Last-Minute Love (Year of the Chick series)

by Moondi, Romi

  Chapter Sixteen

  I was a mummy.

  A knitted-scarf-wearing mummy, with only my eyes just the tiniest bit exposed, as a blizzard tore its way through Toronto. It was almost as big of a “New Year’s bitch slap” as realizing you had to eat healthy.

  Our office had advised us to go home early, but to me that meant a very important pit-stop.

  Some shaky steps later I had arrived, and my mittened-hand grabbed at the icy door handle. Inside was an absolute refuge: fresh coffee and lots of body heat.

  I stood in the long queue, each minute feeling like hours, and when I finally had my steaming latte I dashed for the last empty table. This left a woman and her young son aimlessly looking for a seat, until they finally settled on a larger table they could share with a creepy-looking man. The creepiness factor spanned far beyond his pedophile-moustache, and straight to his leather vest.

  But I didn’t care.

  I had business to take care of.

  Two important pieces of business.

  First I switched on my laptop, and requested the Wi-Fi access as quickly as I could. Then I launched the website for my book sales. I’d promised myself that I would only check my book sales three times a week, and today was a scheduled viewing. It normally wouldn’t have been such an event, but after giving away ten thousand copies of my book for free, the halo effect of sales had been a rush. Today wasn’t any different.

  A hundred copies sold in the last three days!

  I sipped my latte with a genuine sense of accomplishment, but it was only a momentary pause from the constant stream of thoughts in my head.

  Erik.

  The man I had yet to figure out---the corporate big-wig, the nerd, the hot guy, the musician---was finally back in my time zone, and today he was my second piece of business.

  After a holiday spent constantly imagining him with someone else, I needed to either take a chance or let it go. It had to be one or the other, because another few months of addictive phone calls with nothing else to hope for would ruin me.

  It’s all business today.

  I straightened out the collar of my crisp blouse, psyching myself up like in one of those presentations that my boss was too incompetent to do.

  A second later my phone buzzed to life, and all my toughness was replaced with an ache from somewhere deep inside, the one that screamed out “need” and “want.”

  “Hello?” I said cautiously.

  “God I missed your voice.”

  I smiled. “Just from one word?”

  “What a difference one word really makes over none.”

  In a matter of seconds, my big business proposal about how we needed to meet fell right off the side of the table. I was simply too giddy in a way I should’ve long grown out of. “So how were your holidays?” I scrunched my nose as soon as I said it. “Actually if you could limit the details that would be best.”

  “Of course,” he said. “But you must know I missed you. Weeks passed and I didn’t have one conversation about ancient history or poisoned children or Bollywood singers who never get any of the spotlight...it was not the same.”

  Any guy who could remember (and miss) my insane conversation earned a permanent spot in my heart. Which meant that I was even more screwed.

  “It definitely wasn’t the same,” I said quietly.

  “What about you?” he asked. “Were you feeling better for the holidays? Is the sickness all gone?”

  I smiled. “All gone.”

  “That makes me so happy. I love it when you’re badass and full of energy.” He paused to clear his throat. “Oh you just reminded me, I finished your book on the plane ride back.”

  I blushed. “Yeah?” When Erik had resumed our contact after those few weeks of silence in October, I remembered how he’d never brought up my book again. Maybe he hated the character based on James and couldn’t tell me.

  “I’d taken a break from reading it so I could start making music again---thanks to you---but on the plane I got the chance to finally finish it.”

  Why aren’t you saying if you liked it or hated it?! Damn you!

  I coughed awkwardly into the phone.

  “Well I wanted to tell you that I loved it,” he said.

  I covered the phone so he wouldn’t hear my sigh of relief. “Cool,” I said casually.

  He laughed. “Better than cool. Was this guy for real though? I mean you really met a stranger from the Internet in New York?”

  “Well…it made sense at the time.”

  “So where is he now?”

  I sighed. “He’s right back where he started, I guess. And I’m…somewhere. Or nowhere. It’s hard to tell these days.”

  “I know what you mean,” he said. “And that reminds me, I need to tell you something else.”

  My mouth went dry and I suddenly wanted to hurl. All I could think was that he’d gotten engaged over Christmas, like so many people did in that dripping-with-romance season. Kill me.

  “Romi, are you there?”

  “Yes.” It was barely a whisper.

  “I need to tell you that...my contract here in New York will be ending sooner than I thought. In six weeks, to be exact.”

  Oh god.

  The room suddenly felt as cold as the blizzard outside. I was frozen, because in all my horrific scenarios, none of them involved him going home to her for good so soon.

  I said nothing, so he went on. “It has been such an amazing experience testing my skills in the financial capitial of the world. And of course the chance to live and breathe New York...it was incredible. I’m sad to see it end early.” He paused. “I’m sad for several reasons.”

  I finally spoke. “So this means you’re going back? To Denmark?”

  “I’m afraid it does.”

  My eyes welled up with tears, which was never my favourite thing when I was visible in a public place. Was it even normal for me to cry in this situation? How well did I even know this guy? On the surface it seemed irrational, but the combination of our phone calls, his song, and that time spent together in New York made him tug at my heart so much more than I’d ever expected. And since when did it even matter how much time you’d actually spent with a person? Who even made these stupid rules? I wasn’t sure, but I knew this was a game I couldn’t play anymore.

