Love, One More Time

         Connie Lovelace was the kind of woman who always felt that she needed a man in her life to be complete. Persistent in love, she was; lucky in love, she wasn't.  Love had the tendency to roll in and sweep her away to cloud nine without a warning one minute, then send her plummeting back to earth the next.  After a bad break-up, and as a general rule: they were all bad break-ups, she would bawl and squall over her grievous loss, even though she had caught him cheating on her, or stealing from her, or using her as a punching bag, or catching him trying on her clothes, or any of a dozen other travesties that had happened to her, or any combination of the above.
         Connie was running on a treadmill and wearing a pink t-shirt with matching jogging pants, her jet black hair pulled up in a ponytail.  It took a lot of work to keep her twenty-six year old body in good shape, but she didn't mind, it was all worth it.  Her mp3 player was hanging from her hip with 'NSYNC blasting through the ear buds; she was looking across the massive room filled with stationary bikes, elliptical machines, weight benches and treadmills when she saw this gorgeous man lifting weights at one of the stations about a hundred feet in front of her.  She was thinking that he sort of looked like JC Chavez, her favorite 'NSYNC member, as she continued watching him.
         She waited until she was finished with her workout to approach him.  He had taken off his cut-off t-shirt by the time she made her way over to him.  He had just finished a set and was sitting on the workout bench, wiping his face with a blue towel.
         "Nice abs," she said with a grin.  She was scanning his body up and down, not bothering to be subtle. 
         "Thanks," he replied, smiling back.  He picked up a large, blue water bottle and took a drink from it.
         Upon closer inspection, she noticed that he didn't actually look like JC Chavez, but that was okay; she thought he was cute enough without looking like he was a member of a boy band; she noticed as he smiled at her that he had these cute little dimples; those dimples made her insides melt.  His short, clean cut, sandy blonde hair had been a little bit mussed up from the workout, but she could tell that he would clean up rather nicely.  And that body, she noticed, was naturally tanned and he had a swimmer's build, thin and toned.
         "No," she said, still looking him over and still smiling, "thank you."
         He laughed at this.  It was a good, hearty laugh.  "You're blunt.  I like that." He said and extended his arm to her. "I'm Doug."
         "I'm Connie," she said taking his hand shaking it.
         "Listen," he said, "would you like to have dinner tonight?"
         "I thought you'd never ask, cowboy," she replied.  She reached into her gym bag and pulled out a pen and a business card, scribbled something on the back of the card, and handed it to him. "You can pick me up at seven." 
         She gave him another look, turned around, and strutted out the front door.  She had never approached a man in that way before and was feeling quite pleased with herself.  She made her way to the parking garage, found her navy blue Ford Expedition, and climbed into it.  A few minutes before she reached her office her cell phone rang.
         "This is Connie Lovelace," she answered, expecting it to be a client or someone from her office.
         "Well, Miss Lovelace," Doug's voice said through the speaker, surprising her. "I just wanted to call you to make sure you had my number.  Have a great day, and I'll see you tonight."
         And with that, he hung up.  The rest of her day went splendidly, Connie was giddy all day at work and walked with a little swagger in her step that had her coworkers wondering who the new man in her life was.  Doug picked her up promptly at seven, took her to a wonderful dinner, and took her home where they had a nightcap.  Things went so well, Connie invited Doug to stay the night; two weeks later, Doug moved in with her.
         It's been six months since Doug moved into her beachside condo.  Connie made special arrangements to have all of her meetings during the morning so she could have the afternoon off to make a romantic surprise dinner for Doug to celebrate their six month anniversary.  She went to the grocery store and bought steaks, then headed over to the Los Angeles Wine Company and picked up a bottle of Revana Cabernet, her favorite indulgence.
         Connie made her way home through lunch hour traffic and found the driveway empty.  Doug was at his test shoot for Ward's Sporting Goods, one of her clients, so he wouldn't be home until later that afternoon.  She had pulled a few strings and gotten him the audition.  The test shoot would give her plenty of time to get her surprise dinner prepared.
