RESOLUTIONS
December 31, 2018 9:15 PM
The party is already going strong when Adrian Waters, dressed to the nines, walks into the banquet hall. He scans the room for his girlfriend, but through all the people, he doesn't spot her right away. He regrets not coming to the party with her, but he had some legal matters pertaining to the divorce to finalize. The divorce to Myra was already official, but there were other considerations. Married in 2016, divorced in 2018. It was sad, really. There is no doubt that he and Myra had loved each other, but it was even more obvious that they brought out the worst in each other. No one had a clue what went on behind closed doors; and they never would thanks to the non-disclosure agreement both of them signed. They were public figures, so while he was surprised Myra had wanted the non-disclosure agreement, he had no problems signing it.
The separation in late 2017 was inevitable. They never did get back together after that, although in a charade wrapped within a charade wrapped within a charade, everyone thought they got back together in May during GCW Resurrection weekend. Things were so bad between them that, after Adrian was badly injured at Civil War, Myra had only visited him the one time. It was the woman who he was looking for right now who had been there for him when he was released from the hospital after being re-injured in June. His Tiffany. He will never forget when she showed up at the doorstep of his New York City apartment...
August, 2018
The doorbell rang again. Whoever it was at his door, that person was persistent. Adrian rolled over in his bed and slowly sat up, grimacing. He sat there for nearly a minute, debating if he really cared who was there. Then his phone alerted him to a new text message. He sighed and grabbed the phone from the nearby nightstand. The text read simply: "Answer your damn door." It was from his old boss, Tiffany Manning. He was surprised, even though the two of them did become good friends when Tiffany was the General Manager of Shotgun. However, Myra didn't like Tiff, so he hadn't kept in touch. He chuckled a little at the irony, then tapped in a quick response: "Ok, 5 min."
It was actually more like eight minutes before Adrian was dressed and at his apartment door, opening it to her. He smiled, but apparently, he looked like he felt -- like shit -- because her brow creased with concern as she slowly walked past the threshold.
Tiffany: "Oh Adrian."
Adrian shrugged as he shut the door behind her.
Adrian: "I'll live. What brings you to New York?"
Tiffany: "You."
Her bluntness and her direct gaze on him stopped Adrian in his tracks. They said nothing for several moments, a silence broken by Manning.
Tiffany: "You are here all alone? No Myra? No friends?"
Adrian: "No and no. I haven't seen Myra since...shit, I don't remember. Probably Resurrection. As for friends; well, you're here now. But, I look worse than I actually am. I wish you hadn't wasted your time travelling all that way for me."
Tiffany looked at Adrian sternly.
Tiffany: "You are not a waste of my time. You are my friend. I care about you. Plus, you are so full of shit if you really believe you don't need any help. Are you on any pain meds, because you look like you're in a lot of pain."
Adrian shrugged.
Adrian: "The doc gave me something, but I hate drugs. I hurt, but it's not the end of the World."
Tiffany looked him up and down, making him a little uncomfortable, but he said nothing.
Tiffany: "When was the last time you shaved?"
Adrian reflexively put a hand to his stubbled cheek.
Adrian: "A few days, I guess. You like the beard?"
Instead of answering Adrian, Tiffany walks closer to him and takes his right hand.
Tiffany: "Listen, you're the shrink, not me, but you need to stop beating yourself up...whether it's about your marriage or your injuries."
Adrian: "I brought it all on myself. I treated people like shit, and now karma is having it's way with me. I deserve all of this and much worse."
Tiffany: "Stop it, damn it! Yes, you've done some pretty lousy things...but how about this? Instead of feeling sorry for yourself and beating yourself up, you work harder to be a better person. I know there is a good man in there. I've seen him many times and I am damn proud to call that man my friend. Do you honestly think if there wasn't some good in you that I'd be here right now? I know all about making bad decisions Adrian, and you know what I'm doing about it? I'm striving to be better. I know I am a good person, and I have you to thank for helping me believe in myself. Now, I'm going to return the favor. Got it?"
Adrian's head is bowed, but he heard every word. He nods, but Tiffany isn't satisfied. She puts a finger under his chin and lifts his head so they are eye to eye.
Tiffany: "Did you hear me Adrian?"
Adrian: "Yes."
Adrian looks like he wants to say more, but no words come. Regardless, Tiffany nods her head once then starts to walk around the apartment. It is littered with empty pizza boxes, beer cans, and soda bottles. Dirty clothes lay in random little piles. Window shades are drawn shut.
