Part Three: The DTR

I rode to the coast with Scott's little brother Mark. We got into town right after midnight and I assumed everyone would be asleep. Boy was I wrong. I walked into their tiny apartment to see Scott, his older sister Sara and brother-in-law Larry, his older brother Brad and I think his brother-in-law’s sister Kerri and her husband Jason-all watching Bring it On. But no, they weren’t just watching it, they had it paused and were doing the spirit fingers dance. And then they would fast forward it to the really awkward, painfully horrible scene where Eliza Dushku dances at her front door, the first time she wears her cheerleading uniform. It was hysterical. That night I bore witness to several incidents that would become family jokes. Like how Brad shirt just fell off. Or that Colleen would rather go to Europe then watch Brad graduate college, even though they were engaged at the time. And during that night I fell in love with his family. They were funny and sarcastic and welcoming. The next night on the way home in the back of Mark’s car my heart was a conflicted. I had to go home and face Mr. Serious but all I really wanted to do was stay in that apartment full of those people. They felt like home.

To say my break-up with Mr. Serious was easy would be lying. Even though I had moved on, it’s never easy to walk away from some one that you cared deeply for. Someone that you had dreamed with and made plans with. But I did it. I walked away. And it sucked. And after jumping from one relationship to the next so quickly earlier that year, I decided to take a break from guys. I was going to enjoy this summer, boy-free. Little did I know Scott had other plans.

A few weeks later Scott came into town. He asked to take me to lunch. I wasn’t sure I wanted to. I was reeling from my break-up and the last thing I wanted was to introduce more guy drama into my life. But he was persistent and I’m a sucker for Olive Garden. All through lunch we chatted. Nothing big, just chit chat, but I had this feeling that something was hanging over us. This heavy air of suspense and I couldn’t quite figure out why. He drove me home and came inside the house. It was the middle of the day and my parents were at work so we had the place to our selves to continue our chit chat. Then he turned our casual lunch into something completely different. He gave me his DTR talk.

“So I want to date you.”

He said to me as we balanced on bar stools in my parents kitchen.

I smiled but inside I was tormented. No God! Not this! Not now! I’m done with guys remember?

“And I get about every other weekend off so I’ll come into town as much as I can”

I continued to smile so as not to reveal the terror inside. I didn’t want another long-distance relationship, that last one was so hard and ended up being so not worth it. And this is SCOTT. I still couldn’t wrap my brain around the fact that this was Scott. Red-headed, dorky, obnoxious, friend of my brother’s Scott.

My brain was a blender of thoughts and fears and apprehension and hesitation. But when the whirling finally stopped the peace set in. He was going to be two hours away. So it wouldn’t be another one of those relationships that become part of your daily life. I could slowly learn to get over that he was Scott, and start knowing him as Scott.

I have no recollection to what my reply was, or if I even ever gave him one. But when my mom came home that night I told her,

“I think I’m dating Scott Chambless.”