  “Well,” I said, my voice a little shaky now. “Do what you gotta do.”

  “Romi, we’ll both do what we gotta do. But the world will never be the same.”

  I choked back a sob as he shared some more details of his schedule, and with every added word my heart broke a little bit more.

  ***

  I sat alone in our usual hangout, but the warm yellow walls of the restaurant looked grey to me. A cloud hung over my head as I sipped on some wine. It was nothing short of morose.

  Laura and I were meeting for one of our regular nights of catch-up, and boy was there a lot to catch up on. Normally I would’ve spilled the beans about an update as big as this, but I’d been so incredibly stunned by Erik’s announcement that I hadn’t said a word.

  As I continued to sip slowly, Laura hurried into the restaurant with a beaming smile.

  When she saw me up close her expression changed. “Have you been crying?” she said.

  I massaged my forehead but never met her eyes. “He’s leaving New York in six weeks. For good.”

  She seemed shocked as she settled into her seat. “Already? But how? Dave never told me any of this.”

  “He must’ve asked him not to until he told me. They’re making changes at the company and his contract expires early.” I slouched in my chair and sighed.

  “You think he’s known for a while?” she asked. “And six weeks? What’s he gonna do, be unemployed? Or has he already started looking for a new job?”

  To my surprise I started feeling a little angry. “That’s the best part! He knew all of this before he went back home! I remember when we talked before the holidays, how he acted all weird and promised he would wri
te.” I rolled my eyes. “Meanwhile he was sooo busy, finding a new job, a new place to live, and even a new car!” I looked at her fiercely and gripped the table. “He’s already got it all figured out, so I guess he’s good to go! Bye!” I started waving at no one, and some restaurant patrons in the dining room started giving me weird looks.

  Laura sighed. “I guess he couldn’t stand to crush you before Christmas.”

  The waiter arrived with her drink, and she took a long sip as I rubbed my temples. “Romes,” she said. “You know what you have to do now, right?”

  “Send someone to New York to kick his ass?” I looked hopeful, but my expression quickly changed to something bordering on empathy. “Or maybe it’s not his fault…”

  Laura was clearly confused by my shifts in behaviour. “Huh?”

  “I mean think about it. There’s like seven billion people on earth, at least three billion females, and maybe half a billion who aren’t super-old or super-young.” I looked up at Laura with conviction. “So how is he supposed to know he’s met his soul-mate in his current girlfriend, when all those other women are out there?”

  Laura narrowed her eyes. “What are you talking about?”

  “I’m talking about me, and how I’ve made him reconsider his whole life! It’s just the circumstances that stand in the way! I wish I could move to Denmark…maybe then he would dump her ass.” I frowned.

  “I thought Indian girls would be ‘scandalized’ if they left the house before marriage.”

  I thought about it for a second. “You’re right, that is a problem. But that doesn’t mean I won’t do it!”

  Laura grabbed me by the shoulders like she was trying to rein me in. “Romes, did you fall and hit your head?”

  I momentarily escaped from my delusional trance. “Huh?”

  “He’s leaving in six weeks. He’s already made all his plans. Do the words ‘settling down’ mean anything to you?”

  I suddenly felt annoyed. “So he’s just gonna cut me loose?”

  “Well…”

  I gasped. “Laura, I am not some random chick. We made a song together!”

  She rolled her eyes.

  “Hey!” I said. “What do YOU even know?”

  She crossed her arms. “Here’s what I know: you’re messing with a guy who already has a life, and pretty soon…you’re not going to be a part of it.” I glared at her as she went on. “I also know that watching you chase a guy who has a girlfriend when I’M somebody’s girlfriend? It’s been torture. Like half the reason I’ve been so worried about Dave not proposing is because of girls like you! I mean what if there’s some other ‘you’ out there who tries to take him away?”

  My face went blank. “Wow…”

  Her expression softened. “Look, I love you, but I can barely remember when you dated just like everybody else. For almost a year I watched you get obsessed with a guy you never met, then after only meeting him once you wanted him to be your boyfriend, which wasted another half a year.” I gasped as she went on. “And now you fall for a guy who was never even yours to fall for! Why can’t you just live the life that’s actually in front of you?”

  My brown eyes burned with fire. “I’m sorry I’m not as normal as you, or as sensible as you.” My voice was shaking now, but there was no way to stop the impending volcano.

  I finished my drink in one swig and continued. “Do you think this was my plan? Remember the ‘no-man’ trip? This is NOT what I wanted, but accidents happen, you know? I guess you wouldn’t understand that though, with your perfect little ‘workback schedule’ of how everything should go.” I sneered.

  “Romes---”

  “No!” I rose from the table and glared at her. “Maybe some of us aren’t lucky enough to fall for the ‘right’ people at the ‘right’ time. Maybe for the rest of us it’s hard to find somebody we can even talk to…and laugh with. It’s harder than you think, but hey, I’M SORRY I’M SUCH A SCREW-UP!” I tossed a twenty-dollar bill on the table and stormed off, as several conversations around us went eerily silent.

