I grimaced, stepped back from Cali, took a huge gulp, and started ranting, pacing back and forth through the kitchen. I was screaming at the top of my lungs, forcing all of the anger out of my body. It was just too much weight to bear. “She just thinks I need to be over Randy already. I don’t get it. She’s my mom. She should be making me comfort food and stroking my hair while I cry for years to come if that’s what it takes. Not criticizing me for missing the love of my life. You know, she even tried to convince me Walker is cute! Can you freaking believe her?” I took another colossal swig of wine and choked a little from trying to swallow it too fast.
“Yuck! Walker is a womanizing dick that probably has ten STDs by now.” Her nose crinkled and I could almost see her cheeks turning green while she thought about how many women Walker had actually hooked up with over the years we had known him. She was right about him sleeping around. Walker had Southern charm about him that could make anyone swoon, and no standards to speak of. Together, it was the perfect combination for a successful man whore.
I chuckled at Cali’s look of disgust and motioned for the living room, making sure to grab both bottles of wine and set them onto the coffee table. I got a couple of blankets out of the linen closet and curled up on the couch with Cali. It was fantastic that she was home, and I was so thankful she was here with me now. For every break up, every horrible fight, even bad test scores, we were always there for each other, no matter what. It was so comforting to know she was in my corner, not judging me in any way at all.
Topping off our glasses quickly, I decided changing the subject was in my best interest. The thought of Walker in that way made me a little uncomfortable, but not in the normal sense of
Cali shoved me playfully, while flipping through the channels to find us a girly movie to watch, a look of playful shock spread across her lips. “You know I love him! He’s better than you think!” She turned to me, her smile fading into frustration. “And work is shitty like always. Just full of boring meetings about new lines we want to sell next year and lonely nights in the hotel.”
Cali was the chief sales agent for an importer that could never make enough money. Needless to say, her boss worked her to the bone. I had always told her she could make more money with fewer headaches at another firm, but Cali was loyal, sometimes too loyal. It was one of her best qualities.
She sighed at the TV; still channel surfing. “My shit is boring. What happened while I was away? Anything exciting?” Cali’s cheeks were already starting to turn a cute pink from her wine that probably tasted like Skittles; she had always been a lightweight.
I smiled, pinching her cheek, teasing her a little. “Nothing really exciting to report on my end. Work and moping, my usual routine, you know how I’ve been lately. Walker kept me company for the most part in your absence.”
Cali snapped her head around to look me dead in the eyes. “No wonder your mom said something, if Walker’s been around a lot lately! She does your freaking grocery shopping for crying out loud. She doesn’t do that for her health you know, she does it to stalk you!”
The thought of my mom stalking me had crossed my mind from time to time, but I hadn’t considered that she was paying too much attention, and the thought of it freaked me out. “Oh, I know, but I didn’t think she was watching closely enough to make assumptions about my love life, or lack thereof, for that matter. I mean she told me to move on because she wants grandkids eventually! It’s all just so fucked up! I told her to leave me alone for a while.” The anger from earlier settled back down in the pit of my stomach. I felt more blood boil up to make my skin flush from head to toe.
For a few seconds, Cali just stared at me, her mouth open. “That’s a low blow. I would have socked her one if I had been there.” She meant it too. Her voice was low and vindictive. Every once in a while, Cali’s pink-girly exterior turned into a hot-headed bad-ass, a side of her I wished she used more often on her husband.
Finally, we found
Once we were finished with our little episode of complaining and ranting just a little bit more, I cuddled under my blanket, resting my head on Cali’s shoulder, staring at our arms side by side. “Cali, we’re both too pale. I think it’s a boat, drinks, and sun rays loving kind of Saturday coming up.” I smiled as she turned to look down on me with the biggest blue eyes filled with excitement. We used to go to the beach almost every weekend if weather would allow. It was our girl-time that we had both missed since Randy passed away.
Enthusiastically, Cali grabbed her cell off the coffee table and looked up our ten-day forecast. “Saturday is going to be perfect for tanning and fruity cocktails!” We settled back into our spots on the couch, letting ourselves get wrapped into the romance playing on the screen. Simple nights like this were what I really enjoyed, and I was lucky both of my best friends enjoyed those types of moments too.
We must have dozed off for an hour or so, judging by the fact that when I woke up, Julia Roberts was on the piano, refusing to kiss Richard Gere on the lips. I shook Cali awake gently; she rubbed her eyes, smiling, and stretching all at once. “I missed nights like this. I’m glad you are starting to come back to me!” Her sleepy voice was soft and slow as she wrapped me in a hug, making me feel all the loving warmth in her embrace.
“You know what we need? Ice cream!” Cali jumped off the couch, excited by her epiphany. She trotted into the kitchen, her blonde bun bouncing with every step, and came back with a tub of mint chocolate chip that had been in my freezer for way too long. I couldn’t help but smile, pouring the remainder of our bottles of wine into the glasses. She grinned, taking her seat next to me. “Now we’re doing this right.”
We giggled, stuffed ice cream into our mouths and finished our wine. Scooping the last bit of green deliciousness from the bottom of the carton, the clock on the end table caught my eye. “Wow, it’s almost three in the morning, Cal. I think it’s time to call it a night. We both have to work in the morning, and I have my first therapy appointment in the afternoon. I don’t want to fall asleep on my shrink’s couch the first session. That might not make the best of impressions. You want to crash here?”
Cali leaned over, seeing the ten missed calls from her husband and sighed. “Yeah, I shouldn’t drive right now. Damn, he’s going to be pissed.”
Cali got up, going into the kitchen to call Kyle back. I could hear her yelling at him to grow up and remember her best friend was going through a rough time and, if she didn’t answer the first time to just leave it alone. She hung up in a huff of anger and climbed back onto the couch, snuggling up in her blanket. I grabbed a pillow for her from the hall closet. By the time I got back into the living room, Cali was already snoring. Even her snoring was adorable. I climbed the stairs to my room, smiling, silently thanking Cali for never giving up on me and making me feel almost normal for a change.
I crawled into bed, turned out my light, and checked my phone. I had three missed calls, one voice mail and five text messages. The voicemail I was determined to not listen to because it was from my mom and the sound of her voice may ruin my better mood. I scrolled over my mother’s three “I’m sorry” texts to get to the ones from Walker:
I smiled, sighed and wiggled into a comfortable position on my side of the bed, rattling off a quick text back before falling into a dreamless sleep for the night:
5
