The Marriage Contract

by Kim Hartfield

  “You’d be surprised.” She set down the eraser and perched on the desk. “You’re coming to Jay’s birthday dinner tomorrow, though, right? That’ll get you out of the house.”

  “Oh, I don’t know.” Jay was one of the sixth-grade teachers, and we barely interacted. I’d feel strange showing up at his party, even with a friend along. “I’ll think about it.”

  “There’ll be tons of people, not just coworkers,” Mary said. “You might even meet someone new.”

  I huffed out a laugh. That was easy for her to say. In her mid-twenties with the face of a model, she had men approaching her everywhere she went. I wasn’t bad-looking, but I didn’t get the same treatment. Besides, I tended to date women more often and they were a lot less likely to approach.

  “I’m nowhere near ready to date,” I told her. “I just barely got out of a relationship.”

  “Who said anything about dating?” She winked. “Have some fun.”

  That was even less likely.

  *

  I did end up allowing Mary to drag me to the dinner. I even had a decent time – although I ignored her attempts to wink-wink-nudge-nudge me into conversation with the one single man she managed to identify. The guy was nice enough, but I just wasn’t interested.

  I did, however, come to a conclusion about Leah. My own birthday was going to be a big deal, so it’d make sense to invite her to something for it. I hadn’t planned anything so far, and I’d been thinking I’d keep it low-key. Now I decided to do something splashier.

  “You’re going to have a party?” my mother asked over brunch at their place on Saturday. “You haven’t had a birthday party in years.”

  “She always did growing up, Theresa.” My dad looked at me approvingly as he nibbled his potato wedges. “I think it’s a great idea.”

  “It’s not that big of a deal,” I said. “I haven’t had them lately because I’m an adult, but this is the big three-oh. It’s worth celebrating.”

  “That might get her out of her funk,” Mom said to Dad as if I wasn’t even there. “She hasn’t been herself since she broke up with Kerry.”

  “Guys,” I snapped. “I was just telling you as a topic of conversation, not so you could analyze every detail of my life.”

  “What else are parents for?” Mom asked mildly.

  We managed to get through a few minutes of eating without them questioning me further – and then Dad asked, “Are you going to invite Leah?”

  I rubbed a hand over my face. I never should’ve told them I’d seen her. They’d been so excited to hear what she was up to, even dragging out the clunky laptop they rarely used so they could Google her career. Mom had demanded to know why they hadn’t been invited to our reunion, and I’d had to remind her Leah had always been my friend, not theirs – even if they’d always claimed she was like another daughter to them.

  “I might,” I said. “It’ll just be a formality if I do. I’m sure she wouldn’t take a four-hour flight just to come. She has her own life out there, you know, and it’s her own birthday, too.”

  “And you’re her best friend.” Mom tapped her knife meaningfully against her plate.

  “I used to be,” I laughed. “I can’t lay claim to that title anymore. She probably has tons of friends now.”

  “Well, you used to be her best friend,” she said. “Her only friend, if I remember right.”

  “And that was a long time ago.”

  “Nice girl,” Dad said absent-mindedly. “Used to listen to my stories.”

  “I know, Dad, I know.” Patting his hand, I got up and put my plate in the sink.

  “Leah always washed her dishes,” Mom said.

  I rolled my eyes. “I’m not Leah.” But I turned on the tap.

  As I scrubbed, I wondered if our old friendship could be enough to lure her back out to Grass Cove.

  Or had she already had enough of reminiscing?

  Four – Leah

  “Hey, SpotBot! Fetch!” Paul tossed a balled-up piece of paper to the other side of my office and laughed uproariously as the robotic dog ignored it. “Bad boy! Bad!”

  “That was barely funny the first time,” I grumbled from my chair. “The millionth time, not so much.”

  “Oh, whatever.” My senior vice president of operations knelt on the floor to examine SpotBot. “One of these days he’ll play fetch. You’ll see.”

  “He won’t, because I didn’t program him that way.” I rolled my eyes. “Did you want something, or did you just swing by to interrupt my work?”

