The Girl With the Pink Bat
Copyright© 2025 by DB86
Chapter 17
“How is married life going, Kara?” Tony asked me as we sat at The Jammed. I loved the way he said ‘Cara,’ the way it rolled off his tongue with just a hint of an Italian accent. I had come to ask him for a recipe for his pasta. Several cooking magazines considered him the best chef in the state. I wanted to cook a special meal for Ray.
Tony knew more about my life than anyone else, except for my sister and Ray. He was a good listener and a very empathetic person. For all purposes, he had become one of my best friends.
I took a sip of tea and shrugged. “Better than expected. Being married to Ray feels right.”
“I sense a ‘but’ coming on,” Tony said.
“But being married and pregnant in the space of months still feels weird,” I told him. “Last Monday, Ray and I had kind of a fight about a stupid thing.”
“In my experience, there is no such thing as a ‘stupid fight’ in a relationship. What did you fight about?” Tony sipped his coffee and looked at me.
“He was worried because I went out with Jenny to buy the baby’s stuff and I came home late. He was worried thinking something might have happened to me.”
“Understandable. I bet you didn’t leave a note, and your phone was off.”
I twisted my mouth and nodded. Tony knew me too well.
“My phone wasn’t off, I left it on the kitchen counter, but it’s all the same. Ray couldn’t reach me and he went ballistic about it. The thing is I’m not used to people checking on me. You know me.”
Tony nodded. “I do know you.”
“I’m afraid one day I’m going to do something that will drive Ray away. I need to get used to being a wife. I want us to have a real marriage. But, on the other hand, I don’t want to get too emotionally dependent on someone.”
“Including, Ray?”
“I don’t know. That’s the big question, isn’t it?”
“Kara, sweetie, on one hand, you’ll never be emotionally dependent on anyone. You are a strong, independent woman. But, on the other hand, love is a state of vulnerability,” Tony said. “In loving, we are affected strongly by the other person and we share that effect. We are also affecting the other person in deep ways. This mutual practice of giving and receiving is an everyday ritual when we know true love. This is the most precious gift that love offers, the experience of knowing we always belong. Love is ultimately about vulnerability, courage, and growth.”
“How come you know so much about love, Tony?” I asked, smiling gently at him.
“Life lessons,” he explained, “I went through a lot of things, especially with my family, I made mistakes and learned from them. I found a new family here in Middletown. I’m Uncle Tony now. I also read some wonderful books.”
“Can you lend me some of them? I threw out all the pregnancy books I bought, and I need new reading material.”
He raised an eyebrow, and I just said, “Long story short, they gave me the creeps.”
Tony laughed at that.
“Back to your concerns, love is not about NEEDING a person; it’s about giving yourself freely to a person you trust and respect. I doubt Ray will give you up. You’re a wonderful and caring woman. Besides, he loves you.”
Tony’s words made me turn my head at him, “How do you know?”
“I was there when you and Ray got married, sweetie. I knew the look in your husband’s eyes. It was true love,” Tony explained.”
I looked at him, with my mouth open.
“What? How can you know something like that?”
Tony smiled, “Kara, Kara, Kara, you can be so blind when it comes to figuring out how the other person feels. Trust me on this. Ray loves you. He is IN LOVE with you.”
I shook my head. “You’re wrong. Ray said he doesn’t want to love anyone. He said love hurts. He doesn’t want to let anyone hurt him again. And I get what he says. Imagine loving someone and then finding out that she was cheating on you the whole time you were together. That must be ... shattering,” I shivered at the thought.
“I suppose now we are talking about Ray’s ex-girlfriend.”
“Yep, also known as ‘the bitch’.”
We both laughed.
“Sometimes you can’t help falling in love, even when you try not to,” Tony went on. “You can try not to fall in love with someone, but it won’t work. If your feelings are true, you’ll surrender to them in the end. You’re a very lovable person, Kara, and Ray is a great guy. Things will work for you two. I just know it.”
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