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Authors: Alex Laybourne
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father into the medical profession, choosing dentistry. It was in a bar near the University of Maryland where she just begun her second year that Mandy met Sammy.
Their meeting was unremarkable, although over the years as their relationship developed so did the embellishments they made to their tale. It went from a case of being squashed together at the bar trying desperately to order drinks, only for Sammy to turn around and sacrifice his turn so that Mandy could order, only for them to find themselves trapped against the bar and unable to get back to their respective groups (which was as close to the truth as the tale ever got), to something far more interesting, versions of which included Sammy climbing onto the bar and walking across it, jumping to the floor only to sweep Mandy into his arms and walk out of the bar with her. Their story became a game to them; they took it in turns to create the most embellished version possible just to see how many people believed it. The one constant was the mutual instant attraction.
Despite having next to nothing in common – different background and varied interests – they made it work. Sammy was a fan of action movies, particularly those from the 80s and early 90s, while Mandy was more interested in the old Hollywood pictures, and of course a good romantic movie. Sammy read sports magazines and the occasional comic book, while Mandy had developed a taste for the classic English authors such as Thomas Hardy and the entire Bronte family. Yet despite it all something between them clicked. The only thing they shared was a mutual indifference to any one style of music. They had been together just over a year now, and they had learned everything about each other. Sammy had been slow to open up, and still hadn’t told Mandy everything about his past, or his family, but she knew that and was happy to wait. Mandy’s parents had reserved their judgment of him, listening at first only to the background tales of his youth; however after having met him a few times they both admitted he was one of the good guys.
They argued, of course, but most of the time it was over silly things, as is the case in any relationship. Their current interaction wasn’t so much of an argument as more of a drunken conversation after an incident between Sammy and Nathan Woodrow, a student friend of Mandy’s who was infatuated with her and determined to try and score points against Sammy every time they met.
“Why not tonight, Sammy? What’s the problem with having this conversation tonight? Do you think you can take me home and get some action from the drunken girl?” She slurred her words, slashing the air with her hands.
“Listen, Mand, I am sorry, that guy is a cock, and just the thought of him makes me want to slap him in the face with a brick. I’m sorry but it’s true, he baits me every time and I always fall for it, because he’s an ass, and he wants you, to take you from me. I don’t want to fight about this, so let’s just go home, and we can talk in the morning when your head has cleared a bit,” he reasoned, staying calm as best he could. Sammy forced himself to keep his focus on the road, not even allowing himself the chance to throw her so much as a sly glance.
“That’s just like you, Sammy: never talk it out, just let Mandy cool down and she’ll give it up anyway. You never want to fight, you never argue back; well this time I’m not letting it go,” she snapped, and there was a tone of pure frustration in her voice that made him believe her.
“Come on, Mandy, I don’t like fighting. You know what I saw my parents go through, not to mention the string of stepfathers I’ve had. I’ve seen what arguments turn into,” he said, trying to steer the conversation in a new direction.
“Well you can’t hide from everything, Sammy. You were happy enough to fight with Nate back there.” She threw back the catalyst that had caused the fight in the first place, just in case he had
Their meeting was unremarkable, although over the years as their relationship developed so did the embellishments they made to their tale. It went from a case of being squashed together at the bar trying desperately to order drinks, only for Sammy to turn around and sacrifice his turn so that Mandy could order, only for them to find themselves trapped against the bar and unable to get back to their respective groups (which was as close to the truth as the tale ever got), to something far more interesting, versions of which included Sammy climbing onto the bar and walking across it, jumping to the floor only to sweep Mandy into his arms and walk out of the bar with her. Their story became a game to them; they took it in turns to create the most embellished version possible just to see how many people believed it. The one constant was the mutual instant attraction.
Despite having next to nothing in common – different background and varied interests – they made it work. Sammy was a fan of action movies, particularly those from the 80s and early 90s, while Mandy was more interested in the old Hollywood pictures, and of course a good romantic movie. Sammy read sports magazines and the occasional comic book, while Mandy had developed a taste for the classic English authors such as Thomas Hardy and the entire Bronte family. Yet despite it all something between them clicked. The only thing they shared was a mutual indifference to any one style of music. They had been together just over a year now, and they had learned everything about each other. Sammy had been slow to open up, and still hadn’t told Mandy everything about his past, or his family, but she knew that and was happy to wait. Mandy’s parents had reserved their judgment of him, listening at first only to the background tales of his youth; however after having met him a few times they both admitted he was one of the good guys.
They argued, of course, but most of the time it was over silly things, as is the case in any relationship. Their current interaction wasn’t so much of an argument as more of a drunken conversation after an incident between Sammy and Nathan Woodrow, a student friend of Mandy’s who was infatuated with her and determined to try and score points against Sammy every time they met.
“Why not tonight, Sammy? What’s the problem with having this conversation tonight? Do you think you can take me home and get some action from the drunken girl?” She slurred her words, slashing the air with her hands.
“Listen, Mand, I am sorry, that guy is a cock, and just the thought of him makes me want to slap him in the face with a brick. I’m sorry but it’s true, he baits me every time and I always fall for it, because he’s an ass, and he wants you, to take you from me. I don’t want to fight about this, so let’s just go home, and we can talk in the morning when your head has cleared a bit,” he reasoned, staying calm as best he could. Sammy forced himself to keep his focus on the road, not even allowing himself the chance to throw her so much as a sly glance.
“That’s just like you, Sammy: never talk it out, just let Mandy cool down and she’ll give it up anyway. You never want to fight, you never argue back; well this time I’m not letting it go,” she snapped, and there was a tone of pure frustration in her voice that made him believe her.
“Come on, Mandy, I don’t like fighting. You know what I saw my parents go through, not to mention the string of stepfathers I’ve had. I’ve seen what arguments turn into,” he said, trying to steer the conversation in a new direction.
“Well you can’t hide from everything, Sammy. You were happy enough to fight with Nate back there.” She threw back the catalyst that had caused the fight in the first place, just in case he had
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