thinking about her.
I want her to fuck me again.
I want her to fuck me for the rest of my life.
Time Passes
I TURN DOWN THE teaching job, which surprises me as
much as it does Principal Hughes.
Then a month goes by in which I never see or hear
from Nita.
I have driven out to Ariel’s place in Los Altos several
times, and I have seen Nita’s car parked in the driveway,
but I have resisted the urge to knock on the door.
I don’t want to fight with both of them, especially not
in front of Kayla, who I miss way more than I ever
thought I would.
Time has passed but my feelings haven’t. If I could just
win them back, then I know we’d be happy.
But I guess they’re happy without me.
Finally
WHEN I CAN’T STAND it any longer, I walk down the street
and knock on Mrs. Chan’s door.
I have to knock again and again before she opens up.
“You were right,” I tell her. “I didn’t know what I was
getting into.”
She folds her arms.
“I know what I want now,” I say. “I know beyond a
shadow of a doubt. You have to help me.”
She does not respond, which means this is going about
as badly as I imagined it would. Still, I have to try.
“Please,” I say. “I can’t be happy without them.”
Mrs. Chan looks over her shoulder, steps back, and
swings the door open. There in the narrow hallway are
Nita and Kayla.
We look at each other as the sun goes down and comes
up again. No one says a word. The only sound comes
from inside my ribcage, a drumbeat that vibrates the fabric
of my shirt. I’m waiting for a sign but nobody moves.
THEN WE’D BE HAPPY
Finally I realize it’s up to me and I step forward.
189
About the Author
Al Riske has worked as a newspaper reporter, magazine
editor, copywriter, and ghostwriter. His other books
Blue Mesa award-winner “Pray for Rain,” Sabrina’s
Window, and The Possibility of Snow. Born and raised in the
Pacific Northwest, he now lives in California with his wife,
Joanne, and their dog, Bodie.
Document Outline
Front Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Advance praise for Then We’d Be Happy
Praise for The Possibility of Snow
Praise for Sabrina’s Window
Praise for Precarious
Half Title
Mad Enough
Where We Live
Wood Work
Happily?
Seriously?
Home Again
New Jobs
Almost Half Human
Chance Meeting
Happiness Lost
The Dinner Shift
Messed Up
In Awe
Hearing Things
Spencer Has Plans
Bad Boy That I Am
History of Heartache
A Little Taste
Hook Up
Proud
Waiting
Good Fortune
The Natural
Forget About It
The Rest Are for Me
Bigger Than the Rest
Heaven on Earth
Used Car
Close Encounter
Disease-Fighting Neuropeptides
Life
Like Water
Someone Else
Telling
The House in Sunnyvale
Runaround
Day in the Life
A Dried White Substance
Class Warfare
Missing in Action
Funny Man
Secret Recipe
Garden Party
Ariel’s Appeal
Into the Crowd
All Out
Sweetness
Good Thing Gone
That Mischievous Smile
A First for Nita
Wasted
One for the Spank Bank
Crash
Rent
Mixed Emotions
The Wind
Best Thing Ever
Um, Okay
Getting to Know Nita
Together Again
One of Her Moods
What Happens Now?
Strawberry Rhubarb
Horseshit
Chump City
Nita’s Ex
Whatshisname
Scorched
Something Blue
Marty Moves Out
Fortune
Interview
The Other Guy
Nita Tries Humor
Big Man
Blue Station Wagon
Explains a Lot
The Other Half
The Other Guy, Revisited
Three Surprises
After
Ravenous
Backstory
Tickle Coaster
The Fourth Convertible
Daddy Issues
Fantastic
To Me
Intentions
Overdose
Funeral for a Friend
Downhearted
Suspect Arrested
Hello, Stranger
Farewell, Naomi
Laid Bare
Gone
That Night
By Accident
Office Visit
How It Feels
Life, Liberty and the Pursuit
Well and Truly
Time Passes
Finally
About the Author