The Fourteen Day Soul Detox, Volume Two

by Rita Stradling

  “What did I do now?”

  “Will you stop saying embarrassing stuff?” she hissed.

  “What did I say that was embarrassing?” I asked.

  She hushed me and glanced around. “The beer pong story, the hot dog eating contest… stuff like that.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Why is that embarrassing? Derek thought it was funny.”

  “Do you even realize who these people are? They’re not laughing with you; they’re laughing at you.”

  “No, they’re not. And even if they are, why would I care? I have enough to worry about without caring what random people I don’t even know think about me.”

  “That’s easy for you to say. You don’t have to see them all the time. You don’t have to be known as the beer pong champion. I have spent a lot of time and energy on my image. I do not want to be known as the trashy daughter of a guy who owns a bar downtown. And with one comment, you undid all of that to the people who own this town.”

  “You might have been a beer pong champion, Amy, but you were never trashy. You competed with grace and decorum, and you never once slurped your beer. Not once,” I told her.

  “You don’t even feel bad at all,” she huffed and walked away.

  “What did you think, Amy?” I called after her. She paused and looked over her shoulder at me. “Did you think you were going to come here tonight and I was going to be someone other than me?”

  She closed her eyes and exhaled through her nose. Her hands came up to her forehead, and she rubbed her temples. “I’m sorry, Jamie. You’re right; I shouldn’t expect you to not be yourself. I’m just used to these two parts of my life being separate.”

  “Honestly, Amy, I think these people would prefer the beer pong champion,” I said.

  She dropped her hands from her face. “Maybe they would, but they wouldn’t respect the beer pong champion. It’s complicated, okay? Be yourself, fine, just leave me out of it.”

  “Alright, fair enough,” I said. “I love you, I wasn’t trying to embarrass you.”

  “Yeah, I know,” she sighed, “I love you too, Jamie,” she said before turning away.

  A moment later, Sarah came out of the bathroom in a bright pink bathing suit. “Bye Mom, I’m going to the pool,” she told me.

  Laughing, I said, “Wait for me. I’m coming too, goofball.” Walking into the bathroom, I grabbed her gymnastics leotard and clothing, before following Sarah.

  Sarah walked up to the pool and jumped in right beside where Susan was sitting.

  “Hey!” Susan laughed. “You splashed me, you little stinker.”

  Sarah broke into a fit of giggles as she treaded water. Susan kicked a little water toward Sarah, which made her giggle even more.

  I grabbed a couple sodas from the cooler, then stepped up next to Susan.

  “Watch out, I think this is the blast zone,” Susan said.

  I glanced back to the Jacuzzi where it looked like Beza was napping. “You think Beza is okay in there? Should I check on her?”

  “Yeah, she’s fine; I checked on her a few minutes ago. She’s not sleeping, just taking a break,” she said.

  “I get that.” I kicked off my shoes and rolled up my jeans before taking a seat beside her. “Got you a decaffeinated soda. Did you get anything to eat?”

  “Are you kidding me? I’m pretty sure I ate an entire cow,” she said, accepting the soda. “How about you? You having fun over there with your caffeinated soda?”

  I shrugged. “Sure,” I said.

  “Uh, huh. I saw Amy follow you into the house, and now you look unhappy. Two and two equals your sister’s lame.”

  “She just cares a lot about what people think about her.”

  “Peter completely ruined her,” Susan said.

  “Don’t say that,” I said, splashing my feet into the water and watching as all the kids flipped into underwater handstands.

  “Fine, I’ll think it and you’ll think it, but we won’t say it,” she said. “I just remember when she was like this glowing vibrant human and now it’s as if she’s fused into his shadow.”

  “Seriously, Susan, let’s talk about something else,” I said.

  “Okay, okay. I wanted to tell you something… oh, yeah, the yoga class. It’s at three o’clock tomorrow,” she said.

  “Oh no, I can’t go,” I said.

  “Unless Beza picks up both the kids from school and you leave straight from work in workout clothes—and Beza says that’s totally fine with her,” she said.

  “Well, Beza is on the list of people allowed to pick Sarah up. I just feel bad for depending on her so much.”

