"L'Shana Tova, Michael!"
Mark Eisenberg, my future brother-in-law, was particularly giddy this year on Rosh Hashana.
"Uh, thanks. You too."
I, on the other hand, was far from giddy.
"Wanna hear something crazy? In just one month, you and I are going to be brothers!!!"
Mark can be a little overwhelming at times. I guess whoever said that opposites attract was wrong because my sister Tara is far from the opposite.
"Yay." I said unenthusiastically.
Mark immediately realized something was wrong.
"Is something wrong, Michael?"
"Aside from the fact that my best friend is mad at me and the fact that the woman I love doesn't know what she wants from me, everything is fine."
Mark gave me a blank look. It was then that I realized that I hadn't vented about my situation to anyone, let alone my brown-nosing future brother-in-law.
"Well, it seems you are in quite a predicament," Mark said after a long pause.
"That's a phrase to describe it."
"You wanna tell me the whole story so I'm not standing here guessing?"
Did I want to tell the whole story? Not really. However, maybe talking about it would help.
"I don't know if you wanna hear it, Mark. It's a long story."
"Try me. I've got plenty of time."
Mark smiled, so I began.
"Remember the day where my dad had the heart attack?"
"Yes."
"Well, after I left the hospital, I went to Melinda's house and we--well, you know."
"Your first time?"
"Not even close."
"Uh, okay. Continue."
"Well, I love Melinda and I've loved her for a while. Allegedly, she's loved me since we were little kids at Temple Beth Zion Preschool, but she never told me until the end of last year."
"I never heard about this."
"Story for another time."
"Got it."
"Anyway, Melinda and I had been--well, you know--for a while. Since the day of my dad's heart attack. During this period of time, I was asked by her to not tell anyone, including my best friend Ben. It broke my heart to have to lie to him, but at the same time, I was--well, you know--with a girl who I loved. Well, last week, at a USY Lounge, I ended things with Melinda and in the process, Ben overheard the conversation and realized I'd been lying to him. Now I think I may have lost my best friend due to a stupid mistake."
It felt kinda good to be talking about this with someone. I hadn't really ever had anyone in my family whom with I could talk about this stuff without being judged. Mark didn't seem to be judging me at all; he just listened.
"I wanna ask you something."
"Okay."
"Do you regret sleeping with Melinda?"
I thought for a moment.
"In the grand scheme of things--no, I don't regret it."
"Then how was it a mistake?"
That was a good question. I wondered if it was still a mistake if I didn't regret it. I knew it was wrong to have slept with Melinda and lie to Ben about it.
"Mark, I don't quite understand."
"You see, Michael, it was definitely a mistake to lie to your best friend. However, the act of having sex with Melinda doesn't seem to have been a bad thing."
What Mark was saying made a lot of sense to me.
"At shul yesterday, your dad was talking about the Days of Awe. My advice, for what it's worth, is to apologize to Ben and patch things up with Melinda. If you two really love each other, maybe you should be together."
I liked the sound of what he said.
"You know, Mark--you're not really as stupid as you look."
Mark laughed.
"What are brothers for?"
I thanked Mark for the advice and then decided that I would give Ben a call.
602 555 3133
"Hi. You've reached Ben. I can't come to the phone right now so please leave a message after the beep."
Okay, I'll leave a message.
"Ben, it's me. I have to talk to you. Please call. It's important."
After several hours, I hadn't recieved any calls from Ben. I spent a good portion of that day just sitting in my room with my phone in my hand. It didn't ring and I didn't use it. I just held it as I waited for my best friend to call.
By the time I went to sleep, Ben still hadn't called me back.
I found Melinda at school the next day and I was able to catch her attention before the bell rang.
"I need to talk to you."
"And I have to talk to you."
"Is it for the same reason?"
"I think so."
There was a pause.
"Is Ben talking to you?"
"No. I called him yesterday and he hasn't called me back."
"He's not talking to me either."
There was another pause.
"We shouldn't have lied to him, Melinda."
"I know. I was so stupid."
"Not as stupid as I was."
"We shouldn't argue about this, Michael. We were equally stupid. Let's leave it at that."
"Well, now that we've established that we were stupid, what do we do now?"
"I think we have to talk to Ben. We have to do it together."
The next day, Melinda and I drove over to Ben's house. His parents let us in, obviously ingnorant to the fact that Ben was mad at us.
"Oh, Benjamin will be so thrilled to see the both of you!"
Mrs. Sheiner was what one would call the stereotypical Jewish mother.
"Can I get you anything to eat?"
"I'm not really hungry."
"Neither am I."
"Well, if you insist, I'll get a fresh batch of cookies going."
"Um, thanks."
Suddenly, there was a big burst of sound.
"BENJAMIN! MICHAEL AND MELINDA ARE HERE TO SEE YOU!!!"
Ben peeked his head out his bedroom door.
"I'm not here right now."
Then, realizing we could hear him, he came downstairs and stood in front of us.
"Well, if it isn't Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky. Here to tell me that you two had no sexual relations?"
"No, Ben. We're here to tell you that we did."
Melinda hit me.
"We're here to apologize for lying to you. It wasn't Michael's idea; it was mine. I'm so sorry, Ben."
"And I'm sorry too. It nearly killed me to lie to you, Ben. I promise I'll never lie to you again."
We waited patiently for his response.
Finally: "When did this start?"
"The first day of school, the day my dad had his heart attack."
There was another long silence before Ben spoke again.
"Why couldn't you guys tell me? I would've been thrilled for the two of you."
Before I could answer, Melinda answered for me.
"We didn't tell you because there was nothing to tell."
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the sound of the glass that is my heart being shattered into a million pieces.
"So you guys were just having sex? You're not going out?"
"Well, it would appear that way, Ben."
Ben could tell that I was hurt by what Melinda had said. He looked sort of sympathetic.
"Well, I suppose if that's all it was, it was never really my business."
"But it was wrong of us to lie," I said before looking at Melinda. "It would seem that it was hardly worth it."
There was an awkward silence.
"Are we cool?"
"I can't stay mad at my best friends forever."
The three of us hugged. It was about 15 minutes before Melinda drove me back to my house.
"I'm glad we got that all squared away."
"Yeah, Ben isn't mad at us anymore."
There was a pause.
"So we're good, right?"
I thought for a minute before finally saying what I'd wanted to say since we were at Ben's house.
"No, Melinda. We're not."
She looked at me in disbelief.
"You made it obvious today that what we had meant virtually nothing to you."
"Michael, I--"
"I can't keep doing this with you, Melinda. It became clear to me tonight that there will never really be anything between us. Apparently, there was never anything between us anything."
"You know that isn't true, Michael."
"Oh yeah? Then why couldn't you tell that to Ben?"
"Because it was just sex. It was really incredible sex. I thought that was enough for you."
"It was, Melinda. It was."
I unbuckled my seatbelt.
"But it's not enough anymore. Goodbye, Melinda."
I got out of the car and walked into my house with tears in my eyes, knowing that I did what I had to do. You see, love does strange things to a man. It's the one thing that can be complicated, incredible, agonizing, beautiful, stressful, and wonderful all at the same time.
But alas, if only love were as simple as those six descriptions.
Sincerely,
Mac-Attack
Monday, September 21, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Realizing a Sad Truth in the Life of the Mac-Attack
"How was your date with Carrie Wilcox?"
Ben was not referring to my ex-girlfriend, Carrie Wilcox. He was actually referring to another girl named Carrie Wicox. Coincidences are strange when you really think about them. Basically, the first Carrie Wilcox was trying to ruin my reputation (yet again). When our vice principal called Carrie down to the office, I found out that there was another girl named Carrie Wilcox that was called down to the office by mistake. After our vice principal dealed with Carrie Wilcox, I decided to go out with the other Carrie Wilcox.
"It wasn't anything special, Ben. Just coffee."
"No dessert?"
"If you're asking me if I fucked her, the answer is no."
"A kiss?"
"I didn't even go for it."
To be honest, I don't even know why I went on the date to begin with. You see, for the past few weeks or so, I've been with Melinda every night. After her and her boyfriend Aaron broke up, things finally started up between the two of us. However, she made the decision that we shouldn't make things official yet. It's gotten to the point where I feel guilty every time I talk to Ben. He's my best friend and he doesn't even know that I've been fucking our other best friend.
"Why didn't you kiss her?"
Because I had Melinda on my mind the whole time.
"I didn't feel like it."
"You always kiss the girl at the end of the date."
"I didn't feel like kissing this one."
"Is there a particular reason, Mac? She was really hot."
I decided to come up with a good excuse quickly.
"Ben, do you remember the last time I kissed someone named Carrie Wilcox? It didn't end so well! Now will you STOP ASKING ME ABOUT IT?!?!?!"
I may have been overdramatic.
"Alright, Mac, let's not be overdramatic."
"Sorry."
"So I hear Melinda is gonna go out with that guy Peter Cressler Saturday night."
"Is that the guy she was talking to in the hallway?"
"I guess."
"What's his story?"
"He's the starting tailback for the football team, he's a Saggitarius, and he loves the color Green."
"How do you know all that? What are you, his stalker?"
"It's all on Facebook, Mac."
"Of course it is. I really should get one of those."
"Yes. Everyone else does. It's because MySpace is kinda dead."
"Yeah, I don't wanna be one of those losers who still has a MySpace and no Facebook."
There was a brief silence.
"What were we talking about?"
"No idea. Wanna car-pool to the USY lounge? I'll drive."
"Sure. Sounds good."
When we got to the Youth Lounge at Temple Beth Zion, we saw that a lot of people were already there. There was all the members of our board plus a bunch of other people. My brothers Darrin and JT even came to the lounge.
"Michael, this lounge is FAB-U-LOUS!"
"Glad you guys could make it."
"Yeah, we needed to get out of the house anyway. Mom and Dad are double dating with Tara and Mark."
"How very interesting. Should be an awkward evening for all of them."
I continued to walk around and mingle. Part of my job description as President is to promote new members and events.
"Okay, so there's membership applications over there and a flyer for our camping trip on the 25th-27th of this month."
