Goodbye Normal

by Lily N Anderson

  They decided to race back to the shore, which Zoë won but Liz’s ego was too large to accept defeat, ensuing quiet a number of rematches. After a number of energetic lapses, fatigue crept into their systems. They surged their shivering bodies out of the warm water while embracing the chilly evening weather that was sneaking surreptitiously.

  Liz sat on the soft, wet, sandy soil, folding her knees to meet her chin. She hugged herself tightly as her teeth rattled and her body adjusted to the chilly weather. Zoë advanced further to the car so as to bring their towels. Before she got to it, Liz called out for her to bring over her phone too. “It’s on the dashboard I guess.” she directed.

  Zoe returned to Liz and handed her the towel and phone. A long sigh escaped her as she nuzzled on the spot beside Liz.

  They gazed absentmindedly upon the breathtaking view of the magnificent horizon. The lovely red-orange color of the setting sun clouded their minds. Its cool ambiance coupled with their personal consuming sentiments, saw them drift away. But their reveries were cut short by the buzzing sound of Liz’s phone. She turned her neck unenthused and glared at the caller’s Id. Liz muttered a curse then ignored it.

  Zoe grimaced following the unusual reaction.

  “Hey is everything alright?” she inquired. It didn’t look like she was getting a reply any time soon, so she snooped at the phone’s display. The caller identity read Dennis. Dennis was Liz’s boyfriend of nearly two years. They went on and off in their relationship but Zoe knew for a fact that Liz cared deeply for him.

  “It’s Dennis, why aren’t you picking?” Liz had a horrible look on her face. It was directed past the ocean and the nail-biting silence was utterly disturbing for Zoe.

  “Did you guys have a fight?” A wave of panic washed through her as she looked intently at the dysphonic facial expression Liz was displaying.

  Liz looked down on her feet, her eyes glittering with arising tears. She hated to cry but at this point holding them back was a fight she would lose. Zoe offered a lenient hug which she took and began sobbing quietly in her arms. Zoe empathized with her by stroking her back gently without knowing what really happened between them. Forcing the reason out of her was out of question. Whatever it was, it must be very serious.

  Liz was among the few people who made her life easier and happier. She was always happy and a free spirit, and didn’t deserve that. Seeing Liz like that was weighing her down. She had grown to be a sister and a best friend. At that particular moment she wanted to strangle whoever was responsible for the tears.

  After a few waves of sad sobs, Liz sniffed and freed from the hug. She looked slightly pale and broken.

  “He cheated again.” the words came out as a faint whisper.

  “What?” Zoe gasped, shocked but not surprised. “Oh my God.” she whispered sorely. “That ungrateful bastard! I’m so sorry sweetie, when did it happen and how did you find out?”

  Liz breathed soundly. “I had my doubts; you remember when I told you about the way he kept canceling on our hangout schedules with irrelevant excuses?”

  “Uhuh” Zoe nodded.

  “And we decided I should not judge from his previous mistakes?”

  “Uhuh.” Zoe nodded again.

  “Well I didn’t. I went over to his house today morning because I left some stuff I needed. As my reputation precedes me, I didn’t knock and so that’s when I caught him.” she smiled sadly then sniffed a tear away.

  “That’s awful; I can’t believe he had the audacity to cheat on you for the second time around.”

  “I know. It also bothered me that he didn’t even show he was sorry, or ashamed that I actually caught him making out with some girl I don’t even know, of which am very glad I don’t know the girl. But…but he just stood there like a stupid statue and acted like there was nothing extraordinary going on, he treated me like I was an infant or… or blind.” She blubbered and sniffed again.

  It was overwhelming for her to watch Liz in that state. Zoe had to hold her own tears for both their sakes. She didn’t know the proper thing to say.

  “And now he has the nerve to call me.” Liz continued “and say what?-he is sorry? I will have to die and come back from hell to forgive his cheating soul. What hurts me the most is that I loved the stupid jerk. And that was my big mistake. I have officially decided that I don’t want to believe in everlasting love, never, ever again.” With that she sounded very vulnerable.

