The Book of Tragic Short Stories Part Three

Stepping Stones.

Enzo fell in love instantly. She was so beautiful; she danced around with her dress flowing behind her like a dance partner. Her hands were raised above her head, and she was laughing with her friends. The DJ played the usual wedding tunes, classics in order to get guests on the dance floor. Plenty of ABBA, Pulp, The Killers, Madness and Bananarama. It was great fun; the drink was flowing, and the dance floor was heaving.

Tanya and Teddy’s wedding was a success. A brilliant day and a memorable night. Enzo wasn’t much of a dancer so watched from the sideline as memories were made. Nights like this rarely come around, especially when there’s such a stunning young lady catching Enzo’s eye. Enzo couldn’t stop watching her, she looked perfect.

Enzo was single after ending a relationship six months ago. They had been together for a few years, but it just fizzled out, like it does sometimes. Some people stick at it, others don’t. Enzo wasn’t in any rush to start a new relationship; he was working hard on his new business and wanted to succeed. Enzo and Teddy had known each other since school and had recently started up a wood burning stove company called, Classic Wood Burning Stoves. They had both saved hard for ten years whilst working in boring office jobs to get their business up and running. They were offering the whole shabang, sales, installation and servicing.

Teddy had been with Tania for years and the wedding was fantastic; Enzo was honoured to be the best man. They had met at college and had been inseparable ever since. Tania had a large family compared to Teddy’s, and had plans for a whole bunch of children, but currently she was thriving in her career as a photographer. With the speeches completed everyone could relax and enjoy the party. Everyone was dressed up and looked fabulous, photos were being snapped at every table, the booze was flowing. The beautiful dancing princess was dancing to New York, New York by Frank Sinatra, every move she made was scintillating, however, there was a problem.

There was a man with her, he was trying to join in but was on the outside looking in, she wasn’t paying him much attention. Enzo knew she had a boyfriend and should’ve backed off, but he didn’t. He knew she liked him as she kept looking over at him and smiling and playing with her hair. Deviously he followed her when she went to the toilet, it was the only chance he was going to get to speak to her alone and he knew he would regret it if he didn’t take his opportunity.

Enzo nervously approached and said, “Hi, how are you? You look like you’re having a great time?”

The dancing princess replied,

“I’m great, this is great, I’m having a wonderful time. I liked your speech, you’re funny you are, funny funny funny”.

“Thanks, I think, what’s your name?” Asked Enzo.

“I’m Libby. Nice to make your acquaintance kind sir, and what is your name?

“I’m Enzo, have you had a few champagnes?”

A tipsy Libby replied, “I may have had one or two glasses, oh wait, I might be lying. It could be three or four. Don’t tell anyone.”

A less drunk Enzo laughed and said, “Your secret is safe with me Libby. I will protect your dignity with my life, no one will ever know.”

“That is extremely kind sir, you are as honourable as you are cute. Did I say that out loud?” Asked Libby.

“No, you didn’t, don’t worry. Can I have your number?”

Libby passed over her number and said, “I expect you to call tomorrow at 7pm, now I need to go for a little tinkle.”

The Shakespearean exchange had ended, and with that Enzo went to see his friends. He didn’t mention his exchange with the young woman, because he didn’t know who the other guy was. He might have been their friend or a close relative on Tanya’s side.

The following day Enzo woke up a little worse for wear, but it was Sunday so was able to sleep in and relax. He thought of Libby and remembered her beautiful smile and lovely long light brown hair, she was like a movie star. He wanted to call her straight away but thought better of it. Libby probably needed a quiet day, so he planned to call at 7pm. Enzo was really nervous; he lay in bed wondering how serious her relationship was and if she was going to remember him. She’d been quite drunk so there’s a chance she’s not going to have a clue who he is. Enzo considered sending a message and then tried to think about what he would say, “Hi, remember me, Enzo. Is it still okay to call you later?”

Or “As soon as I saw you, I fell in love. I can’t wait to see you again.”

Instead, he decided to make a cup of tea and watch the football.

