Breathe…
Breathe…
Liam was goingto have a nervous breakdown.
Yesterday did not go how he expected it would – and he didn’t sleep a wink last night. No, after yacking up his guts and spending too much time on the ‘throne’ in the hotel bathroom, he was pretty sure that the wobbly feeling in his legs wasn’t due to restricted blood flow.
He was scared to death.
Thecall came.
The phone call he never expected.
The Call.
There was a new hockey team – and they wanted him – as their captain.
Him.
His agent assured him this was a ‘done deal.’ This was the job of his dreams; they kept referring to him as the ‘golden boy,’ and went as far as to deposit a massive lump sum into his bank account as a guarantee… which should have been red-flag number one. He didn’t give them his bank account information – yet.
Liam called his parents, told them the good news, basked in their praises, came over for dinner, picked up a few things from his parents’ house – and then left for Nadine’s place. She had been his ‘on-again, off-again’ girlfriend for about a year now… and frankly, he was tired of the drama.
Narrator: This would be Red flag number two, dear readers.
As Liam knocked on her door. Nadine answered it with enthusiasm that was flattering to any red-blooded male. She hopped into his arms, kissing his face all over, and nearly suffocated him with some brand-new cloying perfume he didn’t recognize.
“We need to talk,” Liam started and saw her annoyed face as he put her down, standing her on her own two feet… and looked up. Every cell in his body froze with nightmarish horror as he stared in disbelief at the dress form in the corner of her filthy living room.“WHAT IS THAT?”
He hadn’t meant to shout the words at Nadine.
Maybe just an ‘emphatic yet brief questionnaire’regarding the satin and sequin monstrosity that was on display with all sorts of flounces, frills, and gaudy beads dripping from it. His horrified eyes turned to her annoyed ones, and he knew – heaven help him – he knew deep down inside why she was glaring at him… and why there was a wedding dress in the apartment.
“We’re getting married.”
“Uh,no, we are not!”he practically yelped in disbelief.
“Your agent called me and…”
“What?!”
“Okay,” Nadine huffed. “I will just let you know now that, as your wife, I do not appreciate you yelling at me or raising your voice…”
“WE’RE NOT MARRIED!”Liam screeched and then realized he’d yelled the words. He drew in a shaky breath, steadying himself. “We arenotmarried. We arenotgetting married. No engagement,nothing. And I came by as a courtesy to let you know that I’m breaking up with you. We’re over, Nadine – and we most certainlyaren’tgetting married.”
“But Ricky said…”
“Ricky… is…FIRED!” he began, shouting the last word in sheer amazement as he slapped his forehead. “I cannot believe this. I can’t. This has got to be some practical joke or…”
“But, I paid for it,” Nadine began, sticking out her bottom lip as Liam looked at her, the dress, then back at her… as it clicked.
Narrator: And now, may I present Red Flag number three…
“How?”
Liam wasn’t sure that single word needed to be repeated, but it hung in the air, unanswered for much too long confirming what he already knew. “Howdid you pay for the wedding dress, Nadine? Why would you pick out a wedding dress when I haven’t proposed to you?”
“Yet,” Nadine said persistently, huffing.
