by Alice Moore
“If I’m not going to be the one to upset you about it, someone else will, you know. And they won’t be so nice about it. I’ve seen you fight a few times, Risha, and you can’t tell me you’ll ask them to ‘please drop it’. You’ll punch him or her in the face until someone manages to pull you off.” My lips twisted at that, and I blinked hard to remember those fights vividly. I’d been in high school, and some pretty boy jock had come after me because my mom slept around, so why wouldn’t I? “Hey, hey… you have every right to be proud of yourself, Risha. You know you could’ve turned out like shit, but you didn’t. No one can take that away from you, especially with a few words.”
“I know. But that doesn’t mean I can’t get annoyed when they try. All of this traffic must be for the event, right?” Changing such a cringe-worthy subject was easy, and I scanned the cars in front of me and on my sides with a heavy sigh. When I proposed this plan, I didn’t account for the fact that everyone in the city and beyond would be driving by to catch a glimpse of celebrities.
Smart move, Risha. Really smart.
Parking my car a good ways away from the venue, I made sure my door wouldn’t get torn off before slipping out of the driver’s seat. The cars barely moved now, and the occasional angry horn cut through the cold, frosty air. Glancing around, I made my way onto the sidewalk to grab Cynthia’s hand firmly. A ghost tickled the back of my mind- a faint physical memory of when her hands were bony and weak. Now her fingers wrapped around my firmly, and I smiled down at her before we made our way.
“By the way, I brought my chemo picture in case they try to say we don’t have an invitation.” Cynthia’s low admission sent a slush of relief in my chest, and I nodded as we made our way towards the city’s most lavish theater. “I bet you didn’t think of that, Risha. You’re too busy worrying about what’s going to happen when we get in rather than being denied at the door.”
“This is why you’re my best friend. You think of things I don’t.” A delicate laughter floated around us, and Cynthia jerked her head from side to side to ruffle her hair. The thin mass was already getting on her nerves, and she swiped it back roughly. Pulling my own curls over my shoulder, I stroked the strands tenderly as I watched her struggle. If someone told me I’d go bald for months and have to regrow my hair, I’d definitely curl into a ball and cry.
“Is that Martin Callucci? Oh shit-“ My head snapped up at Cnythia’s squeak, and I pursed my lips together tightly to keep from doing the same. Martin Callucci was a major action star, and as he climbed out of a limo I could understand why. His broad shoulders were so much more imposing in real life even from 20 yards away.
“I’m going to go talk to him.” For the first time I realized where we were, having effortlessly slipped past security. Standing at the edge of the theater entrance, I halted my steps while Cynthia sauntered off. Excitement radiated from her like a rainbow of color shining under the golden lights spilling from the building, and I couldn’t help but smile.
Surprise couldn’t describe what I felt when Cynthia managed to maintain a good conversation with Martin Callucci. I always suspected she had a celebrity crush on him- but then again, who didn’t? He was named Hollywood’s most eligible bachelor and promising upcoming star. Wandering towards the pair slowly, I took in his dimpled chin and strong jaw, the way his messy, blonde hair glinted in the yellow light.
“-ll be glad to escort you, of course! I can’t tell you how relieved I am to know someone that battled breast cancer will be here. I was afraid it’d be one of those hypocritical events for exposure.” Martin’s voice was deeper than it was on the big screen, and he cast his baby blue eyes on me to smile. He didn’t linger, his gaze settling almost instantly on Cynthia before he held out his arm. “My mother was going to be here, but she wasn’t feeling up to it tonight. I’m sure you understand.”
“I definitely do.” Taking what he had to offer, Cynthia cast me a quirky glare as I lagged behind the two. “I never had any energy. Most of the time I couldn’t even get out of bed. As helpful as chemo was, it was still a pain in the ass to deal with afterward.”
Watching the interaction sent a pang through my chest; they were so clearly into each other. Their conversation flew over my head, and I nibbled my bottom lip as we entered the theater through doors propped open. Hot air rushed under my skirt and slid down my arms, and I glanced around the lobby for any sign of my mother.