"That sounds great--but don't you remember me? We did have dinner together."
I suddenly realized that she was right. Her name is Sam and she recently moved to Phoenix from Vegas. She obviously did something different with her hair because I didn't recognize her.
"Jeez. I'm sorry, Sam. Did you do something different with your hair? I didn't recognize you."
She laughed.
"It's not that I did anything to it, it's that I didn't do anything to it. I haven't colored it in so long, so it's my natural blonde hair."
And a magnificent blonde head of hair it was. She was gorgeous.
"Steve likes me better as a blonde anyway. He told me when we were chatting via webcam earlier today."
I know her boyfriend, Steve Schuckman, through USY. I never knew he had a girlfriend until I met Sam, mostly because Schuckman is always cheating on her with random USY girls and has never professed to me that he has a girlfriend.
"I haven't talked to Schuckman in a while. Give him my best."
"I will."
I continued to walk around and mingle
You're probably wondering why I haven't told her the truth about her boyfriend. Well, the truth is that it's really none of my business. I'm not someone who likes to get involved in other peoples' affairs, especially since my own affairs aren't exactly in order.
"Hi, Michael."
"Uh, hey. What's happening, Melinda?"
"I have to talk to you."
"Not sure if this is really a great time."
"Why not?"
"Well, there's people around."
"Okay, I deserved that. Can we walk?"
"Yeah. We can do that."
We walked out of the Youth Lounge and walked around the synagogue courtyard.
"What's up, Melinda?"
"Michael, I need to explain myself."
"Explain how you agreed to go on a date with Peter Cressler?"
"Yeah."
"Well, I can see why he's a good catch. According to Facebook, he's a Saggitarius and loves the color green."
Melinda looked at me strangely.
"What?"
"I don't know. It's what Ben told me."
"Michael, I shouldn't have said yes to Peter."
"Melinda, it's not that you said yes. It's that you didn't consider my feelings about it. I mean, usually when people say they love each other, they mean it."
"I did mean it."
"Then why would you want to go out with the starting tailback from the football team?"
"I thought you'd be okay with it. I mean, you and I aren't even dating."
"That wasn't my choice, Melinda. If it were up to me, I wouldn't be lying through my teeth, trying to convincemy best friend that I haven't been laid since the summer!"
"Michael, don't yell. People can hear you."
"I wish I still cared about that, Melinda. I thought this was gonna be a temporary thing and then we'd be together for real after a few days."
"Well, I thought you understood what I was looking for."
"Apparently not."
"So where do we stand now?"
I thought for a moment before speaking again.
"Here's what we're gonna do. You're gonna go out with Cressler on Saturday night. I'm gonna figure out a way to deal with it."
"And then?"
"And then, I'm gonna figure out how to get over you and we're gonna move on and pretend like none of this ever happened. We're gonna go back to being friends because it seems we know how to do that. We don't know how to love each other, Melinda. We better quit while we're ahead."
I began to walk away. I heard Melinda call after me.
"So it's over, just like that?"
I turned around.
"Here's the sad truth that I realized tonight, Melinda: nothing is really over because nothing really started."
I continued to walk back to the Youth Lounge and noticed that Ben was standing right outside.
"Hey."
I didn't get a response.
"What's up?"
"I know why you didn't kiss that girl yesterday."
I didn't know what he was getting at really.
"I overheard your conversation with Melinda. You guys talk so loudly sometimes."
"Ben, I--"
"Lied. I'm your best friend, Mac. Why wouldn't you tell me about this?"
"Melinda didn't want anyone knowing."
"And she got to run the show?"
"Either way, the show is over now."
"Mac, what the fuck did you get yourself into?"
"Love. It sucks."
"Bet you didn't realize you wouldn't be the only one hurt by this. I can't believe you lied to me."
"I'm sorry, Ben. I know it was wrong."
"And you knew it was wrong while you did it. Yet, you still did it."
"Ben--"
"You can find another ride home."
On that bitter note, Ben left the synagogue and started driving.
I knew that I should've never lied to my best friend. Now, because I lied, he didn't seem to wanna be my best friend anymore. Things with Melinda would certainly become awkward, even if we decided to resume our friendship, it would be a rocky friendship at best.
So as I stood outside the Youth Lounge of Temple Beth Zion, I realized that I was totally and completely 100% alone. The sad truth is that I deserved it.
Sincerely,
Mac-Attack
Ben was not referring to my ex-girlfriend, Carrie Wilcox. He was actually referring to another girl named Carrie Wicox. Coincidences are strange when you really think about them. Basically, the first Carrie Wilcox was trying to ruin my reputation (yet again). When our vice principal called Carrie down to the office, I found out that there was another girl named Carrie Wilcox that was called down to the office by mistake. After our vice principal dealed with Carrie Wilcox, I decided to go out with the other Carrie Wilcox.
"It wasn't anything special, Ben. Just coffee."
"No dessert?"
"If you're asking me if I fucked her, the answer is no."
"A kiss?"
"I didn't even go for it."
To be honest, I don't even know why I went on the date to begin with. You see, for the past few weeks or so, I've been with Melinda every night. After her and her boyfriend Aaron broke up, things finally started up between the two of us. However, she made the decision that we shouldn't make things official yet. It's gotten to the point where I feel guilty every time I talk to Ben. He's my best friend and he doesn't even know that I've been fucking our other best friend.
"Why didn't you kiss her?"
Because I had Melinda on my mind the whole time.
"I didn't feel like it."
"You always kiss the girl at the end of the date."
"I didn't feel like kissing this one."
"Is there a particular reason, Mac? She was really hot."
I decided to come up with a good excuse quickly.
"Ben, do you remember the last time I kissed someone named Carrie Wilcox? It didn't end so well! Now will you STOP ASKING ME ABOUT IT?!?!?!"
I may have been overdramatic.
"Alright, Mac, let's not be overdramatic."
"Sorry."
"So I hear Melinda is gonna go out with that guy Peter Cressler Saturday night."
"Is that the guy she was talking to in the hallway?"
"I guess."
"What's his story?"
"He's the starting tailback for the football team, he's a Saggitarius, and he loves the color Green."
"How do you know all that? What are you, his stalker?"
"It's all on Facebook, Mac."
"Of course it is. I really should get one of those."
"Yes. Everyone else does. It's because MySpace is kinda dead."
"Yeah, I don't wanna be one of those losers who still has a MySpace and no Facebook."
There was a brief silence.
"What were we talking about?"
"No idea. Wanna car-pool to the USY lounge? I'll drive."
"Sure. Sounds good."
When we got to the Youth Lounge at Temple Beth Zion, we saw that a lot of people were already there. There was all the members of our board plus a bunch of other people. My brothers Darrin and JT even came to the lounge.
"Michael, this lounge is FAB-U-LOUS!"
"Glad you guys could make it."
"Yeah, we needed to get out of the house anyway. Mom and Dad are double dating with Tara and Mark."
"How very interesting. Should be an awkward evening for all of them."
I continued to walk around and mingle. Part of my job description as President is to promote new members and events.
"Okay, so there's membership applications over there and a flyer for our camping trip on the 25th-27th of this month."
"That sounds great--but don't you remember me? We did have dinner together."
I suddenly realized that she was right. Her name is Sam and she recently moved to Phoenix from Vegas. She obviously did something different with her hair because I didn't recognize her.
"Jeez. I'm sorry, Sam. Did you do something different with your hair? I didn't recognize you."
She laughed.
"It's not that I did anything to it, it's that I didn't do anything to it. I haven't colored it in so long, so it's my natural blonde hair."
And a magnificent blonde head of hair it was. She was gorgeous.
"Steve likes me better as a blonde anyway. He told me when we were chatting via webcam earlier today."
I know her boyfriend, Steve Schuckman, through USY. I never knew he had a girlfriend until I met Sam, mostly because Schuckman is always cheating on her with random USY girls and has never professed to me that he has a girlfriend.
"I haven't talked to Schuckman in a while. Give him my best."
"I will."
I continued to walk around and mingle
You're probably wondering why I haven't told her the truth about her boyfriend. Well, the truth is that it's really none of my business. I'm not someone who likes to get involved in other peoples' affairs, especially since my own affairs aren't exactly in order.
"Hi, Michael."
"Uh, hey. What's happening, Melinda?"
"I have to talk to you."
"Not sure if this is really a great time."
"Why not?"
"Well, there's people around."
"Okay, I deserved that. Can we walk?"
"Yeah. We can do that."
We walked out of the Youth Lounge and walked around the synagogue courtyard.
"What's up, Melinda?"
"Michael, I need to explain myself."
"Explain how you agreed to go on a date with Peter Cressler?"
"Yeah."
"Well, I can see why he's a good catch. According to Facebook, he's a Saggitarius and loves the color green."
Melinda looked at me strangely.
"What?"
"I don't know. It's what Ben told me."
"Michael, I shouldn't have said yes to Peter."
"Melinda, it's not that you said yes. It's that you didn't consider my feelings about it. I mean, usually when people say they love each other, they mean it."
"I did mean it."
"Then why would you want to go out with the starting tailback from the football team?"
"I thought you'd be okay with it. I mean, you and I aren't even dating."
"That wasn't my choice, Melinda. If it were up to me, I wouldn't be lying through my teeth, trying to convincemy best friend that I haven't been laid since the summer!"
"Michael, don't yell. People can hear you."
"I wish I still cared about that, Melinda. I thought this was gonna be a temporary thing and then we'd be together for real after a few days."
"Well, I thought you understood what I was looking for."
"Apparently not."
"So where do we stand now?"
I thought for a moment before speaking again.
"Here's what we're gonna do. You're gonna go out with Cressler on Saturday night. I'm gonna figure out a way to deal with it."
"And then?"
"And then, I'm gonna figure out how to get over you and we're gonna move on and pretend like none of this ever happened. We're gonna go back to being friends because it seems we know how to do that. We don't know how to love each other, Melinda. We better quit while we're ahead."
I began to walk away. I heard Melinda call after me.
"So it's over, just like that?"
I turned around.
"Here's the sad truth that I realized tonight, Melinda: nothing is really over because nothing really started."