         As she made her way through the front door, Connie heard the Ramones blaring from the bedroom.  She figured Doug had been running late, again, and forgot to turn it off before he left.  She packed the  bags into the kitchen and sat them on the black marble countertop.  She grabbed the bottle of wine and placed it in the mini wine refrigerator so it would be chilled for dinner; then she walked back over to the bags and grabbed the lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and cucumbers and put them in the crisper of the refrigerator; finally she took the steaks and put them in the stainless steel sink so she could begin seasoning them.
         The Ramones were still playing loud and fast when Connie walked into the living room.  She looked over at the cocoa colored sofa and saw a pair of Doug's dirty socks lying next to the corner of the coffee table.  She detoured over to the socks and picked them up.  There she saw a pair of shorts; she picked those up as well.
         Connie sighed and said aloud to herself, "that man needs to learn to clean up after himself."
         She hauled the dirty clothes down the hall.  The Ramones getting louder every step of the way.
         Twenty, twenty, twenty-four hours ago
          I wanna be sedated
         Nothin' to do and nowhere to go-o-oh
         I wanna be sedated
         Connie reached the bedroom door and opened it.  She had only taken one step into the room when she saw the most disturbing thing in her young life.  Doug was buck naked on all fours on her bed.  Behind him, heaving, was her neighbor Brian, a forty-two year old mailman with way more body hair than one man should ever have.
         If she hadn't have been so shocked, she would have screamed, but all she could think to do was shut the door; so, she did.  She rested with her back to the door, trying to breathe, trying to think, trying to comprehend, all the while, the Ramones still roaring.
         Just get me to the airport put me on a plane
         Hurry, hurry, hurry, before I go insane          
         Then the music stopped and reality crashed over her like a wave.  She screamed at the top of her lungs to try to make the vision go away.  It didn't work.  Then she heard rustling in the room behind her.  She couldn't fathom facing Doug, or Brian, much less both of them, so she sprinted to the kitchen, grabbed her purse, hauled ass out the back door, got in her Expedition and drove away.
         Hours later, she returned and the house was quiet.  Connie quietly crept through the house to make sure no one was there, but she found that Doug's clothes in the hall closet and what few possessions he had brought with him were all gone.  She saw that Doug had left the keys to the house on the coffee table.  Until that moment, Connie had found herself emotionally numb.  She hadn't spoken a single word, she had just sat in her SUV in a parking lot a few miles down the beach and watched the ocean.  It wasn't until she realized that Doug was gone that she started crying.
         Connie sobbed as she wondered what she was doing to drive men away, what was wrong with her that made men not want to be with her, and why she always managed to find the wrong guys for herself.  During her contemplation she got up and went to the kitchen to get a carton of Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey.  On her way, she looked in the sink and saw the steaks still sitting there so placed them in the refrigerator.  The opened the freezer door and picked up the pint carton.  She grabbed a spoon from the strainer next to the sink and took her ice cream into the living room. 
         Connie picked up the remote, flipped on the television, and started scanning channels; she landed on the Lifetime Movie Network and found a series of romantic comedies to help her take her mind off her own romance troubles.  Halfway through one of the movies, her cell phone rang.  She looked at the display.  It read: DOUG WEIMEN.  She sighed and turned off the phone and continued watching her movie.  After it was over, she turned on Conan O'Brien and drifted off to sleep on the couch covered by her favorite, comfy, blue and green plaid fleece throw.
         Knowing that everyone at her office would be eagerly waiting to find out how her surprise anniversary dinner went, Connie called off sick.  When Denise, her boss, asked what was wrong she claimed she had gotten food poisoning from some shrimp she had bought and hung up.  She got up and went to the kitchen to make some breakfast.  She didn't feel like actually cooking anything on the stove so she grabbed a bowl and spoon and decided to have some cereal.  She opened up the cabinet and looked her choices: Grape Nuts, Shredded Wheat, Special K, and Fruity Pebbles.