Cynthia could handle herself- that much was proven just because she wasn’t a mess of fangirl yet.
My heart hammered in my chest, nerves settling deep into my belly the longer it took to find my mother. Wandering around, weaving through people I vaguely recognized, my gaze scanned heads until I found that familiar shade of light brown. Taking a glass of wine from a waitress, I couldn’t bring myself to tear my gaze from her even as I took a deep gulp.
There was no other word but graceful to describe the way my mother aged. She had very few, very fine wrinkles around her eyes and mouth when she smiled, and her skin didn’t sag. The only trait of hers that I had inherited was her height, and I licked my lips as my eyes drifted down to what she was wearing. Her dress did her no favors; she was fit, my mother, but like Cynthia she had a slight pouch that was accentuated by her tight garment.
The pale green color isn’t that bad, though.
Hers was a dress a woman 20 years younger would pull off; my mother wasn’t overweight, but her body was clearly showing her decline into the elderly column of the charts.
Sipping my wine as I idled, my gaze shifted to the man she stood next to. He was older than I had expected, closer to my mother’s age than my own. My brows furrowed at that, and I watched enraptured as she touched his broad shoulder to get his attention. Underneath his trimmed beard his smile was tender, and he nodded before she sauntered off towards what I assumed was the bathrooms.
My heels clicked on the marble floors before I even had a chance to make a real decision, and I shamelessly chugged the rest of my wine. Holding the empty glass in stiff fingers, I took shallow breaths before I found myself close enough to be noticed.
William- that’s his name. Don’t be an idiot, Risha.
Forcing a bright smile on my face as my silent scold bounced around my brain, I squared my shoulders to take confident steps towards him. Confusion clouded his hazel eyes, and I could see him trying to figure out if he knew me.
“What a lovely event.” Way to be awkward… Cringing internally as William nodded, I watched his expression even out as his gaze captured mine. My already frantic heartbeat into overdrive, and around the stem of my glass my fingers trembled slightly. He wasn’t at all what I was expecting, and for a long, pregnant moment an uncomfortable silence blossomed between us.
“It is, although I wouldn’t say I usually attend something like this. I usually just donate directly.” Humming softly, I cocked my head at how articulate William was; he wasn’t my mother’s usual type, and that notion caused my nerves to inflame. “I’m sorry, but do I know you…?”
“Marishka, but everyone calls me Risha. No, you don’t, but I know the woman you’re with. I just wanted to meet you.” Answering truthfully was my only defense against making an ass of myself, and William’s brows came together thoughtfully. Glancing around, I made sure my mother wasn’t going to sneak up on me before opening my mouth again. “I had heard she was seeing someone, but she didn’t give me any real details.”
“Didn’t she, now?” Letting the question linger, William took a sip from his wine glass before his eyes dipped to my empty one. “Would you like more wine, Risha?”
His expression was unreadable, and I nodded absently as I tried to get through the layers of professionality he displayed. Was that a hint of disappointment? Of annoyance? I can’t tell.
“Thank you.” Easily taking the glass, I took a stabilizing sip before a faceless waitress placed my discarded cup on her tray and walked off. “I’ll admit, I don’t come to these events either. I just knew Anna would be here, and
I wanted to see who she’d been hiding. How long have you two been dating, again?”
Launching my gentle probe, I ground my molars lightly as my mother’s name passed my lips. I knew people that didn’t even know what their mothers’ names were, and yet this was how I referred to mine most of the time. Before me William smiled, as if it was a happy instance for him, and my eyes widened in realization.
My mother had this poor man wrapped tightly around her finger.
“Six months or so. She’s really a sweet woman. I’m not surprised she has friends that worry about her.” At what should’ve been a compliment my smile turned tight, and I took another gulp of wine. Within the confines of my skull my inner voice screamed at me to blurt out that my mother was just using him, but the words got caught in my throat. William was easily in his 40s, maybe even older than my mother, so he must know what he was doing.
Right?