Tiffany: "Okay, so for starters, I want you to take something for the pain, even if it's just two aspirin. Then I am going to clean this place up a little and make you something to eat. If you try to fight me, God help you."
She smiles at Adrian, who does chuckle a little.
Adrian: "I guess I have no choice then."
Tiffany: "Nope."
For the next three hours, Tiffany cleaned his apartment, then she rummaged through his kitchen to make dinner. Not finding much to work with as far as food, she ordered Chinese for them. She did find a bottle of wine, though, and as it had been a few hours since Adrian took a couple of aspirin, she felt it was safe enough for him to have a glass. The two ate in a comfortable silence, Adrian eating better than he had in weeks. After dinner, Tiffany cleaned up while Adrian, forbidden to help her, watched her affectionately. He did start to dose off, and seeing this, Tiff helped him to his bedroom and into bed. Both were sitting on the bed, Adrian in shorts and bare chested.
Adrian: "Where are you staying tonight?"
Tiffany: "I have options. Not sure where yet."
Adrian: "How long will you be in New York?"
To this question, Tiffany shrugged.
Tiffany: "I'm not sure. A few days maybe. I want to make sure you're okay."
Adrian smiled at this.
Adrian: "I'll be fine. Thank you...for everything."
Tiff returned the smile, the two staring into each other's eyes.
Tiffany: "You're welcome."
Adrian: "You know, you can stay here tonight...if you are comfortable with that. I can sleep on the couch."
Tiffany reached out and grabbed Adrian's hand, not breaking eye contact.
Tiffany: "I would love to stay...and no one is sleeping on the couch."
She then leaned forward and kissed Adrian softly. The first kiss then lead to a second, longer kiss.
Adrian: "You do realize I'm still married, right?"
Tiffany: (whispering) "I don't care. I have wanted you for forever. I can make you forget your wife, forget your pain."
With that, she leaned in again and the two started kissing more hungrily, bodies pressed together, hands exploring each other. Adrian remembers that night vividly, and not just because of the sex. Granted, the sex was incredible, but it was also the things she told him. She was in love with him. She had been for a long time. She had been patiently waiting for him and Myra to separate. She was blunt and shameless in her admissions. It was almost too much for him to believe. He had kept her at arm's length for months, not wanting to lead her on, but also wanting her. To be here with her now, in his apartment, admitting these things, hearing her admissions, making love to her...
December 31, 2018 9:20 PM
Adrian is brought out of his daydream when two arms incircle his waist from behind. The hand of this individual's right arm comes to rest just below his waist, and Adrian can't help but to smile. He turns and is face to face with the woman whom he had just been thinking about -- Tiffany. She smiles up at him before standing on her tip-toes so they can kiss.
Tiffany: "How did everything go?"
Adrian: "It was very anti-climatic. I sat in a small office with two lawyers and signed where they told me. I'm glad to be done with that. How long have you been here?"
Tiff cocks her head to think.
Tiffany: "Maybe two hours. I've been talking to my brother and drinking a little. I may have a bit of a buzz going. Lucky you. Oh yeah, and I love you. Just in case I haven't told you lately."
Tiff giggles, then pulls him out to the dance floor. The music is much louder here; too loud for conversation. Adrian is alright with that. If the World were to end right now, he knew he'd die a happy man; holding his Tiffany, her last words to him being that she loved him. That does get Adrian thinking. She tells him several times a day that she loves him. He can't hear it enough, either. However, he has yet to say it to her. This doesn't bother Tiffany; at least, not that she has ever let on. As with everything else Adrian Waters, Tiffany seems to know. He loves her...man, does he ever. But, those three words. Everyone who he has exchanged those three words with had left him...with no exceptions. He knows it's not fair to withold that simple phrase from her, but a deep-down part of him was convinced that, by saying those words, he was all but guaranteeing that she, too, would leave.
It is no secret that Adrian grew up in the foster system and does not know his real parents. The truth is, he could have found them had he even tried looking for them; but he hasn't. Adrian was shuffled from home to home until he was 16; at which point, he petitioned the State of New York for emancipation so he could live on campus at Harvard. He couldn't stand to live under anyone else's roof any longer, so when he was 15 and was allowed to skip ninth grade to tenth, he actually emersed himself in his studies and was accepted into Harvard. He took summer classes and graduated high school the following summer. The hardest part wasn't the school work or getting into Harvard, but petitioning the State courts to emancipate him.
