The Boy from the Band

Joyous Lake on a June Night

True to his word, Rick showed up on my birthday, just like I knew he would. He's only broken one promise to me, and that was in the early days of our very weird courtship. He didn't show up one time when he said he was going to and I was so hurt I was ready to call things off. When I told him how upset I was he gave me his word it would never happen again, and it hasn't.

He brought me an antique teapot I'd been eyeing for weeks. It's Silesian china, has a fruit pattern on it—and it's beautiful. I don't know how much it cost but it wasn't cheap. I wonder how he knew that I wanted it—I swear he has a spy who follows me around just to find out what I've been looking for.

I start crying when I see it, I'm very weepy these days. Bill is pretty much ignoring me and it's a relief. His chem-lab partner must be all of twenty years old and looks at him with her heart in her eyes. If I am going to be honest about this, I might be looking at him the same way if it weren't for Rick—or not.

"I love it," I tell Rick and mean it. I put it on the mantel above my fireplace, it's far too precious to use although I wish I could.

"I'm glad you like it," he nuzzles my hair and kisses me on the ear—it tickles and I giggle. We sit for a minute, holding each other, just enjoying a rare opportunity to spend time with each other.

He pulls back, "We have our first date set, June 25 at Joyous Lake in Woodstock. Are you going to come?"

"I can't, Elizabeth will be with you, won't she?"

"But I want you to be in the audience, I want to know you're there supporting me, just knowing you're there helps. This is a big deal, Dacy, please say you'll come. I've got a ticket saved for you. I don't know when we can hook up again, we'll be touring Canada until we swing down back in the states. It may be a long time before we have a break."

I don't want to see him with Elizabeth—seeing them together at the Last Waltz was bad enough. Joyous Lake's venue is small, intimate and there's no stage, the band will practically be mingling with the audience while they play.

It's a fun venue, and it's becoming popular with artists that come to this area, but I don't want to go. There will be people who know me and like me as well as people who don't like me because of Elizabeth. I don't think I should go.

"Tell you what," he says, "You come to Joyous Lake and I'll let you come to any concert you like, you can even come to Japan with me."

"What? You want me to come with you to Japan?" Now, I don't know if that's a good idea, but going to Japan might be fun. I've been there before, it would be a nice getaway and the perfect way of taking the awkwardness of Bill off my mind.

"Wow, are you sure?" I tell him, this is not something I am taking lightly and I don't want him to, "Would this be a good idea? Shouldn't you be taking Elizabeth, not me?"

"The boys will be starting school and she wants to be home with them. Besides, I think it would do you good, and I think maybe I owe you this. Don't worry the wives won't be coming."

I put my hand on his, "Rick, you don't owe me anything."

"Yes, I do," he says, an earnest tone in his voice that he saves for when he wants to show he's serious, "I'm a selfish person, I've kept you with me all these years when I should have sent you away. I don't have the right to keep you in my life but I'm glad you've been willing to put up with my shit. I guess I'm trying to say I appreciate you more than you realize."

"Hmm, thanks, I love you too," it's all I can say at the moment. I'm having second thoughts about this, as tempting as it sounds. Two days is the longest we've ever spent alone together and that was just right. This may be over a week and I'm not sure if it's a good idea. Our relationship works because we have space from each other, this may be too much togetherness.