“Shit.I completely forgot that we were here to meet the gang.Lee, I would have mentioned it before, but …” Dane was cut off by a girl’s voice coming from behind me, the same direction that Ellie went in, but this wasn’t Ellie.
“Well, look what the cat dragged in!”Liz purred, coming into sight, and stopping at Dane’s side.“Maggie, look who Dane and Ezra found.”She said, holding her hand out to bring Maggie to stand next to her.
“Lee.”Maggie said quietly.I could tell she was still hurt by the way she looked at me.“I’ve been leaving messages at your house all week; I was hoping to talk to you.”
“Maggie, I – I’m sorry, I’ve been busy this week.”I finished my sentence just as Ellie returned to the table.I could tell she was confused by the addition of two more people standing with us.Make that four more people; two of Maggie’s jock star football friends just walked up to join us.It was starting to look like a scene, and I was nervous about how this was going to play out.It was a good thing there weren’t any families here right now.
Liz noticed Ellie walking up to us and stop by my side, “I’m sorry, can we help you?This is a private conversation we’re having.”Liz snarled and looked down her nose at the sight of our hands touching.
“Excuse me?”Ellie questioned; taken aback by the sheer rudeness she was met with.I had never seen Ellie in a confrontation before and I wasn’t sure if I should interject yet, but this didn’t look like it was going to end well so I took a step forward and stood between them, my fingers still hanging onto hers so she would know it’s alright.
“Guys, this is Ellie.Ellie, meet the gang: Rich, Philip, Liz … and Maggie.”I dared to look at Ellie to see her reaction to Maggie’s name and she surprised me with how calm she was.
Her fingers flexed in recognition of the name, and she exhaled a slow, steady breath, then nodded her head, “Hi, I’ve heard so much about you guys over the years!It’s nice to finally meet you all and put faces to the names.”She addressed the group but was looking directly at Maggie.
Well played, Ellie.
Maggie didn’t take that so well; she looked like she was sizing up her next prey.When Ellie finished talking, she immediately walked over and slapped me across the face and then walked away, leaving the rest of the group at our table in silence.
“How dare you bring your new girlfriend and flaunt her in Maggie’s face.That was wrong, Lee, so wrong.”Liz turned and jogged after Maggie.The guys stared me down for a beat before walking away too.Before they were out of sight, Liz turned around and called for Dane to come with them.He just shrugged his shoulders and raised his hands to me in question; I nodded in return, letting him know that it was okay to leave with them.
Before they walked off, the guys turned back to Ellie with sincere looks of apology.I know they didn’t intend to start an argument between the girls today, but they didn’t hide their smiles in response to how Ellie handled herself faced with Maggie.
“Ellie, don’t take this personally.It’ll take some time for them to come around.”Ezra told her.
“Hey, way to stand your ground!It was really nice to finally meet you.I hope we’ll get to see you again soon?”Dane said.
“I’d like that.Thanks for being some of the good-guys.”Ellie smiled at them as they left the restaurant and we sat back down, just the two of us.
“Okay, well, that was … interesting.”Ellie said to break the silence after the guys had disappeared.
“Yeah.Sorry about that.”I winced.
“It was bound to happen, right?Meeting the ex?”
“I guess it was.I just really didn’t think it would happen like that, or today for that matter.”I sighed.“I’m glad you got to meet the guys though, but I honestly didn’t think we would run into them.We only ever come here on Friday and Saturday nights, never in the middle of the day.”
“Dane and Ezra are something else.”She laughed, changing the tone of the conversation.
“Yeah they are!”I laughed.“They’re my crew, been with me since second grade, thick as thieves.”
“I’m glad you have them.”She smiled and there was silence again.
“Okay, I know you have questions.Go ahead, lay it on me.”I told her and pulled her hand into my lap.
“Ugh, thank God.I was dying!”and she immediately relaxed, her shoulders less tense while she spouted off questions about the infamous Maggie.
I never went into great detail about my relationship when we talked over the phone, and I dodged her questions from her letters over the last year, so she only ever heard Maggie’s name and that she was my girlfriend.She wanted to know how serious we were, did we ever sleep together, why were Dane and Liz angry over the way I broke up with her and were we for sure over.I told her everything while we finished eating lunch and it felt good to put it all out there, it’s so effortless with Ellie.I can tell her anything and I don’twantto hide anything from her if she wants to know it.I told her all she has to do is ask, but I’d rather not go into explicit detail because nothing I experienced with Maggie compares in the slightest to what we have.
“And yes, it’s over, over.”I squeezed her hand in reassurance.
I broke up with Maggie several times over the course of our relationship.She knew that because even though I never came out and said it, that was when I would start calling her again.Sometimes Maggie was just too much for me, overbearing and obsessive, and she wouldalwaysfigure out a way to convince me to give her another chance.When I found out that Ellie was coming to visit this summer, though, I knew that’s when I had to break it off with Maggie for good.I wanted something more with Ellie and I didn’t want to string either of them on.Maybe I could have done it a little more discreetly than I did, but the way it happened was brought on by her own actions and the timing was just necessary.
We were at the last party of senior year,senior night, hosted by the school at a community center.Even though I had graduated early, I was invited to participate in the party at the end of the year.There was no alcohol allowed since it was put on by the community, but Maggie showed up already tipsy, as usual, and kept putting her hands down my pants.When I told her she needed to grow up and shoved her hand away for the third time, she got angry and told me she would rather be spending tonight at the club where a hundred guys would be paying more attention to her than I was.So, I told her to go on then, enjoy the attention from those hundred guys because we were through.She didn’t think I was serious until I got up and walked out of the building, the whole room staring at us like a bomb had just gone off.
I avoided her calls and asked Mom to tell her I wasn’t home when she stopped by every day.I thought, eventually, she would realize the finality of my words and avoidance and then I completely forgot everything once Ellie arrived.
When I finished explaining all of this, it was nearly 3’oclock in the afternoon and we had more than over-stayed our lunch at the restaurant.I paid our check and tipped the waitress well for taking up her time and table for so long.