  “Someone’s in a bad mood.”

  I scoffed. I most definitely was not – being grumpy was my new permanent state. Ever since I’d seen Poppy, I’d had a little flame of anger burning deep inside me. It only went away when I was unconscious.

  Reconnecting with a childhood friend shouldn’t have left me so mad… but the whiplash of finding out I could’ve had a shot with my lifelong crush, then being informed she’d never see me that way, had done that to me.

  “Sorry,” I reluctantly said. “What do you need, though? I’m trying to get through these media inquiries and get back to my actual work.”

  News stations and TV channels from across the country wanted me to tell them all about SpotBot. It’d been fun to share my passion at first, but at this point it was getting old. I wanted to get back to doing what I loved. Unfortunately, I couldn’t even delegate the media stuff. I was the face of the project.

  “I was just coming to ask – ”

  My cell phone rang. “Hold on one second.” I picked up, and my heart jumped at the sound of an all-too-familiar voice.

  “Hey, Leah,” Poppy said. “How are you? I hope this isn’t a bad time.”

  I glanced at Paul, who was shifting impatiently on his feet. “It’s fine. What’s up?”

  “Well, I was thinking about that contract of ours.”

  My heart jumped harder. In fact, I’d say it actually leapt. “Um, Paul, give me a second.” I pointed him toward the door. “What were you thinking about our contract?”

  “Oh, I’m not trying to marry you or anything.” Poppy giggled nervously. “That would be weird. But I was thinking maybe I could blackmail you into coming to my thirtieth birthday party.”

  “Blackmail?”

  “Not literally! God.” She sounded frazzled. “I mean, since I have a contract that says you’re supposed to marry me, you could just come to the party instead. We could celebrate both of our birthdays, the way we always used to.”

  “You mean you’d release me from the contract if I go?”

  “Basically, yes.”

  I frowned, tapping my fingers on my computer keyboard. “I don’t know. I hadn’t made any plans for my birthday yet, but it’s either a long drive or a flight, and I’m pretty busy with work…” And if I saw her again, I was going to fall for her even harder than I had twelve years ago.

  “Okay, I understand. It’s not going to be anything special, anyway. Just some drinks and stuff, maybe a nice dinner…”

  I hesitated. I was going to regret it if I went, just like I regretted seeing her last time… but I hated the disappointment in her voice. I couldn’t stand to cause Poppy any pain. “You’re just saying that so I’ll be obligated to marry you, aren’t you?”

  “No, I’m serious. It’s fine if you can’t come.”

  “I mean, you said I’d be released from the contract if I go, so if I don’t, the contract is still on, right? Totally legally binding.”

  “Oh, right.” I could hear in her voice that she was starting to get it. “Yeah, you have to choose. Either come to my party or marry my dumb ass.”

  I bit my lip. Her ass was anything but dumb. “When and where is this shindig, anyway?”

  Something different came into her voice – happiness or excitement, or maybe relief. “November second, the Friday after my birthday. It’ll be in Grass Cove, of course, probably at the bar on Green Street.”

  “The one we always wanted to get into, but they wou
ldn’t accept our fake IDs?”

  “That’s the one.” She laughed. “I forgot about that. I’ve been going with my real ID for so long.”

  “Did it live up to the hype?”

  “Not really, no. I’m sure you have much better bars out in San Fran.”

  That may have been true. But what we didn’t have out here was anybody like her.

  *

  “Tell me again why you can’t come to the post-Halloween blacklight art show this weekend,” Neeta said. “Disco lights. Halloween candy. Glow-in-the dark body painting. Free drinks if it’s your birthday month – cough, cough.”

  I brushed aside a falling leaf. “I’m going to my hometown.”

  “But you just went. How am I supposed to get by without you? Especially when you have all those other stops to visit on your media tour. You expect me to go a whole weekend without you when we should be celebrating your birthday?”

  “We’ll celebrate the day of, even if it’s a weeknight. And you’ll be fine without me.”

