by Alex Marcoux
“Natalie, you’re one of few who know. And I want to keep it that way. Can you keep our secret?” Sidney asked.
Over the years, Natalie maintained a close friendship with Charlotte, Sidney and Justin. She knew Charlotte and Sidney were in love and saw that they were doing a wonderful job raising Justin.
Charlotte eventually started looking for employment closer to Brielle and took a position at Monmouth Medical Center, an easy twenty minutes from the house.
Sidney’s business took off, requiring her to spend more time in the city, away from Charlotte and Justin, who was now about three and a half. Natalie and Sidney started working out at a gym together about three times a week. Generally they worked out at lunchtime, but occasionally during the evenings.
One evening at the gym, Sidney was stretching on a mat while Natalie was working with free weights. “What made you get involved with body building?” Sidney asked, as she admired her friend’s physique.
“Why?”
“Just curious.” Then Sidney added, “It’s obviously time consuming, never mind hard work. Just wondering what drives a person to that level.”
Natalie continued with her repetitions, but casually looked around to see if anyone was within hearing distance. “Well…I’ve always been openly gay. I’ve never been in the closet and hid what I am.”
Natalie finished her reps, then started a different exercise. “When I was in my last year of college, some guys decided that they would teach me what it was like to be with a real man.” Natalie finished her set of repetitions then returned the weights to the rack. She sat on a mat near Sidney, and started stretching.
“Well, to make a long story short, they didn’t convert me. But I vowed that no man would ever touch me again without paying for it. I started self-defense classes, which led to weights and eventually body building.”
“I’m sorry, Nat. I didn’t know,” Sidney apologized for bringing up her experience.
“That’s okay. Most of the anger is gone.” Natalie smiled, then returned to the weights. “I see the Gang’s second album is doing well. Business must be good.”
“It is,” Sidney admitted. “My production company is off and running also.”
“Well, if you’re ever in the market for a good person, keep me in mind.”
“I didn’t realize you were in the market for something new.” Sidney was surprised. Natalie had a good position at New York Hospital in Administration Management.
“It won’t be too much longer before I hit the glass ceiling. I’d rather find something else before I hit a dead end.”
“I understand. I’ll definitely keep you in mind.”
After their workout, the two returned to the locker room. “I’m going to take a ten-minute sauna, want to join me?” Natalie asked.
Sidney looked at her watch. “It’s going on eight o’clock. I’m heading for the showers. I want to see Charlie before she goes to bed.”
Charlie is a lucky lady, Natalie thought.
Sidney showered and left the gym, taking the elevator to the parking garage. That must have been tough for Natalie. I wonder why Charlie never said anything. Then she thought she heard footsteps. She stopped and looked around the dark garage. Everything seemed to be still. The November night air was chilly. She zipped her jacket, then continued toward her car. I must be seeing too many movies with scary parking garage scenes. She laughed at the thought.
Sidney searched in her handbag for her car keys. As she pulled the key chain from the bag, a cold hand clutched her mouth. Her heart began to race, and then she felt what seemed to be a gun barrel in her ribs.
“Don’t turn around; let’s take a walk,” an agitated voice instructed. The man shoved Sidney forward, maintaining a hold around her throat and mouth. “If you value your life, don’t scream,” he said.
Sidney’s heart pounded as the man shoved her into a hallway, about twenty feet from her car. Sidney could see a dumpster and what appeared to be a truck-loading area. She was pushed along past a light and a minute later she heard a crash from behind her, then the light faded. The next light broke in the same manner. There’s more than one person, Sidney concluded.
The man shoved Sidney’s face up against a wall and continued to hold her mouth with his hand. “Where’s your money?” Sidney’s bag was still draped on her shoulder. “Where’s the money, bitch?”
She slipped the bag from her shoulder, letting it catch at the elbow joint.
A second person snatched the bag from her hold. A minute later, a different voice said, “The bitch only has 39 bucks.”
“Where’s your money?”
