Joannie was tired. “I don’t trust you anymore.”
Devon was not. “How do I earn it back?”
“Look, this isn’t easy on either of us. Right now, more than anything, I need to sleep.”
“How about I pick you up for dinner tomorrow?”
“I’ll be working late.”
“Well, just name the time.”
“Dev, it’s over. Just accept it and move on.”
He didn’t say anything. Moving on was not on his radar but now wasn’t the time for a debate.
Two nights later Devon sat in his car, hidden next to a van to maintain the surprise visit, holding a bouquet. He was positioned so he could see the vehicles arriving and departing through the apartments’ motorized gate.
He considered her reasoning. It’s true, he did bail on a Sunday date. But at the last minute, Toby asked if he wanted to go to the football game instead of his wife, who canceled because she needed to support her sister who just had a baby. Devon jumped at the chance to get a seat at the sold-out championship game. But did that make him untrustworthy?
Finally, Joannie drove into the parking lot of the apartment complex, followed by another car, and Devon surreptitiously exited his vehicle. But when Devon rounded the other side of the van with flowers in hand, he was shocked to see Joannie walking towards her door while holding hands with an unknown man.
He felt as if he had been punched in the gut.
He also felt ridiculously out of place knowing he’d be spotted at any instant.
With determination, Devon approached the couple, and Joannie’s eyes widened when she saw him. The new guy, also caught off guard, looked confused as Devon spoke.
“Joannie, we need to talk.”
She stammered, “Devon, what are you doing here?”
Ignoring her question, Devon continued, “Who’s this?”
Joannie hesitated. “This is Alex from work. Alex, meet Devon.”
Alex extended a hand for a handshake, unsure of the situation. Devon shook it, his gaze fixed on Joannie.
“What’s going on, Joannie?” Devon demanded.
Joannie took a deep breath. “Devon, it’s over. I thought you understood that.”
Devon’s jaw tightened. “You didn’t waste any time, did you?”
Alex, growing increasingly uncomfortable, interjected, “Joannie, for over three months you never told me about another guy.”
She looked torn. “Alex, I… I was seeing Devon before we started dating. I didn’t expect him to show up like this.”
Alex’s expression shifted from confusion to anger. “So, you were with him while you were with me?”
Devon spoke up, “She broke up with me two nights ago.”
Alex scowled. “I can’t trust someone like that.” He started walking away. “Don’t call or text me again.”
Joannie and Devon stared at the cracks in the asphalt parking lot.
Devon suppressed a maelstrom of hostile emotions and battled the vicious words rattling through his noggin. Oddly, he recalled his mom telling him as a boy that sometimes it was better to say nothing.
The bouquet he was holding came into focus. He had been buying flowers for women for about a decade – but he never really looked at them. They represented more of an obligatory symbol marking a moment than something he truly appreciated. Devon would simply tell Rhiannon at the flower shop why he was buying them and she would provide something appropriate. As he was paying for today’s purchase she advised, “This is good for new beginnings.”
He lifted the flowers to his face, savoring the smell while admiring their colors and elegance. For an instant, they carried him to a better place. Some of the anguish began to dissipate. As he turned towards his car, he remarked aloud. “I never bought flowers for myself.”
by George Alger
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