Life Ain't A Fairy Tale (5 page)

"That's not the type of face you had last
night."

"Last night, it was very hard to maintain a
serious face when you were so...well...so seductive and fun." I
blush as my words come out.

"Are you saying that going out with me isn't
fun?" She frowns at me again.

"Compared to making love to you, it isn't as
fun."

"Okay?" Sara giggles and smiles.

"Are you a smoker?" I ask to change the
subject.

"I don't smoke, but I do drink. How about
you?"

"I don't smoke, and I drink every once in
awhile." I lie about drinking. In reality, I never drink. I prefer
to be sober. I like remembering everything I do.

"How good are you as a dancer?"

"Truth be told, I am not a very good dancer,
Sara."

"Aw, don't worry. I could teach you,
Jimmy."

"When are you going to teach me, Sara?"

"Next Saturday, I would like to go out with
you to the club. We are going to be hanging out with my friends and
my sister in New York. Can you come?"

"Yes, I would...love to." I respond
hesitantly. In reality, I don't like going out to the club.
However, I can't say no to Sara.

After we finish eating, she takes the long
ride back to my house. Unfortunately, we live one hour away from
each other. We learn more about each other during the one-hour
trip.

"Jimmy, do you have any cousins you hang out
with?"

"No, my father's side of the family lives in
Florida, and my mother's side of the family lives in Mexico."

"You know, my mother's side of the family
lives here in Jersey. I get to see my grandparents and aunts more
often here. When I was younger, I used to see my cousins. Now, they
live in other states. My father's side of the family lives in
Mexico too. I have many cousins that I used to play with when I
visited there. I especially miss Jessica. She is my favorite cousin
there and is the same age as me. I am going to travel there again
soon.

"Really? I see you are not afraid of
airplanes." She opens up her eyes wide in surprise hearing me say
this.

"No. Why should I be scared of planes? Are
you?" She asks me with a disappointed look. She can tell what my
answer is going to be.

"Yes, I don't like how it moves around. I
feel dizzy, nauseous, and stuff."

"Really? No way. How about roller coaster
rides, huh?"

"No, no. I don't do that either."

"C'mon. I'm going to get you on one." She
responds in a commanding way.

"No way. Don't even waste your time."

"You have too many fears, man." She
complains.

"Sara, I know my limitations. That is all. It
is better to know this from the beginning."

"Do you have any friends here?"

"Yes, I have three friends."

"You can invite them to the club this
Saturday, if they can come."

"Okay, I am not sure if they will be
available. I will ask them if they can come. By the way, are you a
vegetarian?"

"Me? I eat vegetables. I am not a strict
vegetarian because I eat meat as well. Why are you so random with
your questioning?

"Sara, I ask you because you are always
eating salads. There is no meat anywhere in your diet."

"Okay, I see. Well, I am trying to lose
weight. I am trying to avoid the calories."

"You are fine. You don't need to lose
weight."

"Aw, thanks."

"It's true. You look gorgeous. You are
beautiful. No doubt about it." Sara blushes when she hears me say
this.

"You know, Jimmy, I enjoyed having you around
this weekend. I don't know if you are up for it. I think it would
be a great idea if you move in with me. We can spend more time
together at my house."

"Your house? For how long, Sara?" Her
invitation takes me by surprise.

"For as long as you like. I've always liked
you since the day I met you on the first day of classes. I never
thought we'd be this close." She looks at me tenderly.

"Really? Wow, why didn't you tell me anything
back then?"

"I didn't know if you liked me." She shrugs
her shoulders.

"You couldn't guess that I liked you. Of
course, I liked you. I would have said yes if you asked me out. We
have lost so much time."

"If you liked me so much, why didn't you ask
me out?"

"Well, I was scared. I don't like getting
turned down or taking the initiative."

"Guys are the ones who suppose to ask the
girl out."

"I really wish girls did the asking out. I
have asked girls out that I liked before. Unfortunately, they have
turned me down."