I continued to walk back to the Youth Lounge and noticed that Ben was standing right outside.
"Hey."
I didn't get a response.
"What's up?"
"I know why you didn't kiss that girl yesterday."
I didn't know what he was getting at really.
"I overheard your conversation with Melinda. You guys talk so loudly sometimes."
"Ben, I--"
"Lied. I'm your best friend, Mac. Why wouldn't you tell me about this?"
"Melinda didn't want anyone knowing."
"And she got to run the show?"
"Either way, the show is over now."
"Mac, what the fuck did you get yourself into?"
"Love. It sucks."
"Bet you didn't realize you wouldn't be the only one hurt by this. I can't believe you lied to me."
"I'm sorry, Ben. I know it was wrong."
"And you knew it was wrong while you did it. Yet, you still did it."
"Ben--"
"You can find another ride home."
On that bitter note, Ben left the synagogue and started driving.
I knew that I should've never lied to my best friend. Now, because I lied, he didn't seem to wanna be my best friend anymore. Things with Melinda would certainly become awkward, even if we decided to resume our friendship, it would be a rocky friendship at best.
So as I stood outside the Youth Lounge of Temple Beth Zion, I realized that I was totally and completely 100% alone. The sad truth is that I deserved it.
Sincerely,
Mac-Attack
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Untrue Accusations in the Life of the Mac-Attack
"Mark!!!"
My sister Tara was in the middle of her weekly freak-out when I got back from Melinda's house.
I walked up to Mark, my future brother-in-law, to find out what was going on this time.
"What's up?"
"It's the wedding planner. She quit."
"Why did she quit?"
"Because Tara made her quit."
I should've known that Tara would've driven their wedding planner insane. I can't say I didn't feel sorry for Mark. Afterall, he would be married to my sister in a little more than a month. Of course they would want to have a wedding planner.
"It's all ruined! Everything is ruined!"
"Calm down, Tara. Everything will be okay."
My dad is one of those people who always thinks things are gonna be okay.
"Dad, without a wedding planner, we have no wedding!"
"Your mother and I didn't have a wedding planner."
"I've seen the pictures. YOUR WEDDING SUCKED!!!"
Tara ran to her room crying. Mark followed her.
"I have a strange suspicion that it would be in my best interest to leave the house."
"Probably. It's gonna be a long day. Luckily, Mark is a wonderful guy who can cheer your sister up!"
"Yup. Well, I'm gonna go to Ben's house."
"Okay. Call and let me know what your plans are."
I got into my car and then called up Melinda.
"I'm leaving my house. My parents think I'm going to Ben's."
"Oh, Michael Maccabbi, you're so sneaky."
"That's just the type of guy I am. I can stop by your house in a bit."
"Okay. My parents shouldn't be back from the mall for at least another hour."
"Perfect."
I came to her house where it was inevitable that I'd be having sex. We kissed, we touched, we rolled around. I loved sex with Melinda because I was in love with her and that makes sex all the more better. I held her as we moved together, our bodies against one another. Afterwards, her soft kisses were beautiful.
The only downside to this whole affair was that it truly was an affair. It was secret. Nobody, not even Ben, knew of my daily visits to Melinda's house. We both loved each other, but she had just gotten out of a relationship with Aaron Youngston and still wasn't ready for something new. Her and I had been sneaking around for three weeks now. I wondered when it would be that she would want to make it official with us.
The next day, at school, I couldn't concentrate. Melinda was now on my mind 24/7 and I couldn't wait til after school, when I could come to her house and make love to her. We would be going to my house, but between my sister planning her wedding and my dad recovering from his heart attack, there was just no possibility of finding a moment alone.
Walking to English, I noticed that Melinda was talking to someone...a guy. I didn't know who he was or why Melinda was talking to him. In fact, I was just about to walk up to her and ask her about it when an old nemesis came into sight.
"Mac-Attack."
"What do you want, Carrie?"
Carrie Wilcox. My ex-whore.
"I've been thinking about you all summer and how bad I was to you. I wanna make it up to you."
"Make it up to me, Carrie? You want to make it up to me?"
"I hear you're more experienced now. I want you. I want you more than I did last summer."
I thought for a second before coming up with a clever response. I then got real close and said:
"It's always good to want things, Carrie."
I then walked away, quite proud of myself. Well, I was proud of myself until I recieved a slip in English to go see Ms. Cropp, our Vice Principal.
"Hello, Michael."
"Ms. Cropp, why am I in here? Do I need an attorney present?"
Strangely enough, I hadn't been in a principal's office since I was in Hebrew School. Ben and I, along with our old friend Scott Siegel, practically lived in that place. Needless to say, I had never been in a regular-school principal's office, therefore I didn't really know the process.
"You don't need an attorney, Michael. Here, have a chocolate."
Wow, maybe I should get called into Ms. Cropp's office more often.
"Now, Michael, an old friend of your's was in here a few moments ago. A certain girl named Carrie Wilcox."
"Oh, God, what did she say?"
"That you were quite rude to her."
"Rude to her? Ms. Cropp, I barely even talk to the girl anymore. Today was the first time I spoke to her in months!"
"Well, I'd be careful about her. She scared even me."
"Will do. Can I go back to class now?"
As soon as I entered the halls of Deer Valley High School, I noticed that people were looking at me. They were looking at me with disgust, hatred, and a bunch of other bad types of looks.
I saw Ben.
"Dude, what the fuck is going on?"
"Mac, there's a new rumor right now."
"About me?"
"Yes."
"And what;s the rumor?"
Ben was hesitant.
"Ben, tell me about the rumor. Please, tell me about the rumor."
Ben took a deep breath and then spoke:
"Mac, Carrie is trying to tell people that you once forced yourself onto her."
"What? You mean she's saying I raped her?"
"No, no. Just that you pushed her against a wall and forcefully made out with her."
"Oh, God. This isn't good. How many people know about it?"
"Well, she put her personal account of it on that bulletin board."
"PERSONAL ACCOUNT???"
"Mac, you need to talk to Ms. Cropp before this gets out of hand."
"I just talked to Ms. Cropp!"
"About what?"
"Carrie came to her office saying that I had been quite rude."
"Were you?"
"OF COURSE I WAS!"
The rest of the day really sucked and I couldn't wait to go to Melinda's and blow off some steam.
"God, I needed that," I said as I laid her her bed.
"So, what exactly is going on with Carrie Wilcox?"
"Rumors, Melinda. Everything she's talking about is untrue. I can't believe it."
"It's probably cus you didn't fuck her."
"I can't believe she'd still be pissed about that."
"Me either."
Melinda kissed me.
"How could anyone try to ruin the life of someone as cute as you?"
"I don't know. It's a true mystery."
We began kissing again and it seemed we were about to go for Round 2 when I suddenly remembered something I needed to ask her.
"Melinda?"
"Yes?"
"Who were you talking to earlier?"
"Michael, I've talked to a lot of people today. You're gonna have to be more specific."
"A guy, Melinda. Who was the guy you were talking to right before 4th hour?"
"Oh, that guy. Don't worry, it's no one you need to worry your cute little butt about."
She kissed me again.
"Melinda, was he asking you out?"
"Michael, why do we have to talk about this? Can't we just make love in silence?"
"Because it's important, Melinda. Was this guy asking you out?"
"Okay, fine. He was asking me out."
I looked at her.
"Did you say yes?"
Melinda looked at me hesitantly.
"Yes. I said Yes. He just wants to take me to dinner. A girl's gotta eat, right?"
"You know, I could take you out to dinner. I have a job. I make enough money that I could take you out every single week."
I got out of bed and put my pants on.
"Why are you being like this?"
"Why am I being like this? Because I'm sneaking around with you, coming by when your parents aren't home, lying to my best friend and my family, and it's all because I'm so in love with you that none of that shit matters!"
"Michael, you know I love you too."
"Oh yeah? Then why aren't we doing something about it?"
"We are."
"Yeah, cus coming over to your house and fucking you is doing something about it!"
"Michael--"
"I've got other things to deal with right now. I'll see you tomorrow."
I left Melinda's house without giving her a kiss.
The first thing I did when I got to school the next day was to go to Ms. Cropp's office to deal with the Carrie Wilcox situation.
"Ms. Cropp--this girl is conspiring to ruin my life!"
Ms. Cropp was silent before laughing.
"That's just what women do. Just wait until you're married."
"Ms. Cropp, she's starting rumors. She posted a 'personal account' about the evil that is me on the bulletin board right outside."
"This is serious."
"YOU THINK?"
"I'll get her in here right away."
Ms. Cropp picked up her phone.
"I need a Carrie Wilcox to come to my office. Thank you."
Ms. Cropp wanted me to stay in the office. About four minutes after the phone call, Ms. Cropp's phone rang.
"Okay, send her in."
When the girl walked into the office, I only had one thought on my mind.
"Uh, Ms. Cropp--that's not Carrie Wilcox."
"Yes, I am. Who are you?"
I couldn't believe it. There were TWO girls named Carrie Wilcox.
"I'm Michael Maccabbi. Uh, you're not the right Carrie Wilcox."
"No duh. I'm a cheerleader, I'm in AP Classes, and I have a clean record. What am I doing in here?"
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I was trying to get the other Carrie Wilcox in here."
"Wait, I know who you are now--you're the Mac-Attack. My friend Lily hooked up with you at Cashman Park last year."
"Uh, nice to meet you too."
"Michael is subject to some rumors right now."
"That's what I've heard. I don't believe them."
Suddenly, the correct Carrie Wilcox entered the office.
"Ms. Cropp, what is Mac doing here? And who are you?"
"I'm Carrie Wilcox. You must be Carrie Wilcox."
"Ms. Wilcox, we will have no more of your rumors at this school. It ends now. Michael, Carrie #2, you can both leave now. Other Carrie, I'm calling your father!"
"No!"
"Have a nice day."
I walked out of that office a new person. No one was trying to ruin my life anymore. I was a free man.
The bell rang and everyone was looking at me with respect and pride. It felt good to be loved by the people again.
"Hey, Mac."
"Carrie #2."
