Chapter 6: The Line Begins to Blur
Scott! Wake up, Scott! Scott heard the faint tone of Ramona's voice.
"Wuh? What?" Scott awoke from his sleep. "Ramona? Where are you?"
"Right behind you." Her voice was clearer now.
Scott turned over in bed to see his girlfriend face-to-face with him.
"Morning, sleepy-head." Ramona smiled at him.
"Hey." Scott smiled back. "What are you doing here?"
"Uh, I live here." Ramona said.
"What?" Scott said, confused. "Am I dreaming?"
"Maybe. If this is your dream, then what happens next?" She smiled suggestively.
"Bee-jay?"
"Try again." Ramona frowned.
"Make me a sandwich?"
"Guess again."
"I thought this was my dream."
"How about I just lead you to it?" Ramona sat up and laid on top of her boyfriend. "Better?"
"Yeah. That's…" Scott trailed off as he looked past Ramona. Something caught his attention.
Wallace doesn't have a Rear Window poster. He thought.
"What's that?" Ramona asked, kissing Scott's neck.
"Hang on." He said. "Get up."
Ramona sighed and rolled back onto her side of the bed as Scott stood up out of bed.
"Most guys like this kind of thing, you know." She said.
Scott ignored the comment.
"I have got to be dreaming." He said.
"You have got to be on drugs." Ramona said.
Scott wasn't in Wallace's apartment. He was at Ramona's house.
But that's not possible.
One Explanation Later…
"We went to bed after that." Scott said to his girlfriend.
"Bed or couch?" Ramona asked.
"I don't remember, but that isn't important!" Scott said. "The point is this has to be a dream."
"You're not dreaming." Ramona said, annoyed. "You might have been dreaming everything else that you just told me, but you're wide awake right now."
"There's no way." Scott said to himself. "I remember it all too well."
"If this were a dream, don't you think you would have woken up by now?" Ramona suggested.
"Uh…"
"I mean, you don't dream about this kind of thing often, do you? I mean, honestly that's lamer than your stupid video game dreams."
"You're right." Scott said, rubbing his eyes. "This can't be a dream…"
"Thank you." Ramona clapped her hands together. "Really. I can take the cutesy attitude and the occasional video game chatter, but if you're going to spend the first 30 minutes of every day talking about your paranoid dreams, then I don't think we can keep dating."
"Sorry." Scott said. "I'll just keep it to myself if it happens again."
"Good. I'm glad we understand each other." Ramona stood up. "Now, come help me make breakfast, and then we can sit down and eat while you tell me how beautiful I am and how good my eggs are."
"Oh, there is no way I'm letting you make scrambled eggs again." Scott stood up.
"Now, you're starting to act normal." Ramona smiled and hugged her boyfriend. Scott brought his lips to hers, and they kissed.
"I love you so much." Scott said.
"I love me, too." She said.
"Ha ha ha."
Later that Morning…
Second Cup
"Really?" Kim asked.
"Yeah." Ramona said. "He also thought that you and I made out at the Second Cup."
"I didn't say that!" Scott protested. "I said you kissed her! Like a friendly, non-lesbian thing."
"I don't kiss friendly, Scott." Ramona said. "You know that."
"What else were you saying about the emo guy?" Kim asked. "That's what gets me the most."
"Yeah." Scott said. "Jack von Nacht. Some guy she met in Seattle."
"I already told him I've never been to Seattle." Ramona said.
"Yeah, she told me that."
"He has a magic cane and he made us watch snuff films?" Kim asked. "Hilarious. I wish he'd been more like that when we were dating. It would've made things a lot more interesting."
"They weren't snuff films-"
"We can share him." Ramona said. "He can stay at your house at night and you can deal with his paranoia in the morning."
"I have a job—I don't think I can deal with that." Kim said. "If he's the same way he was in high school, I won't get any sleep."
"I'm sure he's changed a lot since high school."
"Really? How is that?"
"Sitting right here." Scott interrupted.
"Calm down, pumpkin." Ramona said. "We've both seen you naked—nothing's changed, I'm sure."
"A lot has changed, believe me!" Scott said.
"People are staring." Kim said, standing up. "And I have to get to work."
"You know what the weirdest part was, though?" Ramona asked. "It's how you were talking about things when you weren't even there to see them."
"What?" Scott said.
"Like the part about me and Kim making out? You weren't even there during the dream."
"Oh, yeah. I guess I wasn't."
"Can we stop talking about Scott's dreams?" Kim said. "Or at least wait until after I go to work."
"What's today?" Scott asked. "I think I have to work today, too."
"It's Tuesday." Ramona said. "You don't have to work until Thursday."
"Right."
"I'm just gonna go." Kim said, leaving the table and walking out the door.