  A few seconds later with curious whispers all around, I quickly stormed back to grab my coat and bag which I’d forgotten. Dammit. I stormed off again and this time for good.

  Laura sat still the whole time, with a look of pure shock on her face.

  ***

  I looked above to see a grey sky ceiling hovering over listless skyscrapers. I lowered my head but the light still hadn’t turned green, so I took a quick look around me. All I saw were sidewalks covered in blobs of cruddy brown snow.

  It was hideous.

  These grey days and weeks were starting to meld into each other, with my best friend MIA and Erik nothing more than a memory I tried to avoid.

  My only response was to stomp through the slushy snow in anger, leaving big splashes of slop in my wake.

  The surrounding yuppie-pedestrians hated me for this.

  I didn’t care.

  ***

  Two nights later in the bone-chilling cold, the snow fell fast as I trudged my way to Union Station. Just for the extra insult, big gusts of wind kept slapping me around. I tried hurrying my pace, but slipped and fell on a patch of icy sidewalk. I landed on my hands and knees, and immediately started to cry. It was a low moment, in the summary of events from my life.

  A gloved hand in a wool coat reached out to help me up, and for a second I thought it was just like the movies, where some knight in shining armour would swoop in out of nowhere and change the very course of my life.

  I turned to him as I stood back up.

  He was practically seventy years old.

  Welcome to real life…

  ***

  Less than an hour later, the train pulled into my station and I raced to my car.

  Please let this day end fast.

  I blasted on the heat and huddled up, letting my head fall hopelessly on the steering wheel.

  And that’s when my phone started to buzz.

  Noooo...

  Of course it was Erik and of course I was here in my car, dreading a tough conversation. What was the deal with my car, anyway? Was it a magnet for bad conversations? There was that time over a year ago, when James essentially told me I was nuts, and now there was Erik, who was calling to tell me...to tell me what exactly? There was nothing of any use he could say to me now.

  Feeling enough frustration to at least instigate a fight (I’m an Aries ‘til the bitter end), I grabbed the phone and scowled at Erik’s picture on the screen.

  But it wasn’t his picture, or any picture at all. Instead it was some local number I had never even heard of.

  I remembered a recent conversation at work, when Eleanor had mentioned she’d be getting a new cell phone; had they forced her to get a new number too?

  Only one way to find out.

  “Hello?” I said cautiously.

  “Babe you had me nervous,” said a man’s slick voice. “Since when don’t you answer on the first ring?”

  What in the WHO?

  “Excuse me?”

  “Oh I’ll excuse you nice and good. Why don’t you come over and I’ll show you?”

  “Uhh...”

  “Hey why are you acting so weird? You aren’t with Joe again are you? You said you two were through!”

  “Who the fuck is Joe?”

  “Uhh...”

  It seemed I finally had his attention.

  “So we’ve established that I’m not your ‘babe,’” I said. “Now do you mind telling me how you got this number?”

  “Well she just moved and got a new number; I guess I put it in wrong.” This guy was sounding dopier by the second.

  “Well it’s important to ‘put it in’ right!”

  He laughed. “Now that I’ve got your number we should meet up some time...what’s your name?”

  Was this really happening?

  “Listen buddy,” I said, trying my best not to smile. “I’ve got enough problems. But thanks.”

  “Well if you change y
our mind...”

  “Okay bye!”

  I hung up the phone and started laughing, louder and louder by the second. By the time I finally stopped to catch my breath, I realized something very important: sure I’d lost a best friend, and sure I’d lost a guy who I’d probably spend the rest of my life thinking about, but at least I still knew how to laugh...

  Chapter Seventeen

  Clack, clack, clack.

  The man-heeled shadow of Shawn hovered over me.

  What now?

  I turned around and managed a half-smile. “What’s up?”

  He looked nervous, as he rubbed the orange bristles of his nasty goatee. Barf. “I just got out of a meeting with senior management, and they decided we should redo all the promotions for the second quarter.”

  My jaw dropped. “Why?”

  “Because whatever we have now? Well they’re just not ‘feeling it.’”

  I raised an eyebrow. “What exactly are they supposed to be feeling? And did you manage to tell them we’ve been growing year-over-year, and store traffic is trending up? Or how about the fact that all the products are ordered and we can’t just randomly change everything!”

  “Hmm...it would’ve helped to have you in that meeting.”

  “Well what DID you say?”

  He stared at me blankly.

  I shook my head. “This can’t work. They can’t expect changes without looking at the facts.”

  Shawn laughed heartily. “Facts? What do facts matter when they’ve made a decision? It may not make sense, but now it’s our job to execute.”

  He slid on his man-heels and turned to leave, but not before glancing at my calendar. “Oh...and I told them you’d have all your recommendations in three days. Does that work?”

  I suddenly wished I was one of those fem-bots in the “Austin Powers” films, so I could shoot him in the face with my nipple-machine-guns. “I have no idea if three days is enough,” I said firmly.

  He tapped on the wall of my cubicle and nodded. “Just get started and I’ll check in tomorrow,” he said, and with a quick thumbs up clacked away.