Aurora, Illinois

When Her Dad Likes You, It's In The Bag

          Diego Sanchez was on a one-week break and that might not seem like a lot, but it was the longest he had ever had in 15 years at the Bureau. He had fretted for weeks about how to explain his need for time off. He thought of making up a dead relative or a strange medical diagnosis. But this was the FBI. He figured it was nearly impossible to keep secrets from the Bureau in the long run.

        He called Bruno, his commanding officer, and just said quite frankly, "Chief, Steph dumped me. I'm feeling it, y'know?"

        "Steph? You two had been together for like two years?" asked Bruno in disbelief.

        "Eighteen months, sir. I think I just need a week to get my head together. Unless we have something mission-critical," said Diego, weakly. He felt a bitter taste at the back of his tongue.

        "Hey, no problem. Gotta take care of yourself to do this job right. Cheer up kid, you'll meet a lot of bitches before you stumble on Cinderella," said Bruno jokingly.

         "Yeah I get it. I'll see you back at the office next week." Diego hung up but he didn't agree with Bruno. First off, this wasn't a fairy tale and there was no guarantee that he'd find some magical woman someday. Second, even if Steph dumped him, that didn't make her a bitch. He wasn't always easy to handle and the job didn't leave time to relax and play. 

     Actually, the shoe had been on the other foot early in the relationship. After one week he wanted to end it. He thought Steph was kind, smart, and beautiful - all the things he wanted but she was African-American. He had always imagined himself with a Latina girl. Also, he knew that interracial couples often had unique struggles even today. So he said she probably wasn't right for him. But she just wouldn't let him break up with her. She called him out and said he was just letting what other people would say keep him from doing what made him happy. He was trapped- but what a trap! He was surprised by how pushy she was being but it was also endearing because it let him know she wanted him. He said the road ahead might not be easy but he wanted to go down it with her.

     They experienced some wonderful days and nights together. His mom loved Steph. She even showed Steph some of her jewelry and asked her to pick out a piece for herself. Steph said it was a very generous offer but she couldn't accept until they were married. Her dad liked Diego. They bonded over baseball. Her dad asked him what the best decade of baseball was. Diego said, "I'd say the 80's, sir."

     Her dad was surprised, "I was gonna say that too. Why the 80s?"

    "Easy. You had big stars and strong rivalries but the steroids and player strikes hadn't started," said Diego.

     Diego and Steph had an embarrassing problem. He found her beautiful and sexy but he couldn't maintain an erection with her. She tried lingerie and perfume. Yet he suspected he already knew the problem. When he was single, he jacked off to porn. Now his brain was used to screens instead of real women. 

    Maybe his performance issues drove her away. Or maybe it was the cultural differences between black and brown people. Or maybe she hated being married to an FBI agent who was often away for weeks at a time. Hell, why had she even stayed?