by Beth Rinyu
I let out a deep sigh. I knew she was right; it wasn’t like either of our situations were temporary. I was planning on staying here permanently and for the time being he was there, unless he could get transferred back to New York City if the opportunity arose. But for now there wasn’t an end in sight. “Yeah, well, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how it goes.”
She gave me a sympathetic smile just as my Aunt Jodi approached our table. If there was anyone that could take my mind off my current relationship dilemma and make me laugh it was my Aunt Jodi.
“Hey chicklets! Sorry I’m late!”
“What else is new?!” My mom laughed, as Aunt Jodi bent down to give us each a kiss before taking a seat.
“So little Carrie is back from the big city! Do you miss it?”
“Ummm….just a little. But it feels good to be home. I guess I miss Gia more than anything.”
“And what about your man?”
“Yeah, him too!” I smiled.
“Well, are you at least having phone sex?”
I nearly spat out my ice tea, not only at her question but from the look on my mother’s face, too.
“Jodi! Really?” my mother scolded.
“Oh Mel, stop being little miss goody good and live a little. Dial Ben’s number right now, and I’ll walk you through how it’s done.”
“Jodi, this is not appropriate lunch conversation to be having with my daughter of all people!”
Aunt Jodi shook her head and laughed. “Carrie, can you please break the news to your mom that you’ve had sex before?”
My mother placed her hands over her ears, trying to block out Aunt Jodi’s words. “I’m not listening!” God, how I missed these two going back and forth with each other. They were like a comedic tag team. Complete opposites but best friends forever. The rest of lunch was filled with laughs; Aunt Jodi was still happily married to husband number four, and Cam was now a household name in the baseball world. He was the star shortstop for the Los Angeles Vipers. His face was always plastered on the front of the gossip rags with a different girl each time. He claimed they were all lies. But I tended to believe he was a little bit of a ladies man. He was certainly good looking, and if he was anything with the ladies like his mom was with men, then I could see where there was maybe just a little validity to those magazine articles.
“Hey, I just saw Cam a few months ago,” I said.
“Oh, you did? Where?” Jodi asked widening her eyes.
“He was in the City for some endorsement he was doing, and he took me and Gia out to dinner.”
Jodi’s jaw dropped. “That little fucker! He was in town and didn’t even call his mom!”
“Nice, Jodi! Real nice to call your son.” My mom shook her head and laughed.
“Well, he’s getting a little too big for his own good. I brought him into this world –.”
“Aunt Jodi, relax.” I laughed. “You and Herman were in Hawaii when he was here.”
“Oh.” Her tone softened.
“See that? You’re always ready to yell at poor Cam,” my mother scoffed.
“Poor Cam? Poor Cam, my ass! I sent him a text the other day and told him I’m really sick of seeing all the different women he’s fucking on the covers of the magazines as I’m standing in the grocery checkout.” My mother rolled her eyes. “Well, really. You know I’m all for sex –”
“Yeah, we do!” My mother interrupted with a raise of her eyebrow.
“But he really needs to keep it in his pants and focus on maybe one girl at a time.”
“Oh my god!” My mother let out a loud exhausting breath.
“That’s why we love her so much, Mom!” I laughed.
***
Jason
The sun was finally starting to break through the clouds, and it was turning into the perfect afternoon for baseball. Every year since I could remember, my Dad and I would make a point of coming to a Yankees game at least once a season, sometimes more. It was a tradition I wanted to continue one day with my own kids. I was lucky my parents had me when they were young; my dad was not only an awesome father, but I also considered him a very good friend. He was always there for me, and I felt like I could talk to him about anything. I wanted to be the same for my kids and was hoping I could have them all while I was still young so I could have the same relationship with them that my dad and I had. I was highly doubtful Ashley would be the one to make that a reality. She’d made it clear several times that she didn’t really want kids and if she did, she was planning on waiting until she was in her thirties.
“So, Carrie was impressed with your handy work,” I said to my dad who was looking deep in thought over the game.
“Oh, yeah?” he answered, half paying attention and expressing his disdain over the bad call that was just made at second base. “Where’d you guys go last night?” he asked, now giving me his full attention.
“Just out for burgers and a few beers.”
“Well, I think she’s happy to be home.”
“Yeah, I think she is too. I know I’m glad she’s back, but I don’t know if I can say the same about Ashley.”
My dad raised his eyebrow. “Why would she care?”
“Ashley’s always had a problem with my relationship with Carrie. Like last night, Carrie posted a picture of me and her on Facebook when we were out to dinner and Ashley got pissed. She showed up at my house after I dropped Carrie off almost like she didn’t trust me.” I shook my head. “I’m not putting up with it this time.”
“What do you mean…this time?”
“Well, when we broke up in college it was because I was friends with Carrie. She basically told me it was either her or Carrie. I never told Carrie that, I know she doesn’t really care for Ashley to begin with and that would just give her more of a reason.”
“Doesn’t she realize Carrie is in your life forever?”
“Regardless of that, even if you and Melanie weren’t married, Carrie would be in my life forever. She’s been such a great friend over the years and I’m not having any chick tell me I can’t hang out with her.”
