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going to cry, but her face didn t show it.
 Sammy. I promise I didn t sleep with anyone. I went to
some museums, a casino, the Hard Rock Café and a little lesbian
bar. I met some local women there who took me dancing in a
warehouse. I didn t know how to get back, so one of the girls gave
me a ride home on the back of her bike. That s why I was walking
funny. I was careful about how I phrased my response.
 So, what was her name? She sat down.
 Marjolein. She s a medical student who lives a few blocks
from here.
 You always did like the students. She laughed.  Did you
kiss her?
 She kissed me. Honestly, baby, I didn t really reciprocate,
but I didn t push her away either. I got caught up in the drugs,
booze, excitement and romance of it all.
 It was romantic? Her voice rose.
 The romance of the city. I gotta tell ya, riding on the back
of a Dutch girl s bike through the stoned streets of Amsterdam
at one in the morning on a cold winter s night is pretty darned
romantic. I couldn t help but smile.
 I could see that. She sipped her coffee.  So you kissed her.
Dani O Connor 59
Was it a good kiss?
 It wasn t bad, kinda sexy. I didn t feel the electricity like I
do when you kiss me though.
 Did you exchange information? Are you gonna see her
again?
 No. I don t even know her last name. And if I did see her
again, I would introduce you and ask her to give you a ride on her
bike. I hoped she would see I had no interest in the woman.
 You know we can t keep kissing other people if we re going
to be married.
 I know. Consider it my bachelorette party. I will never get
caught up in the moment again with anyone other than you. I
waited for a response and she stared at me.  Are you mad?
 A little. I m stuck here sick as a dog and you re out having a
romantic night with a stranger. I think I m entitled to be a little
pissed, a little jealous and a little sad.
 Sad?
 You have an amazing experience with someone else. How
can I compete with that?
 Sam, I have amazing moments with you all the time. I don t
get out much. So I had fun with a stranger. So I kissed her. I still
plan on spending my life with you. All my moments with you
mean more to me than anything I could ever have with anyone
else. I ll take listening to you talk about work over a drunken
night with a Dutch girl any day. Please forgive me. I almost
cried when I realized I had made her sad.
 You re on probation. I m milking this for all I can. I expect
my ass to be kissed for the next twenty-four hours. My ass, Dani.
Not Marjolein s. Those lips of yours belong to me. Get up, get
showered and take me around this town you are now so familiar
with.
 You re feeling better.
 You asked me that last night. Or maybe you told me. Yes, I
feel fantastic. She smiled.
I went on to tell her about my adventure: the museum, the
casino and my new friends. She thought it was funny about the
accent and not knowing whether people were asking or telling.
I even told her about the woman saying she wanted to make
60 Dresses and Other Catastrophes
love to me. Sam seemed to find that kind of sexy, like it was a
compliment to her. I think she was a little surprised that other
women found me alluring. We took a shower and headed out
for a day of ass-kissing and new memories.
We didn t mention the wedding once as we walked around
town. I thought about bringing it up, but knew it might be a
sensitive discussion at that point. I felt off kilter a bit as if Sam
had drifted from me. I hoped we would have an amazing day so
she would loosen up and see that one night without her didn t
change anything between us. I stopped and bought a pack of
cigarettes, much to her dismay. I told her about how they seemed
smoother than what we were used to smoking she didn t
believe me. She accused me of being caught up in the moment
where everything was better. She said that the beer probably
tasted better too, since she wasn t there. I finally convinced her
to take a drag of the Marlboro and she agreed, they were a bit
different. We made a vow that we both would only smoke in
foreign cities. I was happy that at least one vow had been made
in Holland.
We stumbled across a restaurant called Stingers. It kind
of reminded us of an American Hooters, but there were some
subtle differences. For example, we ordered a pitcher of beer and
twenty wings. A few minutes later, a girl came out, climbed up on
the table next to ours and did a little pole dance. We wondered
what we would have gotten if we d ordered forty wings. Sam
started to loosen up a bit, it might have been the beer, or the
half-naked women, but I think she realized that I was the same
Dani I was on Thursday. By two o clock things seemed to be
back to normal. I worried about drinking too much because I
was afraid of one of those stupid drunken fights we drama gals
are so famous for. I couldn t stand the idea of a Saturday night
of yelling about the events of Friday night, so I suggested that
we stop drinking for a bit.
 Let s try some herbal ecstasy, Sam suggested as we passed
a coffee shop.
 Are you serious? Have you tried it before? I was nervous.
 It s harmless. Loosen up. I promise not to get you fucked
up and try to kiss you in the moonlight.
Dani O Connor 61
I realized she was still a bit bitter and I needed to follow her
whims.  Okay. Lead the way.
 Wait right here. She went into the coffee shop and came
back out a few minutes later with a tiny bottle.  Let s go to that
little pub that sits below the apartment. That way if you start
freaking out, we can get you home.
 Or if I really start freaking out, I can jump in the canal and
retrieve the key.
 And your panties. They re still floating. She laughed.
We took advantage of the slightly warmer weather and sat
outside. The window to our apartment was directly above us, so
I felt a sense of security.  Okay, madam, give me a& what do you
call it? Give me a tab?
 Just take the pill, Dani. She handed me the small tablet. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]