...And Everything That Comes After.

The Middle

The years passed and I had moved back to the San Fernando Valley with my girlfriend. The new girlfriend was nice, sweet, and in love with me. But she wasn't Samantha. However Samantha was taken so if you can't be with the one you want love the one you're with.

I was working in Venice a few blocks from where Samantha lived. I was all but retired from my side job as an unlicensed pharmacist. But while I was scaling down my illicit dealings she was moving up and making a name for herself in the Los Angeles underground. 

She was the only person I still supplied. She knew I had access to anything at a pharmacy and I could never say no to her...

Ironically "No" was the last word I would ever say to her.

We would meet once a week at that point. We had progressed as business associates from parking lots to restaurants. Flirty, but platonic. One day she came storming into the bar we were meeing up at looking like an overstuffed laundry hamper. Which was weird because she was usually flawless.

"I've had it with that motherfucker!" She said.

"Who, Joe?" I asked.

"Yeah! Do you know what he did?!?"

I was intrigued. This was the first time she had said anything negative about the beloved by all Joe. So she told me everything. Things that should have probably stayed within the relationship or told in confidence to her best friend. I would later find out I was the only person she confided in. To this day I hold secrets for her as no one ever bothered asking me. Except Joe and I couldn't really tell him at the time he asked.

Mr. Boyfriend Joe grew weed. When he met Samantha he was successful at it. But as time went on he had to find a new location for the grow that was not as ideal as the original one. The ventilation was inadequate at the new place so he needed a better AC unit that cost ten grand. 

He was broke at that point so he asked her for the money. She had lent him 3k the week before to fix his jeep. On top of the 10k he owed her from the new location the grow was moved to. He was driving for Uber to make his half of rent. This was not what she signed up for. She was over it. 

Her biggest problem on top of that was that it had been seven years. She was unmarried and there was no ring on her finger. A few months before she confronted him about it. He did the typical "I'm planning to but I'm waiting for blah blah blah excuses excuses." She told him he had till the end of the year to shit or get off the pot. Six months later his ass was still sitting around her place listing to his hippy jam band music, watching COPS re-runs, and she still wasn't engaged.

After that day I started seeing more of Samantha. Lunch turned into dinner, dinner became dinner and drinks then the club afterwards. Meanwhile our respective partners sat at home trying to tell themselves they were just being paranoid and insecure. We were up front about seeing each other as physically there was nothing going on. I had to work late, she had to do business. Both were half truths. 

My girlfriend accused me of emotional cheating on her with Samantha. Which it was. Samantha wasn't the only reason I left her. But it definitely was a component. At the same time I could feel Samantha's feelings for me changing. She told me more and more personal things. She'd get annoyed if I mentioned girls I was interested in. If I looked into her eyes for too long she would blush... (cue the tears as I type) She made a comment to me that she told Joe why can't you be more like Hogan.

"That's a fucked up thing to tell your boyfriend." I said. I'd be dump her right then if I was him. But Joe was too nice or too naive or didn't have anywhere else to go. Talk about a warning sign. Yeesh.

I had moved out from the house I was renting with my ex-girlfriend. I had stopped complaining about my ex-girlfriend. I was sick of hearing her bitching about Joe. Time to play my cards and try force her hand.

At our normal restaurant after ordering I exhaled, took her hands, and said, "You know Samantha. We've known each other for about seven years now. We felt the earth move (there was a 6.1 earthquake in Mexico on Easter Sunday 2010 on the day we met in San Diego. It was a running joke between us). 

"I thought you might be someone I wanted to get to know better. Now that I know you better I want to be with you. I won't listen to you complain any longer about this guy who's had seven years to give you what you want. He's not going to give you what you want. We both want the same thing. You deserve it. More than any woman I've ever met. We deserve it." 

"When you are ready to leave him, and I'm not rushing you. But when you are ready for you and I to be us, I promise within six months you will have your ring. Six months later we'll be married. Six months later we'll have our house. And at some point after that our first child will be born.. And that's a promise." I cleared my hands like a poker dealer while looking her in the eyes.

She had a terrified look on her face like I had just proposed out of the blue, which I essentially had. Her response came 10 seconds later.

"I gotta go." And she practically sprinted back to her car.

I sighed. Honestly it went better than I expected. I was prepared for a, "Whoa dude. Slow your roll. I think I might have given you the wrong idea..." 

For anyone reading this with questions like, "How do you tell someone you like them?" My advice is pick up the phone right now and tell them. One of two things will happen. You will have a new girlfriend or you will know it's not happening so go find another tree to pee on. Wondering is a waste of time. Life is short. The truth will set you free.

However we went the 'forget that it ever happened' route. At least she shut up about Joe. We were still practically dating, but our hugs goodbye went from friend hugs to bodies pressed together, holding each other, ending only when my erection was going to pop out above my pants waistline hugs. Still about a month after I made my pitch I floored when she came into the restaurant and grabbed my hands.

"Ok! I'm ready!" She chirped with her million dollar smile.

"Sure. Ready for?"

"Everything you said and whatever might come after."

Right. That. Dope. 

We kissed. The passion between us made the other diners speculative.

"She's either pregnant or not pregnant." "Nah, she kicked him out and is taking him back and now they don't have to sell the house." "I told you they weren't brother and sister." "He probably just landed a million dollar deal with China." "Yeah, China white. Hey! Get a room you guys!"

And we did. It was incredible. I knew she had a body but it looked even better without clothes. Yeah, seven years of sexual tension between us released. I thought it was the beginning of a new chapter in my life. But I would have never guessed in a million years that it was going to be a horror story. 

That was the first and last time we ever slept together and we didn't really even get to sleep together. I just realized that. Damn.

However two months after that she still hadn't broken up with him. We still met up but I was beginning to wonder if she wanted to be with me or that was just a roll in the hay. 

"If you had a change of heart, it's fine. I'd appreciate it if you'd just communicate that to me." I told her slightly annoyed.

"No, no. I meant what I said. But I've been with him for seven years. He's like my best friend. Breaking up means me throwing him out. Not that he doesn't deserve it. I know this isn't fair for you. I promise to make it up to you. When he gets back from his parents after Christmas is when I'll do it. I plan on bringing in 2016 with you and you better plan on the same."

I sighed and while lost in her eyes stated, "I said take your time and I meant it. I understand. You're worth the wait."