“Does that mean you’ll be wearing your watch again soon?”
“You know, I think it just might mean that indeed.”
He walked in as the elevator doors slid open and waved as they slid closed.
Lesson # 7
A white flag is sometimes waved to distract from ill intentions
“I was hoping we could get to know each other better, you know, as women.” -Katelyn Turner
Lynn
I had almost forgotten I had my phone. Actually, I had forgotten about it, even though it had been in my hand some moments before. It buzzed as a reminder, and I found it where I had left it on the next seat. I picked it up and checked, realized I’d received a text.
Hey chick where are you? Thought we had plans?
It was my best friend, Bobbi, checking in on me. With all the drama happening, our plans had completely slipped my mind. As far as she knew, I had flaked on her and Sonja by not showing up. I pondered how to tell her where I was and about the accident with Simon. Or I could just fake being sick, make my apologies, and tell her I couldn’t make it out. I hated to lie to my friends, but I didn’t want to ruin their graduation night. They were loyal girls and would likely try and to come sit with me in the waiting room to comfort me. They should be out having fun and celebrating till they wake up in the morning regretting it.
I stared at my phone, hoping the right decision would emerge, maybe pop into mind or pop up on the screen and guide my fingers to type the right response. But no such luck. I couldn’t think straight, as tired as I was.
Fuck it, I thought. I’d respond with the truth and hope they didn’t change their plans. One lie would require another and another, and lying to my friends would make me feel horrible. I put my thumbs to the screen and formulated a reply.
I’m at the hospital, Bobbi.
Not funny Lynn!
I’m serious. I’m at Stanford.
What? Why? Are you okay?
Yes, I’m fine. I’m here for Simon, bike accident.
OMG! We’re on our way!
I groaned as I read the response. They were coming, and I knew I couldn’t deter them. Shrugging, I tried again.
No. I’ll be okay—no need to come
Fuck that, Lynn! We’re on our way, across town, but will see you in a bit.
I suddenly wasn’t so sure telling Bobbi was the right thing to do, since I was obviously dragging them away from a night of celebratory fun, but, truth be told, I felt a lot better knowing that my girls were on the way.
***
I must have nodded off. I woke up slumped over in an awkward position like a puppet without its strings, and my neck creaked painfully. I stretched out the kinks and looked around. I couldn’t have been asleep for too long, but long enough to leave me lost and a bit disorientated, as I reminded myself where I was. The waiting room was a lot emptier now that it was later in the evening. Most of the people that were there before were replaced with different faces, except for one or two that were familiar.
I sat up straight in the uncomfortable chair and rubbed my neck. I winced as tension tightened along to my shoulders and seemed to spread its way down to the small of my back. “Ouch!” I massaged with my hand as best as I could and turned my head left to right to loosen up. That was when I saw Katelyn making her way to the vending machines, having taken the stairs, obviously, as the door to the stairwell was still inching closed.
I smirked, thinking: Who takes the stairs? Only a show-off like Katelyn. I rolled my eyes. The intensive care unit was five floors up. A fitness-freak Amazon like Katelyn would take the stairs. She was probably the type to bring her tennis shoes to work and run laps on her lunch break. Admittedly, being health-conscious wasn’t a bad thing. But Katelyn was so full of herself and self-important, and I loathed her. How could a woman be so damn perfect?
She glanced in my direction like she’d heard my thoughts out loud. She threw me a shit-eating grin and wasn’t fazed one bit. I watched her turn back to the vending machine with a dollar in her hand, taking her time putting it in the slot. There had to be a machine on her floor and maybe every floor in between. What in the hell was she doing down here? She couldn’t have known for certain I’d be sitting here waiting, but there was a chance she could’ve guessed.
Katelyn sauntered toward me, and I scrunched down in my seat, wishing I was invisible. Hopefully she would walk on by. Instead, she sat two seats over from me making circles in her coffee with a plastic stirrer. She sat, stirred, tested her coffee with a sip, made a face, and stirred some more. She was working on my nerves, but perhaps that was her point, playing mind games so I’d lose my cool. I squared my shoulders and pointed my gaze straight ahead. Her end game was for me to lose it and get thrown out without Dane being here to save me. I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction.
