Crimson & Clover

The Proposal

Life at the Davis's was fantastic. The smell of eggs, toast and coffee greeted me every morning as I got to the table. It was nice staying with them. We'd all have breakfast together like one big family. When Tom and I got home from work his parents would always ask how our day went. The Davis's included me in everything they did as a family. I even went to Church with them on Sunday mornings. I didn't have to, but I knew it would make them happy. Mrs. Davis redecorated the guest room where I was staying, changing the wallpaper from a tacky flowery pattern to tacky wood paneling. I came home one day and Mrs. Davis surprised me with it. I suppose she felt it made the room manlier. I actually began to feel that they would be happiest if I never left.

Christmas was wonderful as well. I went to Betty's grandparents on Christmas Eve. They still made plenty of jokes at my expense except this time they also joked around with each other. I even cracked a joke or two at Uncle Tex's expense. "You know why California has all the beautiful women while Texas got all the cattle?" I asked him.

"Why is that, son?"

"Because California got first pick."

Everyone at the tabled laughed while Uncle Tex looked at me with his beady little eyes. Even Aunt Irma, who was herself from California, laughed.

Betty leaned over and whispered in my ear;  "I don't get it. I don't think your joke had a punch line."

"California had first pick." I repeated to her. Oh my God. The joke was awful and they were laughing anyways.

"I wouldn't be so quick to laugh if I were you," Tex said to me. "Those cows smell like money to a Texan," he replied.

"It's true," Irma replied. "Men sure love their cows in Texas. The restaurants down there even have a sign that reads; no hat, no cattle, no gun....no service."  Aunt Irma always managed to get in the last word.

Betty came over with Billy to the Davis's on Christmas Day and for the first time since Pa died I felt like I had a real, normal family. What made it best of all was that Tom and I truly felt like the brothers we were meant to be. Life was good. And no, I hadn't forgotten about Ma. She still needed me to pay for everything so I had Tom bring her money every week. Ma would be pleasant with him but would always end his visit by asking him if I was still seeing that whore.

For New Year's Eve I left the Davis's alone and took Betty back to the Starlight Club where we first met.  It sounds like this should have been one of the best nights of my life. Well, it could have been.

Betty was a vision of splendor.  I realized now more than ever how lucky I was to be walking into the club with her on my arm. We drank a few Zombies and danced a bit. Nobody could dance sexier than Betty. The way she would play with her hands in front of her face drove me insane. The way she would swivel her curvaceous body down to the ground was unreal. I'm not sure who got more stares that night, Betty, or me for being the lucky guy that was with her. Who am I kidding? It was always Betty.

"Adam." I felt a gentle poke on my shoulder as Betty and I danced. "Adam, we have to talk." 

"Oh hi, Julie," Betty said to her in full stride as she continued to dance, unable to hear anything she was saying to me.

"Hi, Betty," Julie replied loudly.

"Where's Tom?" I asked.

"That's what I have to speak with you about!" Julie said to me. The pain in her eyes said everything. 

"I'll be right back," I told Betty. "This sounds important. Why don't you wait for me at the bar?"

"Are you sure you me want to do that?" Betty asked me playfully. "Don't you remember what happened the last time I was alone at this bar?"

She had a point. "I'll be very fast," I replied.

"What's up?" I asked Julie as we sat on a sofa in a dark corner of the club.

"Tom asked me to marry him. Can you believe it? Marry him." Julie fiddled nervously with her fingers until a barmaid passed by with a tray of drinks, on her way to a table of six girls.

"I'll have one of those," she said as she grabbed a colorful drink off the tray. "Do you want one Adam? No? That's fine." Julie grabbed another drink off the tray with her free hand as she began to drink the first one. I just stared at her in bewilderment.

"Marry me?" she continued. "We never even kissed, well we did that one time, but that was under the mistletoe and we were like eleven. Tom is a great guy and everything but marriage? I never thought of him that way." Julie polished off the first drink and started on the second one.

"We've been friends forever. Wow, this changes everything. I mean everything. I'm too young to get married, I mean after all I've only been with like three guys. That's not enough, is it? I mean, enough to know if you've found the right one. He asked me to marry him! I always knew he liked me but I figured he'd get over it when he'd meet someone else. He's never going to meet someone else, is he? He said he doesn't want to spend another day without me, that I'm the center of his universe, the reason he wakes up in the morning. He then got down on one knee, pulled out a ring and proposed, right in front of his parents! Who the hell does he think he is? I have to leave now. Goodbye, Adam."

Julie looked at her two empty glasses. "Where the hell is the damned barmaid?"

I placed my arm around her and tried to calm her down or at the very least keep her from rambling on like that. "You don't need anymore alcohol," I told her as I took the two empty glasses out of her hands and placed them on a table.

"Did you say anything to him?" I asked.

"What could I say? Yes? I turned around and left, I think. I don't remember saying anything. I hope I didn't say anything. Oh my G-d, what did I say? Did I say yes?"

"Don't worry," I told her. "You didn't agree to marry him."

"And how do you know," she asked.

"Because there's no ring on your finger."

Julie looked down at her naked hand and exhaled gratefully. This is why women should never drink, I thought to myself as I looked at Julie. They get nuts and start acting all crazy. On the other hand, alcohol does bring out the inner most desires in women so let's just say that moderation is the key to everything. Drink enough to lose control but not enough to get stupid about it.

Julie glanced up at me. Her eyes glazed over from too much alcohol. She seemed relieved but still nuts; and then it happened. Believe me, I never saw it coming. She kissed me, and worst of all I kissed her back. Ok, I had thought about Julie years ago, but that was years ago. What the hell was she doing? Forget about her. What on earth am I doing? Oh my G-d, it's contagious. Now my mind is starting to ramble. Anyways, we went at it for at a good three minutes. When our mouths finally separated I saw I look of immense anger come over her. I've definitely seen this look before but never on Julie.

"You asshole!"

What did I do? She kissed me.

"We will never speak about this again," she said to me, "to anyone. Do you understand me? If you do, I swear I will hunt you down and kill you. You are the devil, Adam."

I took a deep breath as Julie walked angrily out of the room. This didn't just happen, I tried to convince myself, but it had. The only solace I could find was that nobody would ever know out what happened here. This could have ruined my life. I'm not the devil, Julie is!

All of a sudden, I began to replay in my mind every rotten thing I'd ever done to Tom. Julie was right, I am the devil.  After a few more moments of panicked thoughts, I went back to the bar where Betty was patiently waiting for me.

"What's wrong with Julie?" she asked.

"Tom asked her to marry him."

"Oh no, that can't be good," she replied. "Did you give her any useful advice?"

"I don't think so."