DAYS LIKE THESE (Part 3)

The Challenge?

(The finale)

By: Anthony Mayfield

Everything that you hope for, everything that you dream about, can begin at the altar. Life, however, is a trickster; and everything that you hope and dream can also turn on a dime…just hope that dime isn’t dropped at the altar.

Brenda: (talking to Jock on the phone) “Well, tomorrow is the big day. Are you ready?”

Jock: “Yeah, I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. I’ll just be glad to get it all behind us so I can get behind you, if you know what I mean?”

Brenda: “Oh, you know I know. It seems like six days have passed instead of six months.”

Jock: “Yeah, and it seems even longer since you backed that thang up.”

Brenda: “It hasn’t been that long, besides, it’ll just make our honeymoon that much more special.”

Jock: “Maybe two months isn’t long to you, but it’s been two of the longest, hardest, driest months in my life.” (She laughs)

Brenda: “Good. That means that there will be plenty of passion and desire when we consummate our marriage vows.”

Jock: “You got that right. Hold on a minute, Babe, somebody’s trying to call.” (He clicks over) Hello.”

Voice: “What’s up, Jock?”

Jock: “Hey Matt, how’s it going?”

Matt: “I’m just calling to make sure that you’re going to be down for the bachelor’s party tonight?”

Jock: “Man, you know I’m not going to miss my own bachelor’s party.”

Matt: “Seeing that this is your last day of freedom, do you have any last requests?”

Jock: ‘What do you mean?”

Matt: “I mean, is there anything special that you want, booze, girls, flicks, you know?”

Jock: “I’m not going to drink too much because I don’t want to be wasted at the altar tomorrow and I’ve gone the past to months without relations so I can wait another night. There isn’t anything specific that I want. Whatever you guys do is cool with me.”

Matt: “I can’t believe that you haven’t had none in two months. Dude, you’ve gotta be about to burst.”

Jock: “Yeah, just about.”

Matt: “Alright, I’ll see you tonight.”

Jock: “Cool. Later.”

Matt: “Later.” (Jock clicks back over)

Jock: “I’m back, you there.”

Brenda: “Yep, I’m still here. Who was that?”

Jock: “That was Matt.”

Brenda: “What did he want?”

Jock: “He just wanted to know if I were coming to the party tonight.”

Brenda: “Oh, that’s right. Your party is tonight. Hey, don’t you come to the church smelling like cheap wine and wanton women tomorrow.”

Jock: “I won’t, baby.”

Brenda: “And you better not give my stuff away either.”

Jock: (smiling) “Is that a hint of jealousy I hear?”

Brenda: “Hell, yeah. Ain’t no shame to my game.”

Jock: (laughing) “You don’t have anything to worry about, it’s for you and only you.”

Brenda: “It better be. Well, Sweetie, I’ve got to go and get some last minute things done. So, if I don’t talk to you anymore today, enjoy the party, and I’ll see you at the altar tomorrow at three. You won’t miss me; I’ll be the one in the white dress with the big smile.”

Jock: “And you won’t miss me either, I’ll be the one with the baseball bat in his pants.”

Brenda: “Oh, you… Bye, bye.”

Jock: (laughing) “Bye, Baby.” Click

Later that night at the party, there are plenty of flicks, chicks, booze, food and fun. Jock was putting forth his best effort to stay clear of the hookers that were running around the house. Nonetheless, his drunken buddies were determined that Jock was going to have a night to remember if even if they didn’t.

Jeffery: “Hey, Jock. Since you are saving yourself for your future wife, at least let one of these fine women give you a lap dance.”

Jock: “Nah, I’d better pass on that too.”

Coolac: “A lap dance can’t hurt anything, go ahead.”

Maurice: “Yeah, Jock, it’ll be the last time anyone will ever give you a lap dance, including your wife.”

Bill: “Especially your wife.” (They laugh)

Jock: “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Besides, what harm can a lap dance do?”

Matt: “Now you’re talking. (He calls out to one of the ladies) Hey, Deziree, come over here.”

Deziree: “Yes.”

Matt: “The guest of honor would like to experience your finest lap dance.”

Deziree: (looking at Jock) “My pleasure.” (She gets a chair and sets it in the middle of the room, grabs Jock by the hand and sits him in the chair and then she starts to dance.)

Raymond: “Oooh we. Man she’s hot.” (After the dance Jock is all wound up)

Coolac: (pulls out a hundred dollar bill and hands it to Deziree) “Here, why don’t you take this and him to the back room and make sure that he has a good time.”

Jock: “Hold up, I told you that I don’t want to…” (Before he could finish, Deziree was in his face kissing him and letting her hands rum rampant all over his body.)

Deziree: “Come on Jock, I promise I won’t make you do anything that you don’t want to do.” (She grabs his hand and heads for the back bedroom. Like a puppy on a leash, Jock follows.)

Raymond: “Hey, Coolac, don’t you think you better save a little of that money? I mean tomorrow is Jock’s wedding day and you still haven’t found the condition that their relationship is built on. Or have you forgotten about our bet?”

Coolac: “Nope, I haven’t forgotten. Hey, how much was all of this: the women, booze, food and all?”

Matt: “I’m glad you mentioned that because you are the only one who hasn’t paid.”

Coolac: “Well, how much is it?”

Matt: “You owe $150.00 dollars.”

Coolac: “I asked you how much was the entire bill.”

Matt: “The whole thing was three grand.”

Coolac: (goes in his pocket and pulls out three thousand dollars in cash) “Here, it’s on me.”

Jeffery: “Damn, Coolac, where do you get all of that mad cash from?”

Coolac: “There are some things that your momma doesn’t want you to know and this is one of them. Good night boys. (He turns and heads for the door)

Raymond: “Just be sure to bring what you owed to the church tomorrow.”

Coolac: (turns and faces him) “Oh, I’ll have mine, just be sure that you have yours.”

Matt: “Damn, man. We’ve been had?”

Raymond: “What the hell are you talking about?”

Matt: “I’m talking about Jock. Coolac just paid for him to get laid. Won’t that be the condition that he was talking about?”

Raymond: “That can’t be it. Besides, do you think that Jock is going to admit to screwing a prostitute the night before his wedding?”

The next day at the church, the visitors were filing in and… up stairs in the brides chambers… the organist had began to play a song and…the bride’s dress was up around her waist and… the people were leaving gifts and…the bride’s breath was coming in short quick puffs and suddenly there was a burst of climatic excitement trickling down her leg and soon afterwards she was standing at the altar and the pastor was asking if there was anyone who objected to their being married and, as if everything was moving in slow motion, Coolac stepped out of line and tears were trickling down the brides face and…

Coolac: (looking at Jock) “There are several conditions that your relationship is based on. The one that will cause you to loose her to someone else is her desire for attention. If someone is more attentive and worships her more than you: end of marriage. (He reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out her underwear and tosses them to Jock) (Looking at Brenda) Hey, don’t feel too bad, Jock failed too. You see, at the urging of well meaning friends, he will cave in to pressure and give himself to a hundred dollar whore. But here’s the real deal: now that you know about each others’ weaknesses, if you have the unconditional love for each other that you claim that you have, this wedding will go on as if nothing happened, if not…well, at least you know. ” (He turns and walks out)

Riiiiing. It was the alarm clock. Jock woke up in a cold sweat and swatted the button on the alarm clock. He had had the dream again, only it wasn’t just a dream; it had really happened, months ago, yet he was still having nightmares and flashbacks. He looked at the clock. “Time for work”, he thought. “It’s ‘days like these’ that I thank God for a job: it’s the only thing that keeps me from going stark raving mad.”

Continued...