Farrah and I agreed to help her, and for whatever reason, the universe allowed everything else to fall into place. Mom had been in an uncharacteristically generous mood and allowed me to borrow her car that still showed scars from the time I sideswiped the mailbox ten feet outside her apartment.
Although Kat tried her best to convince Farrah and me that this trip was no big deal, something about the way Kat longingly stared out the window made me wonder if this was, in actuality, a more permanent goodbye.
“It’s just Thanksgiving dinner,” Kat replied, unable to hide the tremor of anxiety within her voice. “Aunt Grace and I started emailing earlier this month, and she invited me to meet the family. Would you believe I have cousins there?”
I looked in the rearview mirror and locked eyes with Farrah, who also didn’t seem entirely sold on Kat’s story. “How did you manage to get tickets so quickly?” Farrah asked. “Thanksgiving weekend is one of the busiest travel holidays, especially in New York.”
“It’s Westchester. My dad pulled some strings through his company,” Kat explained. “I told him I didn’t want to sit around the house with nothing to do, and that was fine by him.”
“And you expect us to believe that he didn’t make the connection between Wisconsin and your aunt?” I asked.
“He never asked where I was going. Made the arrangement all on my own.”
Farrah and I locked eyes again.
“You guys, I’m coming back!” Kat insisted. “You’re both acting like this is it. Like I’m running away from home or something crazy. Look, it’s not like I’m headed to Australia! We’re talking about Wisconsin here. Wisconsin. Two-way flight, not one.”
I nervously played with the fuzzy fringe that hung from my purple and blue plaid scarf, twisting and untwisting a small corner compulsively. “I’ve heard it’s a fun place,” I replied, not very convincingly. She had to be telling the truth, right? Kat wouldn’t just leave forever, would she? Besides, I’d heard of people wanting to start a new life, but there were far more romantic and adventurous places to do so. Kat could go to Rome or Paris. Trek through the Swiss Alps. Zip-line and hit the beaches in Costa Rica.
“We don’t think that you’re leaving!” Farrah exclaimed shakily—I could see she wasn’t quite sure what to believe, either. “It’s just that your family has been going through a rough patch… okay, maybe even worse than a rough patch—”
“Everyone’s family does,” Kat interjected.
“Yes, but not everyone flies halfway across the country. You seem… unsettled.”
“Quite frankly, Kat, I wouldn’t blame you if you did decide to leave,” I added. “With everything going on at home, no-drama Midwest sounds inviting.”
“What do you mean?” Kat’s voice grew shakier by the second. “Farrah, people travel all the time. Especially during the holiday—didn’t you just make a point of that? Besides, I would never leave Parker behind. Never. I’m coming back for him. I promise. The both of you are blowing this way out of proportion. Farrah, I’m especially surprised at you. You’ve traveled all over the world. This is just a trip. Nothing more.”
“That’s true,” Farrah acknowledged, playing uncomfortably with the leather strap of a new watch that was a bit too big for her slender wrist. It was the first time I’d noticed it and wondered what had happened to the one made of gold. “You’d never leave him behind. Look, we’re not trying to upset you, Kat. This just all seems so sudden—”
“I’m coming back, you two,” Kat said firmly. “This is a weekend trip. Nothing less, nothing more. All you need to understand is that there’s some business I need to attend to out there, not just for Parker, but for me as well.”
As she spoke, Kat quietly stared down at her hands. I noticed that she had started picking at the gel manicure of her left, peeling off little flakes the color of ballerina slippers, and allowing them to fall to floor below. Mousy-brown colored roots had begun to sprout, mixed in her blond highlighted hair that looked like it hadn’t been washed in days. Her eyes had soft, semi-circles forming just above the contours of her cheeks. For just how long had she gone without sleep?
Yes, something had to give. Kat couldn’t keep going like this. What she needed at that moment was her friends’ love and support.
“Well then, let’s help you,” I said definitively, turning off the car’s ignition. “Just let us know when you get there, and tell us if there’s anything we can do. We don’t want you to miss your flight. Ready ladies?”
Farrah nodded solemnly. “We’re here for you.”
“I’m ready when you are,” Kat finally said. “Let’s do this.”
Kat’s mind was apparently somewhere else. But wherever it was, I knew that we had to help her figure it all out. Maybe she had to go her own way for a while, and would come back with a fresh, new view. She was looking for something—we all were. And together, eventually, we’d find it.
Whatever it was, I knew deep down that she had to have had a reason for it. Maybe it was a quick trip to settle some business. Perhaps it was more. All I knew was that we were her best friends—and that meant supporting her choices and celebrating her independence, even at times when we simply didn’t understand. The city, our little apartment in Forest Hills, and most importantly—we—would still be there when she returned.
Linking our arms together, we walked towards the airport--unsure of what even the next moment would bring.
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