Life Ain't A Fairy Tale (6 page)

"It is not about the sex. She is a cool girl.
She earned a Master's Degree in Biotechnology. She is a very bright
scientist." I brag.

"Of course, you think she is very bright. She
even adds biotechnology to the fuckfest." Luis jokes. All the guys
laugh at what he says.

"You know something. Your sex jokes are
horrible. That is the truth. When I took a bus ride back in high
school, I heard a girl say the best sex joke ever. Better than any
of your jokes." I challenge them. They observe me with
interest.

"Oh, really? Jimbo, what was that awesome
joke about?" Luis asks.

"Well, Luis. It goes like this. Life is like
a guy's cock. When it gets hard, fuck it." I get a huge boisterous
reaction from the guys.

"You know something else wise guy. When it
gets hard, suck it." Luis changes the ending to the joke.

Juan interrupts. "Now, for real. Let's keep
it real. Are you going to move in with your girl to be her
housewife?" Juan asks. Juan uses the pool stick to simulate the
broom I will be sweeping the floor with.

"Maybe. I don't know. Nothing wrong with
being a housewife." I respond. Juan responds with a loser hand
gesture.

"That is a dumb question, Johnny boy.
Remember when I asked back then if he would rather be a girl or a
jerk, and he said girl." Luis reminds everybody.

"Even the biggest nerd in our high school
answered jerk." Justin reminisces and looks at me in disbelief.

"I don't let society labels dictate my future
actions." This is my catchphrase.

"Well, congrats, man. You are a good man.
You've been overlooked for too long." Justin compliments me. He
extends his hand to give me a handshake.

"Thanks so much, Justin." I respond in
gratitude and extend my hand to shake his.

I bid everyone farewell without saying my
decision. They will never see me hangout with them again.

My parents have some mixed feelings about my
relationship with Sara. On one hand, they are happy I am finally a
part of this society. They hated to see me glued to the computer,
TV, or video game console the entire day. It surprised them that I
was not able to develop any close friendships. On the other hand,
they are concerned Sara's friends will take advantage of me because
I am naive.

I assure my parents that I am my own man.
History confirms that I do not succumb to peer pressure. If I do
something crazy, it is because I willfully want to do it, not
because other people force me. I never drank beer in my life. My
anti-drinking stance will not change. I really hope Sara doesn't
mind my lifestyle tomorrow or else it will be the shortest
relationship ever.

Late Saturday morning, I bathe, eat, and pack
my suitcase to wait for Sara. I begin the day eating my favorite
honey flavored cereals. I take a warm bath. There is enough time to
eat chicken noodle soup with two drumsticks. I shave and dress
myself with a red, white, and blue shirt, black jeans, and brown
boots.

Unexpectedly, my parents treat this farewell
very emotionally. While helping me pack my suitcase with clothing,
shoes, gel, and toothbrushes, they remind me how my birth changed
their lives. During my baby years, I gave them the most wonderful
moments they ever had. They love how nice a person I always have
been from baby to adult. I become overwhelmed with emotion as well.
I tell them that they are the best parents a child can ever dream
of having. When Sara arrives at my driveway, I take the suitcase
and leave the house with lots of hugs and kisses from my parents.
They have tears in their eyes.

Sara waits in her car while I walk down the
steps with a suitcase. She opens the trunk of her car so I can put
my suitcase in it. When I open the passenger's door, my breath is
taken away by how gorgeous she looks. Her black hair is wavy today.
She wears a light purple strapless cocktail dress and the purple
high-heeled shoes she bought last Sunday. She has pink eye shadow
makeup and vibrant pink lipstick on. I cannot believe this beauty
of a woman likes me back.

"Jimmy, your eyes look a little teary." She
asks with a concerned look on her face.

"I have lived with my parents forever. They
are the best people in my life."

"Aw, don't worry. You will see them again."
She pats me on the back.

"Yes, that is true. I remember you said that
you love your parents. I love my parents even more. I did not have
close friends, brothers, sisters, or cousins throughout my life. My
parents are my best friends. They are in their older years. I will
miss them so much when they are not around."

