The words hung in the air for me for a few days.  I was so happy to hear he loved me.  I mean, like he really really loved me.  And every move he made, everything he did up until this point proved to me, showed me, he loved me.  It tapered off a bit over the next month or so, there wasn’t too much going out or activities with friends but what I could feel was that we were ramping up for something.  We were opening the pool, getting lawn furniture, decorating with flowers.  Memorial Day was on its way.  I didn’t truly understand the importance of this day to Jolly Guy, but it was like Good Friday is to the Catholics and we had to be ready.  Lawns were mowed, chemicals were tested and treated in the pool, furniture was set out just right, tiki torches filled and ready to be lit, flowers were arranged and those were the things I was in charge of, not the pool, never the pool,  I knew in order of importance in Jolly Guy’s life it was 1) The Pool, 2) the Boat, 3) his kids, 4) his friends, 5) his family and somewhere in between a few of those was me, but I was ok with that for now.  You should have seen his eyes light up when he told me about going to the wholesale club for food for Memorial Day.  It was like hearing him speak directly to God.  The words gently dropped from his lips almost in slow motion.  He loved the trip to the wholesale club.  He would get all riled up like we were going into battle.  He against the large oversized package of red solo cups.  I didn’t know the law of cups around pools as I don’t really go in pools, but try to look my best sitting next to a pool.  So having a wine glass never fazed me.  But rules were rules and out came the solo cups, the plastic deck ware and instantly I felt like I was in an episode of Alice at Mel’s diner.  It wasn’t that he had bad taste at all…just not my taste.  The plastic deck ware did however make me uncomfortable, but it was his pool and we would do things his way around the pool. This was a fact I learned quickly.  Fine.  I would look away from the plastic ware.  As hard as my inner non tacky child was, I understood the importance of no glass around the pool, but I guess I really didn’t understand until the guests arrived.  I was used to having parties where there was a bar station, or a sit down dinner party on the good dishes, or a Sunday dinner gathering around a table and good food.  Memorial Day was not that kind of party.  It appeared more like a frat party with people half-dressed and laughter everywhere.  It was fun and I realized maybe I needed to loosen up a bit.  Maybe I could just let the plastic ware role where it may and be ok with that.  The food was bought and he was already prepping when people started to arrive.  He loved to be on the grill or at least it seemed.  He wasn’t a great cook, he was an ok cook, but he was a great BBQer.  Like a great one and I have to say I ate anything and everything he made on the grill. I didn’t go in the pool at that party, but what I did do was play the hostess girlfriend and for the first six hours of the party it was fun and I felt important and loved him showing me off.  His friends were of course lovely as ever and fun and it was a great day.  Then the evening rolled around and the last people left were the ones who had drank too much.  Jolly Guy was among the ones who drank too much.  Now if I haven’t explained Jolly Guy he is 6’3″ about 280 lbs. of drunken giggles.  Here is how the conversation went “Jolly guy time to get out of the pool everyone went home”  his response while floating on a pool toy “I’m not in the pool baby”  First I thought there was no way I was going to be able to carry him out of the pool or I would find him face down in the water and a little part of me started to panic. “Come on babe, time to get out I have to clean up” he slowly got himself out of the pool managing to never let his cigarette ash in the water.  He got a towel and began to dry off, I went inside.  I came out to clean up and found him, his towel and his cigarette floating in the pool tube singing to himself “I love you baby, I love you, I love you baby, I love you” what else does a good girlfriend girl do, but sit on the side of the pool and giggle surrounded by plastic ware.  At least this drunken display was calm and cute, not all of them were.