"Aw, you poor thing. How many girlfriends
have you had?"

"None. You are the first one."

"Oh my God. Are you serious? Something isn't
adding up. How did you learn to have sex like you did last night?"
She gives me a naughty stare.

"Sex? That is simple math and physics. You
know...there is an open space that needs to be filled. So, I fill
it. Body contact causes friction; it creates heat. The heat creates
pleasure. It is all self-explanatory. Sex is no big deal."

"(Sara laughs) Are you sure that you are
telling me the truth? Isn't there any adventures you've been part
of or something?"

"No, no. I'm serious. Don't make fun of my
tragedy. Look, jokes aside, what hurt me the most weren't the girls
turning me down as their boyfriend. These girls also turned me down
as a friend. They did not give me the joy to be their friend. Can
you believe that? I would have been happy with a hello, not even
that."

"They turned you down. I can't believe you
still want to be friends with them?" Her face shows surprise.

"Yes, I really wanted to be in their lives.
To be honest, I admit it is entirely my fault. I didn't know how to
romance them. When they avoided me as a friend, it was the most
painful thing I've ever felt in my life."

"Aw, don't worry. I doubt it was entirely
your fault. Those times passed a long time ago. The girls you liked
are stupid. You are the best thing ever. Back to our relationship,
what is your answer to my proposal?"

"Isn't the answer obvious?" I tease her.

"No, it's not. What is it, Jimmy?" Her face
shows concern. She believes my answer to her proposal could be
no.

"Yes," I say as she arrives at my house and
parks in my driveway. She hugs and kisses me on the lips. I smile
at her.

"Thank God. I thought you were going to say
no."

"Why would I say no?"

"Because you are a spoiled brat. If you live
with me, things are going to be different."

"I know. I am willing to make the necessary
changes for you, Sara." Sara gives me a beautiful stare. When she
flashes her teeth, I smile back at her.

"I love the smile you have, Jimmy."

"I love everything about you, Sara."

She drops me off at my house. I kiss her
goodbye and wave to her as she drives away. Ringing the doorbell,
my parents see me from the window. I wave to them. They open the
door. My parents greet me and bombard me with questions.

"I see you have a girlfriend now." My father
says proudly.

"Yes, I do." I respond.

"Aw, I told you that one day you would meet
the right girl for you." My mother says.

"Did you and your girlfriend already do it?"
My father asks eagerly.

"No, father. Not all women are as easy as
those on the TV." I lie.

"You see, I knew every woman in the world is
not throwing themselves at men on their first dates. Sure they
exist, but they are not all the same." My mother tells my father
with pride.

"Yes. You need to stop stereotyping women,
father. My girlfriend proposed to go live with her at her
house."

"Already? Isn't this kind of soon?" My mother
asks. My parents become startled by this announcement.

"Are you sure you want this son?" My father
asks.

"Well, I figure that I move in with her. If
things go bad, I can always leave and come back here."

My parents are not too happy that I am moving
in with Sara, but I have an even bigger concern. I worry over the
ups and downs of this fantasy called love. Sara is in the
infatuation stage. For me, I know love is a fantasy. One year or
two from now, I know the intense romance will be reduced to a
peaceful friendship. I am okay with that. On the other hand, Sara
believes love is real and forever. She is too young to realize that
her strong feelings for me will disappear as soon as she sees my
flaws. She liked me because I wasn't myself. Sara did not have the
chance to see my real flaws. Getting along as classmates is a lot
different from getting along as a couple. My parents claimed they
were in love when they got married. They are not in love
anymore.

I, James Gutierrez, have flaws and not the
good kinds. My flaws do not exist in our society. I am not a people
person. Rarely, do I go out. I am afraid of trying new things such
as riding roller coasters or going water rafting. I am not the kind
of guy a girlfriend can show off as her trophy. I am very
uncomfortable playing the role of a trophy. Trophies are shiny and
the center of attention of any sports event. I do not like being
the center of attention of anything. Most women like their
boyfriends to get along with her friends, but I struggle to be
likeable. Personally, I wish I could interact with Sara only. That
is not how society works. Sara's friends have to be my friends
too.