  “Why didn’t you tell me sooner? We would have gone to his place and broke some pots and plates…you know, do some little distractions, get even.” Zoe joked, trying to make her smile.

  “That should be arranged.” Liz smiled then blew off her nose.

  “And Liz, there is everlasting love. Like the one you and I have. So don’t stop believing okay?” Zoe smiled. Her eyes held enough hope and warmth for the both of them.

  “I’ll try to” she smiled.

  It was now blatant to Zoe about where Liz’s previous unheralded animosity against love had come from. She always knew Liz was a believer of the power and magic of love. The former display was very much unlizy-like.

  Zoe placed her arm around Liz’s neck and she nested her head on Zoe’s shoulder. They sat that way for a comfortable while. The ocean waves also helped add up to the serenity.

  An untold distance away, the darkening sky and the golden sun were a combination too irresistible for Zoe to withhold a memory over. She picked her phone and made few snaps which featured Liz’s scornful face. “Every unforgettable moment or feeling deserves a captured memory” she said to Liz whenever she tried dodging the camera.

  Eventually they got back to the car and another weird gesture occurred. Liz could not, or better yet would not start the car. Instead she glared at the endless ocean in front of them with a saddening look. Zoe was frightened to ask what was going on in her head, but she knew she had to. Just when she was debating on how to phrase her question, Liz turned to her, blood drained from her face.

  “Do you think I push people away? I mean, Eden isn’t coming back home, Dennis keeps screwing up and my parents….” Zoë interrupted her. It was plain that this depression was getting the best of her.

  “No…no” Zoë assured swallowing hard.

  She held her friends palms within her cool, damp ones. “Liz you are extraordinary… you said it yourself. Your parent… they are still together because of you and that is so true, and about Eden, you know that Eden has never liked Doomsberg since we were little. He’d go on and on about leaving this place. Don’t blame yourself because of other people’s choices. When it comes to Dennis, it’s his loss he doesn’t deserve you, you are beautiful, kind and loving and the bestest friend in the whole world. I am in flukes just being your sidekick.” that made her smile a little, and it brought back the hope in Zoe’s face.

  “And I love you.” she whispered dulcetly. Liz stretched her arms to embrace her and whispered back against her ear.

  “So do I.” then added “Thank you for being here for me.” Her voice was a bit shaky.

  The drive back to civilization was incredibly silent. That was something neither of them was accustomed to. Liz the verbose one while she the attentive listener. Only now it felt like they both needed the little break. To think about whatever each was thinking about.

  Big Joes’s diner was located in the heart of the small town. It interjected between the city chaos and the beginning of the suburb streets.

  Zoë had waited tables, part timing at Joe’s for nearly the whole of her senior year. She had asked Big Joe not to pay her a dime until she was done with school. That paycheck would buy her, her very own first car. It was exciting but she wasn’t sure if she could share her it with Liz just yet.

  After they covered a couple of blocks, Zoe tilted her head and threw a glance at Liz, she looked serious. She turned back to the road wondering what she was thinking about and thought against interrupting her rather cogitative session.

  “Screw them all. Life is too beautifu
l to get wrapped up in other people’s selfishness.” Liz blurted out. She also had a ninja come back aura with her. It looked very Lizy and refreshing.

  As if she heard her thoughts, it was admirable the way Liz could cooperate with an obscene situation. She suddenly unveiled her joyful state to life once more. Something Zoe was certain she was not capable of.

  “Oh thank God! I was already trying to learn how to adjust to the silence.” Zoë cheered.

  They parked in front of the restaurants parking spaces, with the red letters above them glowing Big JO-E’s.

  They entered the familiar environment, and Big Joe’s brown eyes lit up with merriment. The diner was a dozen full. It was a lively place with a bunch of interesting fellows. Big Joe was Cuban. He was a tall and beefy man with short black hair. Actually his name was really Jose something, but his customers found a way to rip him off his identity and baptized him Joe. He fought against it for as long as he could, until some neighborhood kids got rid of the S on his poster just to make a point. His accent was still acute; thanks to the many cousins he had to talk to everyday.

