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This story was inspired by Vegas Wedding but has little in common with it.
“Matt, I need a really big favor from you,” my sister Becky said.
My spider-sense started tingling. Becky was going to ask me to do something I definitely didn’t want to do. It had lightly tingled when Becky invited me to her apartment for dinner, and now it was tingling big time.
“What? You need help moving someone into your apartment?”
“No. I wish it were that.” Becky looked down distractedly. We were sitting at her dining table after having eaten dinner. “Though it might turn into that.” She waved her hand in front of her. “No, I don’t know how it’ll turn out.” She looked back at me. “It’s about Summer. Or more correctly, it’s about Steve.”
Summer was Becky’s best friend since her freshman year. She was married to Steve.
“What about Steve?”
“He’s cheating on her. I saw him in a restaurant with a woman, being very friendly with her – very friendly – on a night when he told Summer he’d be working late.”
“That’s awful.” My gut twisted. I liked Summer, and this was awful to have happened to her. “They haven’t been married very long.”
“A few months until their third anniversary.”
“Wow!” I shook my head. I couldn’t imagine cheating on a girlfriend or wife, and I really couldn’t imagine cheating on a wife so soon. No ‘we drifted apart over time’ excuse.
“Summer needs to be told. She needs to get out of her marriage as quickly as possible. But…” Becky paused. “Here’s the thing – I can’t be the one to tell her.”
“What do you mean?” Becky was the one who saw Steve. How could she not be the one to tell Summer?
“You see…I’ve done a lot of googling since I saw Steve with the woman, and what I’ve learned is that the person who tells Summer is likely to have their relationship with her ruined. Summer’s first reaction will be to not believe them and to think that they are telling her a bunch of lies out of spite. I don’t want my relationship with Summer ruined. In fact, she’ll badly need me once she accepts that Steve is cheating on her.”
Danger! Danger! Danger!
Becky leaned close to me. “So, I want you to tell her about Steve cheating on her.”
“Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Why me? Why not someone else?”
“You are the perfect person to tell Summer. You know Steve well enough to recognize him, but you rarely see Summer, so it won’t bother you if telling her ruins your relationship with her. Summer visits me every Wednesday evening, and you can drop by this Wednesday, pull her aside, and tell her the news. I don’t know anyone else I could have casually meet with Summer to tell her the news. And Summer knows you well enough to know that you are a nice, honest guy who wouldn’t tell her a bunch of lies for shits and giggles.”
I thought that over. I couldn’t see any weaknesses in her argument. “I don’t want to do it.”
“I know you don’t. I know you’re a very non-confrontational person. But it needs to be done. I’m not asking you to do this for Summer. I’m asking you to do it for me.”
I drummed my fingers on the table. I really, really didn’t want to be the one to tell Summer, but I agreed with Becky that if Steve was cheating on Summer then she needed to be told as soon as possible.
“Give me the details. Convince me that you aren’t making a mountain out of a molehill.”
“Okay. I was out on a date with a guy. He took me to a restaurant I normally didn’t go to. As we were walking to our table, I saw Steve and a woman at another table. They were sitting very close together. It was yesterday, Wednesday, which is Steve’s day to work late as Summer normally comes over to visit me.”
“Why were you out on a date instead of having Summer over?”
“Because yesterday was the only evening we could both be free for a couple of weeks.”
“Who was the guy?”
“John Mascorro. Not that it matters as the date was a fizzle. I met him through a dating app.” My sister was in a long dry spell in terms of dating. “Okay. So I sit down, and I’m filled with uncertainty. Was that really Steve? Was he out with a cousin or something? After we ordered our drinks, I told my date I was going to the bathroom. As I came back, I took a detour to walk right behind Steve and then to our table. As soon as Steve came into sight, I saw that he was holding hands with the woman. As I was walking toward them, he kissed her. I slowed down as I passed their table and heard Steve’s voice. So it was definitely him.”
That did sound very incriminating.
“After we ordered, I showed John a picture of Steve and told him where Steve was sitting. I gave him my phone and had him take a picture of Steve and the woman.”
Becky pulled up a picture on her phone and showed me. It wasn’t a great picture, but it did look like Steve sitting at a restaurant table with a woman.
“I later went to the bar and took a zoomed-in picture of them” – which Becky showed me – “and made a video of them” – which Becky played for me. “Like I said, the date küçükçekmece escort was a fizzle. When I got home, I called Summer and told her about the date. I asked her if she and Steve had taken advantage of her not being able to visit me to do something special, and she told me Steve had worked late as he usually did on Wednesdays.”
