Puppet

She looked up again.  8:01pm.  Was it too late for dinner?  No.  Well, not really.  The sun was taking its sweet time.  Sh!$.  So was he.

She leaned back in her chair.  God.  I hope he doesn't think I'm waiting for him to call.  Nail clippings and an open laptop were evidence that she was not waiting; evidence that she was too busy to wait, too busy to have dinner.  She was a busy woman and didn't have time to notice things like...the time.

She turned the volume up on her radio and paused.  I am not going to check my email again.  Instead, she suddenly became very aware that her bed hadn't been properly made (but, really, when had it ever been) and that she didn't like her hair.  Is it too late to curl it?  It looks so flat!  I swear it looked fine an hour ago.  She turned the radio up.  She turned the radio down.  Just in case, she thought.

She shivered as she smoothed the corners of her mattress.  She replayed the conversations over and over, all the time.  Only her favorite parts.  Only the parts that made her forget and repeat everything she was doing for the moment.  How was it possible that she liked, that she enjoyed, that she delighted in, feeling like a plastic doll (limbs and emotions completely maneuverable and manipulated), a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed little girl, whenever he spoke to her?  How was it possible that she - she who had an opinion just to have an opinion and intimidated and infuriated all the boys - could say absolutely nothing in response (or in protest) to his shameless, incessant winking, teasing, touching, smirking, smiling, flirting?  She didn't dare protest - he might stop.  And then what would she have left?

She smoothed the corners of her mattress again.  She loved reading between the lines, interpreting glances and gestures and grins.  The gaps and the blanks were easy to fill in.  It was the fine print she avoided.  She was never satisfied with their time together.  She couldn't understand why he said, why he did, some of the things he did.  What did he mean?  What was he thinking?  Why did he look at her that way?  Then how could he walk right past her?  She never showed much emotion, much expression, much attention, much of a reaction.  She never asked why he sometimes left without saying good-bye.  She never allowed herself to believe what she suspected.  She couldn't care.  At least, she couldn't show that she did.

He hadn't said that he would call.  He never said that he would call.  But he did.  He would.  Whenever he wanted to, he would call. 

She wanted him to know.  She wanted to know.  Only, she already knew.  

8:37pm.

Not A Diamond A Dozen

She looked at the ring.  Every so often, she had to look.  She still had trouble believing it was there - that it was still there.

She played with its corners and rolled the band in her fingers.  It wasn't exactly the cut she wanted and, come to think of it, hadn't she asked him for something smaller, something that would elegantly rest on her finger rather than shout to be noticed?  But who was she to complain?  How dare she complain.  She still remembered the expression on his face as he slid the ring on her finger for the first time.  Never before had she seen him smile so uncontrollably, never before had she seen him so happy, so...pleased.  She knew how much this had meant to him (at least, that's what he told her so that's what she told herself).  "I'm lucky.  I really am."  The realization repeated itself so often that it was beginning to sound like a reminder.

She fought the impulse to wrestle and wrench this heavy platinum band off her finger; she swallowed the rising words and the urge to yell, absurdly and fully, at this obnoxious diamond.  How could she allow this to go on?  How could she continue to convince herself that it didn't matter, that it would fade away, that it was all in her imagination, that it could be bought, tamed and owned by this ring?

She didn't doubt that this ring and all its promises and possibilities meant something to him.  He had always said that he wanted to settle down; He loved his family so much and he couldn't wait to have one of his own.  As she turned the ring around her finger, she suddenly realized that he had never said that he wanted to settle down with her, that he couldn't wait to raise a family with her, that he couldn't wait to marry her.

She paused and looked down at the ring again.  And suddenly she realized that she couldn't, that she wouldn't, that she shouldn't, live with this any longer.  She had been the girl at the right place and the right time.  But she had not, she had never, been chosen by him.  It wasn't that this ring was replaceable, exchangeable.  She was.

She didn't want to be at the right place at the right time.  She didn't want love as if it were a silly loyalty, a universally acceptable and compatible part.  She wanted to believe that he had chosen her when he unexpectedly spotted her through the crowds and forced the taxi driver to stop in the middle of the honking and the cursing and the rush hour traffic so that he could catch her name and find out what type of music she liked (and would she think him absolutely out of his mind and out of his league if he hoped that she would go out with a complete stranger?).  She wanted to believe that he had chosen her even when every other opportunity had presented itself to him, every bet had been against her, every reason had been for why not to pursue this.  She wanted to believe that he had chosen her because she had been the right girl for him, regardless of place, time, convenience and circumstance. 

And knowing that none of this was reality and all of this a hope that would not stop tugging at her sleeve and her heart was not worth this ring and all its contractual guarantees and security deposits.

She slid the ring from her finger and decided that she would choose her worth today.

