Can You Teach Me What Love Is?

Chapter six:

Chapter six:

*Wendy

     I was heartbroken to know Max had cancer, but, I was beyond happy that he accepted Jesus into his heart and life; at least, if he would die, we would be in Heaven together, and that’s eternity. My true intentions of going to Max’s and Harry’s house the night I prayed with Max was to actually find Harry; I hadn’t seen him since the night at the hospital when he brought Max over, it was like after that Harry had disappeared. I asked Max if he had seen him since, he hadn’t either. Things were getting quite strange.

     I tried to forget about Harry for the time being and visit my bedridden father, who was living with my sister, Alice. I pulled up to my father’s house, which was actually a mansion, and strolled away to the entirely stone front porch. My father was very wealthy, he earned all his money by being a fantastic surgeon…and winning the lottery of course; plus, he was an expert poker player. Besides being a good and well known surgeon, I was very disappointed with how he got all his money.

     I tried to open the door but it was locked, so I rang the doorbell. After minutes of waiting, I finally started to hear footsteps. Usually when I came by early it took Alice a while to come to the door. When the door finally opened, I was quite surprised, and very angry.

     “Harry? What are—’’

     “Wendy! Hey, hey, hey girl!”

     Well, with that kind of greeting, I instantly knew Harry was drunk. He was leaning to the side as if he was going to fall over, no shirt to cover his bare chest, his hair looked like a monkey had played in it, he wasn’t wearing any pants but his boxers, and he was holding a glass of what looked like wine—yes, that’s how you know Harry’s been drinking way, way too much.

     I was furious.

     “Your sister threw an awesome party last night!” He exclaimed after belching rudely.

     Scratch furious, now I was irate, ready to explode like a firework.

     I looked down, fuming, and saw something on his arm; I pulled his sleeve up and it was a tattoo that read, “Alice.”

     “Oh no, no, no! Tell me I’m wrong, Harry! Tell me I’m wrong!” His eyes glazed over as he took a sip of his wine.

     “…You’re wrong?” He replied as if he had no clue what I meant, I needed to be clearer.

     “You slept with Alice, didn’t you? Then you get her name tattooed on your arm? If I hadn’t come over here today you might, again might, have been able to hide that you slept with her, but having ‘Alice’ tattooed on your arm just makes it too obvious, Harry!” I shouted, feeling my anger flush to the surface of my cheeks.

     I then stormed into the house, pushing Harry out of the way, to find Alice to give her what for; but, just as I started up the stairs, which led to her and my father’s rooms, she was already on her way down. Her strawberry blonde hair was a mess, she smelled exactly like Harry which was the aroma of alcohol, she was wearing Harry’s grey button down shirt, though, she didn’t have it button, and behind the shirt was fancy silk lingerie underwear. She gave me her “I’m not sorry but I’m trying really hard to make it look that way” face. It wasn’t working.

     I became angrier, if that was even possible, after I took a look at the house, it was a wreck. Plastic cups, beer cans, and beer bottles were scattered everywhere, the cushions to the couch weren’t even on the couch, paper-plates and food was all over the floor, one chair was upside-down, and the smell of alcohol was so strong it was utterly sickening.

     “Can I ask you something?” I said through my teeth, biting down on my lip to restrain myself from cursing or name calling.

     “Let me explain, sis—’’

     “Do you not have any, not even a little, respect for that bedridden man upstairs that unfortunately you have the privilege to call, ‘dad’? I’d expect Harry to get drunk and sleep with some other girl, but my own sister? Why would you allow that? How could you?! You knew how I felt about Harry! And I don’t care if you were drunk too. It will take every ounce of God in me to forgive you for what you’ve done. I knew you two were close but…I never expected this,” I rambled as tears built in my eyes. I looked down at her arm, and she had Harry’s name tattooed on it in the same place he had hers. “I can’t believe you.” I muttered through tears as I shook my head at her in disappointment.

     After that, I stopped at the door and told Harry, “We’re over,” And then went home before I could lose my religion to a couple of curse words.

     When I got home I called Max, wanting him to come over.

     “Hello?”

     “Max…” I sobbed in a broken voice. “Can you come over? I-I can use a…a friend right now.”

     “On my way…”

     In less than thirty minutes, he had arrived. I poured him a tall glass of chocolate milk, it was his favorite drink besides root-beer and always has been, and sat beside him on my couch. “You were right,” I cried. “I should have been more careful, I shouldn’t have trusted him as much as I did. It’s my fault he did what he did anyway, I was never there for him, I never made time,” I whimpered as he lovingly placed his arm around my shoulder.

     “Don’t blame yourself, Wendy. If he ever cared he wouldn’t have done something that ignorant to hurt you. I’m sorry. For hurting you like that he’ll wish he never even touched your sister, I’ll - I’ll make him pay! I’m gonna, I’m gonna!—”

     “Max, I don’t think that’s a good way to start your first day of being a Christian,” I interrupted, smiling warmly at the thought of him wanting to fight Harry for cheating on me. I rested my head on his shoulder and tried my best to relax.

     “I don’t care,” He growled. “He deserves to be punished! I mean…” He trailed off as he lifted my chin and looked deeply back into my eyes as I did his. “I mean, look what he lost. He lost a beautiful, kind, loving, young woman any man would dream of having.” At that, my stomach, for some reason, did a 360, causing blush to spread across my cheeks.

     “Well, obviously Harry doesn’t see what you see. I guess I was just a one night stand he never got to try because I had enough God in me to say no,” I mumbled into Max’s shoulder, burying my face to hide from, what I’ve always hid from, the world. His grip tightened as I felt his forehead lay on mine.

     “Obviously he’s blind then. Even if you didn’t provide his want he still should have been able to see what an amazing woman you were. But that’s his loss now, and I congratulate the next lucky guy that gets to be with you,” He said, causing me to smile.

     He was so sweet, sometimes too sweet, but, he boosted my self-self-confidence; something that was hard to do from other people.

     “I feel better,” I whispered, just loud enough for him to hear.

     “I’m glad you do,” He whispered back.

     Then he told me it was late and that he should go home. “Goodnight, Max,” I told him as I started to get up, but he pecked me on top the head; for some odd reason after that, the upside-down feeling in my stomach was back.

     “Night, don’t let the bed bugs bite,” He joked as he started toward the front door to leave. I smiled as my mind whirled around to a different time where we were much younger, first graders to be exact, where he was telling me goodnight and I had fallen asleep in his lap, exhausted, after a full playful day at the local park.

     I watched as he left, leaving me reflecting on our sweet past.