“Cool.”
Brenda and Julie came back with drinks, and handed us each a glass of mystery punch. It looked like bad news right there, but thankfully, we girls had vowed to go home alone.
Jet waved over his buddies, and the girls quickly started mingling with them.
“Hey, would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow?”
There was a long pause before I answered. “Jet, I thought we agreed that we were just friends.”
“Oh, I definitely never agreed to that. But yes, you have mentioned it. The thing is, I wasn't asking you on a date.”
I looked at him, confused.
He explained. “I have to have dinner with my brother and father, and it's bound to be really awkward, so I was hoping you would come as a form of distraction to the whole thing.”
“Now, why is dinner with your family awkward?”
“It's a really long story, and not a very interesting one. Will you come?”
“Won't your family think it's odd that some random girl is coming?”
“You're not some random girl, and I already told them I was bringing you. It's fine.”
I laughed. “Were you that sure I was going to go?”
“No, of course not. I just wanted to make sure that they were okay with it. Please? You would really save my life on this one.”
I nodded. “Okay, I will go.”
“Thanks, Natalie. You have no idea how much I appreciate it.”
The night went by perfectly, and I kept my drinking to a minimum. Although I mingled with a lot of very different people throughout the night, Jet stayed pretty much by my side for the entire evening. Julie seemed to find one of Jet's friends interesting enough to talk to, and they really seemed to get along great. Brenda, of course, already had her beau, who showed up in a Frankenstein costume.
The night ended well, with awards being handed out for originality, scariest costume, and sexiest. Everyone cheered as I won the award for sexiest costume of the night. I was completely stunned, but accepted it graciously.
I collected Brenda and Julie together, and we decided to catch a cab home. We could have walked, but when you’re drunk, walks like that seem extra long. I said goodbye to Jet and the rest of them, and we headed home to warm beds, alone.
Chapter Eight
Jet
Getting ready for dinner with my family was an extremely painful task for me. I had zero interest in going to the dinner, and I feared it would be a disaster. I hoped, however, since Natalie would be there that everyone would be on their best behavior. My father might refrain from being a jerk if she was in the picture, instead of choosing to embarrass everyone.
My father always chose the best restaurants for these meetings, so I knew to wear dress pants and a button-up shirt and tie. I remembered to message Natalie to let her know to dress up, and what time I would pick her up. I could have kissed the girl for going to dinner with me. There was a real good chance she would save my life that evening, and I was thrilled that she had agreed to go with me.
I drove to pick up Natalie, and I made sure to take my time. My nerves were all over the place, and I didn't want to get into an accident. The truth of the matter was that I didn't want to see my father at all, possibly ever again. I didn't like the kind of man that he was, and I feared that I was going to end up just like him.
As I drove down Natalie's block, I thought about how crushed my mother was when she found out about his affair. What was so shocking to everyone was that it had been going on for years. No one had a clue, and my mother, who genuinely had loved her husband, was devastated. My father had no interest in reconciling the marriage, and was the one who asked not for forgiveness, but for a divorce. It happened swiftly, with my mother winning a boatload of money from the guy, which I was grateful for, since she would be able to take care of herself, but it hadn't been what she wanted. I knew deep down had he been willing to, she would have forgiven his transgressions and stayed with him. That's what made me hate him the most?even after all that, my mother would have taken him back and stayed friends, and he had no interest in her. No interest in a woman with whom he had spent over 20 years. It sickened me, and every time I looked at my father, I saw what he did, and I didn't think there was any chance I would ever forgive him.
I couldn't believe my brother had, as he had seemed angrier than I had been when he found out. But he had always been really close with our dad, much closer than I ever was, so maybe that made all the difference in the world. In the end, he didn't want to lose our father from his life, and for me, I couldn’t have cared less.
I parked the car at the curb in front of her building. I sat there for a moment as I collected myself. I was starting to lose my temper, and I needed to cool down. I didn't want the dinner to start off on the wrong foot immediately, especially with Natalie there. She didn't deserve that. All I wanted was to survive the dinner, say that I went, and then never go to another one again. The idea that I was going to have to sit and have dinner with the woman who had an affair with my father just left my head spinning.
Opening the driver’s side door, I got out of the car and headed into Natalie's building. I headed up the stairs and knocked on her door. She answered it wearing a black cocktail dress, and she looked ravishing. Eat your heart out, Craig. I wasn't sure if Craig was bringing his girlfriend, but either way, I would have the best-looking date at dinner.
“Natalie, you look great. Great dress.”
“Thank you. You clean up very well yourself.”