one. Let's just get a worker to pick one."

"We've wasted too much time arguing about it for one of us to not get our favorite."

"Speaking of time, how long have we been here?"

I took out my phone to check. "Like, forty minutes."

"It's five?"

"Yeah."

"We're literally late."

"We've been late for twenty minutes."

"Did anyone try to find out where you are?"

"I have like, a hundred missed calls."

"Shit."

"Yeah, I told you we shouldn't have smoked."

"I thought it would make the ceremony cooler."

"It would have."

"We should pick one and go."

"I still like that one."

"You know what, I like that one, too."

"Are you just saying that?"

"No, he has really cool eyes."

"Go get a worker."

"Okay."

Lauren walked away, hopefully to find a worker. It was the day of our wedding, and she had decided that we should get stoned before the ceremony. For whatever reason, after initial objection, I gave in. We hot boxed in her car for a while, and ended up at a pet shop. We'd been planning on getting a lizard for a while, but I definitely didn't envision us purchasing one today.

It felt like Lauren was taking an eternity. My mouth felt like a desert... or a cotton ball of sorts. I made my way out of the pet shop and towards a gas station conveniently located across the street. I bought a two liter of Pepsi, struggling to hand the cashier my money. Once I made the transaction, I immediately opened the bottle and drank nearly a fourth of it.

Lauren was standing by her car when I got back, holding a cage with a leopard gecko inside. I took a look at the small friend, admiring his intense features. "You got the wrong one." I told Lauren after noting the color of our pet's eyes.

"Yeah, I know. The lady grabbed the wrong one and I didn't know how to tell her." Lauren explained.

I nodded, and couldn't blame her at all. "I actually like this one better."

"Same, he has cool eyes." Lauren told me, taking one last look at the new addition to our family before handing him to me. Somehow, she ended up taking my soda and drinking almost half of it.

We both made our way into the vehicle, immediately getting stoned again on account of the fumes that filled the car. "Should we be worried about our lizard getting high?" I asked.

Lauren laughed uncontrollably for a moment. "No, he's good." She reassured me.

I pulled our new pet out of his cage, moving it behind me. I held him close to the window so he could watch cars and palm trees breeze past while Lauren drove us to the beach. A while ago, I promised myself I'd never go to the beach with Lauren. Specific memories from that long ago were fuzzy, but I knew it had something to do with Wahlyia. Even though Lauren fired her, it seemed like she was eternally a part of my life. I no longer felt threatened by her, though, which was a big step in moving past her presence all together.