No, he had no desire to find his natural parents. He blames them for a miserable, loveless childhood. He remembers the first couple to tell him they loved him. Hell, they told Adrian they had started proceedings to adopt him as their son. Jim and Judy Manelli. They were unable to conceive their own child, and treated nine-year-old Adrian like their own offspring. They told him they loved him and would never let him go. That was the first of countless, painful lies Adrian would hear. Jim and Judy may have loved their fostered child, but they were also criminals. They were involved in drug trafficing, illegal gambling, tax fraud, and a myriad of other illegal ventures. The nine-year-old Adrian couldn't or wouldn't understand why he was being taken away from them; they had never hurt him. But he was eventually convinced by the best shrinks employed by the State of New York that Jim and Judy knew what they were doing was wrong. They knew that, if they got caught, that they would go to prison and lose their boy. They understood the risks, and yet, they still did it. They said they loved him, but they lived their lives gambling with his happiness. How was that love? Adrian decided it wasn't. They had never raised a hand to him, but what they did was far worse; or, so he thought.
No, there was worse. Ellen Ward told all three boys she fostered with her abusive asshole husband Frank that she loved them. She cried with them when they were beat especially bad. She cleaned the wounds that her husband created; at least, the physical wounds. Never once did Adrian hear or see her do anything to defend any of them. Not even a dirty look. Adrian figured Frank was beating her, too, but damn it, she was the adult! She was supposed to protect her boys who ranged from 14 to 11 years old! Yet, she never did. He didn't need love if that's what love was. Love was cowardess. Love was selfish. No, love was just a bunch of empty fucking words. Quite a lesson to learn before one's twelvth birthday.
Then, there was the brand of love that a teenage boy experiences with his first girlfriend. What boy doesn't remember his first girlfriend? His first kiss? His first fuck? All three were the same girl: Melissa Mullen. He was fourteen and she was fifteen when Adrian went to live with her and her parents, George and Suzette in Syracuse. It wasn't even a month before she was showing interest in him. She was beautiful and very forward. Adrian was all testosterone. It wasn't going to end well.
Melissa confided in Adrian that she was having a tough time in school, and Adrian started to help her with her homework; A.K.A. he was doing her homework for her. In return, Melissa fulfilled and exceeded his every sexual fantasy.
March, 1993
Fourteen-year-old Adrian Waters sits on his bed in his room in the Mullen house, watching television. In reality, the TV was on, but he was fantasizing about the next time he and Missy might hook up and what wonderous things they may do to each other. That is when his bedroom door flies open and Melissa bounds into the room, two envelopes in her hand and a smile on her pretty face. She tosses on of the envelopes to Adrian, which he sees is from the school district.
Adrian: "What's this?"
Melissa: "Report cards for the second term. Look!"
Before he can finish opening his own envelope, Melissa tosses hers on his lap, grinning from ear to ear. Adrian opens it up and his eyes light up as he reads.
Adrian: "You got a 3.1 GPA, and an A in Algebra. Nice."
Melissa rolls her eyes, but is still smiling.
Melissa: "Yeah. Because of you, dork! You know what that means, right? I can stay on the cheerleading squad and I'm still eligible for that scholarship! You are the best!"
Before Adrian can say anything in response, Melissa has shoved her tongue in his mouth while pushing him on to his back on the bed. After a couple of minutes, she breaks the kiss and looks at him, breathing heavily.
Melissa: "I do love you."
Adrian tries to reply, but her mouth is on his again, and her hands are now busy unbuttoning his jeans. A few minutes later, they are both naked, and are going at it frantically. That is when they hear the garage door. They both freeze, not even untangling, faces wide-eyed. The sound of a shutting car door breaks their paralysis and they both rush to get dressed before they are caught. By the time Suzette Mullen makes it up the steps, both children are in their own respective rooms, both watching TV like nothing is wrong. Suzette stops to talk to her daughter first before stopping by Adrian's room.
Suzette: "Hello Adrian."
Adrian looks over at her, struggling to look uninterested.
Adrian: "Oh, hi Mom. You're home early."
Suzette: "Yeah. Our LAN went down and they sent us home. Surprise!"
Suzette laughs.
Suzette: "Melissa told me you got your report cards in the mail today?"
Adrian nods.
Adrian: "Yeah. I forgot to even look at it. Here."
Adrian holds the envelope out to Suzette, who takes it, but then pauses. She is staring at something, and Adrian follows her gaze to the floor where a bra lays discarded in the corner.
Suzette: "Adrian?"
Adrian: "Huh?"
Suzette walks over to the bra, picking it up, inspecting it. She then looks at him, her face a mixture of confusion and anger.
Suzette: "Would you like to explain this to me?"