I was convinced. Summer needed to know.
“Why was the date a fizzle?”
I didn’t understand why Becky was so unsuccessful romantically. She was 5’6″ with pretty blue eyes and dark blond hair that tumbled down past her shoulders. She had a strong nose and full lips. She had no trouble getting dates, but she always seemed disappointed in the ones she had.
“John lied about his height in the app. I’m sure he lied about his salary. He squawked a lot about taking the picture of Steve and the woman. He bragged a lot to try to impress me, but I didn’t know how much to believe as I already knew he was a liar.”
Lying got John the date with Becky, but lying kept the date with Becky from being successful. Lesson learned.
“So, how would this work?”
“Saturday, let’s have dinner at the same restaurant. I’ll walk you through everything there. Wednesday, you come over to my apartment after dinner when Summer will be here.” Becky got up, got a magazine, and returned. “You want some ideas on how to decorate your apartment.”
“I like how my apartment is decorated.” It was a studio apartment, and I was fine with its bare walls.
My sister rolled her eyes. “Your apartment needs more than just furniture.” Becky pointed to the magazine. “Find a couple of rooms you like. Take some pictures of your apartment and then ask us about how you could make your apartment look like what’s in the magazine. After we’ve discussed that for a while, ask Summer if you could talk to her alone for a few minutes. You tell her what I just told you and then leave. I’ll tell you later what happened.”
* * * *
A week later, Becky called me. I had shared the information about Steve the prior night.
“How did it go?” I asked.
“She’s spending today looking for a divorce lawyer and this weekend she’s moving out. She didn’t believe you at first. She didn’t want to believe you. I suggested she go to Steve’s work and see if his car was there.”
“As it should be if he was working late. But it wasn’t.”
“Nope. So she called Steve, told him that she had picked up some cookies, and asked him to come down and take a snack break with her.”
“Oh my god. And he couldn’t.”
“You got it. He had finished work early and had gone to a bar with a colleague to celebrate finishing a big project. Of course, he hemmed and hawed while coming up with that story. Steve added that he’d leave the bar in a little bit and meet Summer at home.”
“Oh, man. I feel so bad, and I’m hearing it secondhand.”
“When they were both home, Summer demanded that Steve unlock his phone and give it to her. He tried to weasel out of doing so, but when Summer insisted, he confessed to having an affair with a coworker. A divorced woman with two small kids. It had started at first with him trying to cheer her up because she was having such a hard time. But it wasn’t serious, and he still loved Summer and wanted to be with her forever.”
“And that didn’t go over well.”
“She slapped him and then packed up some clothes and spent the night here.”
“Well, tell her I’m sorry how everything turned out.”
“How about you tell her Saturday? We could use your help in moving her out. Her brother is coming into town late Friday, but more hands would help as we want to get her out of her old apartment as quickly as possible.”
“She’s not mad at me?”
“No. She’s very thankful you told her.”
“See! You could have told her.”
“I think not. I think it was best the way we did it. I could be the impartial sounding board as she discussed whether to believe you or not.”
“Okay. I’ll be at your place Saturday morning.”
* * * *
“Why so damn early?” groaned Summer’s brother when I came into Becky’s apartment.
Becky replied, “Because Matt just got off his shift and normally would go home and go to sleep. Matt, this is Kevin, Summer’s brother.”
Kevin stood up from the floor and shook my hand. Hard. Unnecessarily hard. “Actually, I’m Summer’s half-brother. But I consider our blended family my family, and I’ve always called Summer my sister.”
Kevin was tall, probably six inches taller than my 5’10”, with short, curly dark brown hair. His body suggested he had played football or basketball in high school, maybe at college.
“Shift work, huh? What do you do?” asked Kevin.
“MRI Technician at a downtown hospital. I work seven pm to seven am four days a week, and I’ll pick up an extra shift now and then.”
“How much do you make?”
“Enough that I can afford to live in a studio apartment by myself. Still paying off the student loans.”
“Want küçükyalı escort to work in Sales?”
I was surprised to be asked this. “No. No interest.”
“I’m the sales manager for a company that sells on-premise scrubs cleaning equipment to hospitals. At the end of your shift, you throw your scrubs into a chute. The next day, scan your badge and the machine spits it out to you all clean and treated to minimize lint. We reduce the amount of lint floating around critical parts of the hospital.”
