“Oh, Duke, hold on….yeah, she’s calling me right now. I got to go. See you soon, love.”
The line went dead before I could even respond. Shit, that scared the hell out of me. I stop at a red light and slowly begin to compose myself. Breathing deeply in and out, I loosen my grip on the steering wheel. This is too much for me to handle. The time on the dashboard displays three o’clock. Time to head home and get ready for tonight.
Spraying on the last spritz of cologne, securing the cuff links, and straightening the hair strands, I head downstairs to be greeted by my parents. My mother already has tears in her eyes along with the camera and my father laughs behind her.
“Aww, Duke, you are so handsome. Honey, can you believe how much our son has grown?” Her arms immediately open and she pulls me into her, squeezing tight.
“Yes, darling. I’m sure Duke would just want to head out now. Don’t squeeze him too hard, love.” My father pats me on the shoulder. “Have a great time, Son. Please be careful and be safe.”
I nod at him, “I will, Pop, as soon as Mom lets me go.”
My mother slaps my back in response, “Shhh, Duke. I’ll only have this moment once and I’m going to relish it. Come, take a picture with me.”
She releases me and I groan with annoyance, so she slaps my shoulder. “Duke, stop being a party pooper. Let’s take a selfie for my Facebook profile.”
My father and I immediately burst into laughter and I almost buckle over from the vibrating stomach cramps. We look up to see my mother staring at us with such intensity while her foot steadily taps the floor.
“Are you done? Here, let’s just take it.”
She gives me the camera and I place an arm around her waist and pull her close into me. I raise my hand and place my finger on the shutter button, “Smile, Mom!”
And with that, I press the shutter button as she says, “Cheese!!!”
“Wow, Mel. You look gorgeous.” Her stunning long legs glisten in the light as her light pink dress sways back and forth. It’s short—above the knee—and strapless. The bust area contains a beaded sparkling sequence that reflects when lights hit it. It’s pretty freaking awesome.
“The dress is short. I thought prom dresses were floor length.”
“Some are, but I wanted a short dress. I loved this one and it fits absolutely perfectly.”
“Yes, it does.” She truly is a beautiful woman and any man would be lucky to have her. At that moment, I realize that I’m not that guy. I’ve always cared for Melanie, and always will, but I can’t be with her anymore. Breaking her heart will kill me, but I hope she understands.
After taking a few pictures together for her mother’s album, we head out and drive to the venue, Marina Del Ray. Melanie opens the passenger side visor to look at her makeup one last time.
“Wow, Raya really did a great job! It loo
ks so natural!”
“How come she wasn’t there with you?”
Reapplying her gloss and then closing the visor, she looks at me, “Her mother called her home.”
“Oh, okay. I would have taken her home before the drive.”
“She said she was fine with the train.” Melanie touches the dashboard, changes to the Pandora App, and selects The Lumineers radio. Listening and signing along to Ho Hey, she smiles at me as I drive to our destination.
I park the car in the lot and already see a few students heading inside to the party. Melanie squeals in the seat next to me and it causes me to laugh. She smiles brightly and hops out of the car. I get out, walk around, and offer my arm for her to grab.
“Milady”
She slaps my arm but still takes it afterward, “You know no one speaks like that anymore, right?”
We walk inside and a banner that says, “Prom: Under the Stars, 2014” greets us at the main entrance.
“I know, but it’s still nice to have manners.”
Melanie sees a few of her girlfriends taking pictures together and lets go of my arm to scurry off with them and join in. I watch the four of them laugh, squeal, smile, and shout during the unexpected photo shoot. Probably about thirty self-portraits were taken; most of them with the girls blowing kisses to the camera or winking at it. I see Taylor inside, standing alone by the side entrance, so I motion to Melanie that I’ll be with him for a while. She nods her head in response as she continues her photo shoot with the girls.
I stroll up to Taylor, “Hey, man, I didn’t think you’d come tonight”