"Just to make sure, you don't have a lesbian crush on Kim, do you?" Scott asked.
"And what if I do?" Ramona smirked.
"I just wanna make sure there isn't a possibility of you tying her up and playing kinky sex games with her."
"And what if there is a possibility of that?"
Scott stared at his girlfriend in wonder.
"Don't worry." She said. "I wouldn't string a third person along. At least not without your permission."
Scott continued to stare at his girlfriend in wonder. Ramona returned the stare.
"Don't tell me you're not interested in a three-way."
"I didn't say I wasn't." Scott said. "But if we ever have one, I'd rather involve another person that isn't Kim."
"That isn't fair!" Ramona said. "I just told you I have a little lesbian crush on her and you're taking her away from me!"
"But she's my ex-girlfriend!"
"It's not all about you, y'know. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices for the one you love."
Nothing eventful happened for the rest of the day… but as Scott went to bed that night, he had the feeling that of doubt in his mind. He needed to talk to someone that could reassure him.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Wallace and Mobile's Apartment
Sometime Late in the Afternoon
"Why is your boyfriend never home?" Scott asked.
"He's a busy man, Scott." Wallace said, handing him a cup of tea. "So, what is it you wanted to talk about?"
"I had this weird dream. One of Ramona's exes tried to kill both of us. But it felt so real. I swear the dream went on for days."
"Time in the dream world is a lot different than time in the real world. Seven hours in real time can be about 20 seconds in dream time. Conversely, 7 hours in dream time can be about 20 seconds in real time. Sometimes dreams can seem longer than they really are."
"But it felt so real. I was aware of everything going on."
"You were probably having a lucid dream."
"What?"
"In a lucid dream, the dreamer is completely aware of the fact that they are dreaming. In lucid dreams, dreamers can control every aspect of their dream."
"No. I was never in control of the dream. That's what made it seem all the more real."
"Well, guy, I can't explain that. I'm sure a psychologist probably could."
"Oh, well." Scott took a sip of his tea.
"Was there ever a point during the dream where you believed that you were dreaming?"
"Maybe. There was a part where one of Ramona's exes, Jack, shot Joel, the crazy ex. Joel stood right back up after taking, like, 20 bullets in his chest."
"See? That kind of stuff only happens in dreams."
"I guess, but it wouldn't surprise me if there was a person who could survive that kind of attack. I mean, there's been a lot of crazy stuff over the past year."
"I think you just need to relax." Wallace took a sip of his tea. "It was just a dream, guy. It doesn't mean anything. Just forget about it. Go spend some time with your girlfriend. Talk to her about normal stuff, go on a date with her, have sex with her, whatever. Have you been boring her with this stuff, too?"
"Yes."
"Well, stop it. Most girls don't get off on hearing their boyfriend's psychotic rambling."
"You're right, Wallace. I'm just being silly." Scott took another sip of his tea.
"Why don't you call Ramona?" Wallace handed Scott his phone. "We should go out for lunch."
"That's a great idea." Scott turned the phone on and looked up Ramona's number. "Are you buying?"
"I remember having a talk with you about freeloading off of me."
"Right, sorry." Scott pressed the 'CALL' button. The phone rang for about 30 seconds before going to voicemail.
"Hi, this is Ramona. I'm glad you called but I'm not here. Can you leave a message? Unless you're trying to sell something, because I'm not interested. But if you're not, then just… Oh, wait! Time's up."
*Beep!*
"She didn't answer." Scott hung up.
"Then call her back." Wallace said.
Scott pressed the 'CALL' button again. Again, after 30 seconds, he got the voicemail.
"Hi, this is Ramona. I'm glad you called but I'm not here…"
Scott hung up the phone.
"Again, eh? Let's just go. If she calls back we'll ignore her."
And so, Scott and Wallace went to lunch without Ramona. After that, they both went home to their respective homes.
Later that Afternoon…
Ramona's House
8:00 p.m.
"Hey." Ramona said as Scott entered the kitchen. She was making dinner. "Wanna give me a hand?"
"Uh, can it wait?" Scott asked. "I wanna talk to you about something."
"Not about your dream, is it?" Ramona set the kitchen knife down on the counter and walked over to the little table by the window. "Sit."
"It's not about the dream." Scott sat down with her. "Wallace and I talked about that today."
"Oh, was that you trying to call me earlier? I didn't answer because I saw that it was Wallace's number. I stopped responding to him after he sent me that one picture..."
"Yeah, I did try to call you on his phone. He wanted to take us out to lunch."
"Aww. Well, I'm sorry I didn't answer. You really need to get your own phone."
"Okay, I'll do that. But I want to talk to you about something."
"What is it, baby?"