“That’s all I have.”
The man holding her seemed increasingly agitated. The gun was removed from her ribs and from behind he started groping Sidney. “What else do you have? Take off your watch and jewelry,” he ordered as he searched her jacket. Then he reached around her, unzipped her jacket and searched the inside pockets.
Sidney removed her watch. “You’ve got what you want, now let me go.”
“Maybe I want more.” Sidney felt the weight of his body lean heavily on her against the concrete wall. From behind, he reached over her shoulders and roughly gripped her breasts.
The contact enraged Sidney and she bit her assailant’s arm. He screamed in pain and released her, giving her the opportunity to face her adversary. But as she turned, the back of the man’s hand struck her mouth. The blow threw Sidney back and she fell hard against the wall near the dumpster.
“The bitch bit me,” the man complained to his partner.
“Let’s just take the money and get out of here,” the other man said.
“Nobody bites me and gets away with it.”
Sidney was getting on her feet when the man took a gun out of the back of his pants and placed it against Sidney’s skull. “You’re going to pay for that. Get her arms,” he barked at his companion.
The other man approached her from behind. Sidney tried to get a good look at the smaller man, but he wore a baseball cap that hid his face. He grabbed both of Sidney’s arms roughly and pulled them back until they hurt.
When the leader saw that Sidney was restrained, he tucked the gun behind him in his pants and approached her. She stared into the dark eyes of the bearded stranger and, without warning, took a blow to the abdomen, bringing her to her knees. She was anticipating another blow when she heard her attacker cry in pain. The man who had been pinning her arms back released her from his grip. Unaware of what was going on, Sidney seized the opportunity; she stood, turned and caught her assailant off guard. She kneed him in the groin and the man fell to the ground.
Turning, she saw the other man’s back to her. She knew someone had come to help, but could not see her rescuer until the man’s shoulder dropped when he reached for his gun. Then she saw Natalie.
“He’s got a gun,” Sidney screamed as she jumped on his back, preventing him from firing the weapon. The large man attempted to buck Sidney off his back, but she latched on tight. He ran backwards into the dumpster, using Sidney’s body to cushion the collision. Sidney fell limply into the trash.
Natalie was quick to follow with a blow to his nose.
“You bitch, you broke my nose,” he screamed. Another blow enabled her to disarm him and she threw the weapon into the dumpster. The second assailant made a feeble attempt to help his partner but was soon doubled over in pain. The two quickly left.
Natalie ran to Sidney, motionless in the debris. “Sidney? Sidney?”
She moaned.
“Sidney, where are you hurt?”
Sidney was having difficulty focusing on Natalie’s question and passed out. Then Natalie saw the blood. A lot of blood. Oh my God. When Natalie looked closer, she found a broken beer bottle penetrating Sidney’s lower back.
“Oh God….Help!” she screamed. “Help! I need an ambulance.” Natalie rolled Sidney to her side. She removed her jacket and placed it under Sidney’s head. Nobody had responded to her cries for help.
“Sid, can you hear me? Sid, I need to go for help. I’m just going out to the parking lot. I need to call for an ambulance. I’ll be right back. I promise.” Then Natalie bolted.
As she reached the parking lot, Natalie ran toward a passing car. “Help! I need an ambulance.” But the car took off.
Natalie looked at her clothing. No wonder he took off. I’m running around without a jacket and covered with blood. She could see another car through the center partition. It was driving downhill and would round the bend any second. This car’s not getting away. Natalie stayed in the shadows until the car was about ten feet away, then she jumped in the center of the car’s path.
The driver stopped short of hitting Natalie, then a woman got out and screamed, “Do you have a death wish?”
The ambulance responded in seven minutes, but it felt like an hour to Natalie. Sidney slipped in and out of consciousness during the drive to the hospital. At one point, in a barely audible voice, she asked Natalie, “How bad is it?”
Natalie had learned from the EMTs that Sidney’s condition was critical. She had difficulty concealing her tears.
