The McCain Marriage Contract

"Drive!" I yelled at Dave again, for the second time ever. The first time was after my arranged marriage with Valerie. The two times I had been rude to my driver were Valerie-related. Why did she control my life so much? In my head, I was back in the old neighborhood again playing and laughing with her. I was back to sneaking in and out of her bedroom, each time suffering a few scratches from the branches of the weird plant outside her window. I was back to pulling pranks all the time and getting her annoyed, and laughing at how easily my planks got to her. I went back to slowly discovering her developing body with the curiosity of a teenage boy. I went back to loving her like my entire life depended on it. And I went back to hating her and disappearing on her.

Spring dance was about twelve away and I had the best plan to ask her to the dance. It would come as no surprise to anyone that we would be going to the dance together but I wanted to surprise her with the manner in which I'd ask her to the dance. I kept meeting with some of my friends after school to help me plan something really romantic. We would decorate the stage of the school's Auditorium: hanging down the top of the stage would be bold letters bearing shiny lights that read "DANCE WITH ME, MY VALERIE. I spent most of my time after school hanging out with my friends because we were trying to get all the items necessary. I had to buy the lights, some helium balloons, rose petals, and boxes of chocolate for effect. It would take up all the money in my piggy bank but there was nothing I would not do for Valerie. In order to prevent her from finding out what I was up to, I started to keep away from her. The girl was as smart as her dad; she could sniff something out from a mile away. Also, the plan was to make her wait and even assume I wouldn't come through, and then I'd ask her out on the morning of the dance. My friends were sworn to secrecy and they would not say a word to anyone. I even made my parents promise to make up whatever excuse they could if she ever came looking for me. The decorations would be set up on the day before Spring Dance and the Auditorium would be locked up so that no one would have access to it for that day. The good thing was that, as was the usual manner, the dance was not going to hold in the Auditorium. Rather it was structured to be an open-air event, on a sweet portion of the school's stadium. It was all supposed to go down without a hitch but life had other plans.

A person's life could change in a day, or even in a heartbeat. My own change took three consecutive days. On the first day, which was three days to the spring dance, I returned from hanging out with my friend to meet my parents yelling at each other. Initially, that was not a strange sight since they always seemed to be at each other's throats, until I noticed the suitcase. They were so loud that, at first, I couldn't exactly make out what they were saying until I heard "I'm leaving Tony. I can't take any of this crap anymore."

I thought my dad would go on his knees and beg her, apologize profusely for picking other women above her. Of course, I knew that was what the fight was about. But he just stood frozen and watched her leave with her suitcase. She saw me standing by the door and then bent down to kiss me on the head. "Be a good boy and finish the school year, Raymond. I'll be back for you soon." With that, she left.

I could not believe that she truly had left us. I knew she had put up with a lot, and even stayed a lot longer than so many other people probably would have. But she was the more responsible of my parents and I was going to miss her so much. Dad didn't even say a word to me, he just walked into his room. That night I had to cry myself to sleep. I did not call Valerie or text her like I usually did every night. All I could think of was that my family was finally broken up. Little did I know that the worst was yet to happen.

I woke up the next day to so many missed calls and unread messages from Valerie. Even though I was sad about my mom leaving I still had a dance proposal to make. And nothing could stop me from doing just that; perhaps it would even lift my spirit. So once again I didn't return her calls so that she would not figure out that something was off. She was bound to find out soon, anyway. That evening, as was my new usual, I came back late from meeting with the guys. We had gone to fix the decorations for my proposal to Valerie, and everything looked perfect. When I got back to my room, everything seemed to be in its proper place. What was amiss was the tall figure of my dad hovering above Valerie's supine form. If these were any other set of people I would have immediately assumed that something sexual had just gone down or was about to go on because that was exactly what it looked like. I hoped that was not the case. "What is this, Dad?" I forced myself to ask.

He stood up suddenly, reeking of alcohol and unable to stand still. "I know she wants me, son. She always has and always will."

Without thinking I gave him a slap across the face. "How dare you say something like that? She's obviously asleep and I caught you laying over her. That's Valerie, Dad!"

The slap must have reset something because he blinked many times and looked sober instantly. But his words didn't change. "How do you think she slept off? She wanted to get down with me but I did not let her. Sadly, this has been going on for a while but I didn't want to say anything to you because it's so disgusting, plus I didn't want to ruin your friendship. I know I'm a mess, son, and I know I'm the very last person you want to trust but believe me on this. It's the truth." I watched him stagger out of my room, but before he left he bobbed his head in and said, "I need you to pack up your essential items. We're moving out tomorrow. And do me one more favor: do not tell anybody, not even the Jensens, about this."

I had heard enough. I ran to the garage and furiously rode my bike to school without even wearing a helmet. Truly I wasn't thinking, I just keep cycling until I got there. Since I was the last to leave school that day, due to the decorating, I knew how to get into the auditorium even after the school's main doors were locked. I knew about the hidden back doors that were not part of the general lock and alarm system. Once I got into the Auditorium, I gently took down all the decorations. And then I cried for what seemed like years.

Everything started to make sense suddenly, and I felt stupid that I let a truth that was so glaring elude me for so long. It wasn't just what my dad told me that made me believe him then; it was also what I had seen. I had seen some girly items in my dad's drawer a few times I went in search of his cherished bonding glue for a school project. These were items I identified as Valerie's -- some of her scrunchies and her vintage scarf -- but for whatever reason, I didn't think much about seeing them in dad's drawer. Everyone knew he was fond of her so perhaps he had some of her stuff for keepsakes. What a big idiot I was.

In the blind rage of my heartbreak, I went to our little make-out spot by the corner and hit one of the tall wooden chairs against the hard floor severally with supernatural strength. My hatred for Valerie grew with each thud the chair made against the floor.

I was leaving Jacksonville the next day and Valerie was the very last person I wanted to see or speak to.

By the time I got back home, she was no longer in my bed. So I packed a suitcase like I was instructed and got ready to move. By sunset the next day, my dad and I moved into a hotel and, days later, Washington.

That night my third life-changing experience happened. I learned Valerie was injured by the tall chair in the Auditorium.