“That’s nice.”
Summer came out of what was now her bedroom. “I’m ready to go.” She was gorgeous even with no makeup on; tall, curvy with full dark brown eyebrows, brown eyes, luscious red lips, and long brown hair that hung down in a ponytail.
* * * *
The day before, Kevin had rented a moving truck near his work and had driven it the two-and-a-half hours over to Becky’s place. I rode with him from Becky’s to Summer and Steve’s apartment. Kevin dominated our conversation.
“How did you get to be an MRI tech?”
“Got a healthcare associates at community college, worked as an X-ray tech for two years, and then went to MRI school for eighteen months.”
“How do you like it?”
“It’s good, better than being an X-ray tech. A lot of standing on my feet. Going into an MRI is a scary thing, so I spend a lot of time reassuring people while I get them properly positioned to be scanned. I wish that I had better shifts, but I’m the bottom man in terms of seniority.”
“Steve’s an idiot. Summer is everything you could want in a woman – great looks, a good personality, and a good job. She won’t be on the market for long. Every guy in town will want to ask her out.”
Kevin paused as if he wanted confirmation from me. I said, “I like Summer. I’m sorry this happened to her.”
“Yeah. Cheaters are idiots. My birth dad is on wife number four. Cheated on my mom while she was pregnant with me. I was born between Mom filing for divorce and the divorce taking effect. He cheated on wives number two and three. When it was convenient for him, I’d spend the summer with him. Even as a kid, I could tell Dad’s eyes were roaming despite being married. I guess some guys are never satisfied and have to prove that they are still attractive to women even after they are married. My mom is a great wife. It didn’t take her long to find a guy who appreciated what a great woman she was, and they’ve been happily married for twenty-eight years. I call my mom’s husband ‘Dad’ because he’s been a father to me, unlike my birth dad. Dad is a caring guy who loves his kids. I think that’s what every man should aspire to be.”
Kevin talked on and on. He told me about his job, his car (a Porsche), and his last three girlfriends.
“Why did Becky have a spare bedroom?”
“Her roommate moved in with her boyfriend two months ago. Becky couldn’t find anyone she liked as a replacement roommate. She makes enough that getting a roommate wasn’t an urgent need for her. Worked out nicely for both her and Summer.”
“You dating anyone?”
“No.”
“How come? A good-looking guy like you? You’re not gay, are you? Not that there’s anything wrong with being gay.”
I was fairly good-looking with a charming smile, light brown hair in a professional cut, brown eyes, and a slim body of average height, but I wouldn’t consider myself hot or handsome. Women didn’t throw themselves at me. “I’m not gay. I’m new to the city as I moved here six months ago after graduating from MRI school in Florida. Working the shifts I do, it’s hard to meet new people.” It didn’t help that I was introverted.
“If you had more money, I’d take you to a strip club. Strippers are always looking for a new boyfriend who’ll spend money on them. Every guy should date a stripper at some point.”
“Thanks.” I hoped Thanks was the appropriate response. A stripper wasn’t what I was looking for as a girlfriend.
* * * *
We arrived at Summer’s apartment and loaded up everything she was taking. We took most of the furniture, leaving the waterbed, the dining table, and the TV. We took everything out of the kitchen. We took all of Summer’s clothes and bathroom stuff. Steve wasn’t there; Summer didn’t want to see him again unless she was with an attorney.
After we had hauled all of Summer’s stuff up into Becky’s apartment, I was feeling woozy. Becky said, “Go to sleep in my bed. Then you can spend the evening with us.”
At seven, Becky came into her bedroom and woke me. “We’re ordering dinner. Thai.” She handed me her tablet. “Kevin’s paying. Pick what you want.”
I selected my order and then said, “I’ll pick it up.”
“Are you sure? Kevin’s fine with paying delivery.”
“If Kevin can pay for dinner, I can pick it up.”
“While you were asleep, Summer, Kevin, and I got a king-sized bed for Summer at Ikea, brought it home, and set it up. I hope we didn’t wake you while we were doing it.”
“You didn’t. I slept like a kültür escort baby.”
Becky left. I got up, dressed, and went to pick up the food. We had a nice dinner, and then sat around the table and talked. Kevin and Becky did most of the talking. I think Summer didn’t want to talk because she was still in shock about her life being turned upside down.
At midnight, Kevin announced, “It’s time for bed.”
Summer said, “Sleep in my bed, Kevin. I’ll sleep on the couch out here. It’s too small for you.”
