One Final Time

The night wore on. Ruby and Tera disappeared into the darkness of the other rooms. Geoff prattled on about how he'd met Biff, at the gym, and how completely happy he was. Les sipped leisurely on his beer and stared absentmindedly ahead of him.

“So, about you and Monica?” Geoff was asking and Les looked around at him.

“Yeah?”

“You happy with her?” Geoff questioned pointedly.

“Well, yeah sure,” Les said, staring in mock surprise at his friend. Geoff raised his friends up in the air and said,

“Hey, I'm only asking because you and Ruby were getting pretty close there,” Geoff explained.

“Yeah, well, it was nothing,” Les tried to say.

“I know you two were always, you know, had stuff going on,” Geoff continued. “But you got to put that behind you, if you can. I mean, you and Monica...unless, you don't want to, yet.”

Les looked at his friend and nodded. He slowly rose to his feet and stumbled drunkenly outwards to the swimming pool and patio. The lights were low, the water rippled a bit in the breeze. A few people soaked in the hot tub and sipped champagne joyfully, flirting with one another. Looking around, Les realized that what he was looking for he could not find. Ruby was nowhere in sight. He moved back inside and began moving through the down-stair rooms, searching for her among the many partiers. Some glanced over at him, eyes glazed over from their liquid high and then back at their companions. Les found Biff and Geoff sitting on the front patio, sipping their wine and pouring more when not nearly enough empty. Les sat, dejectedly, beside them. Geoff absentmindedly handed him the bottle of wine and he took a big swig out of it.

“Hey, Geoff, what was that song that Ruby was singing tonight?” Biff wanted to know, leaning against his boyfriend drunkenly.

“Exactly which one, hon, she sang a lot,” Geoff asked for clarification.

“You know the one that goes, “hmmmm, something something,” Biff tried to explain.

“Oh, Linger, why do you ask?” Geoff asked, putting his arm around Biff and kissing his cheek.

“How does it go?” Biff looked up at his lover, his eyes slanted with the weight of the alcohol.

“Okay, repeat after me, It starts like, “Hmmm, I want to linger,” Geoff began and Biff warbled out, “Hmm, I want to linger” right after him.

“Hmmm, A little longer,” went Geoff and Biff repeated him. “Hmmm, A little longer.”

“I said that,” said Biff, confusedly.

“No, you repeat it, okay?”

“Oh,” smiled Biff. “Hmm, A little longer.”

“Here with you,” Geoff said and kissed Biff.

“Here with you,” repeated Biff. With the wine bottle between his legs, Les looked up at the sky as his friends warbled on with that old familiar song.

“Hmmm, It's such a perfect night,” Geoff went on and Biff repeated him.

“Hmmm, It doesn't seem quite right,” went Geoff with Biff as his echo.

“Hmmm, That this should be,” sang Geoff and Biff followed suit. “My last with you.”

Les sat up and looked around at his friend, sharply. He bit his lip, took a gulp of the wine, for courage.

“Hey, Geoff,” he began. Geoff and Biff looked hazily over at their friend.

“Yeah?”

“I know what you were saying back there, about me and Monica, and me and Ruby,” Les said. “I get it, I know what to do.”

“Yeah, well better make your move fast, I think I saw Tera and Ruby heading to Tera's car a few minutes ago,” Geoff answered and patted his friend on his back, knocking him to his feet, and grabbing the wine bottle just before it fell. As Les moved down the driveway, Geoff and Biff continued the song.

“Hmmm, And come September,” sang Geoff with his echo came Biff right behind.

“Hmmm, I will remember,” sang Geoff remembering as Biff followed him. “Hmmm, Our Scouting days, Of friendships true.”

Les found his way through the maze of cars parked on the long driveway, anxiously looking for Tera's vehicle. He could barely hear as Geoff and Biff finished the song.

“Hmmm, And as the years go by, Hmmm, I'll think of you and sigh. Hmmm, This is good night, And not good bye. Hmmm I want to linger, Hmmm A little longer, Hmmm A little longer,Here with you,” They sang, first Geoff and then Biff following.

They fell silent as they finished and then Biff said, “What's that one part about the last line? It kept running through my head, so tragic!”

At the end of the driveway, Les saw the car pulling away, Tera driving and Ruby in the passenger side.

“Ruby! Ruby! Wait!” he called. “Tera! Tera, stop! Jewels! Jewels!”

In the distance, back at the house, Geoff sang to Biff:

“Hmmm, It's such a perfect night. Hmmm, It doesn't seem quite right. Hmmm, That this should be, My last with you.”

Linger

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