"I was thinking--I heard you were really fun. I was wondering if I could see for myself."
This took me by surprise. I wasn't sure how to respond. However, my response just came to me when I saw Melinda talking to the guy from yesterday again.
"I usually like to buy a cup of coffee for the girl first."
"I'd like that. Are you free after school?"
I caught Melinda's eye as she was talking to this other guy. I decided that if she was gonna date other people, maybe I should too.
"Yeah. That'll be fine."
I was told once by my grandfather that, in complicated situations, you do what you have to do. Melinda wanted to keep our affair a secret, so I did what I had to do by lying to everyone about it. Carrie Wilcox was trying to ruin my life, so I did what I had to do by going to Ms. Cropp. Melinda wanted to see someone else, so I did what I had to do by deciding to go out with the other Carrie Wilcox.
It was a complicated situation, so I did what I had to do.
Sincerely,
Mac-Attack
My sister Tara was in the middle of her weekly freak-out when I got back from Melinda's house.
I walked up to Mark, my future brother-in-law, to find out what was going on this time.
"What's up?"
"It's the wedding planner. She quit."
"Why did she quit?"
"Because Tara made her quit."
I should've known that Tara would've driven their wedding planner insane. I can't say I didn't feel sorry for Mark. Afterall, he would be married to my sister in a little more than a month. Of course they would want to have a wedding planner.
"It's all ruined! Everything is ruined!"
"Calm down, Tara. Everything will be okay."
My dad is one of those people who always thinks things are gonna be okay.
"Dad, without a wedding planner, we have no wedding!"
"Your mother and I didn't have a wedding planner."
"I've seen the pictures. YOUR WEDDING SUCKED!!!"
Tara ran to her room crying. Mark followed her.
"I have a strange suspicion that it would be in my best interest to leave the house."
"Probably. It's gonna be a long day. Luckily, Mark is a wonderful guy who can cheer your sister up!"
"Yup. Well, I'm gonna go to Ben's house."
"Okay. Call and let me know what your plans are."
I got into my car and then called up Melinda.
"I'm leaving my house. My parents think I'm going to Ben's."
"Oh, Michael Maccabbi, you're so sneaky."
"That's just the type of guy I am. I can stop by your house in a bit."
"Okay. My parents shouldn't be back from the mall for at least another hour."
"Perfect."
I came to her house where it was inevitable that I'd be having sex. We kissed, we touched, we rolled around. I loved sex with Melinda because I was in love with her and that makes sex all the more better. I held her as we moved together, our bodies against one another. Afterwards, her soft kisses were beautiful.
The only downside to this whole affair was that it truly was an affair. It was secret. Nobody, not even Ben, knew of my daily visits to Melinda's house. We both loved each other, but she had just gotten out of a relationship with Aaron Youngston and still wasn't ready for something new. Her and I had been sneaking around for three weeks now. I wondered when it would be that she would want to make it official with us.
The next day, at school, I couldn't concentrate. Melinda was now on my mind 24/7 and I couldn't wait til after school, when I could come to her house and make love to her. We would be going to my house, but between my sister planning her wedding and my dad recovering from his heart attack, there was just no possibility of finding a moment alone.
Walking to English, I noticed that Melinda was talking to someone...a guy. I didn't know who he was or why Melinda was talking to him. In fact, I was just about to walk up to her and ask her about it when an old nemesis came into sight.
"Mac-Attack."
"What do you want, Carrie?"
Carrie Wilcox. My ex-whore.
"I've been thinking about you all summer and how bad I was to you. I wanna make it up to you."
"Make it up to me, Carrie? You want to make it up to me?"
"I hear you're more experienced now. I want you. I want you more than I did last summer."
I thought for a second before coming up with a clever response. I then got real close and said:
"It's always good to want things, Carrie."
I then walked away, quite proud of myself. Well, I was proud of myself until I recieved a slip in English to go see Ms. Cropp, our Vice Principal.
"Hello, Michael."
"Ms. Cropp, why am I in here? Do I need an attorney present?"
Strangely enough, I hadn't been in a principal's office since I was in Hebrew School. Ben and I, along with our old friend Scott Siegel, practically lived in that place. Needless to say, I had never been in a regular-school principal's office, therefore I didn't really know the process.
"You don't need an attorney, Michael. Here, have a chocolate."
Wow, maybe I should get called into Ms. Cropp's office more often.
"Now, Michael, an old friend of your's was in here a few moments ago. A certain girl named Carrie Wilcox."
"Oh, God, what did she say?"
"That you were quite rude to her."
"Rude to her? Ms. Cropp, I barely even talk to the girl anymore. Today was the first time I spoke to her in months!"
"Well, I'd be careful about her. She scared even me."
"Will do. Can I go back to class now?"
As soon as I entered the halls of Deer Valley High School, I noticed that people were looking at me. They were looking at me with disgust, hatred, and a bunch of other bad types of looks.
I saw Ben.
"Dude, what the fuck is going on?"
"Mac, there's a new rumor right now."
"About me?"
"Yes."
"And what;s the rumor?"
Ben was hesitant.
"Ben, tell me about the rumor. Please, tell me about the rumor."
Ben took a deep breath and then spoke:
"Mac, Carrie is trying to tell people that you once forced yourself onto her."
"What? You mean she's saying I raped her?"
"No, no. Just that you pushed her against a wall and forcefully made out with her."
"Oh, God. This isn't good. How many people know about it?"
"Well, she put her personal account of it on that bulletin board."
"PERSONAL ACCOUNT???"
"Mac, you need to talk to Ms. Cropp before this gets out of hand."
"I just talked to Ms. Cropp!"
"About what?"
"Carrie came to her office saying that I had been quite rude."
"Were you?"
"OF COURSE I WAS!"
The rest of the day really sucked and I couldn't wait to go to Melinda's and blow off some steam.
"God, I needed that," I said as I laid her her bed.
"So, what exactly is going on with Carrie Wilcox?"
"Rumors, Melinda. Everything she's talking about is untrue. I can't believe it."
"It's probably cus you didn't fuck her."
"I can't believe she'd still be pissed about that."
"Me either."
Melinda kissed me.
"How could anyone try to ruin the life of someone as cute as you?"
"I don't know. It's a true mystery."
We began kissing again and it seemed we were about to go for Round 2 when I suddenly remembered something I needed to ask her.
"Melinda?"
"Yes?"
"Who were you talking to earlier?"
"Michael, I've talked to a lot of people today. You're gonna have to be more specific."
"A guy, Melinda. Who was the guy you were talking to right before 4th hour?"
"Oh, that guy. Don't worry, it's no one you need to worry your cute little butt about."
She kissed me again.
"Melinda, was he asking you out?"
"Michael, why do we have to talk about this? Can't we just make love in silence?"
"Because it's important, Melinda. Was this guy asking you out?"
"Okay, fine. He was asking me out."
I looked at her.
"Did you say yes?"
Melinda looked at me hesitantly.
"Yes. I said Yes. He just wants to take me to dinner. A girl's gotta eat, right?"
"You know, I could take you out to dinner. I have a job. I make enough money that I could take you out every single week."
I got out of bed and put my pants on.
"Why are you being like this?"
"Why am I being like this? Because I'm sneaking around with you, coming by when your parents aren't home, lying to my best friend and my family, and it's all because I'm so in love with you that none of that shit matters!"
"Michael, you know I love you too."
"Oh yeah? Then why aren't we doing something about it?"
"We are."
"Yeah, cus coming over to your house and fucking you is doing something about it!"
"Michael--"
"I've got other things to deal with right now. I'll see you tomorrow."
I left Melinda's house without giving her a kiss.
The first thing I did when I got to school the next day was to go to Ms. Cropp's office to deal with the Carrie Wilcox situation.
"Ms. Cropp--this girl is conspiring to ruin my life!"
Ms. Cropp was silent before laughing.
"That's just what women do. Just wait until you're married."
"Ms. Cropp, she's starting rumors. She posted a 'personal account' about the evil that is me on the bulletin board right outside."
"This is serious."
"YOU THINK?"
"I'll get her in here right away."
Ms. Cropp picked up her phone.
"I need a Carrie Wilcox to come to my office. Thank you."
Ms. Cropp wanted me to stay in the office. About four minutes after the phone call, Ms. Cropp's phone rang.
"Okay, send her in."
When the girl walked into the office, I only had one thought on my mind.
"Uh, Ms. Cropp--that's not Carrie Wilcox."
"Yes, I am. Who are you?"
I couldn't believe it. There were TWO girls named Carrie Wilcox.
"I'm Michael Maccabbi. Uh, you're not the right Carrie Wilcox."
"No duh. I'm a cheerleader, I'm in AP Classes, and I have a clean record. What am I doing in here?"
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I was trying to get the other Carrie Wilcox in here."
"Wait, I know who you are now--you're the Mac-Attack. My friend Lily hooked up with you at Cashman Park last year."
"Uh, nice to meet you too."
"Michael is subject to some rumors right now."
"That's what I've heard. I don't believe them."
Suddenly, the correct Carrie Wilcox entered the office.
"Ms. Cropp, what is Mac doing here? And who are you?"
"I'm Carrie Wilcox. You must be Carrie Wilcox."
"Ms. Wilcox, we will have no more of your rumors at this school. It ends now. Michael, Carrie #2, you can both leave now. Other Carrie, I'm calling your father!"
"No!"
"Have a nice day."
I walked out of that office a new person. No one was trying to ruin my life anymore. I was a free man.
The bell rang and everyone was looking at me with respect and pride. It felt good to be loved by the people again.
"Hey, Mac."
"Carrie #2."
"I was thinking--I heard you were really fun. I was wondering if I could see for myself."
This took me by surprise. I wasn't sure how to respond. However, my response just came to me when I saw Melinda talking to the guy from yesterday again.
"I usually like to buy a cup of coffee for the girl first."
"I'd like that. Are you free after school?"
I caught Melinda's eye as she was talking to this other guy. I decided that if she was gonna date other people, maybe I should too.
"Yeah. That'll be fine."