"Well…" Scott sighed. "I've been thinking a lot in the past few hours. And… this is really hard for me to come out and say. We've been through a lot together in the past year, and… I really love you, Ramona…"
"Are you breaking up with me?" Ramona interrupted him.
"What? No!" Scott was taken aback. "No, I'm not breaking up with you. I don't want to break up with you."
"Oh, God." Ramona said under her breath, realizing where the conversation was heading.
"I love you." Scott continued. "I don't wanna lose you-"
"Scott, please-"
"Let me finish. Ramona, I love you more than anything, more than anyone in the world. I know I might not be the smartest person in the world, and I don't know if I'm even doing this right, but I know that I've never been happier than when I'm with you. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I… I…"
"Scott, stop. I love you, and I've never been happier with anyone before."
"But?" Scott sighed, knowing where the conversation was headed.
"I'm sorry. I'm not really the marrying kind."
"What does that even mean? How can you not want to get married?" Scott was getting angry.
"It doesn't mean I don't want to be with you. I…I don't know. I just don't."
"I had this all planned out." Scott sighed, rubbing his eyes.
"I'm sorry." Ramona knew that she had upset him. "Just…why don't you leave the room, come back in, kiss me on the cheek, we'll have a nice dinner, and then we'll go upstairs and have sex. We can pretend this didn't happen."
"But it did happen." Scott stood up and walked out of the kitchen, towards the door.
"Where are you going?" Ramona stood up after him.
"I'm sorry." Scott opened the door. "I need some space right now."
Scott walked out, closing the door behind him. Ramona sighed, walking back to the kitchen. She reached above the kitchen and took down a bottle of peach schnapps. She sat down at the table and opened the bottle, and took a long sip.
Scott walked down the street to the payphone. He stopped and put the change in and dialed Wallace's number. The phone rang for a few seconds before Wallace answered.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Wallace."
"Hey, guy. You strike out?"
"Yeah. Can I stay at your place?"
"Uh, you're welcome to, but Mobile just got home, and…"
"That's okay. Thanks anyway."
"Are you alright, Scott?"
"I'll be fine. I'll see you later."
"Alright. Hang in there, guy. Everything'll be okay."
"Bye."
"Bye."
Scott hung up the phone. He sighed, swearing under his breath and banging his head against the phone booth. After a few seconds, he looked back up and picked the phone up off the receiver. He put another 50 cents in and dialed another number. After about 20 seconds, the other line picked up.
"Who is this?"
"It's Scott."
"What did he do this time?"
"No. I mean, it's me. It's Scott."
"What did you do this time?"
Scott sighed and leaned against the phone booth.
"Can I come over?"
Kim sighed. "Sure."
"Thanks. See you soon."
"Alright. Bye."
"Bye." Scott hung up the phone. He exited the phone booth and looked up into the night sky.
"Why are you doing this to me?" He whispered.
Twenty Minutes Later…
Hollie, Joseph and Kim's Apartment
"Come on in." Kim opened the door for Scott and he walked in. Kim was dressed in a white t-shirt and a pair of plaid, elastic-waistband shorts.
"Thanks." He said.
"Hollie's asleep, so we have to keep it down. Did you want a drink?"
"You have any alcohol?"
"Rough night?"
"You have no idea."
"You wanna talk about it?" Kim asked, walking into the kitchen and opening a cabinet above the sink.
"Not really."
"You sure?" She took out a bottle of tequila and a glass out of the sink.
"Yeah." Scott sat down at the table.
"Okay." Kim placed the bottle and glass on the table and sat down.
"You're not drinking any?"
"Nope. We don't need a repeat of our junior prom."
"Prom? …Oh, yeah. That's probably a good idea." Scott opened the bottle and filled his glass to the brim.
"Are you sure you don't wanna talk?"
"No." Scott brought the glass to his mouth and downed his drink. As he finished, he placed the glass back onto the table. "I'm fine."
"You just drank 8 shots worth of tequila in that glass." Kim took the bottle away from him. "Since that's not humanly possible, I know you're not fine."
Scott sighed and put his head on the table, covering it with his arms. He stayed there for a minute before looking back up at Kim.
"I asked Ramona to marry me."
"Oh." Kim said, surprised. She paused for a moment, putting one and one together. "I'm sorry."
"She said she isn't ready for marriage. I don't understand it."
"I'm sorry. I'm not really the person to talk to about this kind of thing. I think you'd be better off talking to Wallace."
"He wasn't available. He's too busy having weird sex with his psychic boyfriend Mobile."
"Tough break."
"Can I ask you something, Kim?"
"Sure."
"If I asked you to marry me, would you say yes?"
"Uh… I think you've had too much to drink."
"Would you?"
"Uh, no."
"Why not?" Scott whined. The alcohol was definitely taking effect.
"Because we haven't had any kind of physical or emotional relationship in 8 years."