She slurped her coffee loudly and rudely. From the corner of my eye, I spied her staring me down. I finally turned my head and gave her my full attention, because I couldn’t take her silent scrutiny any longer. I was tense, squeezing my hands, gearing up for a fight. The truth of it all was that I didn’t have much to lose. “I assume you feel like we have something to talk about?” I arched a brow.
She smiled, for some reason making me think of Dane’s devil-may-care grin. “Actually”—she moved over a seat closer to me, invading my personal space in a blatant move of intimidation—“I was hoping we could get to know each other better, you know, as women. I wouldn’t say these are the best of circumstances to do that, but you have to take your opportunities when you can.”
“So you want me to believe you give a damn about getting to know me? No, that’s not it. I’d say, if I was the paranoid type, that you were sitting here to size me up, scouting out the competition and seeing if you had any reason to worry. That’s what I think.”
She laughed at that. “Me worry…about you? Listen, that is far from the reason I’m here, believe me. I just think that it’s important for women to bond in a sisterhood. In a world run by men, we, as independent, successful—well, in your case, maybe eventually successful—women need to stick together.”
“Oh, I see, so were we bonding as independent, successful women when you thanked me for keeping Simon warm for you after all this time? Or when you were bragging to me about how ripe and ready he was now, how he tasted nice and delicious? Drop the prim and proper act. I see through the bullshit. Was that your idea of bonding, because if it was you can keep it, stir it in your coffee, and drink it for all I care. I’m not interested in bonding with you, Katelyn. I’m from Fresno. I know this game, and it’s not one you’re going to win. Not this round, you’re not.”
Katelyn moved to stand up, her face twisted in a scowl. Her wrist twitched and, for an instant, I thought she was going to throw her hot coffee in my face. She didn’t, but I believed that she wanted to. I wasn’t about to back down, even though I had the feeling the smart thing would be to walk away or run. But I got to my feet and stood my ground. I felt like I was half Katelyn’s size, but I managed to still look her square in the eyes.
“What?” I barked. “You don’t intimidate me,” I lied. “And whatever you do—you Amazon bitch!—I’m in a hospital already so I’ll be well taken care of. Do your worst.”
“Ladies, can you two keep it down please?” I had forgotten about the woman at the waiting room desk. “This is a hospital. You can take that discussion outside, and if you can’t control yourselves, I’ll call security.” She gave us both a stern look, and I simmered down.
That was the last thing I needed. After my last brush with hospital enforcement, I wasn’t looking forward to having another. But here I was, facing death with this mythical beast in my face and the threat of getting kicked out again weighing on my back. Her chest was heaving up and down and little veins were popping out over her temples. I swore this woman was the Hulk with short, cute hair and a body and face most women would die to possess.
Before coffee or blows could start to fly, from my peripher
y I spotted Bobbi and Sonja walking through the doors. They stood near the entrance, looking around for me. They waved when they saw me, but I didn’t wave back, and they noticed the standoff right away. My friends quickened their pace and reached me, Sonja on my left, Bobbi on the right.
“Um, hello,” Bobbi said, her eyes shifting between us. “Is everything okay here, Lynn?”
With renewed confidence I said, “Peachy.” I’d never said peachy in my life. Katelyn continued to stare.
“Okay, well! This looks fun and all, but Lynn…” Bobbi stepped between us and faced me. She dropped her voice and said, “You’ve been here long enough, and if what I believe is going on is going on, it’s in your best interest and”—she gestured over her shoulder with her head—“whoever she is for us to leave before someone gets hurt, namely her. We’ll come back again when things calm down. Cooler heads tend to prevail.”
Bobbi pulled me toward the door, but we noticed Sonja staying behind. She was staring at Katelyn in a sheer test of wills, and Bobbi and I both knew Sonja would never crack.