  “That’s what family is for, we’re both going to help you through all of this,” Susan said, gesturing widely with her hands.

  “Well, I’ll have to go over the plan with Sarah so she’s not—Shit!”

  “What?”

  “Oh, I screwed up.” I put my head in my hands.

  “What’s wrong?”

  I looked up. “I totally forgot I was going to ask if Sarah and I could spend a couple nights over at your house. I completely forgot until right now.”

  “Of course you can,” she said.

  “Thanks, but I don’t have any of Sarah’s clothes or her backpack, and it’s already almost her bedtime… and I would need to tell her in advance or she’ll be super dysregulated at school.”

  “What’s going on? Why do you have to be out of your apartment?” Susan asked, leaning in, her gaze serious.

  “They’re, uh, spraying… for bugs,” I said.

  “Bugs? What kind of bugs?”

  “Um… cockroaches.”

  “Cockroaches?” She made a face. “You seriously need to move out of that place. It has cockroaches?”

  “Not my apartment, but they spray the whole building tomorrow. You know what, they’re not spraying until tomorrow… so we’ll be fine there tonight. But, can we stay with you tomorrow night and for a couple nights after?”

  “Of course. But is that really what’s going on?” Susan’s eyes narrowed.

  “Yeah… why would I lie?” I scoffed.

  “I don’t know, but you’re making that expression you do when you’re lying,’” she said.

  “I don’t have a lying expression. You’re crazy,” I told her.

  “Fine, whatever. And yes, you can stay whenever and for however long you need, you know that,” she said.

  My gaze drifted over the sand dunes to where the blue of the sky had ripened to a deep purple. A few tenacious stars broke through the lingering remains of the daylight. The last sliver of sunlight slipped over the horizon, leaving lingering rays of its light. Recessed lights in the pool and lanterns all around the patio all lit up at once, as if the lights knew to perform along with the sunset.

  Susan whistled. “I need to get me one of these beach houses.”

  “I know, right?” I chuckled.

  Day Two: Seven-forty

  “Mind if I join you?”

  I looked up to see Carrie smiling down at us.

  “Please do,” Susan said, while I nodded.

  “So can I ask you ladies a question?” Carrie asked, sitting down beside us and kicking her feet into the pool.

  Susan stiffened, but she said, “Sure, go ahead.”

  “Jamie called you and Beza Sarah’s aunts, are you two sisters?”

  Both Susan and I relaxed.

  “Oh, no, we’re not sisters. Susan is Sarah’s aunt from Logan’s side,” I said.

  “Oh, wow, that’s so beautiful that you stayed so close after the divorce,” Carrie said, patting me on the arm. “After Shelly and Patrick split, we just never saw her again. It was as if suddenly she didn’t exist. I even ran into her at a restaurant once and she hid her face from me, didn’t even say ‘hi.’ I was so sad too, because we used to be pretty close.”

  “I’m not divorced. I’m a widow. My husband died in a car accident.” The warm expression fell off Carrie’s face and a hot blush spread up her cheeks. �
�Oh, I’m…so sorry… I…”

  “Please don’t be embarrassed, people always think it was divorce,” I said.

  “I’m am so sorry,” she said again, before biting her lip.

  “Don’t be, she’s fine,” Susan said. “Yeah, Logan was my twin brother. But Jamie and I are kind of like sisters anyhow, we’ve been best friends since we were eight.”

  “Wow, I have to say I’m a little jealous. I grew up with only older brothers, I’ve never had anything resembling a sister,” she said.

  “They can be a pain, even the honorary ones,” I said, knocking my body into Susan’s.

  “And you and Annie are half-sisters?” Carrie asked.

  “Amy. Yeah, but my mom and dad split up when I was a baby. My dad married Amy’s mom, Sharon, before I could even remember, so Sharon is like my mom too.”

  “You and Amy are very different from each other,” Carrie said. “It’s a lot easier to believe that you two are sisters.” She nodded to Susan.

  “People always say that because of their coloring, but if you really look at their faces you can completely see the similarities,” Susan said.