"Aww." Scott hung his head. "Why are all the women in my life rejecting me?"
"You're drunk. Try to think happy thoughts."
"Okay." Scott leaned his head back against the seat and looked up at the ceiling. He didn't say anything for a while.
"What are you thinking of?" Kim asked.
"Junior prom night."
"Oh." Kim rolled her eyes, trying not to remember that night. "I think it's time for bed."
"Good idea. Can my new friend come to sleep with us?" Scott picked up the bottle.
"No, he has other friends to sleep with." Kim stood up and pushed her chair in. "Maybe you'll see him again, later. Now come on. I have to go to work again tomorrow."
"Okay." Scott leaned against the table as he stood up.
"Come on."
Kim took him by the hand and led him up the stairs and into her room. Scott stumbled over and fell onto her bed.
"Make room." Kim said, closing the door. "Take off your shoes."
"I don't wanna." Scott whined.
"Take 'em off." Kim smacked his thigh. "Come on."
Scott whined again, and slipped his shoes off. Kim kicked them out of the way.
"Now move. I need to sleep, too."
Scott slid over to the other side of the bed, and Kim crawled in underneath the covers. She turned away from Scott. There was shuffling from Scott's side as Kim felt him move closer. She turned over, to find Scott's face right in front of her.
"Hi." He said.
"Back up." Kim said.
"Okay." Scott rolled over to the other side of the bed.
The Next Day…
The Happy Avocado
12:10 p.m.
"What's wrong with you?" Stephen asked.
"I might have had a few drinks last night." Scott said, dryly.
"Well, you're not getting any work done. If you wanna keep your job then I suggest you don't come in drunk tomorrow."
"I asked Ramona to marry me."
"Oh." Stephen said. "…I'm sorry, man."
"It's okay. I'll be fine. I already talked to Kim about it."
"You wanna take the rest of the day off? I can tell Dominique that you're catching a cold or something."
"Ohh. Sure. I'm not in the mood to work today."
"Alright. Just go. I'll tell her I sent you home."
"Thanks." Scott took off his apron and walked out of the kitchen.
Twenty Minutes Later…
Wallace and Mobile's Apartment
"What do I do?" Scott asked.
"What do you wanna do?" Wallace sat down on the couch with a glass of tea.
"I don't want to leave Ramona. I love her. I'm just really mad about last night."
"Well, you can't force her to marry you."
"I know. I'm not trying to. I don't know what to do. I don't want things to be awkward between us."
"I don't think you can help that, guy. In these situations, things like this are always awkward. My advice is that you talk to Ramona and resolve your differences."
"What if we can't agree on something?"
"Well then, maybe you two just aren't meant to be."
Scott looked down, sullenly.
"I'm sorry, Scott. But you can't just ignore this. You have to talk to her."
"I'm scared. I don't want to lose her."
"Then talk to her. Work things out."
Scott looked down for a moment.
"Alright. I have to." Scott stood up and walked to the door. "Thanks, Wallace. Talk to you later."
"Good luck, guy."
Another 20 Minutes Later…
Ramona's House
"Ramona?" Scott called as he walked through the front door. There was no reply. He walked into the kitchen. There, sitting at the table by the window, was Ramona. She was passed out with her head on the table, with an empty glass bottle hidden under her left hand.
I'm glad she felt something from that, but this is ridiculous. Scott thought. Was she there all night? He walked over to the table and took the bottle out of Ramona's hand.
"Ramona? Are you alright?" He reached over and brushed the hair out of her face. She didn't move. "Ramona?" Scott lightly tapped her cheek.
Ramona stirred and sat up, murmuring to herself. She looked up at Scott and blinked several times.
"Scott." She said. "What time is it?"
"Almost 1:00." He replied.
"I missed work." She said, stretching her arms out.
"Yeah." Scott sat down.
"I'm sorry." She said.
"No, Ramona." He said. "I'm sorry. Look—I don't care if you don't wanna marry me. I really don't."
"Then why did you ask me to?"
"I just thought I did. I've talked to Kim and Wallace, and I've been thinking, and I really don't care. If you don't want to get married, then that's fine with me. As long as we can stay together."
"Really?"
"Yes. I've realized that we don't need to get married. We don't need to announce to the world that we're together. And I don't want things to change between us. So, as long as we're together, then that's all that matters."
Ramona stared at him for a moment, then her eyes quivered and she burst into tears.
"What's wrong?" Scott asked.
"Nothing." She said. "That's just the nicest thing that anyone's ever said to me."
Ramona stood up and walked over to Scott side of the table. She sat on his thighs and hugged him. Scott wrapped his hands around her and hugged her back.
"I love you." He said.
"Yes." She said.
"What?" Scott looked up at her.
"Yes, I will marry you."
End Chapter 6