Not Desperate

Chapter 32 A Big Step

Chapter 32

A Big Step

            Daryl downed another shot. It was his third, and he was still pretty sober. Rick, T-Dog and Phillip were way ahead of him in this category. He was having fun though, shooting pool and drinking with his friends. The goal wasn't just to have fun though, the guys were trying to calm his nerves. Tomorrow was going to be the biggest day of his life, a day he thought would never come. A day he had been told over and over his whole life he didn't deserve. He had thought, for a while now, that he did deserve it. He deserved Yvonne and Michael and their love just as much as they deserved his.

            "It's your turn D," T-Dog said and smacked Daryl's ass with his pool stick. "Get your head outta your ass and scratch already so I can win this."

            "Fuck you T. I won the first game. You win this one and it's a gift from me to you. Make yourself useful and get us a round of beers. You're gonna have some time to kill till your next shot."

            "You're an asshole Daryl," he said as left in the direction of the bartender.

            "Wow T, no one's ever said that to me before," Daryl said barely containing his laughter as he sunk the number nine ball in the left side pocket. This was the first night all the guys had been together for some time now, usually seeing each other in passing as they moved through town or an occasional lunch date. Phillip was now an official member of their club. Shortly after the incident, he decided to leave Woodbury, and when a spot as Rick's partner came open, he transferred to the Senoia Sheriff's Department. Daryl respected Phillip for what he had done for Michael and Yvonne and was now proud to call him a friend.

            As the night went on, there was more pool, beer and a couple games of darts, but when Rick sent one sailing into the wall next to Daryl's head, they were banned for the rest of the night. Regardless, they had fun. Daryl was teased relentlessly by T-Dog and Phillip for being pussy whipped and losing his freedom, and his manhood.

            "Damn right she's got 'em," Daryl said. "They feel a lot better when she's holding 'em anyway," he said, too drunk to give a fuck and the whole table erupted with laughter. Rick was in no position to tease though, and instead, offered some drunken advice.

            "When a woman says she's fine, she ain't fine. She wants ya to find out what's wrong, and if ya can't that means ya ain't paying enough attention to her," he slurred. "Women are stealthy too. They ain't gonna give anything away. They make you work for every piece of information they have. Ya gotta be persistent, if ya stop asking them about shit, they'll assume you don't care about them anymore." He patted Daryl on the shoulder. "Be vigilant man. Don't give up, even when she curses you six ways to Sunday. And ya gotta talk to her about everything. Silence kills man."

            Daryl stopped him with a slap to the back. "You're a wise man Rick Grimes. Thank you man. Thank you for being my friend, and my best man. I love you Rick." T-Dog and Phillip decided to interrupt the lovefest before things went too far. "Alright y'all. Dixon already has a woman, so do you Grimes. Don't want Lori or Yvonne to get jealous now do ya?" T said trying to pull the two men apart. "Besides," Phillip added, trying to help Daryl stand up straight, "I don't think Rick would look as good as Yvonne will in that dress." Daryl turned to face his new friend. "She's gonna be beautiful man. She's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. She deserves better than me." As they walked outside to get in the cab, Phillip replied, "You're probably right," and shoved Daryl into the backseat. "What the fuck?!" he said as his head hit the seat.