"Aw, you are so sweet. Get ready to meet a
person I love with all my heart and soul, my sister."

Chapter 4

Sara drives me to her sister's New York
apartment. Her sister lives in the brown five-floor apartment. We
take the elevator to the third floor. Sara finds her sister's room
number. Sara knocks on the door. A young woman opens the door. She
has long black hair reminiscent of Sara's former hairstyle and a
black purse on her shoulder. She is chubby, slightly taller than
Sara, and has large breasts. Her oval body type's fat is well
distributed, making her pleasing to the eye. Her face is skinny
compared to her body. She wears a red cocktail dress with thin
straps and dark red high-heeled shoes. The sisters hug and kiss
each other on the cheek.

"Jimmy, this is my sister, Gina. Gina this is
my boyfriend."

"Hi, Jimmy. How are you? My sister has good
taste." Gina warmly greets me with a hug and kiss on my cheek.

"Thank you, Gina. You too. You and Sara look
alike." The similarities in their mannerisms amaze me. When strands
of hair hang in front of their faces, they stroke their hair
strands back identically.

"Aw, thanks. I wish I could look like my
lovely sister Sara. She is so pretty and thin." Gina hugs Sara from
behind.

Sara, Gina, and I ride in Sara's car to go to
the nightclub. I have never been to a nightclub. Sara and Gina sing
together radio songs throughout the entire car ride. Their heads
sway from side to side for every radio song. It is adorable to see
both sisters singing together. Their chemistry is palpable. Sara
informs me there are three other people inside waiting for us.

When we arrive at the nightclub, the scene
startles me. The loud music overwhelms my ears; I am not used to
very loud noises. Additionally, the bass of the music gives me the
impression of a loud heartbeat in my chest. This loudness reminds
me of the very loud high school pep rallies. The club is also very
overcrowded. I am accustomed more to small gatherings. Visually,
the bright light flashes contrast immensely with the nightclub's
darkness. Initially, the flashes of light bother my eyes.

Finally, we arrive at the table where Sara's
friends are. One of them is Chad, Sara's co-worker at Biopharm. He
is blond and a green-eyed Caucasian in athletic shape. His tight
black short-sleeved shirt shows off his muscular physique. The
other two women are a blue-eyed blonde called Lizzie and a
brown-eyed brunette named Melissa. Both ladies have a similarly
thin straight body type. Lizzie is wearing a dark green dress while
Melissa is wearing a white dress. Their dresses have a similar
design to Gina's dress. Both girls are friends of Sara and Gina.
They work in video production of media events like Gina does.

When everyone is seated together at the
table, we choose our preferred foods and drinks. Gina orders cake
and chips. Sara, Lizzie, and Melissa order salads because they are
excessively conscious about their weights. They can't get any
thinner to me. They are not anorexic looking like many models, but
they want to go there. I decide to take my favorite dish, chicken.
I like eating the same types of food every day even when I go out.
I differ with everyone when I ask for soda. Everyone, including the
server, begins to laugh. Initially, the server thinks it is a joke
and asks me again if I want an alcoholic beverage. I insist on
drinking a soda.

"C'mon Jimmy. Have a drink to loosen up and
have fun. Let's party." Chad invites.

"No, I don't drink. It is not my thing." I
turn down the offer.

"Don't be a party pooper. One drink doesn't
hurt. Have one drink?" Gina insists.

"I'm sorry. I never drink. It is my
lifestyle." I respond.

"Drink! Drink! Drink!" This chant is started
by Melissa and continued by everybody on the table, including
Sara.

"No. No. I am not going to. Don't even
insist." I stand my ground.

"Jimmy, Jimmy, please. We are not telling you
to get really drunk. Just one drink, for me, please." Sara insists.
She wraps her arm around my neck. Sara gives that wonderful stare I
like, but I am completely turned off. Why can't people respect my
decision?

"The answer is still no." I take her arm off
my neck. I shake my head in disapproval.

