Willfully Blind

CHAPTER 25 The Suspense is Killing Me

"What's up, man?" Dirk asked, feeling discouraged.

"Nothing much; just sitting here watching an old Sanford and Son rerun. What's going on with you? You and Lisa good?"

"Hell naw! Man, I gotta holla at you, Court. Can you sneak out for a minute?"

"Man, it's almost 10 o'clock! It can't wait until tomorrow?"

"Court, get up, dude! I'll swing by and pick you up."

"No, no, no. I'll meet you. I gotta be at work early tomorrow. I'm not about to be out all-night messing around with you."

Daryn, having just come out of the office after checking her emails and paying a few bills online, overheard Courtney agreeing to meet someone at a nearby sports bar. She watched him, who had been comfortably lounging in his boxers, get up and throw on sweatpants.

"You're going out this late?" Daryn asked, leaning inside the doorway, her arms folded. She and Courtney had had very few words since the charge card episode.

"Yeah, Dirk drama. I won't be out too late." He gave Daryn a quick kiss on the cheek as he eased by. Bad sign. He was definitely still pissed. Probably the real reason he was going out. Courtney could be so passive - aggressive at times. She was on her way to apologize for getting snappy and again promise not to engage in any future "illogical" spending sprees...blah, blah, blah. She knew she needed to address it sooner than later.

                                                                                                *****

Courtney thought about where things were with Daryn and the need to sort things out with her. Although at times he could be over-the-top about finances, he hated the whole credit liability feeling. Daryn seemed to think that credit was somehow their own money and they could use it when they wanted. A mindset he believed a lot of people got caught up in. He saw it for what it was. They were borrowing money. The more they borrowed the further in the hole they got and potentially the more at risk their credit would be. He refused to be like some of the folks he ran into on a daily basis, including some of his family members; living check to check. Piss poor decisions left them dealing with everything from bankruptcy to car repossession...he had seen it all. The biggest misconception many of these naïve adults had — Daryn along with them — was it can't happen to me. Famous last words, or so he had seen many times.

"Get to the point man. Is she?" Courtney asked, staring at Dirk in full suspense. Dirk had set up the entire story, all the while holding out. Courtney's patience had worn out waiting for his melodramatic friend to spit it out. And he thought his tiff with Daryn was serious.

"Naw, man. She's not. But you know what, Court? For the first time in a long time, it was like I felt like...man, I don't even know how to describe it."

"Maybe you felt like an adult?"

"Well, yeah, but more importantly, I looked at Lisa like a woman. I think I've been looking at her as the girl I met in college who sparked my interest, but not a woman. Someone that could have my baby, Court. That's huge, man. I feel so stupid thinking about everything I've been putting not only the woman I love through but hell my future baby momma."

"Don't say baby momma, man. Please don't string those words together in any context again...ever." Courtney and Dirk both laughed.

"But seriously, man. I'm going to lose Lisa if I don't do something fast." Dirk's expression may it clear he'd had an epiphany. Courtney was amazed it had taken all this to get his friend to realize where the relationship was heading. It took the girl to actually go out and apartment hunt for Dirk to get the hint. Astounding.

"I'm inclined to agree with you, brother. Whatcha gonna do, D?"

"I don't know, man, but I got to get on top of it. I can't lose her."