  My best friend had a tendency to overdramatize everything. We met up almost every night to go for walks. Neither of us ever got tired of exploring the city’s gorgeous tree-lined streets. And although my schedule was crazy, hers was flexible because she worked from home.

  I was permanently grateful she’d showed up in my life. We’d met soon after I moved here. I hadn’t known anyone, and it felt like things were going to be a repeat of high school, minus Poppy. After “finding my tribe” in college, I was getting ready to spend every evening and weekend alone again.

  Then Neeta had knocked on my apartment door saying “welcome to the building.” We’d bonded over postmodern art, and our friendship had even survived a brief, passionless affair. We were much better as friends than lovers, and I didn’t want to imagine what my life would be like without her in it.

  She paused at the street corner, waiting for the light to change. “I’ll be lonely, honestly. It feels like I’ve barely seen you this past month.”

  I stuffed my hands deep in my coat pockets. It was getting chilly here, even if Grass Cove was a lot colder. “I know, work’s been crazy, but things’ll be back to normal soon.”

  She leaned on me, her head on my shoulder. She was about five feet tall, so she had to get on her tiptoes just to do that. “I hope so. What if you end up marrying this chick and move back to Grass Cove?”

  The light changed, and I nudged her to move forward. “That’s not going to happen.”

  “I don’t see why not. I even remember you pining after that girl when we first met. ‘She’s perfect, Neeta, she’s my dream girl. Should I get in touch with her, Neeta? I should get in touch with her. No, wait, Neeta, that’d only hurt me more.’” She rolled her eyes.

  I shot her a glare. “I didn’t sound like that.”

  “Uh, yes, you did! For years, every time I even mentioned your childhood, you’d get all starry-eyed and go off on a tangent about how amazing Poppy was and how much you wished you could be with her. God! I should go with you and see this divine gift to humanity for myself.”

  I stopped in my tracks. “Neeta, that’s perfect.”

  She blinked at me. “What?”

  “Come with me.” I nodded to myself, stepping aside to let another pedestrian go by. “You can be the buffer between me and her, so I won’t get hurt any more than I have to.”

  “If you’re planning to get hurt, why not just stay here?”

  “I… don’t know.” I frowned, then shrugged. “Come on, do it. I’ll pay for your ticket and the hotel room. All you have to do is smile and play nice.”

  “So I’m not pretending to be your girlfriend or anything?” she asked sarcastically.

  My jaw dropped. “Neeta! You’re absolutely brilliant!”

  Five – Poppy

  So far, being thirty felt the same as being twenty-nine. It’d only been a couple days, and once the small family dinner and the cake from my coworkers were over and gone, it felt like nothing had even changed.

  “Birthdays are a social construct,” I told myself as I drove to work on Friday. “Many cultures probably don’t even celebrate birthdays. There’s people out there who don’t even know how old they are.”

  Why should it matter that many, many years ago, I’d thought I’d be married by now? I was better off alone than with the wrong person. If Kerry hadn’t felt passionate about me now, things would’ve been worse a few years down the line. I was single again, and that was fine. In fact, my life in general was perfectly fine.

  I parked, and Mary accosted me the second I stepped inside the school. “So? Your party tonight?” she asked excitedly, walking with me toward my classroom.

  “Yeah, it should be fun.”

  “Fun? It sounds like it’s going to be the social event of the season!”

  I laughed, waving to a few fifth-graders I’d taught last year as they walked by in the hall. “It’s not that big of a deal. A few people, a party bus…”

  “Do you even hear yourself? Who rents a party bus?” She threw up her hands. “Is there someone you’re trying to impress?”

  My thoughts immediately went to Leah. I wasn’t trying to show off for her, was I? I’d never been in competition with her. Our friendship wasn’t like that, and a few years without contact shouldn’t have changed that.

  “Oh, your ex,” Mary said. “Of course. I shouldn’t have asked.”

  “No, no.” We’d reached my classroom door, and I leaned against it. There were still a few more minutes before the bell would ring. “What about you, anyway? Are you bringing a date?”

  “Well, actually…” She looked bashful. “I’ve been on a few dates with this one guy, actually, and when I told him about the party, he was asking if he could come. I told him I’d find out.”