“Sonja!” Bobbi called. Sonja didn’t break eye contact until then, and for a moment I thought she still wouldn’t budge, but Sonja, like us, was progressing, maturing. Thank goodness!
“Kurvo Jedna! Fucking bitch!” Sonja swore in Serbian at Katelyn.
Well, almost. No one said we were perfect!
Lesson # 8
Priorities are paramount…know them
“My pleasure fantasies far outweigh yours of comfort when it comes to my home.” -Bobbi Garner
Lynn
We practically ran out the hospital doors before security was called, laughing the whole time until we couldn’t breathe. It felt so good to have that relief after the tension—between me and Katelyn, and the way I had slept in that chair, and the waiting for hours. I stretched my arms above my head and let out a groan. My body felt like it was wound so tightly that if I moved too suddenly in either direction something would snap off and die. I stretched my arms wide to the sky. “So, how did you guys get here so fast? Bobbi, I know no one was crazy enough to lend you a car.”
“Nope.” Bobbi smiled. “I have my ways.”
“Yo!” Jay shouted from the street with a wide, bright smile, standing behind a large truck, an all-black 2015 Range Rover. “You like?” He brushed the hood lovingly.
“I like it a lot,” I said. “Where did you get it?”
“I have my ways.” I swear him and Bobbi talked like they were twins. “Actually, perks of being a star so good at what I do. I got this puppy from an alum, but shh.” He crossed his lips with his finger. “I’m not supposed to tell anybody. He let me ‘borrow it’ to see if I would like it, and if I like it I can ‘borrow it’ for as long as I want! It’s as good as mine! So hop in!”
We hopped in the SUV with Bobbi sitting in the front and Sonja and I sitting in the back. The inside was spacious and still had that new car smell; black leather seats and a dashboard lit up like the cockpit of an airplane. I slid my butt across the seats, feeling good that I was with my girls once again, because it felt like it had been days since this morning.
“Why are you smiling?” Sonja gave me a curious glance.
“I don’t know. It’s just good to see you guys. I didn’t realize waiting in that hospital all day would affect me the way that it did. Bobbi was right. I should just call to get updates on Simon. Staying there wasn’t helping me at all. I almost got kicked out twice, almost had a fight for the first time since I was a kid, and I’m all but abandoning my parents.” I placed my hand on my forehead. “Clearly I’m losing my mind. But anyway, enough of that, how was graduation?”
“Same old,” Sonja said. “You didn’t miss anything. They called our names after too many speeches. We threw our caps in the air and that was it, basically.”
“Basically,” Bobbi chimed in.
“Okay, you two, you don’t have to soften the blow by playing down how graduating went. I’m a big girl; I can take it.”
“It was awesome!” Sonja shouted, with her hands on my shoulders, shaking me like a maraca during a fiesta. “We finally did it!”
“Hell yeah, we did!” shrieked Bobbi, beating on the roof of Jay’s Range Rover, which he didn’t appreciate too greatly. “Girl, I wish you were there. I mean, I know we all walked at different times, but still. It felt so amazing to finally have it all over with. The moment I threw my cap in the air it was like the pressure flew away with it.”
“Okay, okay, you don’t have to get that deep. A simple ‘it was great’ or ‘we had fun’ would’ve sufficed.” They cracked up laughing, and so did I—finally feeling true relief.
***
The Crestview luxury condo complex was not what I thought it would be. It wasn’t just a modern construction with modern amenities and bells and whistles and automatic gates. It was something much cozier than that. What I imagined wasn’t close to what the reality was, because I hadn’t imagined the curbside parking, wrought iron spiral stairs, or oval patio area encircled with colorful flowers and well-manicured bushes, surrounded by about thirty totally separate, two-story, old-town-home-style units.
I thought the place would be all glass and metal, plain concrete boxes on top of other boxes all looking too similar for my taste. But instead, what I saw was personality and life, a place where I wouldn’t mind living.
“Bobbi, you didn’t tell me you lived in a romance novel.” Sonja looked around in wonder. “You have creeping vines crawling up the walls, archways to all the doors with purple flowers hanging over. I’d hate to see what you have inside.”