“Well… I’ll leave you to it, then. It was nice to meet you, William.” Without waiting for a reply, I turned on my heel to scurry away as disgust began to choke me. Weaving through bodies towards the buffet table across the room, I took deep, heaving breaths in a futile attempt to calm myself. An ache spread through my chest, and I reached to rub the spot absently as I searched for Cynthia.
“What the Hell are you doing, Mom…” Grumbling to myself, I shook my head and blinked hard as I replayed what had just happened. My mother never went for older men that had been rich for long- they had a restraint she couldn’t break. Young and pliable men that had only just broken into the top one percent were her ideal targets; men that couldn’t control their spending and were enamored that this older, beautiful lady was into them.
But William was nothing like that just from what I could see during our interaction. His suit had been nice, but it was obviously worn before; he didn’t buy it just for this event. He had the air of a businessman about him, and was probably very smart and perceptive.
He was everything my mother avoided, so why?
Chapter Three: William
Staring out the window at the busy streets below with narrowed eyes, I clenched my jaw as my mind worked slowly. Anna’s phone call rang in my ears, and for the first time I found myself wondering about who she was. Surely I knew her, what she liked and disliked, her favorite movie and what snacks she enjoyed, but I was skimming the surface.
“-she didn’t give me any real details…” Risha’s words from a week ago floated into my mind’s eye with that curious expression on her porcelain face. Does that mean Anna doesn’t talk about me with her friends?
My frown deepened, and I tore my gaze off the city to drop heavily into my chair. Mine was such a silly concern, I knew; who was I to expect Anna to gossip about me, anyway? Just because I had told my friends about her didn’t mean she had to do the same.
“It’s been too long since I’ve had a relationship. I thought I left all of this behind in my 20s.” Speaking up into my empty office, I raked my hand through my hair with a heavy sigh. My words bounced around me tauntingly, daring me to question myself about why I was in this relationship.
Closing my eyes, I leaned back in my chair to picture Anna. She was sweet, beautiful, and I truly did enjoy my time with her. Like taking her to nice restaurants, buying out a theater to watch a romantic movie, and taking her to London. Frowning at the mental pictures, I tried to search my memory for anything we did in the past few months that didn’t involve pulling out my wallet. Even when we had a date night at her apartment I still ended up paying for takeout.
It’s not like I don’t have money to burn…
Hissing, I sucked my teeth like a teenager that was just scolded by his mother. My mind turned to our conversation, and Anna’s steady voice wiggled into the shallow crevices of my brain. Her car had broken down, and she didn’t have the money to fix it. She had an important client out of town that wouldn’t wait on her, and she couldn’t afford a rental car.
Anna couldn’t seem to afford a lot of things despite having a fairly affluential job as a real estate agent. I knew plenty of people that sold homes and lived comfortably.
“What could I tell her? No?” Glancing around my office, I couldn’t help but acknowledge I was going to go insane if I stayed here. The large clock on my wall told me noon was only 15 minutes away, and I pushed myself up to grab my jacket. My footfall was hard, reflecting the set of my shoulders as I made my way past a slew of closed doors leading to conference rooms to reach the elevator.
My cell phone rang, and I fished the device out of my pocket to grimace at the screen. Luca’s face flashed, giving me a good distraction from my own problems as I focused on his. Swiping the ‘answer’ button, I brought the speaker to my ear before the elevator doors opened to echo down the quiet hall.
“Hey, I was about to call you- see if you wanted to go out to lunch.” My little, white lie produced a grunt, and I jabbed the ground floor button with my thumb before speaking up. “What’s wrong with you today, Luca?”
There was always something, and Luca’s side of the call crackled lightly as I descended. Waiting patiently, I let my mind wander to what he was going through. He only had one kid left, and it was starting to make him anxious. He wanted to do all of the things he couldn’t do when he was young.
His antics already pushed his brother too far, and I wasn’t too sure they’d make up this time.