I was told once by my grandfather that, in complicated situations, you do what you have to do. Melinda wanted to keep our affair a secret, so I did what I had to do by lying to everyone about it. Carrie Wilcox was trying to ruin my life, so I did what I had to do by going to Ms. Cropp. Melinda wanted to see someone else, so I did what I had to do by deciding to go out with the other Carrie Wilcox.
It was a complicated situation, so I did what I had to do.
Sincerely,
Mac-Attack
Friday, August 28, 2009
A Board Meeting in the Life of the Mac-Attack
That first week of school went by extremely fast, and the second week got off to a great start. My teachers are great, my classes are so easy, and I'm also getting laid everyday.
I know it makes me sound like a desperate and horny teenager, but it's not like all Melinda and I do is have sex. Really, we're kinda in a relationship. Well, she's not ready for a relationship. So, I'm waiting it out. I go to her place everyday after school and we make love. We would go to my house, but since my dad got back from the hospital, he's always at home. It's hard to get a moment alone when a man recovering from a heart-attack needs help 24/7.
It was Wednesday when Melinda and I were just laying in her bed, cuddling and bestowing soft kisses on each other's lips. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
"Melinda, open up."
Shit! It was her mom!
"Shit! It's my mom! Quick, hide in the closet!"
Not thinking about the gay closet puns that may soon follow, I jumped out of bed and ran into her closet. I know I should've been relieved when I got in there, since her mom didn't catch us, but the first thought on my mind when I got in there was: "Jesus, how can anyone own so many shoes?"
"Come in, Mom," I heard Melinda say. Suddenly, her mom, also our Youth Director, entered the room.
"I'm going to the board meeting now. Text if you need anything."
"Okay, I will."
As soon as Melinda's mom left the room, I came out of the closet. (Insert laughter here).
"I can't believe I forgot about the board meeting. I have to be there!"
"Okay, fine. I understand."
She was pulling that whole "Jewish Guilt" thing on me, and while it was amusing, I remembered my position as President of Temple Beth Zion USY.
"You know I have to be there, baby."
"I know. Well, I guess we'll have to continue this later."
I put my clothes on and kissed her. I was about to walk out the door when I heard Melinda say:
I know it makes me sound like a desperate and horny teenager, but it's not like all Melinda and I do is have sex. Really, we're kinda in a relationship. Well, she's not ready for a relationship. So, I'm waiting it out. I go to her place everyday after school and we make love. We would go to my house, but since my dad got back from the hospital, he's always at home. It's hard to get a moment alone when a man recovering from a heart-attack needs help 24/7.
It was Wednesday when Melinda and I were just laying in her bed, cuddling and bestowing soft kisses on each other's lips. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
"Melinda, open up."
Shit! It was her mom!
"Shit! It's my mom! Quick, hide in the closet!"
Not thinking about the gay closet puns that may soon follow, I jumped out of bed and ran into her closet. I know I should've been relieved when I got in there, since her mom didn't catch us, but the first thought on my mind when I got in there was: "Jesus, how can anyone own so many shoes?"
"Come in, Mom," I heard Melinda say. Suddenly, her mom, also our Youth Director, entered the room.
"I'm going to the board meeting now. Text if you need anything."
"Okay, I will."
As soon as Melinda's mom left the room, I came out of the closet. (Insert laughter here).
"I can't believe I forgot about the board meeting. I have to be there!"
"Okay, fine. I understand."
She was pulling that whole "Jewish Guilt" thing on me, and while it was amusing, I remembered my position as President of Temple Beth Zion USY.
"You know I have to be there, baby."
"I know. Well, I guess we'll have to continue this later."
I put my clothes on and kissed her. I was about to walk out the door when I heard Melinda say:
"Hey, Michael?"
"Yeah?"
She then motioned for me to come back to the bed so she could whisper something to me.
"I love it when you call me baby."
We kissed one more time and I was off.
I got to the meeting about 10 minutes late, which meant that they were gonna start the meeting 10 minutes late. After all, they wouldn't start without their devoted president.
"Michael, now we can start. We can't start without our devoted president, you know."
My point exactly.
I looked at all my board members: Tony Abromi, Communications; Sharon Stone, Israel Affairs;
Amanda Braun, Membership/Kadima; and Josh Mauer, Religion/Education. Also, of course, was Ben Sheiner, my Vice President/Best Friend.
"Where have you been?" Ben asked as I took my seat at the head of the table.
"My dad had to go to the bathroom and needed help."
Did I mention that Ben has no idea that Melinda and I are hooking up? Before last week, I would've never dream of lying to my best friend, but Melinda wanted it to be our little secret. I have made lying to Ben about my situation with Melinda into a full-time job.
"Now that the whole board is here, I think we should get started. Michael, do you have any opening thoughts before we get to the agenda?"
"Yes, Maryl. Okay, guys, we have one main objective this year. That objective is to keep our members interested. Before Aaron resigned, we talked about doing some things that haven't really been done in our chapter before."
"Like what, hotshot?"
Tony Abromi is a smart-ass Italian Jew with a nose to show for it. He thinks he's the toughest Jew just because he's Italian. I have this theory about sophomores that states that they all walk around with an unearned sense of accomplishment. Tony is no exception.
"Well, Tony, I had an idea to do a camping trip."
"Campin' trip? Back in New York, the only campin' we did was waitin' in line for the subway to take us to Brooklyn. Now that's camping."
"Like, Tony, you were like, born in Peoria."
Josh Mauer is extremely feminine, but very friendly and very knowlegable about Judaism. He was a solid choice for Religion/Education, but he, like Tony, is a sophomore.
"Tony, this is Arizona. Most chapters in Vegas and even L.A. use their location to their advantage. There's no reason why we can't."
"Well, I think it's just a fantabulous idea!"
"Thank you, Josh. It's nice to have some support."
"So are we all in favor of doing a camping trip?"
Everyone nodded their heads.
"Good. The camping trip is set for the weekend of September 25-27. We'll do it up in Prescott."
"Perfect. Now, on to the agenda. Ben, would you like to start?"
"Sure, Mac. Now, membership shouldn't be too big of an issue and--"
"Excuse me...it's the only issue!"
Amanda Braun means well, and she takes her position as Membership/Kadima Officer very seriously. However, she may take it too seriously. Plus, she sounds like Fran Drescher and it makes my ears bleed.
"Amanda, we have 150 members currently signed up."
"And Congregation Am Yisrael has 200."
"It's a bigger congregation and a bigger target demographic."
"Then what was I elected to do if we have enough members?"
"Smile and look pretty, and maybe get us a couple pizzas."
I disregarded Tony's comment.
"There's Kadima, Amanda."
"Who cares about Kadima? It's just a bunch of bratty children!"
"Okay, I think it's time to move on."
"Agreed. Ben, please continue."
"Thank you. Anyway, like I was saying, we're expecting to expand the 'Education' part of Religion/Education. I think it might be good to get some guest speakers and stuff like that."
"I actually had a really great idea to bring to the table."
"Alright, Josh. The floor is your's."
"Thank you, Mac. I think it would be cool to talk to the youth groups from the Orthodox and Reform Communities and get representatives to be on a panel and have a debate."
"That sounds like a great idea, Josh. And, since you are our Religion/Education Officer AND since this was your idea, you will be the one to serve on the panel."
"Ooh! Ooh! Can we be wearing formal wear? I have this fabulous suit that I can wear!"
"Uh, I guess."
"FAB-U-LOUS!"
We all kinda looked at Josh and then continued.
"Moving on, let's hear from the Israel Affairs Department."
"Yes. Israel Affairs is going to be a huge part of our programming this year. There's a few rallies and such in support of Gilad Shalit. I think it's important that we have a representative at these rallies."
"Consider it done."
Sharon Stone is always a very reliable Israel Affairs Officer. While she is usally shy in social circles, Israel is her passion and she would do anything to spread the word out.
"That would be great, Sharon. Is there anything else to discuss pertaining to Israel Affairs?"
"I've been in touch with Zachar Stern, Israel's liason to West Coast USY. We're hoping he can come to Phoenix really soon for a Q&A about the current state of Israel."
"Oh yeah? Zachar Stern, heh. Nice name. Where'd he get it?"
"His parents."
"Good one. High Five, Girlfriend!"
As Josh and Sharon high-fived, I took a look at my board. While they were young and inexperienced when it came to USY Politics, they were completely devoted to making TBZ USY the best chapter it could possibly be.
After the meeting, Maryl talked to Ben and I in the parking lot.
"I'd say this was a very productive meeting."
"I agree. Great job, Mac."
"Oh, you know it was a team effort."
We were all quite satisfied with the way the meeting went.
"Well, my husband's going to be here in just a little bit and we're gonna go out to dinner. By the way, Michael, I'm looking forward to the camping trip. You did a good job."
"Thanks. See you later, Maryl."
As soon as Maryl was gone, I walked over with Ben to where our cars were parked.
"So, Mac, I was thinking."
"Good for you. It's been forever since you've done that!"
"Very funny. Anyways, since this whole Melinda thing didn't work out, I wanna tell ya about this girl I met last week who'd be perfect for you. Blonde cheerleader with tan skin and long legs."
As Ben started talking, I recieved a text from Melinda. The text read: "My parents will be out for at least another hour. Feel like coming over?"
I began to text back when I realized Ben had said something.
"Mac, did you hear me?"
"Oh, uh, yeah. Sorry. What did you say?"
"Blonde cheerleader with long legs."
"Gotcha, I'll let you know. I've gotta go, though."
"Stuff with your dad."
"Uh, yeah. Something like that."
As I got into my car, I responded to Melinda's text with: "I'll be there in a bit."
I wondered if I should've felt guilty for lying to my best friend about this. I mean, he knew about all the other girls I'd hooked up with. But Melinda was different because I was in love with her. I would do whatever it takes to make her happy, even if it means lying to others about it. Love is about compromises. I guess this was just the compromise I would have to make.
Sincerely,
Mac-Attack
Monday, August 24, 2009
The Aftermath of a Moment in the Life of the Mac-Attack
I guarantee that most of you can describe the best kiss you've ever had. Some remember being under a tree at age 13. Some feel that their best kiss was after prom, right before they were going to make love for the very first time. There's always the cliche "kiss in the rain". I've experienced all of these types of kisses, and none of them could compare to the kiss that I had just shared with Melinda.