“Am I gonna make it?” Sidney whispered.
“Of course you are. You don’t have a choice….We have some unfinished business.”
At the hospital, Natalie telephoned Charlotte. “Charlie, we’re at New York Hospital. Sidney’s hurt, bad. You better come right away.”
When Charlotte arrived, she found Natalie pacing outside an operating room. She was frightened when she saw the blood on Natalie’s clothing. Natalie and Charlotte embraced. “How is she? What happened?”
“They took her into surgery about an hour ago. I haven’t heard how she’s doing.”
“Natalie, what the hell happened?”
Natalie told her friend what she knew.
“You two weren’t together?”
“No, Sidney left the gym earlier. She wanted to get home and see you before you went to bed. I was driving down a level in the garage when I saw her car was still there. It didn’t feel right, so I started looking around. They took her to a truck-loading area.” Natalie paused momentarily. “One of the guys was getting ready to shoot me and Sid…Sid stopped him, then she got hurt.”
“Charlotte?” A man’s voice interrupted them.
Thomas Phelps, an old friend, approached the two women. He could see the concern in Charlotte’s eyes. “What’s going on?”
Charlotte told Thomas about Sidney, and asked if he would check to see how she was doing. Within a half-hour, Thomas returned with the surgeon. “Sidney is a lucky lady,” the surgeon said. She had severed an artery and lost a lot of blood, but no major organs were damaged beyond repair.
“Can I be with her while she’s in recovery?” Charlotte asked.
Against hospital policy, Charlotte sat with Sidney while in recovery.
When Sidney woke up, she found Charlotte by her side. “Hi sweetheart, you’re going to be fine.” Charlotte smiled and tears ran down her face. “How are you feeling?”
“Okay. Just weak.” Sidney shut her eyes again to rest, then opened them. “Is Nat okay?”
“She’s fine, she’s right outside the door.”
Sidney shut her eyes and slept the rest of the night.
When Charlotte brought Sidney home from the hospital, Sidney was surprised with a welcome home party by Scott, Gary and Natalie. Justin and Lynette were also there. Sidney was more interested in spending time with Justin, but she did not make her guests feel unwelcome.
Natalie seemed quieter than usual, even a little preoccupied. Sidney cornered her, alone, in the sunroom. “You okay, Nat? You don’t seem to be yourself.”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“I haven’t seen a lot of you since … it happened. Thank you for everything you did.” Sidney hugged her. “Sometimes I have nightmares about what could have happened if you hadn’t found me.”
“Maybe you should talk with someone about it.”
“I’m talking with you.”
“You know what I mean,” Natalie said.
“So, what unfinished business do we have?”
“What?” Oh God. She remembered.
“In the ambulance, you said we had unfinished business.”
“I said a lot of things in the ambulance. I was just giving you another reason to hang in there and not die on us. I didn’t mean anything by it,” she lied.
After her guests left and Justin went to bed, Sidney mentioned to Charlotte, “Gary doesn’t look good.”
“You’re right, he doesn’t.”
Moments later Charlotte took Sidney’s hand, “Come with me. I have a surprise for you.” She led her to a spare bedroom that had been converted to a gym. The walls were lined with mirrors, a rack was set up with free weights, there were mats and a stand-alone multifunction gym unit. Part of the walk-in closet had been converted to a sauna. Sidney was overwhelmed with the surprise.
Charlotte sat on a mat and tapped the mat next to her. Sidney took the invitation and slowly sat down.
Charlotte took Sidney’s hands. “Sid, I’ve never been so scared in my life. I almost lost you. I will never tell you how to live your life, but would you consider working out at home during the evenings?”
Sidney smiled. “I think I can manage that.” She leaned forward and they kissed. Sidney found it surprising that the passion in their relationship had never dimmed. If anything, it grew over the years.
But then Charlotte got serious again. “Sid, would you marry me?”
