Page 30 of The Last Dance

‘You’re being ridiculous. Women love you. You could go out with anyone you wanted. Why the hate on marriage?’

I shake my head. We’ve never had this conversation. Probably because we’re not romantically involved. I’m only twenty-two so it’s not like I’m fighting off potential brides, but marriage isn’t exactly on my radar.

‘I dunno. I watched my parents’ marriage fail, and I don’t know if it’s something I wanna put myself through.’

‘Never? So, you’re saying you’d never want a wife and kids to come home to one day?’

I shrug. ‘I dunno… I guess maybe if the circumstances were right…’

‘What if the perfect woman… wait, I don’t really even know what that is. I know your type but we’ve never really talked about what “the one” might even look like. What’s your perfect woman?’

I look over at her with a single eyebrow raised. ‘What’s my perfect woman?’ I have to think about it for a minute. ‘I’d say she’s probably laid-back – I don’t want someone so uptight that life’s no fun. She’s definitely funny and, better yet, she thinks I’m funny.’ I laugh.

Ambri laughs with me, a shake of her head. ‘She’s funny and she thinks you’re funny. It’ll be like trying to catch a rainbow.’ She nudges me with her elbow, giggling at her own joke.

‘Cute.’ I roll my eyes. ‘Um, honest, trustworthy… you know, all the normal stuff.’

‘Hot?’

I shrug. ‘Can’t hurt.’ I laugh as she rolls her eyes. ‘Beautiful?’ I ask, wondering if that’s too shallow to hope for in my own dream woman. I mean, if she had all the qualities I wanted but I wasn’t attracted to her that wouldn’t be good.

‘OK, so let’s say it’s that girl, in the plaid skirt...’ She points across the square at a woman bent over rummaging through her bag, wearing what looks like a really short kilt, and very obviously no underwear, along with a pair of knee-high boots covered in fringe. ‘What if Miss PantyDodger walked right up these stairs and swept you off your feet?’

My laugh echoes off the stairs around us, causing the woman to glance over at us. ‘If it was that girl I’d run and leave you here to tell her I’m pro-underwear.’

‘Shut up… I’m not serious, I just wanted you to look. Because if my eyes gotta be assaulted by it, so do yours.’ She giggles, taking another bite of the carrot cake she’s completely taken over.

‘And thank you for that.’ I roll my eyes and look back out at the people passing by. ‘I guess if the perfect girl did walk right up these stairs I’d probably date her until she said the M word and then I’d run.’ I laugh. This is part of what I love about being friends with Ambri: I never have to lie. She’s totally OK with me exactly as I am.

*

Was she actually who I was describing that day? She is exactly all those things and always has been.

‘OK, this is about as much people-watching as I can stand. What’s next?’ Karmen wakes me from my daydream that is as vivid as if it happened yesterday. But it wasn’t yesterday. It was almost seven years ago.

‘How about we check out the Portland Timbers stadium? Providence Park.’

‘Is it more exciting than this?’

‘It is during games. I don’t think it’s opened but we can walk by and see if we can get in.’

‘Oh-h-h… breaking into a public stadium when it’s closed. Now that sounds a little more exciting than this.’ She rolls her eyes, obviously not impressed with my idea of a good time.

‘Why so irritated?’ I ask.

‘Because, Henry, we’re in the city you know best and you’d rather sit at home. You can’t come up with anything spontaneous to do in the place you grew up. I seem to be making all the plans here, in a city I don’t even know. You’re suddenly underwhelmingly boring.’

I sit up from the step I was leaning on. ‘Karmen, you’vealwaysmade all the plans. And I’ve always gone along with them.’

‘Come on. What about all those stories about you and Ben being all crazy romantic and spontaneous?’

I sigh, a little disappointed in myself. ‘You’re right. I’m sorry. I thought you wanted to know the parts of town that were special to me? Like we did in San Diego when we first started dating. You spent two days showing me everything from your old high school to the house you lived in as a kid. I wasn’t really into it, but I did it because I wanted to get to know you. I didn’t realize this was a sweep-you-off-your-feet kind of afternoon.’

She frowns, clearly disappointed in my idea of a good time or maybe just in me in general. ‘I guess I don’t know this Henry. The guy who’s distracted all the time and whose favorite place is a set of stairs filled with homeless people.’

‘Maybe we should call it a day before we get into it.’ I stand, pulling my keys from my pocket and making my way down the stairs.

‘Henry…’She follows me down, grabbing my hand. ‘I didn’t mean to make you mad. I feel like something else is going on. You can talk to me, you know. You don’t have to close up like you do sometimes.’

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