It was under the strangest of circumstances: You see, my dad was in the Emergency Room after having a heart attack. Melinda came to the hospital to be with me and my family and to see my dad. Then, after I walked her out to her car, she ran to me and we kissed. We kissed for what seemed like a hundred years; those are the best kisses.
We looked at each other and continued to kiss, these kisses being a little softer and sweeter.
"I'm sure glad I came to the hospital now."
I laughed and we continued to kiss.
This wasn't the first time we'd ever kissed. The backstory goes as follows: at prom, I was still seeing Dara Karpen. While Dara was in the ladies' room, Melinda confessed that she had loved me for a long time. The next day, after making love to Dara, I was dumped. I then had the impulse to go to Melinda's house, and when she answered the door, I kissed her.
I wasn't exactly in my right mind when I did that, since I had just been dumped, but I knew I was in my right mind this time. Her lips felt so amazing against mine that I never wanted to detach myself from her. They were the perfect amount of soft.
"I wondered when we'd do this again."
"Well, here we are doing this again."
She kissed me again.
"I love you, Melinda. I've always loved you."
"Michael, I love you too."
We kissed for a really long time again. I wondered if we should've moved; there were a lot of angry people trying to get around us in the parking lot.
"Well, I think I should probably get home. My parents are gonna come in a little while to see your dad, though."
She then looked at me seductively.
"I'm gonna be all alone."
I could tell she was trying to entice me to come over. Dara used to do this to me all the time. Gentlemen who might be reading this: when a girl starts talking like that, understand that she's finding a creative way to invite you over.
"Well, being alone is no fun."
My other advice to all you gentlemen is to play along with it. Keep the dialogue going.
"Yeah. I wish I had someone to be with me. I mean, there could be burglars, and I can't protect myself from them."
Since Melinda wasn't just some girl I was looking to hook up with, I figured I should probably make myself sound more romantic.
I moved even closer to her and said: "I will always protect you, Melinda. You can always count on me."
"So I'll see you later then?"
"Absolutely."
We kissed one last time in the parking lot. She then went to her car and drove off.
My first instinct was to call Ben. I just knew he would want to hear about it.
602 294 1027
I got his Voice Mail.
"Yo Yo Yo! You've reached B to the E to the N; that spells Ben! I'm out and about livin it up and can't get the phone now. Leave a message after the Ba-zeep!"
My best friend is so goofy sometimes!
"Hey, it's me. Something amazing happened and I have to tell you about it. Give me a call."
I walked back into the hospital to let everyone know I was gonna go home.
"We're all gonna stick around for a while. You sure you wanna go home?"
My mom had a point, but I didn't really want to be with anyone other than Melinda. Plus, I'm not a big fan of hospitals. I decided to use the second reason as my excuse.
"You know how I feel about hospitals. I'll be fine."
"Don't wait up."
"I won't."
I walked over to my father's hospital bed and hugged him.
"I'm glad you're okay."
"Me too, son. Me too."
On that note, I left the hospital and headed home. About an hour later, I got the text message from Melinda.
"All clear. Come over whenever."
I figured that "whenever" was now, so I headed over there.
There was a sign on the door that said: Just Come on In. I did exactly as the sign told me to do. As soon as I knew it, I saw Melinda standing toward the middle of her staircase wearing a sexy number made of black lace.
"I've been waiting for you."
I can't say that I wasn't nervous. I mean, I hadn't been a virgin for several months now, but the last time Melinda had offered herself to me, I ran away.
"I've been waiting for you too."
It seemed that I had been waiting for her my entire life. I didn't know it when we were two years old, but I knew now that Melinda Moskowitz was the only girl I wanted.
"Why have we been waiting so long?"
I started walking up the stairs.
"Because it wasn't our time yet."
I was right where she was standing now. I was so close that I could feel her breath on my lips.
"Is it our time now?"
I looked at her with romantic eyes.
"I think we've waited long enough."
On that note, we kissed even more passionately than we had earlier in the hospital parking lot.
The next thing I knew, we were in her bedroom. The last time I was in there, I was tucking her drunk self in after a party. That night, she had asked me to stay, but I didn't. The difference was that, this time, we were both sober and I would stay.
After we made love, I held her for a long time. Suddenly, I heard my phone ringing.
602 294 1027
"Well, Ben's finally calling me back."
"Oh? When did you call?"
"Right after you left the hospital. I wanted to tell him the good news."
Melinda looked at me as I was about to pick up my phone. She grabbed the phone from me before I could answer it.
"Michael, there's no real news to report to Ben."
What did she mean?
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that I just got out of a relationship. I'm not completely over Aaron yet."
I looked at her, this time with confused eyes.
"Then what was all of this? You said you loved me."
"I do, but I can't be in a relationship right now."
"Can't or won't?"
"Maybe both."
My phone was still ringing.
"Are you gonna answer that?"
I got out of bed and answered my phone.
"Hello?"
"Mac, you called me about something amazing. What happened?"
Melinda looked at me as if she was begging me not to tell him.
"Oh, uh, my dad's heart attack was only mild. He's doing great and that's what the amazing thing is."
"Your dad had a heart attack?"
"Yeah. I thought I had told you. Well, no worries because he is fine."
"Well, that's good. Give him my best."
"I will. I'll talk to you later, Ben."
"Alright. Bye, Mac."
I hung up the phone and decided to start putting my clothes on.
"Please don't go, Michael."
"Melinda, I don't know what you want."
"Well, what do you want?"
"I want you."
"And I want you. I just need more time."
She looked at me.
"We can be together, Michael. We just can't tell anyone about it, at least not right now."
"So you just expect me to fool around with you until you decide that you may or may not want something more with me?"
She looked at me again, and then: "If that's not too much to ask, then yes. That's what I'm asking of you. For me."
I thought about it for a minute. I knew that this could end up hurting me more than the other option, but at the time, it made the most sense to me.
"I can do that."
"Good. Thank you. Now--are you gonna come back to bed?"
"Sure."
As I got back into bed and kissed the woman I loved, I thought about what I was doing. I hadn't done the "friends with benefits" thing since Carrie Wilcox, and that situation didn't exactly turn out in my favor. I hoped I was making the right decision right now. It was either "have Melinda as a FWB" or "don't have Melinda at all", and when I thought about it that way, the first option sounded pretty good.
People do really crazy things when they are in love. Some guys decide that it is more important to be with their girl than to be with their family. Some guys completely leave their best friend out of the loop. Some guys even decide that being with a girl in any fashion is okay, no matter who's heart is on the line.
That night, I did all three of those things. I just hoped I wasn't setting myself up for a big fall.
Sincerely,
Mac-Attack
It was under the strangest of circumstances: You see, my dad was in the Emergency Room after having a heart attack. Melinda came to the hospital to be with me and my family and to see my dad. Then, after I walked her out to her car, she ran to me and we kissed. We kissed for what seemed like a hundred years; those are the best kisses.
We looked at each other and continued to kiss, these kisses being a little softer and sweeter.
"I'm sure glad I came to the hospital now."
I laughed and we continued to kiss.
This wasn't the first time we'd ever kissed. The backstory goes as follows: at prom, I was still seeing Dara Karpen. While Dara was in the ladies' room, Melinda confessed that she had loved me for a long time. The next day, after making love to Dara, I was dumped. I then had the impulse to go to Melinda's house, and when she answered the door, I kissed her.
I wasn't exactly in my right mind when I did that, since I had just been dumped, but I knew I was in my right mind this time. Her lips felt so amazing against mine that I never wanted to detach myself from her. They were the perfect amount of soft.
"I wondered when we'd do this again."
"Well, here we are doing this again."
She kissed me again.
"I love you, Melinda. I've always loved you."
"Michael, I love you too."
We kissed for a really long time again. I wondered if we should've moved; there were a lot of angry people trying to get around us in the parking lot.
"Well, I think I should probably get home. My parents are gonna come in a little while to see your dad, though."
She then looked at me seductively.
"I'm gonna be all alone."
I could tell she was trying to entice me to come over. Dara used to do this to me all the time. Gentlemen who might be reading this: when a girl starts talking like that, understand that she's finding a creative way to invite you over.
"Well, being alone is no fun."
My other advice to all you gentlemen is to play along with it. Keep the dialogue going.
"Yeah. I wish I had someone to be with me. I mean, there could be burglars, and I can't protect myself from them."
Since Melinda wasn't just some girl I was looking to hook up with, I figured I should probably make myself sound more romantic.
I moved even closer to her and said: "I will always protect you, Melinda. You can always count on me."
"So I'll see you later then?"
"Absolutely."
We kissed one last time in the parking lot. She then went to her car and drove off.
My first instinct was to call Ben. I just knew he would want to hear about it.
602 294 1027
I got his Voice Mail.
"Yo Yo Yo! You've reached B to the E to the N; that spells Ben! I'm out and about livin it up and can't get the phone now. Leave a message after the Ba-zeep!"
My best friend is so goofy sometimes!
"Hey, it's me. Something amazing happened and I have to tell you about it. Give me a call."
I walked back into the hospital to let everyone know I was gonna go home.
"We're all gonna stick around for a while. You sure you wanna go home?"
My mom had a point, but I didn't really want to be with anyone other than Melinda. Plus, I'm not a big fan of hospitals. I decided to use the second reason as my excuse.
"You know how I feel about hospitals. I'll be fine."
"Don't wait up."
"I won't."
I walked over to my father's hospital bed and hugged him.
"I'm glad you're okay."
"Me too, son. Me too."
On that note, I left the hospital and headed home. About an hour later, I got the text message from Melinda.
"All clear. Come over whenever."
I figured that "whenever" was now, so I headed over there.
There was a sign on the door that said: Just Come on In. I did exactly as the sign told me to do. As soon as I knew it, I saw Melinda standing toward the middle of her staircase wearing a sexy number made of black lace.
"I've been waiting for you."