Actually, there were now two couches in the living room, the second one from Summer’s place. Both were too small for someone as big as Kevin to sleep comfortably.
“Okay,” said Kevin. He winked at Summer. “You don’t have to twist my arm.”
Kevin and Summer went into her bedroom. Becky said, “You okay?”
“I’m fine. I had a good evening.”
“You were quiet this evening,” said Becky in concernedly. At twenty-seven, she was three years older than me. We hadn’t gotten along great when we were younger, but, after she went off to college, she stopped being bossy and started showing genuine interest in me. She would regularly check to see if I was doing okay, and, if I admitted I was having some sort of problem, she’d try to be helpful with advice.
“I’m usually quiet in groups, particularly with people I don’t know well like Kevin and Summer.” I stood up. “I’ll go home now.”
“You don’t have to. You can sleep in my bed, and I’ll sleep out here with Summer. It’d be like a sleepover for us.”
I smiled. “I’m not ready to sleep. Won’t be until eight. I’ve got to keep on this sleep schedule. Everyone tells me that if you get off your sleep schedule for even one day, you’ll feel like crap for a week. Besides, my online friends in Japan will wonder why I’m missing.”
“Okay,” said Becky tenderly as she hugged me. “Thanks for everything. Thanks for telling Summer. Thanks for keeping what I told you a secret. Thanks for helping out today.”
“No problem.”
* * * *
Two and a half weeks later, Becky called me. “I have a favor to ask of you.”
“Oh, God! Not again!”
Becky laughed. “This isn’t a bad one. Hopefully, it’ll be a lot of fun. Summer has been struggling since she moved out, which isn’t too big of a surprise. She’s been spending all of her free time cooped up in the apartment. I’ve been doing the shopping for both of us. Kevin has visited every weekend, and he suggested that we do something fun this Saturday. Are you working?”
“No.”
“Kevin wants to do something simple – go to a restaurant and then come home and watch a movie. It won’t be a date; just an evening out with friends. He thinks he can talk Summer into doing it if he presents it as a date-lite between him and me, with you and Summer going along for company.”
A date-lite? What did that mean? “Do you like Kevin?”
“Umm, no. He’s not my type. But we both care a lot for Summer, and I want to see her start getting out. Summer likes you. Not dating-like though. Not that I think she’s ready to date yet. Steve cheating on her has really done a number on her.”
“I’m your huckleberry. I’ll come over Saturday after I wake up.”
* * * *
We rode out to dinner in Kevin’s Porsche. There was not a lot of legroom in the back seat, so I sat in the passenger seat and the girls squeezed into the back. Kevin spent the drive telling me about how awesome the Porsche was. It has a manual transmission.
“Do you know how to drive stick?” Kevin asked me.
“No.”
“You should. Every man should know how to drive stick. You don’t really drive unless you’re driving stick.”
We went to Summer’s favorite restaurant, an Italian place. We got a booth with the girls on the inside and Kevin and me on the outside. After we sat down, Kevin ordered a Godfather (whatever that is), and the girls got white wine. When the waiter asked what I wanted, I said, “Water.”
Kevin said, “Go ahead and order what you want. I’m paying.”
“I want water. I don’t drink.”
After the waiter left, Kevin said, “How can any red-blooded American male not drink?”
I shrugged. “While I was an X-ray tech, I dated a girl who didn’t drink, so I stopped drinking. Saved a ton on dates. After we broke up, I didn’t resume drinking.”
“Why’d you break up?” asked Kevin.
“I moved to Florida for MRI school. There aren’t many MRI schools in the US, so I couldn’t go to school locally.”
Kevin got a Tuscan steak. The girls split a Chicken Pesto pizza. I got the three-cheese tortellini with lump crab in a light Cajun cream sauce, which was excellent. I shared some with Summer, who was sitting next to me. Kevin did the most talking, and Becky talked almost as much. Summer and I mostly listened. It didn’t feel at all like a date between Summer and me, which I was fine with as she was way out of my league. I could see it being a testing-the-waters date between Kevin and Becky.
Kevin insisted on picking up the tab. He strongly gave me the feeling that paying for meals was a part of his shtick, showing off how much money he makes. He wore a Rolex. He talked a lot about expensive meals he had while traveling for business. I didn’t find his shtick impressive. If the cost of eating expensive meals was constant travel, then the cost was too high for me. I was fine with dinner at Shoney’s or Chili’s.
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