DISCLAIMER: David Jacobs, Esther Jacobs, and Jack Kelly belong to Disney and all of its glory. Lisa, however, does not. She's mine. But if they really want her, I'll sell her real cheap. The song used, "There's a Fine, Fine Line" is from the Broadway musical, Avenue Q, and therefore is not mine either.
"Umm...so do you think you can make it over this weekend for dinner? My mom's coming, and I know she really wants to meet you."
Twenty-three year old David Jacobs cradled his cordless phone between his ear and shoulder as he sat on the sofa, simultaneously chatting and munching on his favorite snack, Pirate's Booty.
The silence on the other end of the line was not surprising, it had been happening a lot lately. He filled the awkward void by tossing individual puffs of Pirate's Booty into the air and attempting to catch them with his open mouth.
"Davey..." the voice was tentative and quiet. He had a feeling he knew what was going to come next. "...You know, I'd love to meet your mother and all, but I just...can't this weekend. I've just got so much work to do, what with finals coming up and all..."
Hoping to mask the disappointment in his voice, he spoke with a smile as he replied. "Right. That's fine, then, Lisa. Maybe once finals are over, we can try again." He added hopefully.
"Maybe." She sounded dreadfully unsure. "Listen, Davey, I've gotta get going. You know...study and all."
"Okay. I love you, Lees."
"Yeah. Bye." He heard the click that signaled the conversation was over.
There's a fine, fine line between a lover and a friend;
There's a fine, fine line between reality and pretend;
And you never know 'til you reach the top if it was worth the uphill climb.
There's a fine, fine line between love
And a waste of time.
He crumpled the empty bag of Pirate's Booty and tossed it in the direction of the garbage can. It fell about four feet to the left, but he didn't move to pick it up.
David had first met Lisa Simmons in the second semester of his third year at Boston University. She was a first year student in the Western Literature course he TAd for. He ran weekly review sessions for the course, and since the class was generally an easy A, few students ever showed up. Lisa was one of them. She told him later that the only reason she had attended regularly was the hope that he would eventually ask her out. It worked.
When he graduated, he was offered a journalist job near his Manhattan home by a close family friend, Brian Denton. Though the job paid well and would allow him to return to his beloved New York, he turned it down. He told his parents that the refusal was due to his desire to, "Explore my options." Apparently, exploring his options meant living in a tiny apartment in Jamaica Plains managing a local Friendly's.
Lisa, of course, was his real motivation for staying in Boston beyond graduation. He could hardly complain about his current living situation when he knew that if he just hopped on the local T train, he could be running his fingers through her silky brunette hair and listening to her melodic voice as she recounted the events of her day.
The sound of the door slamming announced Jack Kelly's arrival. The tall young man smirked at the sight of his roommate slumped on the couch.
"Heya, Dave, cheer up, I'm in an excellent mood. Can't have you bringing me down, man." He joked, plopping himself down next to David.
David snorted. "You look especially happy this afternoon. Who is it this time?"
Jack raised his eyebrows in mock offense. "What makes you think that it's a 'who' and not a 'what?'"
David shrugged. "We've known each other a long time. You've got that, 'I'm gonna score' grin."
"Well, smartass, I'll have you know that while I'm not saying I ain't gonna score, the reason for my extreme cheer on this fine day happens to be quite different." Jack waited for David to probe further, but continued when he made no attempt. "Don't be too curious, man. Well anyway, you'll never guess where I'm going this weekend!"
"Where?" David asked half-heartedly.
"Vegas! And you're going, too. I got a great deal on tickets, and I just got a bonus, so..."
"Wait a minute, this weekend? Jack, you know I can't. My mom's coming up."
"Well, you'll just have to tell her to come a different weekend because guess who already said she'd come..."
"Pam Anderson?"
Jack rolled his eyes. "Close. Lisa! I called her just before I got back, and she was totally psyched to come."
David blinked. "Lisa said she'd come? She has finals next week, she said she had to study..."
Jack placed a hand on David's shoulder. "David, this is Vegas. Screw finals. You, me, Lisa, and the next girl I meet at a club are all gonna go—"
"I'm not going." David said firmly. "My mom's been planning this for a long time, and she hasn't been out since Dad's funeral."
Jack nodded. "Well, I s'pose I can always find a couple more girls to come along. What about Lisa?"
"She can still go, I won't stop her." Jack recognized the bitterness in his friend's face, but decided not to press further.
There's a fine, fine line between a fairy tale and a lie;
And there's a fine, fine line between "You're wonderful" and "Goodbye."
I guess if someone doesn't love you back it isn't such a crime,
But there's a fine, fine line between love
And a waste of your time.
"Davey, I'm awfully busy, can you call back in a few—"
"No."
"What's the matter?"
"Do you love me?" David asked, the strength in his voice surprising to both Lisa and himself.
"What? Oh, David, don't be ridiculous." Lisa laughed nervously.
"Answer the question, Lisa."
The familiar silence on the other line answered the question before Lisa even said a word.
"Davey, you know I do..." She said sweetly.
"Looking forward to Vegas?" David shifted topics.
"Oh, yes! I can't believe Jack would be so—"
"I'm not going. In case you were wondering. My mother's coming, remember?"
"You're not going?" She sounded more astonished than disappointed.
"No. I'm not."
"Oh, well, then, maybe I shouldn't—I mean, you don't mind if I go?"
"You don't need my permission. It doesn't matter anymore."
"What are you saying?"
He took a deep breath. "You are the first girl I've ever been in love with. Consequently, you are the first girl who has ever broken my heart."
"Dav—"
"Let me finish." His eyes were glistening with tears, but his voice remained steady. "I love you. I still do. But...I'm breaking up with you, Lisa. Enjoy Vegas. Enjoy life."
He could hear her crying, and it took every ounce of strength he had left in him to hang up the phone.
And I don't have the time to waste on you anymore.
I don't think that you even know what you're looking for.
For my own sanity, I've got to close the door
And walk away...
Oh...
"Brian Denton, New York Sun."
"Hi Denton, it's David Jacobs."
"Oh, hi, David! How's life treating you?"
"Pretty sucky, actually, but that's another story. I was thinking about moving back to New York, and I was wondering if you still had any jobs available?"
"You're in luck, David..."
There's a fine, fine line between together and apart.
And there's a fine, fine line between what you wanted and what you got.
You gotta go after the things you want while you're still in your prime...
The knock on the door, three short taps followed by three long ones, caused a smile to cross David's face. It was his mother's knock.
"Mama!" He exclaimed as he opened the door. "I'm so glad you're here."
Following a peck on the cheek and a warm embrace, the older woman stepped back to examine her son.
"You are so skinny." She said with her slight Eastern European accent. "You must eat more, David."
"I'm hoping you can help me out with that." David said with a slight grin.
"Where is your girlfriend?" Esther asked, not noticing David's other meaning.
"Let's talk about that later. I made a great dinner, Mama."
"I am sure you did, my love. Now, how is the Friendly's?"
David swallowed. "I quit."
"You quit?"
"I quit."
"When did this happen?"
"Yesterday. I realized some things about my life, Mama. I'm going to move back to New York. I asked Denton, and he said he can get me a job as an advice columnist for the Sun."
Esther didn't blink away her tears as she reached to hug her son. In the embrace, David caught a glimpse of Lisa's photograph hanging on the wall in his peripheral vision. He swallowed the lump in his throat and pressed his eyes shut.
There's a fine, fine line between love
And a waste of time.
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