Page 10 of Dwayne
I’m just about to get my phone out of my bag and call him when I notice the door is ajar.
“Dad?”
Slowly, I push it open. There are no lights on. I’m terrified that something bad has happened. Maybe a home invasion. Maybe some crazy meth-head has tied everyone up and chopped them into tiny pieces and is now sitting in the living room with a shotgun aimed square at my face.
“Dad?” I say, slowly peeking my head around the side of the door. "Anybody here?"
My hand is trembling. My heart is racing in my chest like a hamster in a hamster wheel in the middle of the night when they seem to always be awake and want to make the most amount of noise right when you're trying to sleep.
“Surprise!”
Suddenly, the lights turn on. A couple of dozen of my closest friends and family jump out from behind tables and chairs. They start pulling party poppers and screaming their heads off.
I clutch my chest and fall back against the door frame.
Dwayne rushes over and puts his arm around my shoulders, stopping me from crumbling to the floor. “Babe,” he says, “are you okay?”
“Oh my God! You scared the hell out of me!” There are tears streaming down my face. I can’t tell if they're tears of joy or fear. “I thought something bad had happened. I was getting ready to call the police.”
“Awwww,” he holds me tight. I wrap my arms around his chest. “We were just trying to do something special for you.”
I slap his chest playfully. “Well next time try not to give me a heart attack.”
My dad comes over. He’s got his arm around his girlfriend and a nonalcoholic drink in his hand.
“Happy birthday, gorgeous.” He gives me a big hug and then kisses me on the cheek. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”
Someone passes me a glass of wine. I sit down and play with Millie and Willow, my twins.
After a while, I sit back and just watch everyone. Dwayne comes over and perches on the arm of the chair. He strokes my back. I rest my hand on his thigh and think about all the things I want to do to him when we get back home and the children are asleep.
“Having fun?” he says.
I look up at him. Even after all this time, I can’t get over how lucky I am to have found such an amazing man to share my life with. Sometimes I have to pinch myself, just to make sure it’s real.
I kiss his hand and snuggle up close. “Always,” I say.