Packaged: Return to Sender

she looked at him again.  just barely.  long enough to notice bits and pieces but not long enough to like any of them.

she was nervous.  she wanted to present something attractive to him.  she didn't think about the steps after or the consequences of.  she only knew that right now, in this moment, as she smiled and wished for better lighting, she hoped he might think her worthy - worth his time, worth his efforts, worth getting to know.  she didn't want this to go anywhere, she didn't need this to.  she only knew she had to pass this test.  she could've sworn she heard the ticking and tocking (perhaps the "tsk-ing"?) of a watch, the drumming and pointing of impatient fingers.

she wanted to laugh.  how silly the entire situation was!  to allow a complete stranger to read her palm by scanning her face and her body, to allow this person (who, by the way, wasn't really listening to anything she was saying) dictate her present value and future worth.

she rode along the conveyor belt, pinched and poked, sized, scaled and scrutinized.  she was sure she had already been branded so she wondered why it always took so long to....
ah-ha!  and there it was.  the moment the judges revealed their scores.

she didn't want him.  he wasn't the prize.  she wanted to pass the test.  she wanted to win.

she had forgotten that winning wasn't everything.

Beloved

He remembered the first time he saw her.  He knew who she was.  He knew what she had done.  He knew where she'd been.  He knew with whom.  He knew her fears.  He wanted to hear about her hopes.  He wanted to make her dreams come true.  He wanted her to be unafraid.  He knew where she thought she fell short.  He saw so much more in her than that.  He wanted her to see herself the way he saw her.  He didn't wince at her words.  He didn't cower when she screamed.  He didn't shout back.  He didn't walk away when she cried.  He didn't care about the smeared eyeliner, the dirty tissue, the stuttering, the mess, the mistakes.   (Did she know how she made him smile, how she made him laugh?  Did she know all the crazy, crazy things his heart did around her, for her?)   He didn't play games.  He didn't keep score.  He didn't wish for more.  He didn't wish for less.  He didn't regret.  He didn't give in when she threatened.  He didn't give up when she did.

He didn't turn around when she dared him to go.

She was running away.  She told him to f*ck off.  She told him she didn't care, that she never did.  She wanted to hurt him.  She wanted to push him so far over the edge that she could say, "I told you so."  She was with somebody.  She was with somebody else.  She was with anybody who could make her forget.

He didn't turn around.  He didn't walk away.  He told her he would fight for her - not because it was the right thing to do, not because that's what she wanted, not because he saw it in movie, not because he didn't have a choice, not because there weren't others, not because it was a habit, not because she was a last resort, not because it was a game, not because he was a pawn, an idiot, a toy, a fool, not because he was weak.

He will fight.  Because He loved her.  Because He still does.  Because she is worth it.

Carpe Diem, Ladies. Carpe the Freakin' Diem.

It's that time of the year again, folks.

Seven days left.  Seven of what could possibly be the longest and most dreadful, panicked, angst-ridden, sob story days of this month that not only falls short on days but also on the fulfillment of high hopes for that ring, that bling, that elusive thing which makes us sigh and scream....

"Where is my freakin' valentine?!?"

Fellas, this may not be the cry of your heart, particularly after a weekend of German beer, American BBQ and Mexican salsa. And, frankly, that may be the closest you ever come to exotic pleasure.  

So this message is dedicated to my fellow females.  Sponsored by overworked and underpaid cupids who are sick and tired of staring at people's butts and failed romances. 

Valentine's Day is no longer for the committed, the seeking, the hungry and the serial daters.  Ladies, trust me when I say that this blessed day is, hands down, the best day to spend with that particular class of society that tends to be neglected, underappreciated, overlooked and misunderstood: your HOT, SINGLE GIRLFRIENDS.

That's right, ladies.  Valentine's Day is the day to officiate Ladies' Night Out.  Never had one?  It's time to start.  Think it's a lame last resort?  My dear, you simply don't know what you don't know.  ("Huh?"  My point, exactly.)  A Ladies' Night Out on Valentine's Day (or the weekend before, should it fall on a weekday) is the best freakin' excuse to doll-up and pig-out.  Who else will tell you that you look beautiful and mean it?  Who else is going to tell you that you look dang hot without wagging their tongue and tail at the next hottie that walks by?  Who else will allow you pick your wedgies, burp rudely after meals, pick the food off someone else's plate, laugh like a hyena on nitrous oxide and be as indecisive as you damn well please?  Who else will allow you to take 2+ hours to get ready and join in the festivities?  And, should the need arise, who else will understand your gripes and groans about Valentine's Day?

I write this not to flip a middle finger at February 14th.  I'm sure Valentine's Day already has more than enough hate mail coming its way.  I write this because, ladies - this may be one of the last Kodak moments you can create and share with your lovely girlfriends.  Let's face it.  Most of us are getting to that age where it seems like every-freakin'-body is either dating, engaged or married.  And as we approach that reality, the nature of our treasured and beloved friendships will inevitably change.  That's not to say that your friends are going to say, "See ya, wouldn't wanna be ya!" once they find a significant other.  But the fact is, when people enter into relationships, their focus, priorities, availability and responsibilities change.  And how and when you get to spend some quality time with your girls will change, too.

So go ahead and grab that cute top on sale.  (Hell- grab it even if it's not!)   Grab your trusty camera.  Call-up your crew.  Order in or get ready to head on out.  Strap on those heels and walk with that switch that makes men itch.  Bust out the champagne and the chick flicks.  Turn up that music in the car 'cuz that is your song, girl!  Seize this moment.  Because you've got more valentines than you can count and it is going to be the best dang Valentine's Day you and your girls have ever had.

God, I love being a woman.