The man in the bed moaned as the phone beside the bed went off. He tried not to move too much as he searched for it. It finally stopped ringing, but the phone was on the wrong side of the bed. Opening his eyes, he looked around the unfamiliar room. Where was he?
His whole body ached and the urge to vomit quickly overcame his need to lay still. Rushing into the bathroom, he emptied the contents of his stomach. After flushing the toilet, he leaned over the sink and splashed his face with cold water. Drying his face, he noticed a hairbrush, toothbrush, and other cosmetics lying on the bathroom counter.
Stumbling back into the bedroom, he tripped over a familiar shirt. Sitting down on the bed, he bent over and picked it up. His heart leapt to his throat as he noticed the rip and memories of the night before came back to him.
“What have I done? Oh, please God, what have I done?” Now frantically looking around the room, he noticed the lack of suitcase and her familiar purse. As his eyes flew around the room, they froze on something that caused his heart to stop.
Laura’s engagement ring was lying on the dresser. The one she had promised never to take off.
Getting up like an old man, he faltered as he crossed to the dresser. Grabbing the ring, he clutched it tight in his fist. He looked at himself in the mirror, not recognizing the face staring back at him. The face of a broken man. He had ruined the best thing to ever happen in his life. He was nothing without her.
The pain in his chest threatened to destroy him. How could he fix this? Could it be fixed?
He had to fix this. Without her, he wasn’t complete; he wasn’t a man; he was nothing.
Determined now, he formulated a plan to quickly stop by his house and grab some clothes before catching the first flight. He wasn’t going to return until he had earned her forgiveness. If he had to search the world over, he would never stop until his ring was back on her finger. If he had to give up everything to have her back in his life, he would. He only prayed that it wasn’t too late.
***
Laura’s heart was breaking; ever since she had gotten home, the tears had come and not stopped. She knew she shouldn’t be at the house; it would be the first place JC would come to search for her. And she knew he would come searching, she was surprised he hadn’t shown up yet. He must have had a heck of a hangover to have waited this long to show up.
But right now, she couldn’t make herself care. She needed the comfort of home, even though it came with its own painful memories. The guest bedroom where JC had stayed, the couch where they had shared their first kiss, the mattress she slept on where she woke up wrapped around him like a body pillow.
Why had he done this? Life had been perfect. Maybe it had all been an illusion, but if it had then why was her heart in pieces?
Her phone rang; it’s was JC’s mom, Karen. Before Laura could think twice, she had picked up the phone.
“Hello.”
“Hey Sweetie, its Karen. I found the cutest dress today. I think it would be perfect for me to wear for the wedding, but I wanted to get your opinion before I bought it. I’m getting ready to send a picture to you right now.”
“Karen, there’s not going to be a wedding.” Laura said in a voice rough from sobbing.
“What do you mean? What’s happened?”
Letting out a shaky breath over the phone, she said, “You need to ask your son.”
“Laura – what’s wrong? Surely this is a misunderstanding and can be remedied.”
“I’m not so sure it can, just – just ask your son.” Laura needed to get off the phone before she started sobbing again. “I’m sorry, I really need to go. Goodbye, Karen.”
“No, Laura wait…” but it was too late, the phones had already been disconnected.
***
Seconds after hanging up with Laura, JC’s phone was ringing. He was stuck in the Denver airport for a layover; the earliest he could get to Laura was a whole day after she left him in the hotel room. Pulling it out, he started to answer.
“Hel’”
“Joshua Scott, what have you done?” His mom yelled in his ear.
“Mom, now is not the time, ok?”
“It most certainly is the time! What have you done? Laura is so upset and crying and says that the wedding is off!”
“Wait, you-you’ve talked to Laura.” JC nearly shouted in her ear.
“Yes, but –“
“Is she alright? Where is she? What did she say?” He sputtered in a rush.
“Why would she not be alright?” Karen asked slowly.
“Mom, just – is she okay?”
“I don’t know, we didn’t talk long. I could tell she had been crying and she rushed to get off the phone.” Karen paused. “JC, what happened?”
“I – I…I did something stupid. I was drunk and did and said some things I shouldn’t have.”
“JC, you may be 35, but you are still my son and you were raised better than that!”
“I know…I know.” JC said as he ran his hand through his hair.
“What are you going to do about it?”
“I’m flying in as soon as I can and not leaving till my ring is back on her finger. I’ve tried calling her cell and house and texting, she won’t answer me.”
“Oh, she gave the ring back?” Karen asked cautiously. This was much more serious than a misunderstanding.
“Yeah, mom, I don’t know what to do.” JC tried to talk around the lump in his throat, his head down, his free hand rubbing his forehead. “I can’t lose her. She’s my everything! I am so stupid! I can’t believe that I got drunk and listened to Jake.” He finished softly almost to himself.
“Isn’t Jake the one that you don’t like? The one who you always say is vulgar and rude to women.”
“Yeah.”
“JC, I don’t know what happened, and I don’t need to know everything, but you need to do everything you can do get Laura back. She is perfect for you. I’ve never seen you as happy as when she is with you. Just remember that if you hurt her as badly as you think, words mean very little, actions are what she’s going to believe. Forgiveness doesn’t happen overnight, you have to show her that you are worth forgiving.”
“I just hope I’m not too late. Pray that she’ll listen to me. I’m such a jerk. I don’t know how I can ever make it up to her. I just hope that I can earn her trust back.”
“Trust is hard to regain once losing it.”
