The Snowblower Bandit And Other Stories

An Orgasm

"What are you going to wear?" CeeCee's voice came out of the bathroom. I had been hearing her use her flat iron and the make-up drawer opening and closing for a while now.

I put down the drill and took the screws out of my mouth. My eyebrows scrunched and I looked down at the stained jeans and old Bob Ross t-shirt I was wearing. It proudly proclaimed, "No mistakes, just happy accidents!"

"I dunno. I guess I hadn't thought about it," I yelled back.

"I guess it doesn't matter." She paused. "It doesn't matter."

I stared at the vent I was putting back into place.

"Does it matter?"

"No," she said with some finality. "That was a stupid thing to ask."

I stood, put the drill on the kitchen counter, and went down the hall. I leaned against the bathroom door frame. CeeCee looked beautiful. I mean, she's always beautiful, but at the moment she looked like she was getting ready to pose for the cover of a magazine. She had on new jeans, a lightweight, dark blue sweater with little sparkles in it, masterfully applied makeup, and her hair was in draping curls. Her earrings even matched her necklace.

"Are you okay about tonight?"

She rested the flat iron on the sink and considered herself in the mirror.

"I thought I would be, but now that it's here, I'm kind of in knots about it." Her eyes shifted so that she was looking at me in the mirror. "Why am I in knots about it?"

I silently thanked the goddesses of love that my girlfriend felt so comfortable with me that she didn't think twice about telling me the truth.

"We don't have to meet up with them. I mean, it was kind of out of the blue, wasn't it?"

"Well, kinda. Brian just said Kade would only be back in town for a couple of days and wanted to get together. At first he made it sound like no big deal, like Kade just wanted to see me for a while." She turned to face me directly and leaned back against the sink. "But then yesterday when he reminded me about it, he made the comment, 'You owe the guy that much.' When I asked him what that was supposed to mean, he said, 'Come on, it's the least you can do for the guy.' I mean, what the fuck is that? I thought we were past this whole blame-CeeCee-for-the-breakup thing."

"Your brother is the only one that still acts like that sometimes."

She crossed her arms and looked at the floor. "I know. It's just...when Brian started saying things like he used to say, it..." She held her hands in front of her in upward facing claws and moved them in circles, like a cartoon witch standing over a cauldron and summoning forth the fumes. "It dredged up a lot of bad feelings. I thought I left all this guilt and crap behind me."

I wasn't sure what to say. We'd had this conversation a hundred times before. A hundred times I told her she shouldn't feel guilty for ending any relationship that wasn't working out for her, no matter the reason. A hundred times she agreed.

Instead of saying anything, I wrapped my arms around her and held her close. I stayed silent, just in case there was anything she needed the space to say. After a couple of minutes she kissed my temple. "We should leave soon. If you want to get a shower, better hop in."

I looked in the mirror. As usual, I was decorated with sawdust and smudges of various substances I didn't remember touching. I smirked at her.

"I need to look pretty so I can make your ex jealous."

That got a laugh out of her. She grabbed my waist and pulled me close for a longer kiss. She swatted my butt, then backed away with a sexy smile.

"You never aren't the prettiest one in the room," she said as the door closed.