Three for the Festival (Part 2) (?)

I don’t know that this story is new (I know it isn’t) but it doesn’t hurt to hear it again. In high school I had to learn every amendment to the U.S. Constitution. All but one or two have left my memory even though they were pounded into my head again and again. This story, Charlie told me this, keeps popping up like a song. I’ll try to tell it as Charlie did because, well, he told it right. I don’t want to fudge it around with my whatever:

“Yeah. It’s weird, ya know, I’ve lived here all my life but I never met Ruben. I guess, what they tell me is that he was a grade ahead. But, when I first saw him at the festival, I didn’t know him from Zorro. He was...Hmmm, ya know, this happened a couple years ago but I still...it still...

"OK. I’ll tell the story. Then, I gotta get back to work...Alice and I had met, fell in love, married and been like that for 3 years. No kids, but we were planning on it. We both worked here...This beef, you know. But, ...just...we were in love. And, every year, we went to the festival. I had proposed to her on top of and or on the way down the slide. So, we...you can imagine anyway...We had had some fried dough, played some skeeball, had a good time. We’d watched the brawl. You know, you’ve been, all the stuff...we saw and did it.
The night was gettin’ on. About 10:30 and we went up the slide. I don’t now...We did this every year and I guess I sort of really didn’t pay much attention to it. It was something she really loved and I did it. I can’t...What I’m trying to say is that it wasn’t until later that any of this meant anything so I didn’t...no...

"So, we’re on the slide. Happy as can be. Deep in our wedded bliss. It was probably a little cloudy and I imagine the moon was pretty high and bright. I’m sure I could check a good almanac or something but...You just want to hear what happens and here...

"So, we’re on the slide. Holding hands, I’m sure we smiled at each other and I’m sure we kissed, put on our sacks and slid. Oh, one thing, I do remember. But, only vaguely, sort of after the fact, but...As we put on the sack pants, I thought I heard a voice yell 'Alice!’ twice. But, there’s so much sound and neither of us wanted to ruin the moment. I hid the ring in a specially planted pair of sack pants, you know. Well, I thought I heard it. I...I knew I heard it. But, I didn’t pay attention. Didn’t matter anyway.

"We went down the slide. I remember they had new sack pants that year. And, the moment we stopped, Ruben entered our life. Well, mine. I kind of ignore him and tried to go round but I noticed that Alice was a bit...agog. A look I don’t know I’d ever seen. At first, I thought maybe he had pulled a knife but he was just smiling at her. He was a good-looking guy...

"We were introduced. She said that her and Ruben used to be very good friends. I saw him smile, slyly. And, I...I didn’t think anything about it...I’m not a real jealous guy, you know. Alice is a real pretty woman. I never thought about it. Never noticed it. But, we talked for a while. He seemed like a nice guy. At one point, though, I forgot what I said, but he gave me a look. Damn, I wish I could remember. I think I made a comment about prepared beef. And, he gave me this look. I let it pass but...It was a real sort of patronizing, condescending, unfriendly look is what it was. But, I just let it go. One of the things that has always bugged me is the thought that whatever it was he did to her that moment could have helped his cause. Ya know, 'Why are you with him when he says stupid stuff like...' whatever. I don’t know.

"The chat ended. He went his way, said 'see ya' and was gone. I said that he seemed nice and she nodded. For the rest of the night, she was [he waved his fingers in front of his face here]. When I asked her about it, she just said she was tired, a little lightheaded. So, we went home, fell asleep. It was a nice night.

"It was two months later. We were eating dinner and she told me she had some news. I thought she was pregnant. She wasn’t. She spoke very sternly. Very ‘laying down the law’. She said she was sorry but she was in love with someone else and would be moving out of the trailer in the morning. It was at this point that my IBS began. It’s only gotten worse since then.

"I didn’t know what to say and, in the end, there was nothing I could. She was going. I tried pleading with her but that got pretty pathetic. I asked her why, who, what, how all that crap. But, she said that if I loved her, I would just let her go. “If you love something, set it free” and all that. So, I did.

"It’s not...I didn’t feel...The real pain sunk in the next night. I felt very alone. I felt...No idea what had just happened. And, my stomach was shooting everything I ate right out. Thought that was food poisoning. Cried and...

"Let me...A month later, Shauna at work, she told me what happened. She knew that Alice left. Moved out of town, I haven’t heard a word from her since. But...this is what she told me.

"Alice left with Ruben. He had to be described to me because I didn’t remember the name. And, suddenly, the festival came back. Very quickly. And, I felt my stomach shake. But, I didn’t know if I’d get a chance to hear the story again so I let her go...Of course, four people have tried to tell me the story since. But...

"Ruben and Alice had been deeply in love about ten years before she met me. They had, apparently, been inseparable. One guy called them insufferable. They were never apart. Always in love.

"Well, Ruben, so they tell me, is very ambitious. Wanted to get rich quick. So, against her wishes and some of his own, he left Turbot for the coast to make a $1,000,000 or so they said. Well, I guess Alice, until she met me, was very, very sad. But, I, according to her friends, brought her back to life. I remember them saying that to me when we started dating. I smiled or laughed but I didn’t know what they were talking about. Well,...she hadn’t heard from him in years. And then, he showed up at the festival. And, they started meeting in secret. Shauna saw them at Ornette’s once during the Taco Lunch Special they have there, you know it. They tell me Ruben had a great car. One of those big sports things. Brand new, wholesale, and one guy told me that Ruben owned a jewelry company on the coast. Estimated worth, he told me, a tremendous amount. Well...what could I say? That’s more than I’m worth.

"Her friends said she never spoke of Ruben or her plan but they could tell something was up. They didn’t know it was this...The rest is pretty obvious. Still in love. He asked her to leave. She left. I correspond with her lawyer. We were legally divorced a year ago. I hope she’s doing well. I wouldn’t mind punching Ruben in the jaw.

"That’s childish, I know. I get real angry sometimes. But, I try not to. The doctor told me it just makes me sicker. I...I have trouble eating some days. Some days, I’m fine. But, I get a bad week and I can’t eat. It’s... There are drugs I could take but that’s not really my thing. Thank God, I’m not a marinater.

"Yeah. I don’t...I’m still by myself. Haven’t really dated. Scared, ya know. Six years gone over a guy named Ruben in a flashy sports car. But...if she really loved him...who am I to...? It doesn’t matter even if I do moan and... I’m not really sure where she is now. I hope she’s happy. I’m sure she is.

"I do...I wonder if she thinks about me. She must. She took all the pictures. I have one of us...Here. See...Took that at the big theme park next state over. Well, we didn’t take it. It’s on the big White Water Maniac Ride. The big hill at the end, you know it. They take pictures of everyone. Cost us $7 but...I’m glad we got it. I always kept it in my wallet as a laugh. I mean, it’s so blurry because of the way we were moving around. I guess if I didn’t have it she would have taken that too. See how pretty she was. No, that’s me. It’s kind of tough. She’s got her hair up and...Yeah. that’s her. Ha...Yeah...

"Well, that’s it. That’s the story. It’s really not so great. I...I don’t go to the Festival anymore...I...really wanna punch Ruben. Just once. But...life goes on. Everything has a purpose and a meaning. At least that’s what they tell me.