I put my hand on my hips. “And all this time we were living in those horrible dorms, and you were living here in wonderland with all this space. How many bedrooms do you have?”
“There are three bedrooms. But don’t get your panties in a bunch. I’m just way too OCD to be living with you two crazies, and Jay and I love to play around the world, if you know what I mean. That’s not changing anytime soon. My pleasure fantasies far outweigh yours of comfort when it comes to my home, thank you very much,” she said with a smug, playful smile. I landed a light punch on her shoulder.
“Some friend you are.” Sonja smiled.
“A new friend to you, don’t forget. I’ve been known to cut my losses real quick if I find the need.” Bobbi looked at her as sternly as she could. I watched them both, trying to hold back a titter.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—”
“Girl, I’m just kidding.” Bobbi hugged her. “You know you and I have come a long way, Sonja. I admit I didn’t much care for you at first, but we’ve moved beyond that, understand?” Sonja nodded. “You and Lynn are my sisters, so mi casa es su casa—at least for a week or two then you have to get out.” She grinned.
We stepped through the doorway into sheer warmth. That’s the only way I could describe it. Bobbi’s home exuded comfort and cleanliness and had an inviting aura, like a mother’s loving arms after a scrape to the knee, and nothing in the world could comfort you like her embrace. Yeah, Bobbi’s place was like that. I glanced around in wonder. She was a neat freak, for sure. Everything was sitting, tucked, or standing in its proper place, as uniform as ducks in a row and clean enough you could eat off any surface.
“Welcome to my humble abode.” Bobbi threw her house keys in a red clay bowl that looked handcrafted and painted brown with an ethnic print. “Make yourselves at home.” She directed us to the couch. It was a wine-colored sectional with cushions so soft I got sleepy looking at it. I sank into the plushness with a whimper of pleasure. “I have coffee or tea if you want it. I’d offer you something stronger, but you’re crazy enough as it is. I don’t want to be an enabler.”
“I can go for some tea, thank you very much—something soothing if you have it,” I said. “My nerves are still a little frazzled.” I watched over my shoulder as Sonja darted upstairs and called dibs on one of the bedrooms I hadn’t even seen. I was too tired to complain; plus, she’d be st
aying for a week or so, and I wasn’t.
After I called my parents to update them on my whereabouts, Bobbi sat down next to me with an eggshell-hued, deep, wide-mouthed mug cupped in her hands. I took it and sipped it slowly. “Okay,” she said. “Tell me everything that happened and leave no stone unturned.”
By that time Sonja had come back down the stairs and said, “I’m all settled in and my ears are wide open. So, why were you trying to go rounds with the human growth hormone? Who was she?”
“Simon’s girlfriend.” I sipped, looking at my two friends over the rim of the mug. The chamomile tea was just what I needed.
“Oh, wow,” Bobbi said. “I guess I don’t blame him. That’s one hell of a tree to climb. Pretty too.”
“Thanks, Bobbi. That makes me feel so much better.”
“I’m just saying, girl. You know I say what I feel. It would’ve been too bad if I had to put a whoopin’ on her, though. The one thing you don’t do is mess with my girls.”
“Yeah, and throw your legal career in the trash with an assault and battery charge? I don’t think so, but I appreciate you having my back.”
“Yup, anytime.”
“Goes for me too,” Sonja chimed in.
I smiled and proceeded to tell them everything that had happened since we parted ways for graduation: how Caroline had called me out of the blue and scared the living daylights out of me; how I had screamed at the driver to turn the car around; how I had pissed off Dane and managed to disappoint my parents, all with one action; and how I had practically gotten thrown out the hospital. Basically, how I had screwed up the day for everyone involved by acting out of impulse and not thinking through my actions.
But if anyone asked me if I’d do it again, I’d say yes. I would do it in a heartbeat, because I had gone with my gut. In the end, that was all that mattered, and it’d never steered me wrong. I could only hope my luck held up. If it didn’t, I hoped I could take it when it failed.
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