I can't say that I wasn't nervous. I mean, I hadn't been a virgin for several months now, but the last time Melinda had offered herself to me, I ran away.
"I've been waiting for you too."
It seemed that I had been waiting for her my entire life. I didn't know it when we were two years old, but I knew now that Melinda Moskowitz was the only girl I wanted.
"Why have we been waiting so long?"
I started walking up the stairs.
"Because it wasn't our time yet."
I was right where she was standing now. I was so close that I could feel her breath on my lips.
"Is it our time now?"
I looked at her with romantic eyes.
"I think we've waited long enough."
On that note, we kissed even more passionately than we had earlier in the hospital parking lot.
The next thing I knew, we were in her bedroom. The last time I was in there, I was tucking her drunk self in after a party. That night, she had asked me to stay, but I didn't. The difference was that, this time, we were both sober and I would stay.
After we made love, I held her for a long time. Suddenly, I heard my phone ringing.
602 294 1027
"Well, Ben's finally calling me back."
"Oh? When did you call?"
"Right after you left the hospital. I wanted to tell him the good news."
Melinda looked at me as I was about to pick up my phone. She grabbed the phone from me before I could answer it.
"Michael, there's no real news to report to Ben."
What did she mean?
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that I just got out of a relationship. I'm not completely over Aaron yet."
I looked at her, this time with confused eyes.
"Then what was all of this? You said you loved me."
"I do, but I can't be in a relationship right now."
"Can't or won't?"
"Maybe both."
My phone was still ringing.
"Are you gonna answer that?"
I got out of bed and answered my phone.
"Hello?"
"Mac, you called me about something amazing. What happened?"
Melinda looked at me as if she was begging me not to tell him.
"Oh, uh, my dad's heart attack was only mild. He's doing great and that's what the amazing thing is."
"Your dad had a heart attack?"
"Yeah. I thought I had told you. Well, no worries because he is fine."
"Well, that's good. Give him my best."
"I will. I'll talk to you later, Ben."
"Alright. Bye, Mac."
I hung up the phone and decided to start putting my clothes on.
"Please don't go, Michael."
"Melinda, I don't know what you want."
"Well, what do you want?"
"I want you."
"And I want you. I just need more time."
She looked at me.
"We can be together, Michael. We just can't tell anyone about it, at least not right now."
"So you just expect me to fool around with you until you decide that you may or may not want something more with me?"
She looked at me again, and then: "If that's not too much to ask, then yes. That's what I'm asking of you. For me."
I thought about it for a minute. I knew that this could end up hurting me more than the other option, but at the time, it made the most sense to me.
"I can do that."
"Good. Thank you. Now--are you gonna come back to bed?"
"Sure."
As I got back into bed and kissed the woman I loved, I thought about what I was doing. I hadn't done the "friends with benefits" thing since Carrie Wilcox, and that situation didn't exactly turn out in my favor. I hoped I was making the right decision right now. It was either "have Melinda as a FWB" or "don't have Melinda at all", and when I thought about it that way, the first option sounded pretty good.
People do really crazy things when they are in love. Some guys decide that it is more important to be with their girl than to be with their family. Some guys completely leave their best friend out of the loop. Some guys even decide that being with a girl in any fashion is okay, no matter who's heart is on the line.
That night, I did all three of those things. I just hoped I wasn't setting myself up for a big fall.
Sincerely,
Mac-Attack
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Finding the Perfect Moment in the Life of the Mac-Attack
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP
Oh the lovely sound of an alarm clock on the first day of school.
Yes, it was the first day of my Senior Year.
Was I excited? Somewhat.
Was I nervous? Somewhat.
Was I scared out of my fucking mind? VERY MUCH SO.
The first day of school at Deer Valley High is always hectic. Everyone is getting their schedules, catching up with old friends, making new friends, etc. Teachers are always in an extremely good mood.
"I love teaching, especially seniors. I love seniors, and I also love the PARENTS of Seniors because they will always be there for you. ALWAYS."
My American Government teacher is named Ms. Lowe. She is from the South and she apparently loves parents. She seems...interesting.
Luckily, I have some familiar faces in the class.
"Hey, Michael."
"Hey, Melinda."
Melinda finally started talking to me again. I guess now that Aaron is out of the picture, she doesn't feel weird about hanging out with me. Last week, after we were at a party, Melinda told me that she loves me and wants me. Of course, she said this as I was tucking her in; she was a little drunk.
"Class, do you all understand the importance of letting your opinions be heard?"
Yes.
"In America, there's a way for you to get your opinions heard. Who knows of this process?"
No one was raising their hands. They must have been retarded.
"Voting, Ms. Lowe."
"Very good. What is your name?"
"Mac."
"Well, Mac, you get a Gold Star. Very good, Mac. What a creative name: Mac. Does anyone ever add 'Attack' to the end of it?"
Most of the people in the class laughed and nodded their heads, since most people do call me "Mac-Attack".
"Mac, this is strange. I don't see you on my roster."
"That's because Mac is just a nickname. My name is actually Michael Maccabbi."
"Why didn't you say so? You had me believing that your name is really Mac. I was frantically looking through my roster and didn't see the name 'Mac' anywhere! You should've told me your real name, Mac. Why didn't you tell me your real name?"
This was going to be a FUN CLASS!!!
The bell finally rang.
"Wait up, Melinda."
"That was quite a show."
"Oh, you mean with Ms. Lowe?"
"Yeah. Why don't you just say your real name for once?"
"Come on Melinda, no one calls me 'Michael' besides you and my parents."
"Other than me and your parents, who else matters?"
She smiled playfully.
"So where are you off to next?"
"Pre-Calc. Those numbers are calling my name."
"Well, I'd walk there with you--except that I'm not in Pre-Calc."
We laughed a little bit. I feel like we were having a moment or something because we suddenly began moving a little closer. However, we moved no closer when Ben entered our sight.
"Hey, guys."
Melinda and I awkwardly began acting like there was nothing between us.
"Uh, hey. Good to be back in school with my two best friends."
"Yes, very best friends. Glad to be back in school."
Ben looked at us.
"Did either of you guys take your coffee Irish this morning?"
Melinda and I awkwardly laughed.
"So, I'll see you later?"
"Definitely."
We shared an awkward hug.
"Bye, guys."
After she walked away, Ben looked at me.
"What's going on between the two of you?"
"Well, for the moment, nothing! Thanks to you, nothing is going on."
"What did I do?"
"I think Melinda and I were having a moment. Then you interrupted it."
"Oh. I'm sorry, Mac."
"I may never have a moment with her again. Those don't come around everyday, you know."
"Mac, after last week's party, the possibilities are endless."
"You think so?"
"Come on, Mac. She practically begged you to sleep with her and you turned it down because you didn't want to take advantage of a drunk girl whom you were in love with."
"Geez, is that what I did? Wow, that's the second time I've turned down sex from her. I really need to stop doing that."
"Mac, I'm being serious. All you need to do now is let your feelings for Melinda be known to her."
"I think she knows."
"It wouldn't hurt to remind her."
As I went to English with Mrs. Parkdale and thought about what Ben was saying about reminding Melinda of my feelings for her. Afterall, I had told her my feelings initially back in May. It was August now. There was no reason why I shouldn't let her know that my feelings hadn't changed. After school, I waited by Melinda's car.
"Hey, what are you doing over here? I figured you'd want to head home."
"Traffic's gonna keep me here for a while anyway."
"I see. You have a point."
We were quiet for a minute.
"Michael, I never thanked you for what you did after B's party? You didn't have to."
"Well, actually, I kinda did."
"Not after the way I'd been treating you. I didn't even congratulate you on becoming President of USY."
"Melinda, don't sweat it. I gave you your space and you came around."
She smiled.
"I was really drunk."
"No. Really?"
We laughed a little bit.
"I should probably get to my car."
"Wait, Michael."
I was heavily anticipating what she was going to say.
"I said some things to you while I was drunk."
Oh great. The bomb was dropped on me that she didn't mean anything she said while she was drunk. I thought alcohol was supposed to make you tell the truth!
"I understand. We all say things we don't mean when we are drunk."
No we don't. The thing is that we are completely honest when we are drunk. At least, that's how it's SUPPOSED to be.
"No, I meant every word of it."
Suddenly, she began moving closer. I moved closer at the same time.
I feel like we were about to kiss when suddenly my phone started vibrating.
"Damnit."
It was my Mom.
"Hello?"
"Michael, your father has gone into cardiac arrest. He's being rushed to the hospital."
I didn't say anything.
"Michael, I need you to say something."
"What hospital, Mom?"
"Mayo."
"I'll be right there."
I hung up.
"What's wrong?"
"It's my dad. He's going to the hospital. I'll call you later."
I ran off to my car and drove to Mayo Hospital. My dad was in the Emergency Room where they were figuring out what was wrong. It was very mild, so they didn't need to have him in the ICU, but it was still traumatic for me. When the doctors said I could, I went into his room where my mom and sister Tara were sitting.
"Dad!"
I was crying my eyes out as soon as I saw him. I walked toward him and gripped his hand.
"Michael, it's okay. The doctors say I'm going to be fine."
"What happened?"
I was still crying. I couldn't remember the last time I cried so much.
"I haven't been eating right or exercising nearly enough. I was walking up the stairs when I suddenly felt this crazy pain in my arm, as well as in my heart."
I couldn't believe that my father was describing a heart-attack to me as if it was a completely normal thing. I mean, he had been in the hospital before for a much longer period, but it was still very scary for me.
"Luckily your mother knows CPR or I wouldn't be standing here--well, laying here--today."
Suddenly, there was a knock on the hospital door.
"That's probably the nurse with my heart-healthy meal."
"Come in."
It wasn't the nurse and there was no heart-healthy meal.
"Hi, Rabbi Maccabbi. How are "ou feeling?"
"Melinda, how many times do I have to tell you? Call me Al!"
Melinda smiled.
"We've missed seeing you this summer, Melinda."
"Yeah, I'm sorry about that. Was kinda busy with things."
"Well, that's okay. We're not that exciting anyway."
Melinda, along with my mom and sister, laughed at my dad's comment.
