I mean, you remember Lisa? You remember Ashley? Kim? My friends? They have lives too. And my life intersects with theirs, just as theirs intersect with mine.
So, it’s not fair to say this is the end. Because each of them will have things that happen to them. They’ll look for love if they haven’t found it. And they’ll find it. And they’ll celebrate it like I am right now. With the man that makes me happy. With the man that makes me feel safe.
I guess after all that talking what I’m trying to say is that my story isn’t complete nowadays unless you take Dominic’s story into consideration. And then take my friends’ stories into consideration as well. Because I’m just one piece of a much larger tapestry.
So don’t worry, you actually will be able to experience all that – my friends and all – in a little bit. But right now, it’s important that you ruminate with me on this fact that my life is—
“Are you gonna eat that?” Dominic asks from across the table and I roll my eyes as I look at him.
“I was thinking something serious, babe,” I say making sure I use just the right amount of exasperation in my voice. He needs to be chastised, but not discouraged.
“Yeah, and I was asking if you were going to each the last of the sausage on your plate” Dominic asks me, matter-of-factly.
It’s Sunday morning and we’re sitting at Ulysses on Stone Street as we have brunch. The ships and tourists are piling up near the South Street Seaport all heading to Governor’s Island. Lucky for me, Dominic has his own boat that will take us to Governor’s Island when we’re ready to go.
But as bucolic as this scene is, Dominic seems intent on wanting to ruin it. Namely by asking again. “Daphne, seriously, don’t waste good sausage.”
Okay, maybe it’s just me, but I can’t help but giggle a little bit. Dominic looks at me with confusion on his face.
“Is everything okay, Daph?” he’s asking me and I can’t help it at this point. I’m full on giggling.
“I’m sorry,” I say, between breaths. “I just kept thinking how you said never to let a good sausage go to waste.”
Dominic rolls his eyes. But I can see the laughter in his eyes. He’s enjoying this as well as me.
The truth is that we’re enjoying each other.
Sure, Carla can still look at me with raised eyes, but she’s got a cowboy that lassoes her to the bed probably some nights. Don’t worry, her story is coming up shortly.
Lisa can act all sympathetic still sometimes but then her eyes go wide every time Dominic does something baller. I guess her outlaw biker sometimes has trouble being alpha – or at least that’s what I tease. Apparently he’s very alpha. Oh, don’t worry, you’ll get to know Lisa too.
But I guess most of all, the fact that I’m able to giggle at inane shit like sausage and Dominic is able to smirk at me while pretending to look exasperated is because we are happy together. Genuinely happy.
I mean, my stepdad is actually my ex-stepdad because he’s chased happiness before, but never really gotten a hold of it. I’ve chased it too. We both have one too many nights in hotels or other people’s apartments where we’ve been disappointed in our partners.
No more.
Now we have each other. And it’s not even that we’re happy because we found each other.
It’s that before we found each other, we didn’t even know what happiness was.
It’s a whole different world I’ve entered with Dominic. I never thought I’d have a life like this.
“Come on,” he says to me, getting up and putting some money on the table. “Let’s go.”
I look up at Dominic and instinctively grab his hand.
“Where are we going?” I ask.
“We’re going to the Millennium Hilton,” he says to me matter-of-factly.
“Why?” I ask. I mean, it’s just a hop skip and a jump away from where we are. Near Ground Zero.
“Because all your talk of sausage has made me want to fuck you,” he says, as we walk across the street.
I stare at him.
He looks at me and pulls me close. His hand grips my ass cheek.