Outcome

by Kim Pritekel

"Hey, yourself." Leaning back in my chair, I ran a hand through my hair. "What’s up?" It had been three days since our talk, and she had come in every morning to say hello. I was surprised to see her in here during lunch, though.

  "Well, I figured since you never go to the cafeteria anymore, you probably don’t eat. I can’t imagine you bring more than your normal apple." She nodded toward the piece of fruit sitting on my desk. I grinned.

  "Busted. However, I did bring some water." I showed her the half-empty bottle. She stepped into the room.

  "Yeah, well that’s still no lunch. Here." She set the sandwich down. "I remember how much you love fish, so I figured you’d enjoy this. Here’s some juice, too."

  "Aw, for me?" I grinned at her, grateful for such a thoughtful gesture.

  "Yes, ma’am. All for you. You can’t just lock yourself up in this lab, Andi. You need something substantial to eat."

  "Thanks, mom."

  "You’re welcome, daughter." She smiled. "I have to run. Catch you later." She turned to go.

  "Yeah. Actually, um, Haley?"

  "Yeah?" She looked at me from the doorway, her hand on the frame.

  "Well, I was wondering if maybe you’d like to get together tonight. You know, maybe we could catch a movie, or dinner or something?" She turned, facing me fully, a huge smile on her face.

  "I would love to. Thanks for asking." She looked at her watch. "I have a session at four-fifteen, and I expect that to last for about an hour, maybe an hour and a half. Why don’t I give you a call when I finish?"

  "Yeah. Sounds good."

  "Great. Talk to you then." She hurried out of my office, and the lab. As I sat there, a through occurred to me. With a wicked grin, I grabbed my keys, and headed out.

  * * *

  With a sigh, I looked into the microscope again, seeing if my eyes deceived me, or if maybe, just maybe it had actually worked.

  I looked at the numbers again, and,

  "Yes!" I stood, arms above my head, as I twirled in a circle, doing my happy dance, only to stop, mortified. Haley was still laughing as she clapped.

  "Nice. May I have an encore?"

  "Hi." I grinned sheepishly. "What I was working on, well, worked."

  "Well, then I guess your little jig there was justified." She smiled again. "I just came by to tell you that my client canceled, so I’m free now."

  "Oh. Well, I need about another half hour." I wrote down the results, scratching my head with the back of my pen. "Maybe forty-five minutes."

  "Well, how about I head home, get changed, then make my way to your place around five-thirty? Is an hour enough?" I nodded.

  "Yeah. Should be."

  "Great. See you then."

  I watched her leave the lab, then turned back to my work.

  * * *

  "Hello, my baby." I picked up my boy, and tried to avoid little Pug kisses as I hurried to my bedroom to change my clothes. Haley would be here any minute, and I wanted to be ready to go.

  Ding dong.

  Just in time.

  I pulled the tank over my head, and buttoned my cargo shorts as I walked toward the front door.

  "Hey." Haley smiled when I pulled it open. I opened my mouth to speak when it snapped shut. Haley’s head went up, and her nose began to work. I watched, my hand still on the door as she began to sniff the air, taking small steps, following the smell. "Brownies," she murmured as she went. I looked down when I heard a whimper.

  Bunsen sat on his haunches, looking up at me as through he were completely confused about why the fun lady totally passed him up. Picking him up, I turned to Haley again. She was turning the corner into the kitchen, still sniffing. I hurried to catch up.

  Haley was headed straight for the counter by the stove where a plate of her favorite brownies, baked this afternoon, waited for her. She turned to look back at me, a huge smile on her face.

  "May I?" I nodded. Like a piranha, she dug in, moaning happily as she did so.

  "So, um, still interested in a movie?" I muttered, shaking my head as I watched.

  * * *

  The week had passes so quickly, a lot of that due in part to Haley. We had seen each other nearly every night to some degree, whether it was to grab a movie, or to get some coffee after work. I had even pulled myself out of the lab for lunch Friday.