         She groaned with disgust at the first two choices.  She grabbed them and tossed them in the trashcan.  They were Doug's cereal and she really didn't want them taking up space in her pantry.  She wasn't really feeling like being healthy today so she bypassed the Special K and grabbed the Fruity Pebbles. She walked over to the refrigerator, took out the milk, and had herself a tasty, unhealthy breakfast.  After she finished her cereal, Connie still didn't feel like doing anything so she made her way back to the couch and went back to bed.
         When Connie woke up again, it was a little past noon.  She picked up her cell phone and dialed her best friend, Stacey Cooper.  She picked up on the second ring.
         "How was your little lover's dinner?" Stacey asked right off the bat.
         Connie silently sighed and waited a moment before answering. "I'll tell you all about over lunch.  You In?"
         "Ooooh, you know I'm in," Stacey squealed. "I want all the juicy details."
         "You can have them all." Connie said, continuing to act as if nothing was wrong. "I took the day off. Come by and pick me up in forty-five minutes."
         "Whew girl, it must have been some kind of night if you called in to work today," Stacey noted. "You must have let little Dougie drive the SUV or something if you need me to pick you up."
         "It's something like that.  Forty-five minutes." Connie said sarcastically and hit the end button on the cell phone.
         Connie set the cell phone down on the edge of the coffee table and took a deep breath to gather the courage to do something she had been dreading since last night.  She walked down the hallway and stopped outside her bedroom door.  She took another deep breath, turned the knob, and slowly pushed the door open.  The bed was messily made, but at least Doug had been considerate enough to try and make it up.  But still, she couldn't see keeping those sheets after what had transpired on them. 
         So she grabbed all of the pillows and slung them into to corner.  Then she reached under the top mattress, grabbed the mattress pad and all of the sheets, ripped them from the bed, and tossed them into the corner with the pillows.  She walked into the kitchen and grabbed the bottle of Antibacterial Febreze she normally used on the trashcan.  She could afford to replace the sheets and comforter, but getting a new mattress set was a hassle she wasn't prepared to go through, so she took the bottle and sprayed the top mattress.  She'd make Stacey take her to buy new bedding after lunch.
         By the time Stacey had arrived at her house, Connie had showered, put on some light make-up to make it look as if she wasn't wearing any, blow dried her hair, and gotten dressed.  She had chosen a white, roll-up sleeve blouse, a pair of khaki colored capri pants, and some brown pumps.  She picked up her pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses and walked into the living room to answer the door.
         "Hey girl," Stacey said as the door opened. "I just saw that hairy hunk of goodness you call a neighbor leaving as I pulled up.  I tell ya, there's not much I wouldn't do to that man.  Mm, mm, mmm.  Yummy."
         Connie let her friend enter the house, sighed, and said, "girlfriend, you don't have what it takes to satisfy that man."
         "Oh, he's into that kinky stuff, is he?"
         "No," Connie paused for a moment trying to figure out how to break the news to her. "Let's just say you're both playing for the same team, if you catch my drift."
         "No way!" Connie said, her jaw dropping for a moment. "How did you find that out?"
         "I caught him and Doug going at it in my bed when I got home yesterday afternoon." Connie said, trying not to cry.
         Stacey's bright blue eyes widened in disbelief.  She didn't do anything for a minute, then she leaned over to Connie and gave her a big comforting hug.  Finally, she pulled back, grabbed Connie's hand, and said, "Come on, you can tell me all about at lunch.  You look famished."
         Connie gave a weak smile, grabbed her purse, and let Stacey lead her out the door.  Connie told her the whole gruesome story over a Cobb salad and glass of chardonnay.  Stacey remained silent for most of it, only interjecting when she got to the part where she had discovered them doing the deed. "I just can't believe it."
