Chapter Five: Bite your tongue

The next time I saw Omar was July 1^st. I know this because every year, on July 1^st, the nursing home behind his neighborhood shoots off fireworks. I happen to love fireworks, and my boss at the time, Jeff, was having a fireworks party. Jeff lives across the street from Jon (Omar’s neighbor/ my gay ex-boyfriend and best friend). You have to pass Jon and Jeff’s to get to Omar’s house. That night I got dressed, picked up Whitney, and drove to Jeff’s. We hung out for about an hour, then Omar showed up. He had been driving home, saw my car, and decided to come party. I didn’t notice his presence until he walked up to me and asked me to swing dance. Which I did. Then, we all went outside and lit sparklers. He lit some in his mouth to impress me, which it totally did.

we took pictures like this with everybody that night, 2006

Omar followed me around for a little while, to the point of annoyance. People over 21 started drinking (including Omar and Jon) and Whitney decided that she wanted to go home. I was her ride, so we left.

Omar, cleverly positioned, 2006

I got about half way home, but I couldn’t shrug this nagging urge to go back. I felt like God was telling me that I needed to go back to Jeff’s. I went, because I assumed that I would need to drive some drunk person home or something. When I got there, Omar and Jon had had a few beers, and Omar ran up to me saying that he knew I’d come back. He then proceeded to try to hold my hand 23,438 times. I refused. He told me he wanted to marry me. I declined.

Then, he stood up on a chair, in front of my boss, my friends, and several dozen respectable strangers, and said, at the top of his lungs,

“Everybody! I swear that someday I’m going to put a ring on this girl’s finger!”

To which I quietly responded, “I swear, that will never, ever happen.”

Later that night, he asked me my ring size at least 50 times. When I told him, for the last time, that I had no idea, he yanked my “Jesus” ring off my finger. And, with the sacred ring that I had bought to symbolize my devotion to God and my vow not to date or kiss anyone, he ran inside his house and closed the door.

The next morning I went to the GVR pool with my friend Tracy, and some of the other people from the party. Jeff thought it would be funny to ask me, in front of 10 other people, where my ring from Omar was. He also interrogated me about our wedding date, to which I replied,

"I would not marry Omar if he was the last person on earth, not even for ten MILLION dollars."

to be continued...