People Change

Brian slid into the driver’s seat of his SUV and glanced out his window before pulling out of the parallel parking spot. For some unknown reason, Brian felt a newfound determination to make Sydney believe that he wasn’t the teenage asshole she knew from high school. He’d grown up, matured, learned that judging a woman from just what’s on the surface won’t get him anywhere. Brian wanted to prove to Sydney that he was a man she could forgive without trepidation.

Judging from the fiasco that was Brian’s apology, he decided that it would take more than just a sincere speech to make Sydney see the teenage asshole that Brian used to be didn’t dominate his body anymore. Brian didn’t know much about Sydney, but he did know someone who did: Jimmy. That was where he drove now, to Jimmy’s house. He knew Jimmy would help him.

A few minutes later, Brian pulled up to Jimmy’s house, a pretty two-story house with cream-colored siding and a neatly manicured lawn. Flowers spread out from the front porch on either side, running along the base of the wall. Leana loved to garden. It kept her sane when Jimmy was off on tour, only Brian wondered if Leana was sane even when Jimmy was home. No sane woman could survive being married to Jimmy, that was obvious.

Brian sprang up the three steps and pushed open the screen door that led into the screened-in front porch. Jimmy always joked that when he and Leana got old and wrinkly, they’d always be seen sitting on the porch in their rocking chairs, screaming at teenagers to get off their lawn. Or, they’d forget who they were every five minutes, all day long.

Brian rang the doorbell and waited patiently. He glanced down at the doormat and smirked when he saw that Jimmy had written “TO HELL” beneath the letters depicting “Welcome” on the mat. Brian didn’t have to wait long before Leana opened the door, holding a pair of scissors in one hand and a bag of frozen French fries in the other.

“Oh, hey, Brian,” she greeted, scooting the door open further with her foot and stepping back to let Brian into the house. Once he was safely out of range of the door, she shut the door with her hip and headed back towards the kitchen. “Jimmy’s in the backyard. He might offer you a beer, but if he doesn’t, take one anyway.”

“Thanks,” Brian said, continuing past the kitchen towards the back door. He pushed it open and emerged into Jimmy’s large backyard. Jimmy stood at the other end of the backyard, near the tall fence separating him from the rest of the houses. His hands rested on his hips, and he stared down at something on the ground.

“Lee, the kids next door lost another baseball in our yard!” Jimmy complained loudly, clearly thinking that Leana had stepped out of the house instead of Brian. He bent down, scooped up the baseball, and threw it over the fence into the neighbor’s yard. “Third one this week! Oh, you’re not Leana!” Jimmy turned around to see Brian pulling a beer out of the cooler sitting next to the patio chair Jimmy had been sitting in.

“Nope,” Brian agreed, grabbing the bottle opener and popping the cap off of his Samuel Adams. He sat down in one of the empty patio chairs as Jimmy strode over and picked up his beer again before plopping himself back down in his chair.

“So, you’re visiting me why...?” Jimmy asked a few moments later. “It better be legitimate, too, because if you’re looking for bromance, dude, I don’t roll that way.”

“No, actually, it’s about Sydney,” Brian answered. Jimmy blinked at him a few times.

“I’m not going to help you get in her pants, Brian,” Jimmy said several seconds later. “Not sure you could handle her if I did...”

“I don’t want in her pants, Jimmy!” Brian protested. “I just want her to forgive me.”

“That’s one tall order, Brian,” Jimmy answered, taking a drink of his beer. “I’d suggest trying to apologize first, though, just to let her know that you want that forgiveness.”

“I did, but it blew up in my face,” Brian replied. “She thinks that I only want to apologize now because she’s pretty.”

“I can’t blame her for seeing things that way,” Jimmy said. “And frankly, you can’t either. I mean, you didn’t quite roll out the welcome wagon at the party.”

“I was in shock,” Brian said. “The only way I could handle that sort of shock was to be an ass. I’d always been an ass to her; figured just one more asshole comment wouldn’t hurt.”

“Probably one reason she refuses to listen to you,” Jimmy muttered, taking another drink of his beer. “I suppose you want tips on how to make her listen.”

“Yeah.”

“Sydney would probably kill me if she found out I was actually going to help you, but I think it would make her feel better not having all that bitterness nesting in her chest that she’s been holding onto the past fifteen years,” Jimmy answered. “Sydney’s not real stubborn. She prefers to go with the flow and hates conflict. That would explain why she’s so forgiving; she rather be friends than hold a grudge against that person. But with you...Brian, you’re a special case. She truly hates your guts. I hope you realize she won’t forgive you as easily as you might assume.”

“Of course I realize that,” Brian said.

“Good,” Jimmy replied. “I suggest to just keep bothering her about it. Eventually, she’ll get tired of your pestering and say ‘Fuck this’ and just listen to what you’ve got to say so you’ll leave her alone. It’s her worse weakness. She lives in a flat above the bakery. There’s a staircase out back of the bakery that leads up to the front door. She’s off tomorrow: I suggest going then.”

“That sounds easy enough,” Brian answered.

Jimmy gave an incredulous laugh. “She’ll listen to you, Brian, but she sure as hell won’t forgive you. You’ll need to prove to her that you’re no longer an asshole. She won’t believe you if you just say it.”

“Well, as long as she listens to me,” Brian replied, downing the rest of his beer and standing up. “Thanks a lot, Jimmy. I’ll see you tomorrow, I guess.”

“Yep,” Jimmy answered as Brian disappeared back into the house.