  “I meant more… personality wise,” Carrie said, meeting my gaze with one of her brows slightly raised.

  “Yeah, we’re pretty different, but we’re also very close. She’s one of the people I care about most in this world.” I gave Carrie a straight-lipped smile and held her gaze for an extra second before looking back to the kids in the pool. “Anyway… you said you own a flower shop. Do you ever work with Karen Blanche Wedding Services?”

  Carrie looked at me with pursed lips before giving me a bright smile. “I most definitely do. Karen is actually a friend of mine.”

  “Small world. Beza’s one of the wedding planners. Maybe you guys will work together in the future,” I said.

  Carrie turned her head. “You know, I thought your wife looked familiar, Susan, but I just assumed it was because she used to be a model.”

  We all turned to where Beza definitely looked like she was sleeping.

  Susan made to stand up, but I touched her arm. “I’ll go check on her,” I said.

  “Thanks… I feel like a walrus,” she said.

  “Well, you don’t look like one. I hope I’m as gorgeous as you when I’m pregnant,” Carrie said.

  I crossed over to the Jacuzzi and crouched down beside Beza. “Hey, babes, I think you fell asleep,” I said as I patted her shoulder.

  “Huh,” she said, raising her head and looking around blearily. “Jamie?”

  “You were sleeping,” I told her.

  “Oh, thank you,” she said.

  “Hey baby, you really tired? Maybe we should go.” Susan called over.

  Beza wiped water down her face. “Yeah, I think maybe we should. I’m definitely feeling a little tired.”

  “Yeah, it’s fine with me. And I’ll drive. Jamie come help me up,” she said, holding her hands out. Before I reached her, she turned and called, “Aiden! Time to get out!”

  “You better not tip me into the pool,” I said as I grabbed Susan’s hands.

  “I wasn’t thinking about doing that before,” she said.

  “I’ll take you with me,” I promised.

  “Fine,” she said, using me to leverage herself up.

  “Sarah, we’re going in a second too. It’s time to get out,” I called over.

  “But then I’ll be all alone,” Kay said.

  “I’m sorry, Kay, but by the time we get home, it’ll be pretty late,” I said.

  “You should probably be getting out pretty soon too,” Carrie said.

  Kay swam to the side of the pool, following where Aiden and Sarah were climbing the steps. “I’ll get out now. It’s boring to be in the pool all by myself. Um, Sarah’s mom, can Sarah sleep over?”

  “Not tonight, sweetheart,” I said to Kay as I wrapped Sarah up in a towel.

  “Wait a second, baby, I have a towel for you,” Patrick called from somewhere behind me. He rushed up with a towel, wrapping it tightly around Kay and giving her a quick kiss on the forehead.

  “Hey, I’ll take the kids up to change if you want to say your goodbyes,” Susan said.

  “You sure?” I asked.

  “Yeah, Beza already headed up there and I want to check in with her.”

  I grabbed up the Sarah’s clothes and handed it over to Susan.

  “And I’ll help Kay get ready for bed,” Carrie said, putting an arm around Kay and practically scooping her away from Patrick.

  A moment later, Patrick and I stood alone next to the pool.

  He looked at me, then at the group disappearing into the house. “I have a feeling that was intentional,” he said, a smirk poised on his lips.

  “I think you might be right.” I huffed out a laugh. “Thank you so much for inviting us tonight Patrick, and for extending the invitation to my sister and her husband.”

  “Can I tell you a secret?”

  “Always,” I said.

  “You might regret that answer someday,” he said, taking a step closer.

  “Ha,” I said. “I probably won’t. There’s nothing I love more than secrets. Tell them to me.”

  “This barbeque was pretty much for you,” he said.

  “That was very friendly of you, Patrick,” I said, grinning. “Can I tell you a secret?”

  “Sure.”

  “I kind of guessed. Your family was pretty obviously sizing me up,” I said.

  “I’m so sorry, that wasn’t my intention.”

  “It’s cool. They know we’re not actually dating, right?” I asked, taking a step closer to him.

  “We’re still not dating?” He took one more step in.