  As Bunsen and I walked the bike path, headed to the park Saturday morning before my nine o’clock Tae Kwon Do class, I thought about the time spent with her, and how refreshing and, well, needed it was. Her friendship was bringing me out of my haze, much as it did over a decade ago. What was it about her that made the world around me brighter? Almost like she threw the curtain I’d thrown around everything back so that the brightness could come in, and make me see life again. What an amazing gift she had.

  I turned us away from the park, and began to head left on an offshoot of the path, Bunsen strutting his stuff beside me.

  As I walked on, I thought more about her. I thought about her marriage, however brief it was, and wondered what her husband was like. What had she seen in him? What sorts of things did she look for? Why was she back here? I wasn’t much for coincidences. I was far too logical for that, but it was so odd that she was back, from the span of half the country away.

  I looked up, surprised to see that I was in Haley’s neighborhood. Looking around, I felt almost scared for a moment, wondering how the hell I’d gotten here. Then, thinking about how far from this my house was, I looked down at Bunsen.

  "Oh, baby." He laid on the sidewalk at my feet, his tongue hanging out of his mouth, his pants coming out in snorts. I was this far, may as well go on. I picked up the tired Pug, walked down the street, seeing Haley’s townhouse coming up. I hurried up the stairs, suddenly finding myself at her door, and feeling like a kid again. My stomach was doing flip flops, my palms beginning to sweat, sticking to Bunsen’s short fur.

  What the hell was it about Haley that made me feel like I was 17 again?

  Rubbing my hand on the side of my shorts, then pulled my fingers into a fist to knock. I rapped three times, and waited, petting Bunsen’s head, his panting slowing, but he still needed some water. We had walked nearly two miles; far too much for a little guy.

  I heard movement inside the townhouse, and my butterflies came back full-force. Would she be mad that I had just shown up at her place unannounced? God, grow up, Andi. You’re not a kid.

  The door opened, and Haley stood before me, her hands grasping the ends of her robe together, her hair wild, eyes droopy. I glanced down at my watch, mortified when I saw it was only seven-ten in the morning.

  "Andi?" I looked up at her again, putting a smile on my face to attempt to cover my embarrassment.

  "Hi, uh, good morning. We were taking a walk and," I looked down at my dog, then up into confused, tired eyes. "Got any water?" She looked at me, a brow raising. "For Bunsen. He’s not used to such a long walk." Oh yeah, I felt really stupid now.

  "Sure. Come on in." Haley stepped back from the door, letting us to pass. "Can I get you some water, too? Juice maybe? Unleaded?" I looked at her over my shoulder.

  "Unleaded? You’re offering me gasoline?"

  "Well, no," Haley walked by me, leading me to the kitchen. "It is an unnatural color, has an unnatural taste and smell, but this one is produced from beans. Coffee beans, to be exact." She grinned at me, and I smiled back.

  "Alright. Unleaded it is."

  As she set to work on the coffee, I looked around. The place was nice, spacious and open. These townhouses were relatively new, only going up in the last five years or so. The vaulted ceilings in the kitchen led up to a skylight, the early morning sunlight coming in to light up the room, reflecting off the egg-shell colored walls. The black appliances were spotless, as were the hanging pans and utensils mounted on the wall.

  "Nice place you’ve got here."

  "Thanks. Care for a tour as that brews?"

  "Yeah."

  "Will Bunsen be okay down here by himself?" We looked down at
my dog who had found a comfy spot right in the middle of the living room to lie down. "Oh. Water." She grabbed a cereal bowl, and filled it from the tap, then brought it over to the Pug. "Drink, little guy," she said quietly, gently lifting my dog’s head. Bunsen drank greedily, then plopped back down, falling asleep with a snort.

  Haley led me through the living room, then back to the small second bedroom toward the back of the place, which was where she had her computer and bookshelves, though it was only about half full. There were a few pictures here and there, but overall, the decorations were sparse.

  The main bathroom was good-size, with a nice, big bathtub in the corner, and a separate shower stall. The narrow flight of stairs led to the loft, which was the master bedroom. A beautiful four-poster bed was the room’s centerpiece, and a single dresser.

  "What a beautiful set." I said, running my fingers across the smooth, dark surface of the cherry wood.

