He smiled. And then nodded, taking another sip.
We drank our coffee in silence. Finally I moved towards the coffee pot to fill my cup up again. “You still haven’t told me why you’re here.”
“Lily couldn’t get in touch with Maggie this morning. Her phone kept going straight to voicemail. She asked me to call you, and when your phone kept going straight to voicemail she asked me to come over.”
“Why?”
“Because Lily thinks there’s something going on between you two. When Maggie called Lily last night Maggie brought you up several times.”
“What did she say?”
“Well, she was drunk, so it was hard to make out everything. She said something about you and her being friends and needing to forget.”
I let out a frustrated sigh. “I’m trying something new.”
“Something new?”
“Yeah.” I set my coffee down and rubbed the back of my neck. “I called her yesterday and told her I wanted us to be friends, because the alternative was her avoiding me and not talking to me.” I glanced at Cooper to gauge his reaction. “We haven’t really been able to talk since she left to go back home, and it was driving me crazy not being able to talk to her. So, I suggested we leave what happened behind and start over, as friends.”
Cooper nodded in understanding, but didn’t say anything. Eventually, he asked, “So, what was her reaction to that?”
“Good. We talked for a long time. When we hung up I thought everything was fine. And then last night, she called and left a message. I called her back when I heard it and… Oh shit!” I walked to my bedroom and grabbed my phone, pulled it up to my ear and I realized it was dead.
I walked back into the kitchen after I put my phone on the charger.
“What was that about?” Cooper asked
“Maggie asked me not to hang up; she didn’t want me to leave her. She was drunk and I fell asleep with her still on the other end of the line. My phone must have died sometime during the night.”
Cooper set his cup down and started for the front door. “Listen, I don’t know Maggie’s story. I know she has one though. And the fact that you weren’t going to tell me what happened, or didn’t happen, between you and her tells me one thing, that you really care about her. So, if you care to hear any advice from me I’ll give it to you.”
“Actually, yeah, please do.” I had watched how he handled his relationship with Lily and I admired the hell out of him. I would listen to Cooper’s advice over anyone else’s.
“Put her needs above your own. That is, if you want a romantic relationship with her, and I believe you do. So yeah, be her friend, for now. I think she needs one. At least someone who wants more from her than what she’s used to getting. Know what I mean?” he asked, lifting an eyebrow.
“I hear you. Did I…did I already mess things up with her, you think?”
He gave me a halfhearted smile and patted me on the back. “No, I don’t. You’ll figure it out. I gotta go. I promised Lily we would visit Grams today.”
“Okay. Hey, is Lily mad at me?” I didn’t want him to answer if she was.
His smile got a whole lot bigger. “Hell no! She loves you like a brother. She’s rooting for you two to figure your shit out.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “Yeah, well me too.”
After Cooper left I did some yard work and then came in to take a shower. I needed to be at the bar tonight. I just wasn’t too anxious to get there. I knew Brice would be there and would cover for me until I showed up. I got out of the shower and dried off. Before I could put my clothes on, my cell phone rang. I glanced at it and saw Maggie’s name light up across the screen. I answered before it had a chance to ring twice. “What’s your favorite scary movie?”
“Joe?” she asked.
“Is that a question or a greeting?”
I heard a small laugh. “It’s a greeting.”
“Good. Answer the question,” I demanded.
“Um, The Exorcist.”
“Nice. Mine too.”
“Really?”
“Yep. What’s your favorite Pixar movie?”
“The Incredibles.”
“Seriously?”
“Yep.”
“Where’s my super suit?” we both said at the same time, and then laughed at ourselves. “Uh speaking of, hold on a minute. I’m not wearing any clothes.”
“Why are you answering the phone naked?”
“Because you called me before I could put clothes on.”
“Do you always walk around your house naked?”
“No, but I do take showers naked, which I was just getting out of when you called.”
“Then why did you continue to carry on a conversation? Why didn’t you ask me to hold on when you answered?”
“You realize you’re still talking, and I’m still naked, right?”
“Oh. Right. I’ll hold.”
“Thank you.” I quickly put on my boxer briefs and a pair of jeans. “I’m back.”
“Fully clothed now?”
“Mostly.” She went quiet again. “You there, Maggie?”
“I know I called you last night and I don’t really remember a whole lot about what I said. I just wanted to say that whatever I said–”
“You said something about liking pink elephants, and having a strange attraction to bearded ladies.”
“I did not.”
“You did. It was weird. I almost hung up.”
“Joe,” Maggie huffed, “I’m trying to be serious.”
“So am I. I woke up this morning in a cold sweat. I kept dreaming about bearded ladies riding pink elephants. It was awful.”
After a brief pause, Maggie said, “I think there’s something wrong with you.”
“I’m not the one with the strange fetishes.”
For a few seconds she said nothing, and then she groaned. “I want to hit you and hug, Joe.”
I grinned. “I know, Maggie.”
