"It is. You're going to be greatest story. When she gets older and has a husband and kids and is living in some suburb where the houses all look the same, she'll stand outside on a summer's night and realize she hates her life. Then she'll smile, thinking about you. But she'll know that she has security. Money in the bank. Health insurance. Kids are going to a good school. So, she'll swallow it down."
I stood up and thought about punching Bill in the mouth.
"Take it easy," Charlie said, sensing what I was thinking. "He is right, though, River. I mean, whatever you two have right now, that's awesome. She's pretty as hell. But where does it go? She's smart, man. She's in college. You're fighting for cash and working a wrench, you know?"
"Man, you two are fucking assholes," I said.
"Just the truth," Bill said. "Same thing happened to me. A girl named Sarah. Damn, man, I went hard for her. When things got too serious or too real, she would come to me. When she got sick of sipping wine at a fancy dinner, she'd hang with me. We'd get pizza and cheap beer. Sit on the roof of my apartment building and look at the stars. But there's no future in that shit."
I put the cash in my pocket. "It's different with Lacey. I know it. I can feel it. I don't give a shit what anyone says. I'll figure out what I'm doing next. I can't fight forever. I know that."
"Hey," Charlie said. "More power to you. You want to save up and buy this house? Do it. I just don't want you to get hurt."
I pointed to my busted-up face. "I'm already hurt."
"Here," Bill said, and he touched his chest. "Having your heart broken is worse than a few dings to the jaw."
"Fuck you two," I said. "I don't want to hear that shit again. I'm out of here."
Charlie stood up. "Come on, man. Stick around. Keep drinking with us. Tell us what you want to do to the house."
"No," I said.
"Ah, fuck," Bill said. "Don't be a dick."
"It doesn't matter what I want to do," I said. "Call me when there's another fight. I want the next one as soon as possible."
"Shouldn't you rest a little?"
"No," I said. "And don't fuck up anything in my house or on my porch."
I walked away with Charlie and Bill calling out to me to stay. I had somewhere else to be.
I climbed into my own damn truck, feeling my body aching. The fight had been brutal. I came close to losing it. If the other guy had gotten one or two more shots to my face or ribs, I would have gone down. And the second you ended up on your hands and knees, you were done for.
I started the truck and drove away.
Yeah, it was insane to think about buying that house. But I wanted to buy it for Lacey. I wanted to fix it up for her. I wanted to give her everything she wanted. I knew all the reasons we shouldn't have been together. She was rich. I was poor. She was in college. I was working as a mechanic by day and illegal fighter by night. Maybe I couldn't give her a life with a red door and picket fence, but I could give her a love that nobody else could come close to giving her.
I drove down into the rich neighborhood and parked my truck. I didn't need to attract attention to myself. I walked along the perfectly designed sidewalk next to trees that were planted at the exact same distance apart from each other. I touched my pocket, feeling my earnings. What I had in my pocket was probably what some of these people made in an hour. For me, that was a lot of money. For them, it was probably a half-decent dinner. The line had been drawn from the day I was born, and I just walked it.
I stopped right outside Lacey's house. I stood next to a thick tree and felt hidden enough. Trust me, there was no malicious intent in my heart or mind. I just wanted to see it. Just to stare. I counted the windows. I looked at the garage. The landscaping design out front. She had a pool in the backyard. I knew her window was the upstairs one on the right.
Give me a sign, darling. Please. Give me a sign.
The light turned on. For a quick second, I saw a silhouette walk by the window. My heart started to jump. Race. Pound. My mouth felt dry. I licked my lips. Damn, no other girl ever made me feel like that in my life. Not even close. I'd do anything for Lacey. I couldn't lose her. This wasn't something quick and done, you know? Yeah, sure, maybe I was the wrong in her life made up of right. But you know what? She was the right in my life of wrong. We would find a way to balance each other out.
I stood there and stared at the light in the bedroom. I wondered what she was doing. On her phone with a friend? Working on classwork? Sitting on her bed, thinking of me?