‹ Prequel: Gin and Juice
Status: Finished {foREVer}
Rum and Coke
When Did Your Heart Go Missing?
Mark took a deep breath before he knocked on the door to the house.
“Mark?” Adam questioned when he answered the door. “What are you doing here? Is it Ellie? Did something happen to her?”
“No, no, she’s fine. I just wanted to ask a few things.”
“Well, come on in,” Adam invited the young man in. “Sorry about the mess, but I was just cleaning up.”
“Cleaning up for what?” For as long as Mark could remember, this house had always been spotless.
“For Ellie. I want her to claim me as her dependent,” Adam said as he motioned for Mark to sit on the couch while he sat in the overstuffed chair.
“Oh.”
“Yea. So, what did you have to ask me?”
“Oh..um. I can’t think of how to say it.”
“I have found that blurting it out is the best way to go.”
“It’s um…a little embarrassing.”
Adam let out a deep chuckle. “Son, I am the epitome of embarrassing. Just look at me. My ex-wife can't stand the sight of me. I think my kids are only pretending to like the thought of me and Danielle, and they're only nice to Ellie out of necessity. I’m in love with a woman who doesn’t believe in love. Let’s see, I’ve proposed seven times to this woman- she has turned me down all seven times.”
Mark smiled a little. “How did you do it?”
“Do what?”
“Still love her even though you knew she didn’t love you back? How could it not break your heart when you were with her then she got with another man?”
Adam sighed and carefully looked at the boy in front of him. “I don’t know. I guess I just…lied to myself.”
“Lied to yourself?”
“Yea, I kept telling myself that if I stayed with her long enough, eventually she would see that we were meant to be. She would stop being so stubborn about being polygamous and she would come to me and fling her arms around my neck and tell me that she was sorry for everything she put me through…and then she would say yes…and, well, we would get married.”
“That’s really…”
“Insane, yea I know. Hindsight is a bitch. But, well, for those brief moments that she was in my arms, she was mine- only mine.”
“I know the feeling.”
Adam raised his eyebrows. “Do you?”
“Yea,” Mark said, placing his face in his hands.
“I should have known.”
“I’m I really that obvious?”
“Yes, but don’t worry, Ellie probably doesn’t realize it. For being a smart kid, she can be pretty blind sometimes.”
“Do you have any advice for me?”
Adam sighed. “How much do you love her?”
“More than I can stand,” Mark said, perching on his seat.
“Then you’ll wait and hope that someday she’ll come around,” Adam replied as he stood up and walked toward the door. “Now, if you’ll please leave, I have an appointment in the city.”
“Thank you,” Mark thanked as he walked out of the door, even more confused than when he came in.
“Mark?” Adam questioned when he answered the door. “What are you doing here? Is it Ellie? Did something happen to her?”
“No, no, she’s fine. I just wanted to ask a few things.”
“Well, come on in,” Adam invited the young man in. “Sorry about the mess, but I was just cleaning up.”
“Cleaning up for what?” For as long as Mark could remember, this house had always been spotless.
“For Ellie. I want her to claim me as her dependent,” Adam said as he motioned for Mark to sit on the couch while he sat in the overstuffed chair.
“Oh.”
“Yea. So, what did you have to ask me?”
“Oh..um. I can’t think of how to say it.”
“I have found that blurting it out is the best way to go.”
“It’s um…a little embarrassing.”
Adam let out a deep chuckle. “Son, I am the epitome of embarrassing. Just look at me. My ex-wife can't stand the sight of me. I think my kids are only pretending to like the thought of me and Danielle, and they're only nice to Ellie out of necessity. I’m in love with a woman who doesn’t believe in love. Let’s see, I’ve proposed seven times to this woman- she has turned me down all seven times.”
Mark smiled a little. “How did you do it?”
“Do what?”
“Still love her even though you knew she didn’t love you back? How could it not break your heart when you were with her then she got with another man?”
Adam sighed and carefully looked at the boy in front of him. “I don’t know. I guess I just…lied to myself.”
“Lied to yourself?”
“Yea, I kept telling myself that if I stayed with her long enough, eventually she would see that we were meant to be. She would stop being so stubborn about being polygamous and she would come to me and fling her arms around my neck and tell me that she was sorry for everything she put me through…and then she would say yes…and, well, we would get married.”
“That’s really…”
“Insane, yea I know. Hindsight is a bitch. But, well, for those brief moments that she was in my arms, she was mine- only mine.”
“I know the feeling.”
Adam raised his eyebrows. “Do you?”
“Yea,” Mark said, placing his face in his hands.
“I should have known.”
“I’m I really that obvious?”
“Yes, but don’t worry, Ellie probably doesn’t realize it. For being a smart kid, she can be pretty blind sometimes.”
“Do you have any advice for me?”
Adam sighed. “How much do you love her?”
“More than I can stand,” Mark said, perching on his seat.
“Then you’ll wait and hope that someday she’ll come around,” Adam replied as he stood up and walked toward the door. “Now, if you’ll please leave, I have an appointment in the city.”
“Thank you,” Mark thanked as he walked out of the door, even more confused than when he came in.