Allegria and Tony
By: Cherilyn Christen Clough
Tags: Short Story, Life Lessons, Relationships, Fiction, Mental Health

Allegria met Tony when he was sad — so sad that it broke her heart. He told her about the woman who had ripped his heart out and left him bleeding on the ground. She grabbed the first thing she could think of to stop the bleeding which was her favorite cashmere sweater, then she offered him a blood transfusion from her own veins. As Tony regained his strength, he asked Allegria to dance. She saw no reason not to — after all, it might even cheer him up.

He was so dashing that night. He was quick on his feet and he lifted her high — so high she wanted nothing more than to dance all night. By the time the sun rose, she and Tony were sharing private stories and joking like old friends. She shook her head, how could this other woman ever walk away from all of this? How could she hurt this sweet and charming man in such a horrible way? Of course, she never did learn the details because Tony said he didn’t want to speak ill of anyone.

Apparently, this other woman — the “wench” as she had begun to call her, had tossed poor Tony out at a moment’s notice and he had nothing but a suitcase of clothing to his name until he could get back into the building.

“That’s okay,” Allegria had said, “I have an extra room at my place, you can stay there until you get your stuff sorted out.”

Tony said he was blown away by Allegria’s compassion and said he would do whatever it took to repay her. The first thing he offered was to cook dinner for her. Allegria liked the idea of a man cooking dinner so she was glad to buy the steak and wine and all the trimmings for a wonderful meal.

A few days later, Tony seemed depressed and tired so she suggested they go out to eat — her treat of course — since Tony was also between jobs. Tony said he would feel better if they stayed in and he cooked again. So Allegria made a trip to the grocer by herself while Tony watched TV. When she got home, he once again made a fantastic meal and after dinner, they danced some more.

The days flew by and while Allegria went to work, Tony cleaned house and cooked for them. When Allegria got a raise she came home ready to go out on the town to celebrate, but Tony said he wasn’t feeling well so they stayed in.

During all of this time, Allegria never asked Tony when he was going job hunting because she knew he’d been through a lot and needed some time to regroup. She lovingly supported him and all of his habits including his nasty cigarettes that she hated. But a little smoke was a small price to pay for all the joy he’d brought into her life.

One day Allegria had a migraine and came home from work early. She had one thing on her mind — to shut the curtains and lay down on her own bed. Tony was staying in the guest room, so she was shocked to open her bedroom door and find Tony in her jacuzzi tub with another woman.

The other woman left immediately, while Tony began to cry and apologize. He said it was his ex and she had surprised him by following him and one thing had led to another. Allegria was puzzled.

“How did she find you?”

“She tracked us from the bar next door on the night we met.”

It sounded plausible, but Allegria had a gnawing feeling in her stomach.

“What’s her name?”

At first, Tony faltered, then he said, “Allison.”

Allegria knew the name he gave for his ex on the night they met, had not started with an A like hers. It was more like Kelly or Jordan, but she couldn’t remember because she hadn’t paid that much attention. Angry and hurt, she told Tony he had ten minutes to pack up and leave her house.

Tony began to cry. “But where will I go? What will I do?”

“I don’t know but that’s your problem,” Allegria said as she punched the number for security into her phone.

After Tony was gone. She felt a little guilty for kicking him out so fast. After all, he had cooked a few nice dinners for her. And she had really enjoyed dancing with him. A few nights later, she stopped by the bar next door to grab a sandwich. Everything looked dimmer than it had before Tony. The colors had seemed to fade in the lights around the neighborhood too. Funny how she had never noticed how bleak everything looked before. Why would Tony choose to go back to his ex if he had such a great thing going with her? She felt half guilty and half rejected.

As she ate her sandwich a sad song came on over the sound system and she remembered their first dance — how delighted she had been to dance with him. A tear slipped down her cheek and she decided to order a drink.

A strange woman approached her and motioned to the empty chair next to her.

Allegria nodded and turned away. She didn’t care if someone sat nearby, but she was in no mood to talk.

“You were with Tony.”

The stranger wasn’t asking, she said it like it was a matter of fact.

Allegria turned back to face her. “Do you know Tony?”

The woman’s voice was melancholy. “Yes, he’s my husband.”

Allegria’s eyes grew wide. “Why did you kick him out? Do you realize how much you hurt him?”

The woman who she later learned was named Jordan, shook her head. “That’s what he’s been telling everyone, but I only kicked him out when I discovered he’d been cheating on me with dozens of women throughout our 19-year marriage.”

Allegria suddenly realized she was not the hero who saved Tony from a mean beeotch, but that she had actually been one of the other women. She’d been played.

The two women sat and talked for hours. Allegria soon learned that Tony couldn’t hold down a job, couldn’t stop smoking and couldn’t keep his pants on. She thought of the pain she felt at this breakup and wondered how anyone could endure 19 years of lies and cheating. As she walked back to her apartment, she noticed the neighborhood lights seemed brighter and she felt a skip in her step.