"Jimmy, I can't believe you." Sara sighs in
disgust. Her face shows a lot of disappointment. When the drinks
are served, she drinks a whole glass full in one gulp.

My refusal to drink indisposes everyone, but
they move on to talk about movies. I have become an outcast,
something I am very used to. I eat my food and drink my soda
quietly while everyone laughs about movie scenes. Unfortunately, I
am not a movie fan. The last time I went to the movies, it was a
homework assignment. I made a movie summary. I do not understand
any of the jokes everyone is saying. I am guessing they are
reenacting scenes where Chad changes his voice to imitate the
actor's dialogue. Everyone chuckles and laughs as I am left
clueless.

Old memories in my high school cafeteria
arise. During the first year of high school, I sat alone there.
Sometimes, there were two girls sitting in front of me, but they
ignored me. I spent most of my time eating alone. It was something
I was very used to. To be honest, there was a part of me that felt
bad about being a loner. However, there was another part of me that
enjoyed having no one around. I felt like a rebel that didn't need
friends to be happy. My video games and the love of my parents were
my true happiness. Often, I felt relief when I sat alone because I
did not feel the pressure and anxiety to impress anyone.

There were two girls I knew from my middle
school that sat with me. Back then; I was a very shy person who
spoke very little. My shyness was confused with arrogance, but I
was scared of saying something that would turn them off. Being
social has never been my thing. I was the biggest prowrestling fan
when I was young. Imagine how weird it would sound if I started to
talk to these girls about headlocks and pin falls? They would be
sitting there clueless. This also would make me not cool. My
responses to their questions were short. I smiled a lot.
Unfortunately, the girls got bored and didn't come back. I don't
blame them for never coming back. If I were in their position, I
would have done the exact same thing.

I had a friend in middle school called Mike.
It was highly probable we became friends because my middle school
was small, and I happened to sit near him. Unlike the girls who got
bored with me, Mike knew how to carry our friendship. During a
conversation, Mike initiated it and spoke 90% of the time while I
spoke 10%. It was a friendship I will always remember.

Mike and I got along pretty well until we
reached high school. He got turned off when we had a phone
conversation where I said that I was feeling okay about starting
high school. In reality, I was nervous like most kids are about
starting something new, but I felt what I said would calm us down.
Instead, Mike did not like my response and accused me of being a
liar because he knew everybody was nervous. He discussed his fears
of not succeeding in class work and not being able to fit in. His
response made me even more nervous about starting high school.
During high school, Mike did not talk to me. Back then; I never
initiated a conversation. As a result, our friendship ended
quickly. It wasn't his fault. We see life very differently. Our
friendship was bound to end.

In my second year and third year of high
school, I sat with two guys who liked prowrestling. At the
beginning, I was excited that I had found two guys I could relate
to. Unfortunately, they both watched the wrestling show I did not
watch. To complete the icing on the cake, their favorite topic was
comic book heroes. I know nothing about non-mainstream superheroes.
I became a spectator in their conversations.

As I zone back into the nightclub, I am still
bothered. This excessive pressure to drink upsets me internally. I
do not appreciate it when a bunch of strangers try to impose their
values on me. I said no repeatedly. What disappoints me the most is
Sara joining the chorus. There are a few things on my mind that I
would like to tell them, but I hold them back.

Personally, drinking is a pointless social
activity. I know too many highly confident people who get drunk
with self-esteems higher than mines. I don't understand them. Do
they suddenly become so scared when they walk into a club that
drinking beer is necessary? A drunk Jimmy is not necessary to have
a good time. I don't care if society thinks it is okay to drink. It
is their free will to make the stupid decision to get drunk and not
remember what they will do this evening. As long as they leave me
alone, I am fine with their decisions.

From watching them interact, I notice that
Sara and Chad are very close to each other. They have good
chemistry between each other, and Sara is constantly wrapping her
arm around Chad's neck. It makes sense; they are coworkers Monday
through Friday at Biopharm. Chad is like Sara's work husband.
Knowing everyone has a couple of drinks in their systems, I expect
the overt friendliness between Sara and Chad to escalate even
more.