  “Ooh! I need to hear more about this guy, preferably before tonight.”

  “Would it be weird for him to come to your party, though? It’s such a new thing, and I don’t even know if it’s going to last.”

  “He’s more than welcome,” I said. “The more, the merrier.”

  “Can I come, Ms. Barnes?” Adele piped up from her seat. Apparently we had an audience. Half the front row of kids was staring at us, listening to our conversation.

  “The more adults, the merrier,” I laughed. “It’s going to be a boring grown-up party. You kids wouldn’t like it.”

  “Oh.” Looking disappointed, Adele set her notebook on her desk. “I never want to grow up, Ms. Barnes.”

  *

  The party bus was a retired school bus from a few towns over, spray-painted red and white and decked out with a full bar. Half the seats had been torn out, leaving room for a sizeable dance floor. Even though I’d seen pictures on the website, I gasped when I saw it pull up. This might end up being one epic night.

  Mary and a few of my other coworkers stood with me, chatting amongst themselves. Mary’s new beau, Lloyd, hovered at her side, his arm just lightly brushing against hers. They looked adorable together, and I couldn’t have been happier for her – even if I was bitterly single myself.

  A car turned into the driveway, and then another. My guests were arriving.

  “Oh my God, you’re here!” I squealed, wrapping Sarah in a hug. “I didn’t think you were going to make it.” I hadn’t seen her in forever. She was more a friend of Kerry’s than mine, and I’d thought I lost her in the break-up.

  “I wouldn’t have missed it,” she said, hugging me back.

  A couple of high school friends climbed out of another car. “Oh my God, you guys came!” I tried to keep my voice from going too high-pitched, and it worked – until the next set of guests showed up.

  By the time the bus was set to leave, more than forty people were inside. I took a swig from a flask, amazed at how many people had actually come out to celebrate with me. But the person I wanted to see most hadn’t shown up.

  Was her flight delayed? Was she stuck in traffic? Or had she decided not to come and not bothered t
o tell me? The options raced through my mind as the bus door swung open and Mary called down to me. “Let’s hit the road, Poppy!”

  “Five more minutes,” I said, glancing at my watch. “I’m just waiting for one person. We were supposed to be celebrating her birthday, too.”

  I pulled out my phone, intending to call Leah. Before I could dial, a yellow taxi turned into the driveway. There was the one person I’d been waiting for!

  And there was another person along with her.

  “Hi!” I said tightly, walking up to them without offering either a hug. “I didn’t know you were bringing anyone.”

  Fuck, that was way too rude. I could see the shock and recoil on Leah’s face, and I didn’t blame her at all. She’d flown halfway across the country to make it to this party, and I wasn’t even going to welcome her? Hadn’t I just been telling Mary “the more the merrier”?

  Leah had definitely said she was single right now, though – hadn’t she? Not that it mattered. If she was dating someone casually, I was happy for her! Although they had to be pretty serious if they’d flown across the country together. I was glad Leah had already mentioned she was gay, or that would’ve really taken me by surprise. Not that that mattered, either.

  “Happy birthday.” Leah handed me a present, not a bottle of wine jammed into a gift bag, but a box neatly enfolded in full-on gift wrap. “This is Neeta.”

  “Happy birthday, yourself. And nice to meet you, Neeta.” Trying to smile, I shook her girlfriend’s hand. “We were just about to leave, so…”

  They climbed onto the bus along with me, and I yelled out to everyone. “Hey everybody, this is my childhood best friend, Leah. It’s her birthday too, so let’s all wish her a happy birthday!”

  “Happy birthday,” the whole bus chorused.

  “We’re about to head off, so this is how it’s going to be,” I went on. “We’re stopping in one bar in each town from here to Louisville. We’re only spending twenty minutes at each, so get ready to drink fast. Now, alcohol and moving vehicles are not known to mix, so if you feel carsick, tell someone! We have a scheduled drive-thru stop at eleven-thirty, and we can always add another if enough people want it.”