We talked on the phone every day. I would send her random texts sometimes in the middle of the day, usually off the wall crazy stuff just because I wanted to picture her opening her text messages and smiling or laughing out loud as she read them. Giving her a reason to smile or laugh was pretty much the driving force for me waking up each morning. She was the first thing on my mind when my feet hit the floor and the very last thing on my mind when I climbed into bed.
And now, it was a week before Christmas, and I was standing at baggage claim waiting to pick her up. I saw her descending down the escalator towards me, and my heart decided it wanted to be a rock band performer because it sounded like it was beating on drums inside my chest. She moved closer, and the drum playing only got faster. When she saw me, her eyes lit up, and when I was face to face again with the red-headed, green-eyed beauty my fate was sealed. I was in love, and I knew it as sure as I knew my own fucking name. At this point I knew two other things. This visit was either going to be a disaster, or the best week of my entire life.
Maggie
I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about Joe when I saw him again, but the way he looked at me as I came down the escalator made me feel a lot like I imagine it would feel if you jumped out of an airplane. The nervous adrenaline pumping through your veins before doing something reckless and dangerous, and the terrifying feeling of falling, hoping that your parachute opens before you hit the ground. As I got closer and closer to him, I felt like I was about to do something reckless and dangerous and that excited me. I also felt like I was about to crash and burn in a blaze of glory.
He didn’t wait for me to walk the entire distance. He met me halfway and the smile he gave me made me feel like this smile was reserved only for me. He didn’t just hug me either. He picked me up and spun me around in a circle and held me so tight to his chest it almost hurt. When he set me down we had drawn quite the crowd. He held my face in his hands like I was fine china. Then he took one step back and took me in, in small increments, starting from the b
ottom, as if he was mentally making a list of all the tiny details that made me – me. It was gradual and purposeful. He wasn’t rushed or hurried. He took his time.
When his eyes ultimately met mine I saw something in them that I recognized. It was the same look he had given me the last and only night we were together. The same look I see every time I close my eyes and see his face.
We aren’t strangers anymore, or rather, two people who barely know each other. We are friends, but more. Actually, there isn’t really a definition for what we are to each other; the only thing that is clear was that we are something to each other.
I know his favorite color is blue. I know his favorite songs, what books he likes, his favorite movies. And I know he prefers sunsets to sunrises. When I asked him why, he said, “A sunset is like a sigh for me. It makes me feel like I’m home, like I’ve made it somewhere important. And I like knowing that my sunset is someone else’s sunrise. It’s poetic.”
When I said several weeks before that Joe was full of surprises, I realized at that moment how very true that really is. It surprises me that he always surprises me.
“I’m so happy to see you,” I said. “I didn’t know how much I missed your face until this very moment.” I used that opportunity to really take in everything that made Joe – Joe. It wasn’t one part of him that shined brighter than the other parts. I wanted to get to know all of the beautifully distinctive pieces of him separately first, in order to appreciate what he is made of …what makes him unique, and like no one I’ve ever known. Each piece building on the other, until the complete man was revealed.
And as I stood here, in the airport, I saw the complete man in front me. And I think…I think I had fallen in love with him.
“Come on, sweetheart. You hungry?” Joe asked as he grabbed my bags and led us out to the parking garage.
“I could eat,” I said.
He took my hand in his.
We went to a little deli where we ate sandwiches and chatted. I tried not to think about anything as I enjoyed his company. And I did enjoy his company, so much. When we were getting ready to leave, my cell phone rang. It was sweet Ms. Sophie.
“Hi, Ms. Sophie,” I said, smiling.
“Hello, dear. I take it your plane landed on time?”
“Yes, ma’am. Joe picked me up at the airport and we stopped to grab a bite to eat. We’re on our way to your house now.”
“Well, that’s why I’m calling, dear. I’ve come down with the flu, and I don’t want you to catch it from me. That would be a horrible trip for you if you got sick and at the holidays too. You should probably stay with someone else, dear.”
“Oh,” I said, trying not to sound as disappointed as I was. “I understand. I guess I can figure something out. I hope you get to feeling better. Can we bring you anything? Soup? Medicine?”
“No, dear. I’ve got everything I need. Is Joe with you now?”
“Yes.”
“Put him on the phone, please. I need to tell him something.”
“Oh, okay. Hold on.” I handed Joe the phone. “Ms. Sophie wants to talk to you.”
Joe looked at me curiously, took the phone, and held it to his ear. “Ms. Sophie?”
Trying not to pay too much attention to his conversation, I cleaned up our trash and went to throw it away. When I came back to the table he handed the phone back to me. “Ms. Sophie asked me to take you to my house… said you should stay with me this week, since she’s sick.” He grinned. “I happen to think that’s an excellent idea. Oh, and she loves you. She told me to be sure I tell you that.”
“Huh,” I said, deep in thought.
“What?”
“Nothing, it’s just…” I trailed off, trying to figure out what it was that seemed peculiar. “I talked with her just last night, and she didn’t mention anything about being sick.”