  “My favorite rascals, how’ve you been?” a wide grin stretched on his chubby good looking face.

  “Fine Joe, how are you.” Zoë called out then reached out behind the counter for a casual hug.

  “I’ve been craving for your delicacies.” Liz replied, going for a glass case of muffins.

  “Well Liz, you know you’re at the right place.” Joe replied while detaching from the fatherly hug.

  “Joe, can I talk to you in private?” Zoe asked cordially.

  “Sure.” he said almost abruptly “is everything okay?” he asked, looking back at her while opening the door to the kitchen. When Zoe worked there he treated her like his daughter and it became natural for him worry like a father.

  They walked into the busy hot kitchen. Midway through it she stopped for a while to greet some familiar faces and do some catching up. It didn’t take a long time then she advanced to Joe’s office.

  Joe’s office was at the very end of the kitchen. The door was slightly ajar when she went for the handle. Opening wider, she found him leaning on his office desk with a paper on his big hand. Which she assumed was her paycheck. Completely inside the air conditioned office, she closed the door and leaned against its coolness.

  Zoe watched as concern creased his face.

  He pursed his lips then said “How’s Carol, She doesn’t come around here any more.” His accent was spicy with suppressed sadness.

  “Mom is fine.” she nodded assuringly.

  She wanted the conversation to end there, but the look of his face told her he was not done listening. One of his brows arched high and he glared at her very attentively.

  “We decided I postpone this year, so I’ll be going to college next year.” She said.

  Witnessing the helplessness on his face, she added quickly “But the mortgage is covered so, we are both saving for college now.”

  “You can always come back here.” he offered.

  “I definitely will, just taking a short break then I’ll be back.” she assured.

  “Okay.” he agreed, extending his arm to give her the cheque “there you go.”

  After reading the cheque, her eyes grew wide with realization. She was certain the sum was somewhat added from the original amount that was meant for her. Across the room Joe had a warm smile that widened after her reaction. She advanced towards him for an appreciative hug

  “Joe, you—” she began.

  He interrupted her. “No kiddo, you just had a lot of tips.”

  “Thank you so much.” she said over his ear her eyes closing with emotion.

  “Sure thing kiddo, arms away.” He beamed at her, breaking away from the hug.

  “Yeah, arms away… and Joe I turned eighteen months ago. I think kiddo should be put to rest now.”

  “I know that. I baked your cake. But kiddo sounds way better than…” he stopped and made a face like he was finding the perfect word. “Way better than anything else I could think of calling you.”

  “Okay, I’ll let this one go, but at least don’t call me that in front of everybody.” she begged coyly.

  “I will think about it.” he said, pretending to be very serious.

  Joe had grown fond of telling her “I’m arms away when you need me kiddo.” and in the long run it became their thing.

  They walked out of the office and invited the kitchens heat back to their chilled skins.

  “Goodnight guys.” She said.

  A chorus of replies erupted from different corners of the kitchen until she was out of their sights.

  When she opened the door to the diner, she found Liz’s eyes locked in a good looking waiter behind the counter. Zoe was certain that he was a new guy, because she couldn’t remember seeing him there before. It looked like he was explaining to her about some recipe. But Zoë was almost sure that, there was nothing about the recipe Liz was interested in.

  “So you wait for about twenty minutes and voila, desert ready to serve.” the guy explained ebulliently.

  “Oh twenty minutes right?” Liz wondered faking the interest. Instinctively she turned to the door and saw Zoe shaking her head and smiling at her knowingly.

  She smiled coyly at the cute waiter and said “thank you so much George, I will soon be back for more recipes.”

  “No problem Lizbeth.” George replied, smiling back at her.

  Joe came out of the kitchen door with a khaki bag on his hand.

  “Kiddo, get this for your mother, and tell her I said um…” he stopped for a second, his face winced then continued “I said hi.”