“Carrie really is a great kid,” my dad said.
“She’s the best, Dad.” He stared at me intently, and if I had to guess, I’d say he was seeing right through me and my true feelings for her. “Brett is a really lucky guy.” I figured I’d throw that in so he knew I did realize she had a man in her life and I wasn’t getting any ideas.
“Yeah, well you never know what’s gonna happen with that.” He squinted out into the sunlight.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Well, they’re living hundreds of miles apart. It’s gonna be pretty hard to maintain a relationship that way.”
Was it wrong that I was hoping that maybe they would call it quits? Definitely. They were two of my best friends, and I should want nothing but the best for the both of them. Plus, after talking to Brett last night on my way home from dropping Carrie off, I knew that would never happen. He had started ring shopping and was planning on popping the question on his birthday which was only a month away.
“Yeah, well, Brett is planning on asking her to marry him. And don’t go saying anything to Melanie, he wants to surprise Carrie.”
“Well, what’s that gonna solve? Carrie just started her job here, and he’s still gonna be in California.”
I shrugged. “I guess he feels if Carrie has some sense of commitment then maybe she’ll move out there.”
He creased his eyebrows and shook his head. “Wow, he must not know Carrie at all.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Well, I don’t see her falling for that. Think about it Jason, if she really wanted to go, she would have gone in the first place. I don’t think an engagement ring is going to make her change her mind.”
I nodded. Maybe he was right. Maybe she wasn’t as in love with Brett as she appeared to be on the surface. I guess only time would tell.
Chapter 4
Carrie
/> The teeming rain was beating against my windows as I lay on my couch flicking through the TV channels. I was making the most of a lazy Sunday afternoon before my first full week of work ahead. My frustration level was rising as I came up fruitless with each channel I flicked through, finally deciding to turn it off and give in to my heavy eyelids.
I looked down and smiled at the beautiful white gown done in intricate lace and delicate beading. It was a perfect fit, looking like it was made just for my body. But why was I wearing this? Who was I marrying, and where was my family? I was alone, standing in a sea of wildflowers. My heart was racing and my palms sweaty as I tried my best to find my way out of this maze of pink, purple and yellow, but it was no use. I felt like a hamster on a wheel, walking aimlessly and getting nowhere. I sat down on the ground, shrouded in loneliness. The first drops of rain began to fall simultaneously with my tears. I buried my face in my hands, taking some pleasure in the cool beads of rain hitting the back of my warm neck. All my fears subsided when I lifted my head to find Jason standing over me with an outstretched arm. My hand latched onto his and he pulled me up. My heart was beating at warp speed, my stomach was tingling, and my lips were inching closer and closer to his with every passing second.
“Jason, are you the one?”
He nodded, and suddenly my tears no longer signified sadness.
“I love you, Carrie. I’ve always loved you. I want you to be mine, forever.”
“I love you, too.” I closed my eyes, waiting in anticipation to feel his lips on mine for what seemed like forever. I finally opened my eyes to find I was alone once again. I screamed his name over and over again to no avail. He was gone.
I sat up and gasped, looking around my apartment and realizing it was just a dream. “That was weird,” I whispered to myself just as my phone began to ring.
“Hey, what’s up?” I answered, upon seeing it was Ben.
“Hey, Carrie, Jason called and left a message. Your mother has me at this furniture store that’s two hours away. The connection was so bad I could only make out bits and pieces of what he was saying, but something happened at work last night and he was in the hospital. I’ve been trying to call him back and it keeps going right to voicemail.” The concern in his voice matched the churning in my stomach. “Can you just swing by his house and see if he’s home and let me know what’s going on?”
“Yeah, of course! I’ll let you know as soon as I find out.”
“Thanks, Carrie.”
“No problem.” My hands were trembling. What if something bad had happened to Jason? What if that’s what this dream was all about?
I threw on my shoes and was practically racing to my car as I dialed Jason’s number only to keep getting his voicemail.
***
Jason
I was finally coming out of it after all of the meds they’d pumped into me at the hospital. The last thing I remembered was my sergeant driving me home and then passing out on the couch. The throbbing under my bandaged arm was a painful reminder of the damn dog that had decided to latch onto my arm and take a huge bite of it in the process. I went to stand up and quickly sat down when I felt a bout of dizziness. I hated the way this medicine made me feel. I threw my head back on the couch and closed my eyes, shouting to whoever was knocking on the front door to come in. I was hoping it wasn’t locked; between the dizziness and the queasiness, I felt like I couldn’t move. I was relieved when I heard the door open, expecting to see Ashley when I opened my eyes, but instead it was Carrie.
“Carrie, what are you doing here?”
“Your dad called. He’s a few hours away and he didn’t know what was going on. He said your phone keeps going straight to voicemail.”
I lifted my phone from the end table, noticing the battery was completely dead.
She took a seat next to me and eyed up my bandaged arm. “What happened? I thought you were off last night.”
“I went in for some overtime and got bit by a dog.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh my gosh, how did that happen?”
“We were going to make an arrest and the scumbag owner wouldn’t call off his dog.”