Enzo couldn’t talk to Teddy about Libby as she was currently the girlfriend of one of Tania’s cousins; it would put Teddy into a difficult position, plus they were due to go on their honeymoon to Las Vegas the next day. Whilst watching the football, he couldn’t stop thinking about Libby, nothing he did could distract him, so he sent a message, the first draft, not the overwhelmingly zealous one. Now it was a waiting game, he felt more tense than if he was in a game of Russian roulette.

For the first hour, Enzo waited patiently, but nothing. The second hour, nothing. The time was 5pm, only two hours to go until the official time for the phone call. He’s now thinking about cancelling his planned call at 7pm if she doesn’t reply. Maybe her phone is out of battery, maybe she’s sleeping, maybe she just doesn’t remember, the situation was doing his head in.

The football match was over, and Enzo was watching Roy Keane analysing the terrible tactics, he was having a rant as usual. Then suddenly his mobile phone beeped, he nervously reached for this plastic contraption that could decide his future love life. ‘Message Waiting’. Enzo stood up and said out loud, “Bloody hell, bloody hell, I hope it’s her, just open it. Come on.”

Enzo pressed the button to open the message, his heart rate began racing, a couple of beads of sweat dripped down his forehead. The message popped up,

“Hi Enzo, I was just thinking about you. Of course you can call me. X”.

Enzo smiled, he was so relieved, but that moment quickly became fear and anxiety. The pressure was now on; he had to make the call and be as charming as ever. He went to the fridge and poured himself a glass of white wine. It went down nicely, and the Dutch courage began to kick in.

At 7pm he made the phone call, Libby’s memory was a little fuzzy, but she remembered Enzo. The conversation went well, and they agreed upon a date and place to meet for a drink, she didn’t mention her boyfriend and Enzo deliberately didn’t ask. He felt odd about going on a date with a woman who was seeing someone, but he really felt a connection. He wanted to see if there could be a long-term relationship in the making, after all she was looking at him whilst the other man was there.

The day of the date came, and they were meeting up on a Thursday night, they were going to a pub slightly out of town. Libby said it was because it was quiet and they could talk, Enzo thought it might be because she didn’t want to be seen by anyone. Enzo was nervous and arrived a little early, he waited at the bar for Libby. She arrived ten minutes later and looked amazing, she wore a black dress, and her hair had been curled. Enzo didn’t know whether to shake her hand or kiss her on the cheek. Libby didn’t stand on ceremony and took charge, she greeted him like an old friend, a hug and a kiss on the cheek. It put Enzo at ease.

They spoke for ages about their lives and jobs, and Libby was an executive assistant with ambitions to go as far as she could. Enzo spoke about his small business and then told her about his plans for expansion when after the first location was a success. Libby was extremely impressed with Enzo’s vision and future plans.

Enzo then breached the subject of Libby’s boyfriend, he said,

“At the wedding were you with someone?”

Libby replied, “Yes, sort of. Alex and I have been seeing each other for a while but it’s nothing serious, you don’t have anything to worry about.”

With that ‘green light’, Libby and Enzo started dating and things began to get serious. They fell in love and enjoyed spending as much time together as possible. They would go on walks down on the coast, eat beautiful meals, attend concerts and sleep in on weekends.

Enzo had his own apartment and eventually invited Libby to move in with him. She agreed and on moving day, an excited Enzo rented a van to go and help Libby with her boxes and bags. Everything was going great until he pulled up outside of her apartment building.

Libby was stood by the front door with her belongings, but then Enzo noticed a man stood next to her giving her a hard time. At first, he couldn’t figure who it might be but as he got out of the van, Libby tried to shepherd the man away and back into the building. Enzo approached to find out what the problem was, as he got closer the man started having a go at him and squaring up to him, Enzo was confused but wanted to protect his girlfriend. It was when Libby said, “Alex, please just go back in and leave us alone. It’s over. I told you yesterday, it’s over. Get over it.”

With that heartless statement, Alex looked at Enzo and said some words that stuck with him,

“Good luck mate, I was a stepping stone and so will you be.”

They packed up and got in the van, during the drive back Enzo demanded to know what was going on. Libby told him that she had been staying with Alex temporarily and because of his temper she didn’t tell him about moving out until the previous day. He believed her because he wanted to believe her, he loved her, but deep down he knew she had been lying to him.