"Melinda, did you hear I'm getting married?"
"Yeah, I heard. Congratulations."
"Thank you. It's gonna be a fabulous wedding!"
Everyone was quiet.
"Michael, why don't you and Melinda go get some drinks from the cafeteria? Darrin and JT want to come in here, anyway. There can't be too many people in here, you know."
"Yeah, we can do that."
We left the room. Melinda and I began walking toward the cafeteria. We didn't talk much while getting our drinks. I never feel like talking much when in hospitals for some reason.
"Well, I should probably get to my car."
"I'll walk you out there."
"Okay."
We got out to her car.
"You have no idea what it means to me that you came here to see my dad. Thank you, Melinda."
"Well, your dad has always been so good to me."
"Well, he's a good guy. I'm glad he's okay."
"Me too."
It was silent for a moment.
"Well, uh, I should get home."
"Yeah, I should get back in there."
We shared another awkward hug. I then started walking away. To my surprise, I didn't see Melinda drive away. In fact, I didn't even hear her shut her car door. I looked back and saw that she was still standing there. I then turned around and found myself running toward her. She was running toward me as well. Once we finally got to each other, we were kissing passionately. We had kissed before, but this time was different.
All day, I'd been trying to find the perfect moment with her. I'd come close twice already but got interrupted both times. I guess it took a heart attack and a hospital for her and I to get it right.
Her lips were soft and tasted of strawberry lip balm. It was like no kiss I'd ever had before. I knew right then and there that it was possible that I would never have a kiss like that again.
At that moment, I wasn't sure where the kiss would lead to, but I wasn't thinking about where it would lead to either. I was living in the moment, and at that particular time, the moment was the best place to live.
Sincerely,
Mac-Attack
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP
Oh the lovely sound of an alarm clock on the first day of school.
Yes, it was the first day of my Senior Year.
Was I excited? Somewhat.
Was I nervous? Somewhat.
Was I scared out of my fucking mind? VERY MUCH SO.
The first day of school at Deer Valley High is always hectic. Everyone is getting their schedules, catching up with old friends, making new friends, etc. Teachers are always in an extremely good mood.
"I love teaching, especially seniors. I love seniors, and I also love the PARENTS of Seniors because they will always be there for you. ALWAYS."
My American Government teacher is named Ms. Lowe. She is from the South and she apparently loves parents. She seems...interesting.
Luckily, I have some familiar faces in the class.
"Hey, Michael."
"Hey, Melinda."
Melinda finally started talking to me again. I guess now that Aaron is out of the picture, she doesn't feel weird about hanging out with me. Last week, after we were at a party, Melinda told me that she loves me and wants me. Of course, she said this as I was tucking her in; she was a little drunk.
"Class, do you all understand the importance of letting your opinions be heard?"
Yes.
"In America, there's a way for you to get your opinions heard. Who knows of this process?"
No one was raising their hands. They must have been retarded.
"Voting, Ms. Lowe."
"Very good. What is your name?"
"Mac."
"Well, Mac, you get a Gold Star. Very good, Mac. What a creative name: Mac. Does anyone ever add 'Attack' to the end of it?"
Most of the people in the class laughed and nodded their heads, since most people do call me "Mac-Attack".
"Mac, this is strange. I don't see you on my roster."
"That's because Mac is just a nickname. My name is actually Michael Maccabbi."
"Why didn't you say so? You had me believing that your name is really Mac. I was frantically looking through my roster and didn't see the name 'Mac' anywhere! You should've told me your real name, Mac. Why didn't you tell me your real name?"
This was going to be a FUN CLASS!!!
The bell finally rang.
"Wait up, Melinda."
"That was quite a show."
"Oh, you mean with Ms. Lowe?"
"Yeah. Why don't you just say your real name for once?"
"Come on Melinda, no one calls me 'Michael' besides you and my parents."
"Other than me and your parents, who else matters?"
She smiled playfully.
"So where are you off to next?"
"Pre-Calc. Those numbers are calling my name."
"Well, I'd walk there with you--except that I'm not in Pre-Calc."
We laughed a little bit. I feel like we were having a moment or something because we suddenly began moving a little closer. However, we moved no closer when Ben entered our sight.
"Hey, guys."
Melinda and I awkwardly began acting like there was nothing between us.
"Uh, hey. Good to be back in school with my two best friends."
"Yes, very best friends. Glad to be back in school."
Ben looked at us.
"Did either of you guys take your coffee Irish this morning?"
Melinda and I awkwardly laughed.
"So, I'll see you later?"
"Definitely."
We shared an awkward hug.
"Bye, guys."
After she walked away, Ben looked at me.
"What's going on between the two of you?"
"Well, for the moment, nothing! Thanks to you, nothing is going on."
"What did I do?"
"I think Melinda and I were having a moment. Then you interrupted it."
"Oh. I'm sorry, Mac."
"I may never have a moment with her again. Those don't come around everyday, you know."
"Mac, after last week's party, the possibilities are endless."
"You think so?"
"Come on, Mac. She practically begged you to sleep with her and you turned it down because you didn't want to take advantage of a drunk girl whom you were in love with."
"Geez, is that what I did? Wow, that's the second time I've turned down sex from her. I really need to stop doing that."
"Mac, I'm being serious. All you need to do now is let your feelings for Melinda be known to her."
"I think she knows."
"It wouldn't hurt to remind her."
As I went to English with Mrs. Parkdale and thought about what Ben was saying about reminding Melinda of my feelings for her. Afterall, I had told her my feelings initially back in May. It was August now. There was no reason why I shouldn't let her know that my feelings hadn't changed. After school, I waited by Melinda's car.
"Hey, what are you doing over here? I figured you'd want to head home."
"Traffic's gonna keep me here for a while anyway."
"I see. You have a point."
We were quiet for a minute.
"Michael, I never thanked you for what you did after B's party? You didn't have to."
"Well, actually, I kinda did."
"Not after the way I'd been treating you. I didn't even congratulate you on becoming President of USY."
"Melinda, don't sweat it. I gave you your space and you came around."
She smiled.
"I was really drunk."
"No. Really?"
We laughed a little bit.
"I should probably get to my car."
"Wait, Michael."
I was heavily anticipating what she was going to say.
"I said some things to you while I was drunk."
Oh great. The bomb was dropped on me that she didn't mean anything she said while she was drunk. I thought alcohol was supposed to make you tell the truth!
"I understand. We all say things we don't mean when we are drunk."
No we don't. The thing is that we are completely honest when we are drunk. At least, that's how it's SUPPOSED to be.
"No, I meant every word of it."
Suddenly, she began moving closer. I moved closer at the same time.
I feel like we were about to kiss when suddenly my phone started vibrating.
"Damnit."
It was my Mom.
"Hello?"
"Michael, your father has gone into cardiac arrest. He's being rushed to the hospital."
I didn't say anything.
"Michael, I need you to say something."
"What hospital, Mom?"
"Mayo."
"I'll be right there."
I hung up.
"What's wrong?"
"It's my dad. He's going to the hospital. I'll call you later."
I ran off to my car and drove to Mayo Hospital. My dad was in the Emergency Room where they were figuring out what was wrong. It was very mild, so they didn't need to have him in the ICU, but it was still traumatic for me. When the doctors said I could, I went into his room where my mom and sister Tara were sitting.
"Dad!"
I was crying my eyes out as soon as I saw him. I walked toward him and gripped his hand.
"Michael, it's okay. The doctors say I'm going to be fine."
"What happened?"
I was still crying. I couldn't remember the last time I cried so much.
"I haven't been eating right or exercising nearly enough. I was walking up the stairs when I suddenly felt this crazy pain in my arm, as well as in my heart."
I couldn't believe that my father was describing a heart-attack to me as if it was a completely normal thing. I mean, he had been in the hospital before for a much longer period, but it was still very scary for me.
"Luckily your mother knows CPR or I wouldn't be standing here--well, laying here--today."
Suddenly, there was a knock on the hospital door.
"That's probably the nurse with my heart-healthy meal."
"Come in."
It wasn't the nurse and there was no heart-healthy meal.
"Hi, Rabbi Maccabbi. How are "ou feeling?"
"Melinda, how many times do I have to tell you? Call me Al!"
Melinda smiled.
"We've missed seeing you this summer, Melinda."
"Yeah, I'm sorry about that. Was kinda busy with things."
"Well, that's okay. We're not that exciting anyway."
Melinda, along with my mom and sister, laughed at my dad's comment.
"Melinda, did you hear I'm getting married?"
"Yeah, I heard. Congratulations."
"Thank you. It's gonna be a fabulous wedding!"
Everyone was quiet.
"Michael, why don't you and Melinda go get some drinks from the cafeteria? Darrin and JT want to come in here, anyway. There can't be too many people in here, you know."
"Yeah, we can do that."
We left the room. Melinda and I began walking toward the cafeteria. We didn't talk much while getting our drinks. I never feel like talking much when in hospitals for some reason.
"Well, I should probably get to my car."
"I'll walk you out there."
"Okay."
We got out to her car.
"You have no idea what it means to me that you came here to see my dad. Thank you, Melinda."
"Well, your dad has always been so good to me."
"Well, he's a good guy. I'm glad he's okay."
"Me too."
It was silent for a moment.
"Well, uh, I should get home."
"Yeah, I should get back in there."
We shared another awkward hug. I then started walking away. To my surprise, I didn't see Melinda drive away. In fact, I didn't even hear her shut her car door. I looked back and saw that she was still standing there. I then turned around and found myself running toward her. She was running toward me as well. Once we finally got to each other, we were kissing passionately. We had kissed before, but this time was different.
All day, I'd been trying to find the perfect moment with her. I'd come close twice already but got interrupted both times. I guess it took a heart attack and a hospital for her and I to get it right.
Her lips were soft and tasted of strawberry lip balm. It was like no kiss I'd ever had before. I knew right then and there that it was possible that I would never have a kiss like that again.
At that moment, I wasn't sure where the kiss would lead to, but I wasn't thinking about where it would lead to either. I was living in the moment, and at that particular time, the moment was the best place to live.
Sincerely,
Mac-Attack
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