         "The worst part about it is Doug and I went to Brian's birthday party last week.  And Doug wanted us to get him a cappuccino machine.  Like one of those hundred and sixty dollar cappuccino machines.  Now I understand why, " Connie informed her friend, "At the time, I just thought they were becoming good friends, ya know?  Going to the gym, watching baseball games, playing video games.  I never thought..."
         "Honey," Stacey interrupted, "no one ever thinks her boyfriend and his best friend are doing the nasty.  You can't blame yourself for this.  You did nothing wrong."
         "I know, but..."
         "No buts.  I know this is hard for you, but you need to move on." Stacey advised her. "I know it may sound a little callous of me, but you know better than anyone, that you forget about the old one faster if you're with a new one.  So, this Friday night, we're going out.  There is a new club down on West Pico Boulevard I want to try out.  I know a guy that works there that can get us on the list."
         "I don't know..." Connie hesitated.
         "We're going and that's final." Stacey said, laying down the law.
         Stacey dropped Connie off at around five that evening with a renewed confidence and a brand new bedroom suit.  She washed the new bed clothes then placed them in the dryer and let it run.  Then she gathered up the old set, took them out back to the patio, and placed them in the fire pit grill.  She went to the kitchen, opened up the bottle of Revana, and poured a wine flute full.  Then she took her glass and walked back out onto the patio.  She picked up a bottle of lighter fluid, soaked the sheets until the bottle was empty, lit a match, and set the heaping mass of fabric ablaze.  Finally, she sits down at the patio table and enjoys the wine and fire as she watches the sun set.  She felt surprisingly content.  Maybe there was hope for her yet.
         The next three days were business as usual for Connie.  She avoided directly answering questions about her anniversary dinner by saying things like, "it was unforgettable" or "she felt like the whole night was a dream".  She didn't feel like letting everyone in on her little secret just yet.  She didn't want anyone in her advertising firm trying to comfort her or tell her to take some time off from work.  She felt that doing something productive would help her keep her mind off things.  And it worked, Friday afternoon was there before she realized it.  Soon she'd be out dancing, partying, and having herself a grand old time.
         Connie went home and fixed herself a turkey sandwich with lettuce, tomato, and light mayo for dinner.  Then she showered and started getting ready to go out.  She spent over an hour curling her jet black hair, but she didn't care; she wanted to look good and if spending an hour curling her hair was the price, she was willing to pay it.  She put on her vibrant red Gucci one piece strapless mini dress.  She loved this dress because it made her long legs look even longer.  She pulled out her black leather Louis Vuitton stilettos and slipped them on her feet.  She grabbed a matching handbag, too.  She put on a pair of pearl stud earrings and a thin silver choker with a silver rose charm to finish out her outfit.
         Connie sat down in front of the lighted vanity mirror and started in on her make-up.  She brushed her cheeks with a light dusting of blush.  She only used enough to make it look like she wasn't wearing any at all.  Next, she carefully applied a black smoky eye shadow.  Then she picked out a nude shade of lipstick because she didn't want to draw attention away from her dress and eyes by wearing too bright a shade of lipstick.  She applied the lipstick to her full lips and dropped the tube into her handbag along with her wallet, her I.D., cell phone, and keys.  She left the house and went to pick up Stacey.
         Stacey was decked out in an electric blue blouse that showed off her thirty-four C cups and a black mini skirt.  She wore short black toeless pumps and carried a handbag slightly bigger than the one Connie carried.  Her shoulder length blonde hair was straight and perfect.  She wore a dark red lipstick.  She was a huntress ready to find her prey.
         According to Stacey, this club was supposed to be the hottest spot in town.  Atmos was where all the hippest people were congregating.  The people on the dance floor were shimmying and gyrating to the beat of the song; their hands waving in the air.  She followed Stacey to the bar and ordered a whiskey sour. 