Libby had settled in well and they were really happy together, Enzo and Teddy were planning to open their second store, and the money was improving every month. Libby was great and was trying to climb the ladder at work. They spoke about having children and moving into a house together. Life was good, they went on a few holidays and had a great circle of friends.

After a year, whenever they went out, he noticed that Libby was a bit distracted and looking over his shoulder at other people. At first it didn’t bother him but then he remembered the wedding where they met. She was with Alex and whilst dancing she was looking and smiling at Enzo, he didn’t want to believe that she would do such a thing, but she had previous for it. One day when they were in bed, he confronted Libby about it, and she said he was imagining it and that nothing was going on. Enzo wanted to believe everything was fine so just accepted it because he loved her.

Libby was an extremely pretty woman who would catch the eye of most men. Enzo wasn’t surprised that she received a lot of attention, but it was the vacant looks she gave him, the silence and the lack of interest in anything he did. After a further six months things hadn’t improved, and she said she was leaving him. He was desperate to know why, and she told him that she had started seeing a man at work. It turns out that Libby was always looking for the next best thing, until she got exactly what she wanted. The new person at work was a manager who had promised her promotion and extravagant holidays. He had bought her diamond earrings and Jimmy Choo shoes. He found a way to win her attention but not her love.

Enzo was incredibly upset, and Alex was proven to be right, he was just another stepping stone. In a way relieved that he hadn’t got in deeper with her and got married or had children. It turned out that Libby left and carried on her climb to the top, stepping over anyone that may help her on the way. She was a popular woman with a string of admirers. Enzo’s friends were supportive but unsympathetic as they were unhappy with how they had met and how Alex was treated. They cared for him but told him that “what goes around comes around”.

Enzo put his efforts into the business which was thriving and in the next few years he and Teddy had set up eight new stores. They were going nationwide; it was a brilliant success. They had stores and staff in Manchester, Brighton, Exeter and several around London. Enzo had met Sarah, a wonderful woman who he met whilst at work. She had bought her first home and wanted a log burner installed. Sarah and Enzo hit it off and they eventually settled down together. They were great together and even enjoyed watching football together. Sarah was a primary school teacher, and she loved her job. After a year together they bought a cottage and got engaged.

A few years later Enzo ran into Libby whilst he was shopping for Sarah’s birthday present. Libby was pushing a buggy and looked tired and dishevelled. As they got closer Libby tried to avoid eye contact, but Enzo stopped and said,

“Hi Libby, how are you? Is this beautiful little girl yours?”

Libby glanced up and looked embarrassed, “Hi Enzo, nice to see you. I’m okay, this is Susie, my daughter. She’s two years old.”

“Oh wow, congratulations, she’s lovely. How are you and the father coping with a terrible twosome?”

Libby frowned and said, “Erm, well that didn’t really work out, I’m single now and live on the Longmead Estate, we have a small flat.”

Enzo smiled and said, “That sounds nice, how’s work? Are you managing director yet?”

“No, unfortunately not, I had to leave the job as the father worked there, and things got pretty messy after I met someone else, before I realised, I was pregnant. As soon, as my new boyfriend found out I was pregnant with someone else’s child, he didn’t want anything to do with me. But it’s fine, it’s just the two of us and we’re getting on with it,” said Libby.

“People will only see the decisions you made, not the choices you had. Take care Libby.” Enzo smiled and walked off. He regretted the last sentence he said for about five minutes, but as he got into his car, he laughed to himself and thought, “what goes around comes around.”

Later that evening, he was having a glass of wine with Susie and told her about his chance meeting with his ex. Susie was a little more sympathetic but agreed that you can only step on people for a short period to get what you want. She said, “external beauty has a time limit. Being a beautiful person is timeless and will follow you forever. There is nothing wrong with ambition but sometimes you have to stop chasing money. Sometimes less can often be more.”

Enzo agreed with her sentiment and being a male compared Libby’s life to a game of Snakes and Ladders, it’s extremely difficult not to step on a snake from time to time. Enzo and Sarah went on to have three children. Libby eventually got married to a man she used to go to school with. His name was Ed, and he had a crush on Libby for years, but until she had to, she was never interested in him.

Separation causes an acceleration into desperation.

The End.