Joe shrugged. “She must have come down with it overnight or something.”
“I hope she feels better soon. She was so excited about having everyone over for dinner. I wonder what we’ll do now.”
Joe took my hand again, and I grabbed my purse. “Come on, sweetheart, we’ll figure that out later. Let’s go home.”
Let’s go home. Those three words were like an arrow straight to my heart. I don’t know if he meant it in that way, but for a brief moment in time, I wanted to pretend that he did, that he wanted to take me home. To our home. Together.
Joe
“Your tree isn’t decorated.”
I set Maggie’s bags down in the foyer and casually slipped my hands in the front pockets of my jeans. “No shit?”
She rolled her eyes at me and tried not to smile back. She tried, and she failed. “Okay, smartass. I stated the obvious.” She smoothed the front of her dress before continuing. “Do you have decorations for it?”
“Yes. Although, I’m pretty sure you don’t want to use any of them.”
“Why?” Maggie asked as she evaluated the tree in front of her. “Where are they?” She tilted her head enough so she could see, and then turned her body towards mine, waiting for me to answer.
I took the opportunity to take her in as she stood there looking like an angel. Her dress was burgundy and it fit her body well. I was enchanted by her beauty, and entranced by the warmth that radiated from her like a beacon. My eyes surveyed the woman standing in my house, and it felt familiar. Not familiar in the sense that she’s been here before; familiar in the sense that she’s always been here. Like she was the other half of me, and we were just now finding each other. It was that kind of familiar, which is ridiculous I know, but that’s how it felt.
She asked her question again, and I remembered we were having a conversation. “Where are what?”
“The decorations. Where are they?”
I pointed to a box beside the tree. “They’re right there.”
She walked over and proceeded to peek into the box. “These aren’t Christmas decorations.”
“Yes they are.”
She bent over and brought something out of the box. “Oh really? Do you normally decorate with Chewbacca and …” she reached down to retrieve another piece, “…and Princess Leia?”
I gave her a big cheesy grin. “Princess Leia is hot. So yes.”
“Joe, we are not putting this on the tree.”
“What kind of decorations do you put on your tree?”
“Um, Christmas ornaments. Like a normal person.”
“Are you suggesting that I’m not normal?”
“Do you want me to answer that?”
I laughed. “I think you just did.”
Maggie pulled out another piece from the box. “What the…?”
I snatched it from her and hid it behind my back, having forgotten that was in there. I tried not to laugh.
“What was that?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing my ass. Hand it over.”
“No.”
“Let me see it.”
“No.”
“Don’t be a baby. Let me see it.”
“You saw it.”
“Yes, but I want to look at it.”
“You want to look at it?”
Maggie tried to fight her laughter. She held her lips tight together and sucked in her cheeks. “Yes, I want to make sure I saw what I think I saw.”
“Okay, if I show it to you again, then you have to let me put it on the tree.”
“No way.”
“Sorry, that’s the only way I’ll let you see it.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“I am.”
After a few seconds she caved to my ultimatum. “Fine.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
I eyed her suspiciously and then pulled my hand from behind my back. Before I could show it to her, she snatched it from me and ran to get behind a chair.
“That chair can’t save you, Maggie.”
“Hush.” She opened her hand and began to grin a little too big, looked
at me, then sucked it back in. Now she put on her serious face. “It’s uh…”
“A penis,” I finished for her.
“Yes. I see that. And why is it wearing a Christmas hat?”
“It’s a Christmas penis. If it wasn’t wearing a Christmas hat then it would just be a penis dangling from a tree branch. That would seem odd, don’t you think?”
“Oh my God.” Maggie burst into laughter. “You’re serious aren’t you?”
“Of course.”
“You want to ask me again if you’re normal?”
I laughed with her. “I don’t think so.”
“Explain.”
“I was twelve. I saw it in Spencer’s at the mall, bought it, brought it home and put it on the tree wondering if anyone would notice.”
“And did they?”
“Eventually.” I grinned, remembering the morning my mother came into my room with the penis in her hand. My mom was not amused. “Joseph Asher Carlisle!” she’d screeched. I still laugh thinking about the look on her face.
“Was it on your tree last year?”
“No. I forgot that I still had it. But it’ll be up this year,” I said with determination.
“You did not just say that.”
“Like I said, it’ll definitely be on that tree this year.” I turned from her and retrieved her bags from the foyer to take them to the guest room, calling over my shoulder as I walked down the hall, “We can go out later to buy real decorations that you approve of.”
“Oh thank God,” I heard her say.
We returned from the store. Finally. Maggie had been determined to buy every Christmas decoration known to man, and I was every bit as determined to not buy every Christmas decoration known to man.
Maggie made hot chocolate and brought two steaming mugs into the living room with her. She handed me one. “I put marshmallows in them,” she said with a proud look on her face.
I looked down into my mug. “You made a smiley face with them.”
“I did.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
We sipped our hot chocolate and then we set about decorating the tree, stringing the clear lights on first, and then the ornaments.
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