         After receiving their drinks, they made their way over to one of the tall tables near the front of the club, the dance floor to their backs, and sat down on one of the high stools.  Connie smiled and took a sip of her drink and set it down.  Techno music was blaring from the far end of the club.  The deep bass beats were resonating throughout the room.  Connie could feel each beat vibrate through her entire body.
         She looked around the room trying to find a single guy she might find interesting.  No one caught her attention so she turned toward Stacey and sighed.  Stacey, too, was checking out the room.
         "How 'bout that one?" Stacey said pointing out a greasy looking guy wearing a vest, but no shirt underneath.
         "No way!  That's more your type," Connie grimaced, shaking her head. "He looks like a reject from the Jersey Shore.  He's got so much pomade in his hair I'm afraid for his life if he goes near an open flame."
         "Well, if you aren't going to," Stacey said, sitting her drink down on the table. "Then I'm gonna go see if that yummy hunk of man wants to dance with me."
         Connie shrugged as she watched Stacey stroll over to the greasy looking guy and flirt like a pro.  It must have worked for her because a minute later they were gliding toward the dance floor.  Connie didn't feel the least bit jealous.  She had dated his kind before and all she had to show for it was a six hundred dollar phone bill and some stretched out lingerie.
         Connie took another sip of her drink and studied the room again.  It wasn't looking much better the second time until she spotted someone coming in the front door.  There was a group of guys walking toward the bar.  One of them stood out to her.  He had this preppy kind of look with short, light, brown hair, a neat and tidy dress shirt, a pair of chinos, and some hushpuppies.  He was definitely not Connie's normal type of guy, but then again, maybe it was time to ditch her normal type and try something new.
         The pack of little yuppies moved past her.  The guy that she had just scoped out looked at her, and she smiled her best smile at him.  He smiled back, then turned around, and made his way to the bar.
         Connie turned away and looked to the dance floor to see if she could spot Stacey.  She didn't want to seem desperate by continuing to watch the bar, so she tried her best to find Stacey through the ocean of undulating bodies out on the dance floor.  A few minutes had passed and when she turned back around to take another sip of her drink, Mr. Preppy standing there with a bottle of beer in his hand and a smile on his face.
         "Hi," Mr. Preppy said and blushed. "I'm sorry, but you're so beautiful that I just forgot what I was gonna say."
         Connie blushed and said, "that's so sweet.  Thank you."
         "I'm Josh," he said and held out his free hand. "It's nice to meet you."
         "I'm Connie," she said. "A pleasure.  So what brings you to a place like this?"
         "I'm a lawyer, and I won my first case on Wednesday, so some of the guys from my firm decided they needed to take me out to celebrate," Josh said proudly. "What about you?"
         Connie looked at him and gave a small little laugh. "Let's just say that my week started off badly and my friend decided I needed a night out to take my mind off things."
         "Well, here's to hoping things get better for you," he said and tipped his beer bottle toward her.
         Connie picked up her glass and lightly tapped it against his beer bottle. "To better things.  It certainly looks as if things are getting better by the minute.  The only thing I'm worried about right now is the DJ turning on that strobe light.  They give me such bad headaches."
         Josh chuckled and said, "Wow!  Strobe lights give me headaches, too."
         An up-tempo new song started, the beats surging through the club like a heartbeat.  The volume rising to a point where it was getting hard to hear without yelling.  The lights dimmed and a disco ball started spinning.  Small, colored spotlights flared up toward the disco ball, the light reflecting off it moved around the room. 
         Josh took two steps closer to Connie and leaned in toward her and said, "do you want go somewhere else?  I know this great little sushi place on the Third Street Promenade called..."
         "The Monsoon Cafe," Connie said excitedly. "I love that place.  Let's go."          
         Josh held out his elbow and Connie took it.  They left their drinks on the table and made their way toward the door talking excitedly between one another.  Connie pulled out her cell phone and texted Stacey," I'm leaving.  I think I've found a keeper this time."