[SIZE=10pt]I get back in my car; Brooks is distraught and overly apologetic.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Brooks “Ron, I’m so sorry I don’t know what to do”[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Me “I know what to do.” [/SIZE]I put the car in drive.
[SIZE=10pt]Brooks “Where are we going?”[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Me “I need a drink, we can figure something out”.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Brooks “A drink would be great right now”.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]I drive to my condo; I think she thought it was just a large building with a bar in it or something. [/SIZE]We walked through the parking garage through to the elevator, got off the elevator and that’s when she asked, “What is this place?” I just kept walking to my door opened it, dropped my bags and walked in. She hesitantly followed then looked around and said, “Wow…you live here?”
[SIZE=10pt]Me: “Yeah, you like it?”[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Brooks “It’s amazing”[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]My kitchen is lined with an assortment of vodkas and some other random bottles leftover from friends dropping by. [/SIZE]I make a beeline to the bottle of Tito’s in the freezer, poured a double over ice with a splash of seltzer. I took big sip then asked, “what are you drinking?
[SIZE=10pt]Brooks “SoCo and lime if you have it”[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Me “of course, rocks?”[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Brooks “Yes please” (with this stupid smile)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]I grab a highball, half ice in the glass, half ice in the shaker. [/SIZE]Double shot in the shaker, lime juice, shake then pour into the highball. I turned on the Bluetooth system, SiriusXM to The Pulse for what I call “ot’s pop” (pop music from 2000 to 2009, Rob Thomas, Matchbox Twenty, #### like that).
[SIZE=10pt]Me I gave her the drink then said, “Let me show you around” We walked around; she stopped a bit to take in the view of the city.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Brooks “I’ve never been to DC. [/SIZE]You live here long?”
[SIZE=10pt]Me “Almost ten years.”[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Brooks “You like it?”[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Me “Yes and no. [/SIZE]I like the people, don’t like the traffic”. As we continue to walk around, I show her the different rooms in my place.
[SIZE=10pt]Brooks “You live here alone?[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Me “Yes”[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Brooks “Big place for a single guy”[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Me “I’m actually married. [/SIZE]Wife and I decided it was best for our daughter that I move out. A friend of a friend owns this place; we worked out a deal for me to live here until he finds the right time to put it on the market. But yeah, way too much space for just me. This also isn’t a great part of the city for single guys, works fine for my work life though. I’m going to change clothes, you’re welcome to do the same, turn on the TV or w/e; make yourself comfortable”.
[SIZE=10pt]Brooks “I don’t know what I’m going to do tonight”[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Me “Well I’ve got two free rooms if you need a place”[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Brooks “I could get a hotel, you’ve done enough”[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Me “Up to you”

[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Brooks continues to call/text her friend and Facebook in-box people to figure out what’s going on. [/SIZE]No real answers yet. I take a shower then throw on gym shorts and a t-shirt. Still barefoot, I walk out of my bedroom and Brooks is helping herself to another drink, TV is still off. Brooks heads back to the living room, her bags are sitting next to her on the couch while she still texting. I grab a bucket of ice, the bottle of Tito’s from the freezer and the aluminum seltzer bottle. I sit on the floor, other side of the couch leaned against the couch on turn on a basketball game with no sound and made a drink. Music is still on.
[SIZE=10pt]Brooks “So what are you going to do?”
Me [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Brooks “Like, you’re just going to sit here and drink?”
Me [/SIZE]“That’s the plan”
[SIZE=10pt](awkward silence)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Brooks “Well what am I going to do?”
Me [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Brooks “Can I have some of your ice?”
Me “Brooks, you’re my guest; you can have anything you want in this place”[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Brooks “I can’t ####ing believe this. [/SIZE]Why isn’t she answering me, she knew I was flying in today and now I don’t have a place to stay”
[SIZE=10pt]Me [/SIZE]“Well you have options”
[SIZE=10pt]Brooks “I can’t stay at some random guy’s place”[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Me [/SIZE]“I’d never offend you by calling ‘you’ “random”
[SIZE=10pt]Brooks “I didn’t mean it that way”[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Me [/SIZE]“I know, just breaking balls” (she didn’t seem in the mood for jokes).
[SIZE=10pt]Brooks walks off to the kitchen and returns with the bottle of SoCo. [/SIZE]I’m watching the game completely ignoring her at this point because her negative vibe is ####ing up my high. I stepped out on the balcony to smoke; Brooks is one the phone still.
[SIZE=10pt]Brooks (after a bit of silence, music in background and TV still going) [/SIZE]“You have nice feet for a guy”
[SIZE=10pt]Me “Thanks (weird observation but w/e), I’m kinda OCD about changing socks throughout the day, scrubbing my feet during showers and getting pedicures. [/SIZE]Sounds gay but chicks also don’t like guys with ugly feet.

“
[SIZE=10pt]Brooks “I was dating this guy a few months ago, he took his boots off when we were getting ready to ####; his feet smelled so bad that it killed the mood. [/SIZE]They were gnarly and gross smelling; I just couldn’t.”
[SIZE=10pt]Me [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]We chatted a bit more now that the SoCo has kicked in and she loosened up. [/SIZE]She never actually said she planned on staying the night - then while I’m watching the game, I looked over and Brooks was gone. Her bags were still on the couch. I just figured she was in the bathroom then after some time went buy, I decided to go looking for her. She’s passed out in MY bed wearing only bra and panties, shirt and jeans on the floor. I just went back into the living room, watching TV and continued drinking. I figured, meah, I’ll just sleep in one of the other rooms. After another hour or so I’m tired and now drunk enough to go to sleep, so I go to bed (in my bed – like I always do, forgot about Brooks).
[SIZE=10pt]Around 9am the next morning, I wake up with just my shorts on to music; ASAP Ferg & Future “I’m on a new level” playing loudly in my living room. [/SIZE]Brooks and I perk up, Brooks hears not only music but someone walking around in heals on my hardwood flooring, she looks at me:
[SIZE=10pt]Brooks (whispering) “who’s that?”[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Me “If it’s loud hip hop at 9am, It’s Angie”[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Brooks (still whispering and now shrinking in the sheets) “Is that your wife?”[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Me “No”[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt](to be continued…)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]
Brooks III[/SIZE]