  Zoe rolled her eyes at him and walk towards him for the package. With a scorn on her face for calling her kiddo, she said “Are you kidding me Joe!”

  “Goodnight Zoe.” he replied joyfully.

  It was no news that Joe had fancied her mother for the longest time. But he came to accept that she was too heartbroken for any kind of relationship. Only that he had never called it quits. And Zoe thought it was sweet even for an old age romance.

  “You amaze me! You don’t waste time at all, do you?” Zoe commented while Liz opened the diner’s door for them.

  “Did you take a good look at him?” Liz asked, her face puckered with anticipation “And besides, heal a broken heart by finding a sweetheart, and I think I just scored me one.” she winked.

  “Where did you get that from?” her eyes flickered with unmistakable interest.

  “Just to prove that there are smart blondes in this world. It’s mine, I made it up.”

  “Well… I for one like it. Hope not to use it though.” She said thoughtfully settling in the car.

  “Fingers crossed girlfriend, but with this crooked world, who knows.” Liz snickered, her hands on the ignition.

  Zoe gnashed her teeth and made an angry face, which only made Liz laugh some more… The witty comment was annoyingly true.

  “That smells really good,” Liz sniffed “It’s making me feel hungry. But since I have a dormant metabolism unlike you I’ll have to pass.” she sighed and caressed her stomach involuntarily.

  “Yep. That’s Joe’s Cuban sandwich, mom’s favorite. Joe takes advantage and makes it an aphrodisiac.”

  “The poor guy, so Joe still has the hots for your mother huh?”

  “Story of his life.”

  As Liz concentrated on driving the car, Zoe scanned through the streets beside her. Lights flashed before her eyes, with people scurrying by peacefully to their destinations. It was not a very busy night. Not like it was ever really busy. She wondered silently how dreadful Desolia used to be, all in the name of witchcraft! Not once in her life had she experienced any abnormality or wickedness of any sort. It was a beautiful tropical island with an assorted mix of cultures from all over the world. Grateful to globalization people were not stupid enough to dwell on the insubstantial abominable past events. The town flourished to a beautiful habitat for lovely people. An uncon
scious smile crept on her lips. Coincidently, Liz glanced her way.

  “What are you smiling about?”

  “Nothing really, just excited about getting my own car, was tryna think of a name for it.” she lied bluntly and bit her inner lip.

  Something she was good at even without trying so hard. Her face even lit up as she said it. No wonder her mother thought she would make a fine actress. What’s worse, she wasn’t sure about the purpose for the lie. But it could be the fact that Liz could talk round the clock about Desolia and not tire one bit. She would start with how the town has an incredible history like no other in the world, were as Zoe thought it had a heartbreaking history. Debating anything with Liz needed preparation and she was not prepared for a verbal fight. She already got enough history at home and she was certain she was not up to that discussion.

  “Well what did you come up with?” Liz inquired.

  “Can’t find something suitable yet. I thought of it and decided I will have to see it first, to decide.” she informed.

  “Yeah that’s better… I have to get some groceries since nobody else bothers at home, you want something?” Liz glanced at her as she drove toward a store.

  “Don’t think so, but let me call mom and see if she needs anything.”

  When she got to it, Liz parked then waited as Zoe called her mother.

  Right after a few beeps and a click Carol picked up.

  “Hey mom.”

  “Hi darling, where are you? I came home to a complete mess! Why did you leave Zack alone?” Carol complained.

  Zoe grimaced.

  “I went out with Liz, I’m sorry mum, but I thought you won’t be long, plus I urged him not to mess things up. Anyway, we’ll be there shortly. Do you need anything am at a store right now.”

  “I don’t think Zack heard you. About the groceries, if you have enough get me some bread….wait let me check the fridge.”

  She waited by her phone and heard her mother footsteps skitter about, and then she was back on.

  “Pac of eggs, spaghetti, milk, sugar and cereals and um do you know the…oh hell I’ll get the rest of it myself. Is that okay?”