When she snaps out of love and sees my flaws,
will our relationship end because we will not be as in love as her
parents are? Her parents are the exception, not the norm. They have
been stuck in the infatuation stage. This can't last much longer.
It is only a matter of time before they hate each other like my
parents.

Because of her parents, her view of love and
a relationship is different from mines. I hope that as she matures,
she will see things my way. Love isn't rosy in real life. She
clings to a fantasy that doesn't exist. I am ready for a long-term
relationship whose foundation is friendship. At this moment, she is
not ready for that type of relationship. The only consolation price
for me is that at least I am having one girlfriend before I
die.

During the week that passed by, we went back
to our daily lives. I did my tutoring while Sara went back to being
a scientist at Biopharm. Throughout the week, our texts were all
hugs and kisses during the morning, the afternoon, and midnight. I
never thought I'd be so glued to my smartphone for Sara's text
messages. When I tutored students on the fundamentals of Biology
and Algebra, there was not one moment when Sara did not cross my
mind. My infatuation with her is really strong.

As I relax from work this Friday night, my
immediate concern is her invitation for tomorrow night. I accepted
the invitation to avoid upsetting Sara. I had no choice. If I want
to keep a relationship with Sara, I have to be a part of her life.
I know how to dance. It is not the way everybody dances. Every
music genre has its own dancing style. I dance every song the same
way. I will have to tolerate the loud music, too.

Inviting my friends was considered, but I do
not know how Sara will take their craziness. At first, it seemed
nice to show Sara my friends. When I login to the online social
network, their profiles' status updates make me think twice. Luis
has a status update saying that Angela gave him the best blowjob
ever. He feels it is necessary to share that. Juan and Justin's
profiles show images of women in skimpy bikinis. Their butts hide
the thongs they wear. I think it is better to play it safe. Who
knows, Sara might like them more than me. They are more fun and
more people friendly than me.

Sara is no saint either. On her profile, she
has photo albums showing her drunk and partying at a club. She is
also seen doing a keg stand with two guys holding her legs upward.
I always hated hanging around drunken people because they are so
annoying. Their alcoholic breath disgusts me. I hope Sara is not as
wild and drunk as she looks. She is a scientist for crying out
loud. Alcohol is not good for anyone.

Tonight is probably the last time I will
hangout with my friends. I am not very enthusiastic about driving
from Sara's home to their bar. I always wanted a girlfriend. The
only reason I hanged out with my friends was because my parents
encouraged me. Considering that I am going to pal around with
Sara's new friends, it is pointless to continue my friendship with
them.

At the bar, Luis, Juan, Justin and I are
hanging out without Angela. Since Sara updated her status from
'single' to 'in a relationship' with me, I did the same thing.
Finally, I have someone who is unashamed to like me publicly. It is
probable I will be hearing from them about my first relationship. I
am expecting some jokes on how I finally hit it or stuff of that
nature.

"Looks like little Jimmy finally rises to the
occasion." Luis starts clapping, and the other guys join in as
well.

"I am afraid to ask what you mean by finally
rises?" I see their jokes coming.

"Yerps. James finally got a girl." Justin
says.

"Little Jimmy handled his business in the
dirty south." Juan teases me.

"No, don't get too happy. We did not have
sex. I am not a slut. I am not easy." I lie.

"He probably wore two condoms, cause 90% plus
90% equals 180% effectiveness." Justin points out.

"I don't care if you don't believe me, but I
do have a girlfriend, and I am moving in with her." I say.

"Say what?" Justin asks as his jaw drops.

"Whoa, Sara got you hooked already. Jimmy is
a gentlemen in the street, but a beast in the bedroom." Luis
jokes.

"Yeah!" Justin salutes and toasts to the
joke.

"For someone who is a goody two shoes, you
seem desperate to have sex with your girlfriend again." Juan says
with a look of mischief on his face.