  "Thanks. My grandmother died a few years back, so my parents had it in storage. They’re letting me use it."

  "Oh." I glanced over at the bedside table, and grinned when I saw the familiar orange Koosh ball sitting by the table. "It’s like an American Express, can’t leave home without it." I grinned at Haley who looked at me. She nodded, grinning.

  "I’ve sent many a date running scared from that little guy."

  "I imagine so."

  "If they can’t accept my Koosh, they can’t accept me."

  "Oh, I see how it is. Planning on staying single for a while?"

  "Ha ha. Funny girl. Come here and meet my bunnies."

  I walked over to the small rabbit pin in the corner by the closet. There were two rabbits in there, but they had a little bunny palace.

  "Those are two very spoiled little Bugs’."

  "You’re telling me." She smiled at me, and unlatched the cover on top, lifting it. I looked down at the two. "This one here, the friendly one, is Oreo." She lifted one out. He had the long, floppy ears, and his entire body, including his ears, were black and white splotches.

  "I didn’t know rabbits made the Dalmatian variety. Hey, little fella." I tentatively reached my hand out, stroking his soft back, his dark eyes ever watchful, whiskers twitching. "Wow, he’s so incredibly soft."

  "Aren’t they, though? That’ s probably the thing I like about rabbits the most. Here." She handed the furry little beast to me. I took him, holding him close against my chest. It always amazed me how fragile little things like this felt to me; like their bones were made out of mere paper, and could snap or tear in an instant. "This little one is Peggy." I looked up to see a pure white rabbit, with one brown leg in Haley’s arms.

  "Why, pray tell, is she called Peggy?" Haley indicated the brown leg.

  "Peg Leg. Peggy." I looked up into Haley’s eyes. She was smiling.

  "Please don’t have children." She grinned, kissing the top of the rabbit’s head.

  "Nah, she loves me. Just no one else." The rabbit was shaking in her owner’s arms, her whiskers going fifty miles an hour as she sniffed this new scent. "So, what do you and Bunsen have planned for today?" I shrugged as I continued to pet Oreo’s head and ears.

  "Well, I have to teach my class at nine. I imagine we’ll leave soon so I can get us home, and I can get changed."

  Haley glanced at her alarm clock. "Andi, it’s only seven-thirty."

  "Yeah, but it took us a while to walk here."

  "Oh, hell. I can drive you."

  "No, that’s okay. I don’t want to be anymore of a nuisance than I already have been." I kissed the top of Oreo’s head, taking his ears in my fingers, running them through, amused as the ears flopped back into place.

  "Nonsense. Besides, I think I’ll go to class with you, if you don’t mind." I looked up at her, brows drawn.

  "Don’t you still go to Wednesday’s classes?"

  "Sure. But I’ve been too busy this week to do any workouts here. So, I’ll do them there while you teach." I smiled.

  "Works for me."

  My head turned as I heard my baby’s barking downstairs, shrill and scared.

  "Uh oh. Someone woke up." Haley grinned at me. I quickly put Oreo back into his cage, and hurried downstairs. Bunsen sat in the middle of the living room, looking around desperately for me. When he heard the noise of me plowing down the stairs, he stood, tail going nuts, his barking turning to whimpers and snorts.

  "Hey, big fella. Did you get scared?" I picked him up, and brought him up so we could look eye to eye. He pushed forward, trying to lick my nose, but only managed to lick his own. I kissed his forehead, and turned to see Haley making her way down the stairs, the ends of her robe flapping behind her, showing bits of long, tanned leg as she took each step. At one point I could see all the way up to her knee.

  Tearing my eyes away, I turned my attention back to my dog.

  "Is he okay?" I nodded.

  "Yeah. He’s fine. Just didn’t know where either he or I were." Haley headed into the kitchen.

  "Coffee’s ready."

  I put the Pug down, and headed into the kitchen, the smell coffee filling the air. Bunsen followed, his nails clicking on the tile.

  "How do you like it?" Haley handed me a mug.

  "Thanks. Sugar." She opened a cabinet door, taking out a small dish with a lid, and a silver handle sticking out of a hole to the side of the life. I took the lid off to find a tiny spoon inside. I lifted it out, and brought it up to my eyes. "How cute is this?" Haley looked at me like I was nuts.

