And then, as if awake in a dream, she was just on her way. On her way back to the life she left and had longed for again for so many years. The drive back seemed to go on forever. But her dad just let her cry, or made her laugh, and assured her that everything was going to be okay even if it didn’t seem like it.
It was January 31st. For the first time in her life she had actually followed through on a New Year’s Resolution. She left the only life she had known for nearly a decade, and was moving back in with her parents. No job. No car. No real life plan yet – and she couldn’t have been more excited (among many other emotions).
She arrived home and was greeted by her loving mother, their rambunctious, happy-go-lucky dog, and she had never in her life been so happy to set foot in her parents house. She unpacked her things in what seemed like mere minutes and just immediately went to sleep. She spent the next day curled up in bed watching reruns of Friends and going back and forth between sleeping and crying.
She had moved back home on a Friday. That Sunday, which would have been her and her ex’s 7-year anniversary, was the Superbowl. Her parents were going over to her aunt and uncle’s place for their annual Superbowl Party. She knew she was more than welcome to join; she just wasn’t sure if she would be in the mood. Inevitably, though, when the time came to head over, she decided to tag along. At the very least, it would be a fun night with her extended family and she would be able to get her mind off of things, if only for a short time.
As she walked up the driveway, before she even entered the house, she could hear one of her cousin’s excitedly exclaim, “She’s here! She came!” and it warmed her heart. When she walked in, she was overwhelmed by family members who were more than a little excited to see her. She was immediately handed a drink and was brought over to the couch to dish on her recent breakup and future plans.
As she sat there chatting, she scanned the room to see who else she might know. She saw friends of her cousins’, she saw friends of her parents’, and then she saw someone she didn’t recognize. He looked to be just a bit taller than her, salt and pepper hair, short beard and a nice smile. He just looked so friendly, and handsome to boot – even with the dad bod.
As she continued her conversation, her cousin and her other cousin’s fiancée both noticed him as well. “We need to find you a rebound,” one of them said. “What about him?” the other one asked as she pointed to this mystery man. Turns out, he was a member of her father’s Fantasy Football league. He lived next door to a friend of her dad’s, and since joining the league had thus become friend’s with her father as well. Sounds creepy, “a friend of her father’s”, but he was only 37 and it’s not like he and her dad were BFF.
She sipped her beer and scoffed at her cousin’s outlandish suggestion. Meanwhile, she was already planning their first date in her head. She had an overwhelming urge to prove her ex wrong – she was still desirable, and her ex was not the only guy who would ever want to be with her.
The night wore on, and soon it was Half Time. Her uncle passed around some football trivia sheets. She knew she had zero football knowledge but the three beers in her system made her think she could make some highly educated guesses. She looked around for a seat with a surface to write on. It was then that her mother offered up her own seat at the kitchen island. She sat down next to her dad and began scribbling out her guesses. Her dad finished and got up to hand in his sheet, leaving his seat open for the mystery man to sit down. They began chatting about football and the party itself, eventually moving on to more personal conversation.
She found out that he had recently left a bad relationship, as well, and was getting divorced. He had two kids of his own from his first marriage, his ex had one. They talked for what seemed like hours before she realized that all eyes were on them. Her parents, her parents’ friends, her cousins – every one of them on the edges of their seats as they watched her chat up a guy that wasn’t her ex.
As the night wound down, she discovered that he didn’t have any social media, and that because his breakup was more recent (at least emotionally), he didn’t want to exchange numbers. Instead, they added each other on Facebook Messenger. He was about to leave, so they said their goodbyes and she went to the bathroom after having broken the seal a few hours earlier.
While tinkling, her liquid courage gave her the guts to send him a message. Something along the lines of “I had a nice time. Feel free to give me a shout if you ever want to get a drink.” She was proud of how smooth she thought she was, until she came out of the bathroom and realized he hadn’t left yet and was still there, chatting with her parents of all people. They walked out together. Handshake for her dad, hug for her mom, awkward hug for her. At least he whispered, “I’ll give you a call.”
As happy as she was to hear that, she knew not to hold her breath. Neither one of them were in any position to be starting anything with anyone. She was happy to get home and just pass out -that was way too much socializing for her after having only been back for two days. Even still, it was a comforting glimpse into her future. A preview of this new life that was hers and hers alone. A life where she could make her own decisions, her own choices and do whatever she wanted with whomever she wanted without worrying about repercussions from some angry, bitter, emotionally stunted man who wanted to control her every move. It was a nice feeling to fall asleep to.