Sidney laughed, then realized her partner looked hurt. “Charlie, you’re not serious. Are you?”
“Yeah, I am.”
“A marriage without state recognition isn’t a marriage,” Sidney said. “Besides, I’ve been married before, and believe me this is better than a marriage.” She leaned over and kissed Charlotte again, but Charlotte still wanted to talk about it.
“A marriage between same-sex partners is called a union. There are churches that perform union ceremonies. Then there are couples that do their own ceremony, without an administrator.”
“Are you questioning my commitment to our relationship?”
“No, I don’t think so. Well, maybe I am. We’ve never really talked about it.”
“Charlie, as far as I’m concerned, we’re going to be together forever. What we share goes beyond a marriage certificate.” She pulled Charlotte’s hand to her chest. “You have my heart and soul, Charlie, I want to spend the rest of my life with you…and then some. I hope you feel the same.”
Charlotte’s lips approached Sidney’s. “I do. Forever.”
Six months later Gary passed away following complications from pneumonia. At his request, he was cremated, and plans were made to have a celebration of his life, rather than a traditional wake and funeral. Charlotte helped Scott with the preparations for the celebration. They decided to do their annual pig roast to honor Gary’s memory.
Sidney was looking forward to seeing Natalie at the celebration. She was not working out with her anymore and their lives had become so busy, she had not seen Natalie in over three months. Sidney was also aware that a strain had developed between Charlotte and Natalie. A couple of months earlier, Charlotte had mentioned that she did not want to have anything to do with Natalie. When Sidney questioned why, Charlotte would not talk about it.
The day of the celebration, Sidney saw Natalie talking with some people on the porch. Sidney greeted Natalie and embraced her, but was surprised at the cool reception she received. Natalie immediately stiffened at Sidney’s touch and would not look her in the eye.
Sidney was surprised when Scott later cornered her. Although the man appeared exhausted, with dark circles under his eyes, he offered her a warm smile and hug. “I have something for you,” he said.
“What’s that?”
Scott carefully placed a small box in Sidney’s hand. “Gary asked that I give this to you.”
Sidney opened the box to find Gary’s gold ankh and chain.
“I can’t accept this,” Sidney said. “This should be yours.”
Scott removed the pendant. “Gary was adamant about this, Sid. He wanted you to have it. He said, ‘This belongs to Sidney and her alone.’ ” Scott opened the clasp and put the chain on Sidney.
Sidney felt warmth from the pendant as it hung around her neck. It still has Gary’s energy, she thought. She embraced Scott.
Later that day, as they drove home, Sidney looked in the rear seat to check on Justin. He was fast asleep. “Charlie, this should teach us that life is too short. You and Natalie need to work your problems out.”
“It’s not that simple, Sid.”
“That’s where you’re wrong; it is that simple,” Sidney was annoyed. “Natalie used to be our best friend. I get warmer receptions from my enemies than I got from her today.”
“Sidney,” Charlotte hesitated. “Natalie and I made a vow to each other a long time ago. She broke a promise. It’s going to take some time before I can trust her again. I know this is hard to understand, but the two of us need some time away from each other. Please trust me.”
“How do you know she broke this promise?”
“She told me.”
“The woman’s honest with you…and now you punish her. What if she never told you?”
Charlotte concentrated on driving and appeared to be ignoring her.
“I think I know what promise she broke.”
“Really? What?”
“She’s fallen in love with you. Right?”
Charlotte did not answer.
“You guys have been friends with each other forever, but you place unreasonable expectations on each other.”
“What do you mean?” Charlotte asked.
“You let each other into your lives, but then say you can’t love each other…because God forbid it doesn’t work out, you’ll lose a friendship.”
“I thought I was in a monogamous relationship, are you suggesting otherwise?”
“Absolutely not. I just miss our friendship with her and hope the two of you can get beyond this.”
Charlotte reached over and held Sidney’s hand. “I miss her too. Natalie and I have spoken about this, and we believe that distance is the best thing right now.”