The Dissin’ Man…

“Are you gonna keep dissin’ me?” Rosa asked me angrily as I sat down at the shopping center after eating lunch at Rodger’s today. She had walked up to speak to me.

“The whole thing was a mistake,” I replied once again for the umpteenth time.

“You didn’t think so when you were going down on me and making love to me.”

I cringed at those words and got up to walk away.

“I see how you are going to be,” She hollered after me as I kept walking. "Nombre cobarde! (coward)"

I just wanted to get away. I just couldn’t take all that today. My nerves are kind of shaky after a broken night of sleep. I and Rosa were such good friends before we happened to sleep together and I went and ruined it all. I can be such a dolt when I am drinking.

I then stepped into the dollar store to buy a cheap can of mixed nuts. I’ve been hooked on those things lately and they are only a dollar a can being on sale.

“Sir,” A lady standing at the cash register said as I walked in the door. “We have a new policy. You can’t bring that backpack in here.”

“Will you hold it for me?” I asked.

“Sure,” She said as she smiled, “But I can’t be responsible for anything lost or stolen.”

“On second thought, I will just leave,” I replied thinking of my $350 dollar Canon camera in my backpack. It would just devastate me if something happened to my camera.

I walked on home as a tear erupted from my eye and rolled down my cheek as I thought of Rosa. I really didn’t mean for us sleeping together to happen. I had just had too much to drink and made an inebriated error in judgment. I arrived home to find another call on my answering machine from Carolyn.

Are you avoiding me? I have called three times today and you will not answer. I really need to talk to you. We need to talk about what happened Thursday night. If I don’t get in touch with you today, then I am coming over tonight. Call me.

I sighed. I am being bombarded on all fronts. My life can grow so complicated sometimes and it is my own fault. I am better off just being celibate and alone. It certainly makes life much easier.

I then called my father for advice.

“Don’t answer the door or the phone tonight,” He told me. “You don’t have to deal with that kind of shit.”

“I know,” I said. “But it will probably just get worse.”

“Give me her phone number and I will call her and tell her to leave you alone.”

“No,” I said. “That will make things even more complicated. You don’t know Carolyn. She can have a one track mind.”

“She is way too old for you anyway,” He said. “We need to find you a nice young girl near you own age.”

“I think I am better off alone,” I replied.

“Remember, your sister’s baby is due Monday,” My father said changing the subject. “Have a suitcase packed and ready to go. You are going to ride with us to Birmingham as soon as she goes into labor.”

“Ok,” I said thinking of the mound of laundry sitting in my hall. “I will get some clothes washed and ready today.”

“You just come over and spend the night with your mother and me tonight,” My father then said.

“No, I need to face this,” I replied. “Too many times I have ran from my problems in the past. I have just got to tell Carolyn that it is over and that she has got to stop bothering me.”

“Just don’t drink over this, ok?”

“I won’t. I promise.”

“Well, this all is going to worry the shit out of me. You call me tonight and let me know you are sober.”

“I will,” I replied. "I am going to get to an AA meeting this evening."

We both hung up the phone and I sat down in my lazy boy lounge chair to rest as Maggie jumped up into my lap to take a nap.

At least, I have one woman in my life that is not just driving me absolutely bat shit crazy, I thought.