“Thanks guys for having me over. I really needed this tonight,” I say to my hosts.
“Our pleasure,” Jake replies, with that charming smile across his big face. He places refills of red blend in front of Kelli and me and pours another glass of rye whiskey for himself. “Glad you were free tonight and could come over.”
Indeed, this was just what I needed. With the uncharacteristically cold Texas weather, this was a perfect night to be indoors, just kick back with friends, relax, and enjoy each other’s company. It feels like it’s been ages since I’ve had a fun night. For just a few hours, I can forget about Tom, Frank, Gloria, and a certain cheerleading coach whose name I don’t want to say. I really appreciate Kelli and Jake thinking about me and inviting me to their house. We streamed a movie, drank, told stories, laughed and had a good time. You can always count on Kelli for some good raunchy jokes and I came up with a few of my own. I can’t remember the last time I laughed so hard.
Across the living room, the TV still flickers although we haven’t watched it for over an hour. Then, something on the screen gets my attention. I groan. “Look who it is,” I mutter. “Josh Garrison in another lame car dealership ad. Every time I see one, I want to puke. I swear some stations run his ads every five minutes.” I notice Kelli and Jake looking at each other with smirks progressing to all out laughter they can barely hold back.
“I guess that’s the value of a Heisman Trophy. If all else fails, it will get you a job in a car dealership.” I continue, “Oh well, I guess that’s my cue to head home….Thanks again guys for thinking of me. We should do this more often.” I stand up from my chair.
“Wait Kiva,” Kelli urges. “We saved the best for last. We have something to show you…Jake, do you want to bring Kiva the…surprise.”
“What? A surprise?” I wonder.
“Here it is,” Jake announces, as he sets on the table what looks like a square box about 12 inches in each dimension with a towel draped over it.
“It’s my new prized possession,” Kelli explains. “Something is in the box. Can you guess what it is?”
“Well,” I observe. “It isn’t very big. Um…Jake bought you a diamond necklace?”
“Nope.”
“Keys to a new home?…A vacation home?…A ranch?…A luxury car?
“No to all”, Kelli grins.
“Ok, I give up,” I concede.
“Jake, remove the covering.” Jake whips the cloth cover away, revealing a transparent plastic case containing a woman’s panties…red panties to be specific, it’s front facing me, neatly hung on a small wire hanger.
“Panties? That’s the surprise?” I ask, wondering why they’d be special. “Do they do something unusual? Like, are they edible? Do they…Hey, wait a minute. These aren’t your panties, are they? These are from another woman. Oooh, now I get it. You won a fight and this is your latest trophy. I thought you looked a little stiff tonight…And it’s a special win. I know, I know, You beat Jolene. Didn’t you, didn’t you.”
“No, not Jolene,” Kelli answers. “Not yet.”
“Ok,” I remark. “It was Anna the Marine Chick.”
“No, not Anna.”
“Candace?”
“Someday.”
“Ok Kelli, who?…What pathetic woman, did you leave naked, crying, and broken?”
“Jake, do the honors,” Kelli says. Jake places his large hand over the top of the case and rotates it. I watch the red panties turn until the back side comes into view. The panties turn until I see the unmistakeable….number EIGHTEEN!!!
“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH,” I shriek, throwing my hands up to my face. “Cynthia?…Cynthia?…You beat Cynthia?…And you took her panties?…Oh my God…Oh my God…AAAAHHHH…I CAN’T BELIEVE IT!” I wrap my arms around Kelli and squeeze tightly, “Kelli, I love you…I love you….I LOVE YOU!!!…When?…How?…Tell me about it…I want to know…Tell me EVERYTHING!!!
After fifteen minutes, I’m able to sit still and be quiet enough to listen to Kelli’s story. She tells me the incredible tale about the trade show, Cynthia’s sister Charlotte, the fight in the elevator spilling into the loading dock, then the fall in the dumpster. Fucking unbelievable.
“I have GOT to see this tape” I said. “I hope Josh releases it….What if Tom sees it. Watch out, Kelli. He’ll be following you around next….Then he’ll be your problem, not mine,” I joke.
“I think Jake might have something to say about that,” Kelli laughs.
“Good,” I reply. “When Jake is kicking his ass, he can land a few shots for me….Hey, I know. Clarissa and I can show up for cheerleading practice wearing Lady Tigers shirts….And..oh! I think I just came up with a new cheer.” I move to the center of Kelli and Jake’s living room and giving it my best chest pumps and double hook jumps, I begin:
“Cynthia, Cynthia
You live in the past
We all knew your good times wouldn’t last
Now your winning streak has run out of gas
Kelli ripped that stupid 18 off your ass
F-Y-R-E
FyreCracka - that’s our Kelli
Cynthia thought she’d make you retire
She ended up as garbage in a dumpster Fyre.”
Go Kelli!”
We clap and laugh. Finally, we hug and I head for home. Lying in bed, I can’t stop smiling knowing that Kelli handed Cynthia some of her own medicine. Then, I remember tomorrow is another day. I fight Gloria in a few days. I’ll find out exactly where Frank and I stand. I suspect Charlotte will come looking for Kelli. I somehow know it’s not over yet with me and Cynthia. But at this moment, I have the knowledge of what Kelli did to Cynthia. I fall asleep happy.
*Thanks to Tiberius J.C. for the Lady Tigers shirts and dumpster fyre jokes.
***********
Kelli, this story was excellent on all sorts of levels. The setting, the build-up, the connection to your high school were so well done. The fight sequence was insanely creative. Pure drama. I’m so proud to have contributed characters to this work. There are many possibilities where this can go next. You are such a wonderful collaborator. It is a joy writing with you.