  "You’ve never seen a sugar spoon before?" I shook my head. She shook her head, smiling as she sipped her black coffee. I put in my usual amount of sugar that would make a fly happy for months, and sipped, letting the warm fluid wash through me.

  "Good stuff." Haley walked toward the small round butcher-block table, and I joined here. There my wallet and keys laid. Haley looked down at them.

  "Oh, what have we here?" She grinned, her eyes filled with mischief as she picked up my wallet. She looked at me for a moment, I guess seeing if I’d mind. For just a moment my dander was raised, feeling as though my privacy were about to be invaded, but then it all went away, and suddenly, though nervous, I didn’t mind so much. For the most part.

  "Having fun?" I asked, sitting back in the chair, drinking my coffee. She nodded vigorously, taking my credit cards out, setting them aside, and continued to look through all the pockets, as well as at my checks that had their very own little compartment on the side.

  "Andi, tell me you don’t have checks with beakers on them?" She eyed me, showing me her find. I grinned sheepishly. She shook her head, and continued to look.

  Yip, yip, yip!

  With a sigh, I stood, seeing what was Bunsen’s problem. He stood on his hind legs at the window, barking at some kids riding by on their bikes.

  "What’s up with that, little dude? You’ve seen kids before." I picked him up and headed into the kitchen. "You know, I was thinking."

  "You weren’t?" Haley grinned.

  "I was. Maybe we can hit the dojang early, then we can get some good sparring in." Haley’s face lit up.

  "You’re so on. I still need to pay you back from last time." She began to quickly put everything back in my wallet. "Let me grab a quick shower, and we’re off."

  * * *

  The days flew by, Haley and I together so often, our friendship growing stronger day by day. It felt like the early days when were young and carefree. Well, mostly. Oh, to go back to those days. Everything had seemed so intense then, worrying about getting into college, and the Biology test next week, and what sort of stupid comments I’d hear from some popular asshole at school.

  A lifetime ago it seemed, now. None of that mattered anymore, all of it gone. Well, almost all of it. I had a very huge reminder, but I didn’t mind so much.

  After I had had that dream of what had happened between Haley and I earlier in the summer, I had thought about it often, wondering what would have happened had we both not freaked out, and if we would have had the maturity to
deal with it. Would it have mattered? Haley headed off to college not long after, anyway. Would she just have gone off to school, met other people, older, more sophisticated people, and forgotten about me? I like to think that wouldn’t have been the case, but when you’re young, you see the world through such different eyes.

  Things were different now. I was different now. So was she. Her days of experimentation long over with, and my days of confusion long over with. Or were they?

  I found myself thinking about Haley all too often these days, sitting on my back porch, watching the squirrels run up and down the huge tree I had back there, Bunsen barking up a storm, and I, staring off into space. No, not into space, into the past. Into my memories, stealing from them to feed my present.

  What was I doing? Who the hell was I kidding? Certainly not me; that was the problem with being so damn logical.

  The sky was gray as I headed to work in early September. A lot of rain was expected today, and none too soon. It had been unseasonably dry over the last few months, and I was excited to see the moisture come. I hated all this dry crap. I felt sorry for the folks in the west with their droughts and wildfires all summer.

  There was a bit of a pep to my step as I headed toward the lab. Today was an interesting milestone for me, though it was kept top-secret quiet. Only me and the woman who bore me knew about it.

  "Good morning, Dr. Littman." Samantha Torres smiled as I walked in.

  "Hey there. How goes it?" I smiled back, feeling rather swell today.

  "Great. You?"

  "Can’t complain. Well, I could, but to what end?" My colleague stared at me as through I’d grown an extra nose. "What?"

  "Nothing. You’re just in rare form today. I wondered if you’d run over a small child on the way in." I pretended to laugh, my hand on my stomach.

  "Oh, Sam, you’re killing me! You are so in the wrong profession. Paula Poundstone, watch out." She chuckled, waving me off as she turned back to her work. I chuckled all the way into my office.

  Yeah, it was a good day.