Always, Forever

Chapter 2

At 8:52 PM on the Fourth of July, Christine held an ice cream cone in each hand while navigating through throngs of those gathered to watch the fireworks show at Cherrywood Park, which was set to begin at nine o'clock. Having come with Lucille, her girlfriend waited for her, resting on a big blanket they brought with them. Since they ate dinner before arriving at the park, they decided to have ice cream cones as dessert.

"Yum. Is one of those for me?" a masculine voice coming from behind her inquired in a deceptively polite tone.

Swallowing a groan, Christine turned to regard her ex-boyfriend. Although realizing her attraction to the same sex when she was fifteen, she attempted to deny it, which was how she ended up dating Wayne Norris during the last two years of high school into the summer following their graduation. It was then that Christine could no longer ignore that part of herself, so she broke up with him, sharing the true reason why. She assumed that he wouldn't take it well, and was chagrined to discover that she was correct.

Hurling several insults in her direction, Wayne then took off. He returned the following week, surprising her with a box of candy and a sincere sounding apology, promising that he hadn't and wouldn't tell anyone why they really ended their relationship. Until that day, as far as Christine was aware he hadn't, yet his behavior was quite erratic. Despite being aware that she was a lesbian, he would occasionally come on to her, try to 'woo her back' to him, and each time she failed to take the bait, Wayne allowed his anger to show on his face and through caustic words. At other times, he behaved as though he just wanted to be her friend, but Christine didn't buy it for a second.

When he learned that she was actually in a relationship with another female, his face turned such a deep shade of crimson that Christine thought he just might explode. Instead of doing so, dark blue eyes filled with tears as he mentioned that he was happy for her, yet his tone sounded the furthest thing from happy. The good news was that Wayne hadn't tried wooing her since finding out about Lucille. The not so good news was that he barely put any effort into being friendly.

"Hello, Wayne," Christine greeted, successfully sounding polite.

"Evening, Chris." A grin settling on his lightly freckled face, he pointed toward the ice cream cones, which were close to melting. "One of them mine?" Feigning a pout, he shook his head. "Nah, probably Lucy's cone, right?" He thoughtfully tapped an index finger against his lips. "Allow me to guess. The chocolate one is hers?" The grin slipped back into place. "You know, since she has that lovely chocolaty skin."

Christine unclenched her teeth while trying to ignore the sweet cream running down her hands. "I have to go, Wayne. Enjoy the fireworks."

"Oh, is the little woman timing you? Does that mean she wears the pants?"

"Wayne..."

"What is it, Chris?" Head cocked to the side, he stared at her. "I'm just curious to know if your black girlfriend has you on a short leash?"

"Her name is Lucy."

Appearing so very innocent, he blinked. "I know what her name is. I just used it. Did you not care for my referring to her as black? Should I use another term?" Purposefully ignoring the tightening of her jaw, Wayne persisted. "All right, how about colored? Negro?" He snapped his fingers. "Ah yeah, what about that one that's gaining popularity these days? Afro-American!"

"Wayne--"

"Or my personal favorite to describe Lucy. Does that little homosexual nig--"

A tight fist connecting with his mouth successfully interrupted the latest insult. No one within the area they stood seemed to notice the glowering young man with a busted lip, a bit of blood trickling down his chin. Having dropped the vanilla ice cream cone in order to punch him, Christine flexed her hand, trying not to wince as her knuckles smarted. She had never struck anyone before, but based on the condition of Wayne's mouth, she may have done it correctly.