“I’ll go. I want to get out of the house anyway. Julia’s driving me insane about buying a game room package. Usual place?” Smiling at the mention of that woman, I shook my head as scenarios raced through my mind. Julia had never needed to know how to control Luca’s idiotic tendencies, and it was a little too late to learn. She’d given birth to three boys, though, so I was sure she could handle herself.
“Yeah. Meet you there in 20.” Hanging up before Luca could launch into another tirade about having to tell his wife where he was going and why, I slipped my phone into my pocket to stare at my reflection. Luca had been a good friend since high school, but it was easy to acknowledge he was slipping.
I can understand it, though. He did pop out four kids before he turned 25, after all. The thought only brought a scowl to my face, and I pulled my jacket on roughly.
“Will, you’re so lucky you decided to wait to have kids.” Nursing a Coke as I set my heels against the rungs of my bar stool, a harsh, involuntary bark of laughter burst from my throat. Next to me Luca was sulking, his eyes intense when they bored holes into my side. Keeping my eyes on the noiseless sports game playing overhead, I took a swig of my drink with a soft hiss.
“It wasn’t a decision, Luca. If I had my way I’d be like you, but I wouldn’t have stopped at 4.” Apparently, Luca wasn’t the only one sulking, and he sighed over his beer. Side-eyeing him wearily, I took in his disheveled hair and thickening, unruly beard with a frown. We weren’t young enough anymore to drink at noon, but he looked like he did so regularly. “What’s going on with you, man?”
“What? Nothing’s going on. All of my kids are out of the house, and I want to do shit. That’s not wrong.” Dismal, Luca’s answer only pulled down my lips, and he shrugged absently. “It’s long overdue, don’t you think?”
“I think you shouldn’t act like you’re 22, no matter the fact that you weren’t able to do this crazy crap back then. Luca, you seriously can’t expect people to condone this behavior. I-“
“Oh my God, you sound like Nash.” Waving me off, Luca took a gulp of beer before shaking his head wildly. “Please don’t try to mother me, okay, Will?”
“You need a damn mother, apparently.” My angry snap reverberated throughout the crowded bar, and I ignored the curious stares that landed on my back. “Jesus, Luca- I know your mom kicked you out, but that was 25 years ago. Your kids are leaving, but that’s not a fucking excuse to go off the rails and party like it’s 1986.”
“You think I don’t know that? I’m not that stupid.” A waitress set a tray in front of us, and I reached to rub my forehead as she set my sa
ndwich before me. She didn’t say a word, sensing the tension between my friend and I, before scurrying away to finish her work. Grabbing a bottle of ketchup, I dressed my lunch in silence as Luca tore into his burger.
“I’m just saying- you’re going to lose everything if you keep this up. It’s not going to reverse time, and it’s not going to feel as good as you think it will. Nash is dealing with his pregnant girlfriend. Your wife is making you sleep in the guest room. Seriously, you need to pick yourself up.” Green colored my words, but I doubted Luca heard it; he was too busy washing down his cheeseburger. For so many years I’d envied what he had, but now he was throwing it all away.
And for what? A little ‘fun’ that was going to end up with his ass in a jail cell.
“Yeah, I know what you’re saying, Will- everyone seems to be saying the same thing. I’m a grown ass man. I don’t need or want advice on what to do with my life. In six months Kevin is out and off to his internship in California, and it’ll just be me and the missus.”
“Everyone is saying the same thing because we’re the ones that are right, Luca. Six months is more than enough time to throw away your life. Why can’t you just pack Julia up, get a camper, and cross country like all of the other folks that have no more kids?” Taking the first bite of my chicken sandwich, I savored the flavor as silence descended on us. For the first time since ordering my gaze wandered around the restaurant, and I propped my elbows on the bar top. Vaguely familiar faces surrounded me; this was the closest eatery to my building.
I didn’t know everyone that worked in my office, and a frown tugged at my mouth as I chewed. For a company on top of the world, I knew I couldn’t remember each and every person that was under my employ, just like they didn’t know me. No one tried to sidle up to the big boss during lunch, hoping to score points towards a pay raise or promotion.
To every good there was a bad, I guess.