  “Nope, definitely just friends,” I said.

  “Okay, I’ll try to remember that,” he said.

  I glanced down at his lips, then back up to his eyes. My words came out a little breathily, “Good, it could get very awkward if you don’t.”

  “Do friends ever go out to dinner together?”

  “Yeah, but they have to go to crowded, unromantic places, like Kids’ Pizza Arcade or Spanky’s.”

  He burst out laughing. “Those are two very different places.”

  “They were just the first two places that popped into my head,” I said.

  “Well, I’ve actually never been to either, so as a friend, I think it is your duty to broaden my horizons,” he said.

  “Um, maybe Kids’ Pizza Arcade. I’m not all that into sports. I get enough of it Thursday nights at the bar,” I said.

  “How’s Tuesday sound?”

  “For a non-date to a pizza arcade with our kids?” I asked.

  “Exactly,” he said.

  “Yeah, that sounds… that sounds like fun,” I said.

  “Am I allowed to kiss you at the end of a non-date?” he asked.

  I bit my lip to stop myself from smiling. “Only in the friend kissing-zones zones,” I said.

  “Where are those?”

  “Cheeks and forehead,” I said.

  “Oh, good to know, thanks,” he said.

  “Mom!” Sarah plowed into me and I had to take a step back.

  “Whoa, angel,” I said, smiling down at her wet head. “It’s just about bed time, ready to go home?”

  “No,” she said.

  Shaking my head, I said, “Well, we have to, no matter what. Let’s go say our goodbyes to everyone.” We hugged everyone, including Amy and Peter, who had gratefully accepted Patrick’s invitation to stay longer.

  Even though Susan, Beza and Aiden walked out with us, Patrick, Carrie and Kay insisted walking us to our cars.

  “Let’s do this again,” Carrie said as I rolled down my car window to say one last goodbye.

  “Definitely,” I said.

  As I started to drive away, I read the word, “Definitely,” on Patrick’s lips as he watched us pull away.

  “When we get home, you have to take a quick shower then straight to bed,” I told Sarah. When I got n
o response, I asked again, “Did you hear about bed time?”

  Glancing in the rearview mirror, I found Sarah fast asleep.

  As we turned east, back toward town and home, the gibbous moon rose over the Transverse Mountain Ranges. Only one of her eyes was visible tonight, as if perhaps the moon was looking elsewhere.

  My hands shook as I drove the final stretch to our apartment. I circled through the whole parking lot, examining every guest parking. I exited the parking lot, and drove up and down the street. Finally, I turned back into the parking lot and circled the parking lot again. I ended at Clarke’s assigned spot. It was empty. Sighing, I drove up and parked in my assigned spot.

  I quickly climbed out of my car, and opened Sarah’s door. Unbuckling her from her seatbelt, I picked her up as gently as I could.

  Sarah mumbled, but settled her head on my shoulder.

  I locked my car with the remote, but threaded my keys through the fingers of my free hand, making a fist around them. I peeked around the wall. The street light failed in its reach, leaving the entire area leading up to my apartment dark.

  I looked back toward my car, taking a step in that direction. I held my breath as headlights approached and a car parked in the spot next to mine.

  I exhaled in relief as my neighbor Sammy and her boyfriend got out of her car.

  They climbed out, carrying wetsuits in their arms, and were turning to walk in the opposite direction when I said, “Sammy?”

  “Hey Jamie, everything okay?” she asked as she turned around. They both blinked over at me with bloodshot eyes.

  “Kind of. Would you guys mind walking me to my door? I forgot to leave my porch light on and it’s pitch black.” I said, lowering my voice when Sarah groaned on my shoulder.

  “Yeah, no problem,” Sammy’s boyfriend said.

  “Yeah, of course, Jamie,” Sammy echoed. They changed their direction, walking with me toward the back of the parking lot.

  “You two just come back from surfing?” I whispered.

  “Yeah,” Sammy said in a hushed vice.

  “How was it?” I asked.

  “Beautiful weather but not many waves to catch. It was nice to be on the beach all day though,” Sammy said.

  “Really nice,” her boyfriend echoed.