“Oh wow! Are you okay?”
“Yeah, it’s all good.”
“Did you need me to get you anything?”
My stomach began to churn and I knew what was coming next. This is why I never took pain meds, no matter how much pain I was in, but I’d been unaware that was what was going through my IV when I was in the ER. I got up and ran to the bathroom, the last thing I wanted to do was hurl my guts up in front of Carrie.
Luckily, I made it just in time.
“Jason, are you okay?” She asked as she stood in the bathroom doorway.
“Yeah, the medicine they gave me at the hospital fucked up my stomach.” I looked down into the toilet bowl, puking my guts up once again.
Carrie ignored me when I waved her away. My stomach was convulsing and I was breaking out in a sweat. The skin on my back was itching and burning, and I felt like I just wanted to curl up on the cool ceramic tile floor and die. Carrie flushed the toilet before grabbing a washcloth and running it under the sink. She sat on the ledge of the tub and held it on my forehead as I silently hovered over the toilet bowl.
“What did they give you?” her voice was soft and soothing.
“I don’t know. Something for the pain and some antibiotics.”
She creased her eyebrows and examined my face closely. “Oh my god, Jason you have red blotches all over your face!” She lifted up my shirt and let out a gasp. “Jason, are you allergic to antibiotics?”
“Not that I know of.”
“Well, you’re breaking out in hives all over your back and face.”
At least that explained why my back was itchy as hell.
“You need to call the doctor and tell them you’re having a reaction so they can switch your medicine. Do you have any oatmeal?”
“Carrie, I’m puking my guts up. I really don’t want –”
“Not for eating.”
I didn’t have a clue why she was asking, but at this point I didn’t even care. “I think there may be some in one of the kitchen cabinets.”
The nausea seemed to be subsiding; the itching however, was not. Carrie came back into the bathroom without saying a word and began running the water. I turned around and watched her dump the oatmeal into the tub. She checked the temperature and adjusted the water. “Get in.” she said.
“What?”
“Get in the tub. The oatmeal is soothing. It will help with the burning and itching.”
“And, how do you know this?”
“Umm…It’s pretty common knowledge,” she said with a hint of a smirk on her face. I stood up, waiting for her to exit, but instead she grabbed my bandaged arm and wrapped it in a plastic bag. “I’m just gonna run to the pharmacy and get you some Benadryl.”
“Carrie, you don’t have to –”
“Do you need anything else?” she cut me off.
“No, I’m good thanks.”
After she walked out of the bathroom, I got undressed and stepped into the tub. The tepid water immediately soothed my irritated skin. I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the bathtub wall. After about ten minutes of soaking and my skin beginning to prune, I got out of the tub, gently dried off, brushed my teeth, and went into my bedroom to dress. I had just dropped the towel from my waist and was getting ready to put on my boxers when Carrie returned and stuck her head into my bedroom door.
“Hey Jas, I got –” I grabbed my towel from the floor and tried to cover myself up, but it was too late. She turned her head but not before giving me the once over. “Oh, my god! I’m so sorry.”
I couldn’t stop myself from laughing over her embarrassment as she scurried out of my bedroom and into the living room. I walked out of my room still laughing while I threw my shirt over my head.
“Umm….you’re going to have to leave your shirt off so I can get this on your back.”
&nb
sp; I did as she said and sat down on the couch. “Did you like what you saw?” I couldn’t resist teasing her. She playfully smacked me on the arm and sat down behind me, rubbing the cool gel on my back, taking away the burning almost immediately. I closed my eyes, not knowing what felt better; the temporary relief of the discomfort I was in or Carrie’s soft hands rubbing my back.
“Jason! What the hell is going on?” My eyes shot open to find Ashley standing in the doorway of the living room. She came in so quietly that I hadn’t even heard her.
Carrie stood up and handed her the bottle of Benadryl. “Jason got bit by a dog last night. He had a bad reaction to the antibiotics and broke out in hives. I was just putting some Benadryl on his back. So, you can take over where I left off.”
“Oh my god, baby, are you okay?” she sat down next to me and grabbed my bandaged arm.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Even when Ashley tried to show concern it didn’t come off as such, it seemed forced. She didn’t have that natural, caring way about her that Carrie did.
“Well, you’re in good hands now, so I’m gonna get going.” I sat there, knowing I was totally wrong for wishing Ashley would leave and Carrie would stay. “Just don’t forget to call the hospital and get that antibiotic changed.” She turned her attention to Ashley. “If he starts itching really badly again, have him –”
“Umm…Carrie, I think I can take care of my boyfriend from here.” Ashley replied snidely just before giving me a kiss on my cheek.
“Thanks, Carrie.” I gave her an apologetic smile.
“No problem. See ya, Ashley,” Carrie said, trying to be as cordial as possible before heading out the door.
Ashley completely ignored her and focused her attention back to me. “What the hell was that all about Jason? Why would you call her and not your girlfriend when something like this happens?”
And here we go.
“I didn’t call anyone except my dad. My dad called Carrie to find out what was going on because he wasn’t around. So she came over to check on me.”
