When It All Falls Apart

“Ah the real beauty of the party has arrived!” shouted Dave as both Damien and I walked through the gate to the back of the house he shared with his wife Maria. I smiled as he walked over and kissed both my cheeks before patting Damien hard on the shoulder. “My god.. you hold onto this one, you hear?”

“You say that every time we come around here Dave and every time we come back she’s still with me isn’t she?” Damien replied smartly as he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him as though he were proving his point.

“True enough, I’m just reminding you in case you turn your head for a minute and one of the countless single men here today snatch her away to dance.” he laughed his hearty laugh as he slapped Damien’s shoulder again before walking off in a random direction.

“Kamryn!” called Maria as she walked over, taking both my hands in hers and holding me at arms length to get a good look at me. “You’re looking thin again, why are you thin, have you been eating right? Damien, has she been eating right?” she asked, the smile never once leaving her face.

“Maria, I’m fine. Okay?” I laughed quietly, she did this every time I saw her. I was always apparently too thin for her liking although both Emma and Vivian were thinner than me. “How have you been? How’s Ava?”

“Pregnant…” my eyes widened at the news and Damien chuckled before leaving to get a beer and hang out with the other guys from the shop.

“Pregnant? Really? How long?” I asked as I hugged her.

“Nearly five months now, Shocking I know.” she laughed, taking a sip from her orange juice as we both walked over towards where the other girlfriends were standing talking and the rest of Dave’s family were. “To think I’m going to be a grandmother at the age of 44.”

“But you’re excited, yeah?” she nodded her head vigorously as a large grin spread over her face. “And how’s she coping? God I can’t believe I haven’t spoken to her for eight months.”

“Well it’s hardly your fault dear that man she was with was a complete waste of space, refused to even let her call us for a while, such a control freak. He’s out of the picture by the way. She left as soon as she found out there was a baby on the way, realised she was dating a son of a…” she stopped herself and gave a deep sigh. “So help me god if I get my hands on him. She’s still in Huntington though, staying with her cousin just now.”

“I should really call her and arrange to meet up and shop or something when I get a day off.” I nodded at my own thoughts before I felt a familiar pair of arms wrap around my waist and someone’s breath on my neck.

“You really do look so fucking gorgeous right now.” Damien whispered into my ear making me giggle slightly as Maria was called over by one of her three sisters.

“Thank you baby but you do realise you don’t have to tell me every two minutes.” I smiled as his thumbs traced invisible patterns on my stomach.

“Yes I do. I really, really do.” I felt his lips on my neck and knew exactly what was going on.

“Alright what did you do?” I asked seriously as I turned around in his arms to face him. He looked slightly confused but shook his head. “Damien, what is it?”

“Alright, the guys wanna go inside and get some stuff to smoke. You alright with that?” he asked as he continued to make the patterns on my back. I shrugged.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You sure?” He asked and I nodded in response as he ran his hands up and down my arms. He was being overly affectionate which showed he’d done something and now he was feeling guilty but I wasn’t going to push the matter any further. “You wanna come with?”

“Sure why not. I guess the more relaxed I am when I go back home to whatever mess your brother has newly created, the better.” he nodded as he took my hand and led me into the house, though the kitchen and down the stairs into the basement which had been converted into a games room type thing for when Ava and her brother were teens.

I took a seat on one of the three couches that surrounded the coffee table, facing a large TV and Damien sat down next to me as four of the other guys that worked in the shop followed us and sat on the other couches.

“Ah Kamryn, didn’t expect to see you down here. Thought you were sensible and gave this shit up ages ago?” asked the one I knew to be called Mitch. I shrugged as I leaned back in the couch, Damien’s hand resting on my leg.

“Alright then, Kam’s game. Lets see what we’ve got, shall we?” asked one of the other men whose name I couldn’t quite remember and the next thing I knew, we were all getting high in Dave and Maria’s basement.