It wasn’t the words Nia had spoken during the call, but the tone that told the story. Sky had become very familiar with it and knew what as well as who had caused the changes in Nia’s mood and why.
That fool had had another affair. Only this time it was with a different woman.
As irritated as Sky had been about Nia continuing to endure the cycle of insanity, she was still her best friend. There would come a moment to be brutally honest for the millionth and one time, but this wasn’t it. For now, she would drink like a sailor so that she could continue to listen and comfort—not rub salt in Nia’s wounds with I told you sos.
Sky sat quietly with her feet curled up on the sofa watching Nia, who was on the other end of the couch, bawling her eyes out over Steven’s latest betrayal. Even though Sky convinced herself to remain mum, she imagined reaching over, grabbing Nia by the shoulders, and shaking the shit out of her while screaming GET THE HELL OFF THE CRAZY TRAIN! But, again, she wouldn’t—not today. Instead, Sky would calmly sip her drink. It kept her from acting out and spewing the words that were on the tip of her tongue.
Tears streamed down Nia’s face. Her nose was raw and red as she sniffed uncontrollably. Mechanically, Sky grabbed a tissue out of the box that sat between them and handed one over.
“Why can’t the man be faithful?” Sniff . . . Sniff. He promised he wouldn’t do this again.” Nia wiped the tears from her eyes and blew her nose.
Because he’s a hoe. Another sip was in order as Sky mused. And, it’s not again . . . It’s again and again and again.
To keep herself quiet, Sky brought the glass to her lips and took another long swallow. Still, it wasn’t enough to keep her mouth in check, so Sky took another drink. As the dark liquid meandered down her throat, it left her feeling warm all over. Sky allowed her eyes to drift closed as she savored the tangy plum flavor and swirled the fruity taste around with her tongue. A good wine always took her to a magical place. It was impossible to blurt out the obvious with a mouth full of Merlot. Her mind was awhirl with thoughts, and by the miracle of alcohol, none of them made it past her lips–not yet.
Sky could hear the steady tone of Nia’s voice, but somehow, managed to block out the words and briefly tuned her out. Although Sky’s subconscious was trying to get a million miles away, her conscious mind wouldn’t allow it. Instead, Sky slowly opened her eyes and sat stoically in the darkness. She was enraptured by the golden glow from the fireplace as it illuminated the room. Her movements were slow and deliberate as she lifted her glass to study it. I could have sworn it was full just a moment ago? It was a good thing that Nia was talking mostly to herself and wasn’t really expecting a response, because Sky wasn’t paying close enough attention and didn’t know what the hell she had been talking about.
“What do you think I should do? Steven keeps calling me.” Nia’s words finally broke through Sky’s fog of thoughts. She stared at her cell phone as the tears continued to fall down her face. “He probably won’t stop unless I answer it. At the very minimum, I should cuss his ass out.”
“Mmhmm.” Sky nodded slightly. She had been dreading the what should I do question and hoped her non-answer was enough to pacify Nia since she hadn’t been able to get the woman drunk enough to pass out before she asked it. Nia didn’t honestly want to hear how Sky really felt. So, Sky pretended as if she hadn’t heard her while continuing to examine her glass. It was much too low for this conversation. Sky peered over into Nia’s glass and realized hers was too. Perfect time for a refill. “I think we could use just a little more wine.” Sky leaned over toward the coffee table to pick up the almost empty bottle. For anyone counting . . . It was their third. Typically, Sky would never encourage drinking to deal with a problematic issue. As a doctor, she knew better, but this was more for her than Nia. Sky was doing her best to keep from saying something hurtful. This conversation was also one they had had before, and unfortunately, it led to them not speaking for almost a month and Sky was mindful of that.
“Seriously? What would you do?” Nia wouldn’t let it go. Her swollen face and red-rimmed eyes were filled with pain and desperation.
Maybe this was not a good time for Sky to be more than a little tipsy and not have a mouth full of wine. “Before or after I cut off his balls and shoved them down that woman’s throat?” Did I say that out loud, or did I think it? Sky wasn’t sure. But, by the look on Nia’s face, she’d spoken them.
“That’s a felony. You and I would never risk our licenses by doing something like that.”
Sky wasn’t so sure. She shrugged. “Well, you did burn all of his clothes. Last I checked that was illegal too. I figure, if we’re going to lose our licenses, I would want to do something a little more lasting and memorable.”
“Burning clothes is a misdemeanor. Anyway, I couldn’t catch her. She ran out of the apartment before I could get my hands on her.”