Adrian looks down at the floor, his face beet red. He knows she would have no idea who the bra actually belongs to, but he was still in trouble.
Suzette: "Adrian?"
Adrian: "Uh, well..."
Suzette then gasps, looking at the undergarment more closely.
Suzette: "No. It can't be."
Adrian: "What...can't be?"
Ignoring the boy now, Suzette pokes her head out into the hallway.
Suzette: "Melissa, get in here right now."
Suzette walks deeper into the room, so she has a position between the two teens. Melissa slinks into the room moments later.
Melissa: "What is it Ma...Oh."
Suzette: "Is this yours?"
Melissa: "I...I..."
Suzette: "Answer me right now! Is this your god-damned bra!?!"
The girl bows her head, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Melissa: "Ye...yes. He made me promise not to tell!"
Adrian: "What?!?"
Suzette: "Shut up Adrian! Tell what, Missy?"
Melissa is still looking at the floor, her words harder to make out through her sobs.
Melissa: "He...he...he forced me to have sex with him! He raped me!!!"
At the lie, Adrian shot up to his feet, and he was seeing red.
Adrian: "You lying cunt!!!"
*SLAP*
Adrian's head rocked back as Suzette slapped him hard across the face. He put a hand to his cheek and looked at his foster mother unbelieving, but staying silent. Meanwhile, Melissa had run off to her own bedroom, where she can now be heard crying. Suzette looked in the direction of her daughter's room, then looked back at Adrian.
Suzette: "Get out. Get out before my husband gets home, because God knows what he'll do to you."
At this point, Adrian was crying. He couldn't believe how quickly everything went to shit. He knew he should just leave, but...
Adrian: "I swear I didn't..."
Suzette: "No! I don't want to hear it. Please, for your sake as much as Melissa's, just go. Grab your gym bag, pack your clothes and your stuff, and get out."
Adrian: "Mom..."
Suzette: "YOU ARE NOT MY SON, YOU LITTLE BASTARD! NOW,GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!!!!"
With that, she was gone from the room. Crying harder, Adrian packed as much stuff as he could fit in his bag, went downstairs to the kitchen and packed some food and soda, and without a look back, left. He didn't comprehend what had just happened. How did Mrs. Mullen know the bra was Melissa's? Why did Melissa lie and say such an awful thing? So many questions and no fucking answers.
Adrian lived on the streets for nearly a week before he was caught shop-lifting food. The cop who picked him up returned him to the Syracuse CYS office. He was eventually transfered to New York City and placed with the McCoy family, where he would stay until he left for Harvard less than two years later. It was a long time before he could sleep at night, though. He kept expecting the police to break down the door and haul him downtown to book him for rape. It never happened. Maybe Melissa cracked and admitted that there was no rape. Maybe. It was a much longer time before he could understand how, within a half-hour time, someone could go from professing their love for you to accusing you of such a horrible thing like rape. Adrian was convinced that love was a myth and vowed he would never let someone close to him like that again. It was a vow he kept for more than a decade.
December 31, 2018 11:59 PM
The music faded and the DJ enthusiastically proclaimed that there was exactly one minute left in the year 2018. He encouraged everyone to find that special someone to smooch as the hour struck midnight. Adrian and Tiffany stood ready, holding hands, staring at each other, smiling.
Tiffany: "So, what is your New Year resolution?"
Waters chuckled, causing Tiffany to raise an eyebrow.
Tiffany: "What? What did I say?"
Adrian: "That whole turning over a new leaf thing we agreed to...isn't that enough? Alright, how about this. I resolve to make 2019 the best of both of our lives."
Tiffany: "That will be easy, as long as you stay with me."
Adrian: "I'm not going anywhere."
The two kiss. The DJ announces the 20 second warning...then the count is on. 10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Auld Lang Syne starts to play. Adrian and Tiffany just stare at each other for several moments while people around them kiss and shout out for everyone to have a Happy New Year.
Tiffany: "Happy New Year, Adrian."
Adrian: "Happy New Year, Tiffany. I love you."
At those last three words, Tiffany's eyes grow wide. Then, Adrian is kissing her. The kiss starts slow, but soon evolves into something more hungry, more intense. Adrian lifts Tiff off her feet and she wraps her legs around his waist. She breaks the kiss, breathing heavily, to whisper in his ear.
Tiffany: "Adrian. Take me to our hotel room right now. And, I love you too. Let me show you how much."
Adrian says nothing, placing Tiffany back down on her feet. He then escorts her, we can assume, towards the fastest path back to their hotel room.