Saturday, June 3, 2023

Out of the woods



 Gabe was trying to wrap it around his head about what went so wrong.

1. Sammie was there when he met Pan at her brother's other sister's house (who knew Pan from work).

2. It seemed as if everything was so right. His mom came. It was just an avalanche after another with emotions. He was so glad that his mom got to meet Sammie. Although, they didn't really say that much to each other, but when..when had there ever been much to say. He'd always kept his mouth shut about everything.

3. And then her brother had to show up after all of that. He was so angry. It was a spitfire of fireworks. Gabe thought it might all have ended right there. It was like they'd been slumming, hanging out in people's basements when they weren't home. God, he didn't know who her brother thought was the biggest slut, Sammie or just Gabe.

Sigh. He knew they wouldn't let her ever be alone with him. He knew. But nobody said anything. Mario was certainly going to keep an eye on him. For all he knew, he might be in the slammer yet.

Sammie told him she had to leave anyway. Maybe it was all for the best. She was so not who he imagined. How could she do this? He wondered as he did his best to find a comfy spot on the couch. He even tried to watch some lousy cartoon on the Roku TV they left. There was even Netflix and Hulu to sift through, but he watched a free channel because he knew he should have his own account on those other subscriptions.

But nothing felt right. Even if his stomach grumbled, he felt he didn't deserve to eat. Was he really that awful of a person? A part of him wanted to flee and walk the streets. Maybe he was no more than a feral cat, anyway. 

Finally, he cried some more to feel better. It was just as well to cry in the shower. God knows, he smelled like a stinky animal from all the hauling he'd done today. Just as he'd gotten out of the warm shower, he heard the pounding on the door. It felt so urgent. He wrapped a towel around his middle, expecting it to be Pan again. 

"What do you want this time?" He asked when he opened the door, but to his surprise, it wasn't Pan.

She brushed past him with her rolling suitcase. His towel almost fell off. Gabe closed the door and looked back at her stunned.

"You didn't really think I would leave, did you?" Sammie said.

Gabe wasn't sure if he should smile or not.

"I..I didn't know." Gabe smiled then and of course, she went in for a hug on his lanky damp body. She looked up at him with an open smile.

"So, it was believable, wasn't it?" For a moment, he wondered who this person really was. Was he just a bit part of her own TV show?

"Oh, I'm a believer now," he smiled. "But..but how did you know?"

"Oh, I know things," she nodded. She said Rico had told her this much about his move and what was happening with him.

"Is he..is he on your side? I mean, our side?" Gabe wanted to know as if he might be ready for any improv with her.

"Oh, he's a brother, all right." She nodded. She kissed Gabe and said she'd make him something delicious.

8 comments:

  1. Aww... I didn't see that coming! Love that she came back. and Gabe is smitten! This is getting so good.

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  2. Que bom ler-te, amiga!

    Desejo-lhe um excelente mês de Junho com muitas alegrias.

    Beijinhos

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  3. Que tiernos. Genial fragmento. Te mando un beso.

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  4. I like happy endings; the post ends with Sammi and Gabe together and feeling happy with each other.

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  5. Oh, wow! Here's Gabe at the end of his rope, thinking that Mario's going to throw him in jail and worrying about being a smelly slut and crying in the shower -- and then there's Sammie, saying that she couldn't leave and that she'll cook him something delicious! Reunions don't come much sweeter. Still, there's Mario to deal with. At least Rico seems to be on their side! So well done! 😭💔😀💖😭💔😀💖😭💔😀💖

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