Page 56 of Hope and Other Lost Things

Her nerves settled in her toes as her chest flushed red with anxiety. Instead of knocking, she dropped her hand back to her side. She turned back towards her office as she rubbed the bridge of her nose with her exhausted arm. She had a meeting to get to.

***

With the paperwork and last-minute organization for the field trip in full swing, Julia forgoed all plans for the weekend. Instead of getting ready for Sunday girl’s night, it was 8 p.m. on Saturday and she sat on the floor in her living room–her legs crossed beneath her on the fuzzy rug. Her white sweatpants and oversized t-shirt, one she probably should have tossed in the garbage decades ago, hung off her like a sheet. Her blonde hair was thrown in a messy bun that rested on the back of her neck, little spiral wisps framing her face.

Her coffee table was pressed against the wall all afternoon, making room for the folders she organized on the floor for all of the teachers. Her glass of wine sat on a marble coaster where the rug met dark stained wood. ’80’s music played in the background from the stereo, echoing off still bare walls. Julia subtly nodded her head with the beat as she counted how many folders she still had to make. Each needed a copy of their schedule, student attendance, tickets, and emergency contacts.

Her phone buzzed against the floor, rattling the side of the coaster. She picked it up, a bright pink pile of papers still in her hand for distribution. Her insides turned to jelly. Erin.

Erin - 8:12 p.m.

You up?

Julia - 8:12 p.m.

Always.

Erin - 8:12 p.m.

Can I give you a call?

Without even thinking, Julia sat smiling ear to ear as she clicked on Erin’s contact and pressed the dial button. It rang twice before Erin’s unsteady voice came alive from the other side. That might have been a little too fast of a reaction.

“Hi,” Erin hesitated.

“Hi.”

“That was quick.”

“I figured by the time I responded back saying yes, and then you getting that message and having to call me, I could just call you and get it done.”

“I’m sorry to bother you so late–”

“Stop that.” Julia’s voice was a weak attempt at sounding serious as she held in a sigh. It was so hard keeping Erin at such a distance, so hard allowing her to think she was doing something wrong. “Are you okay? I was worried about you earlier.”

“Yeah,” her voice hummed from the other side, but Julia didn’t believe her. “Wait,” Erin paused and Julia could almost picture how she was tilting her head even across the phone, “did you just say you called me first to get this over faster?”

They both laughed. Julia slid back on the rug, inching closer to the couch to lean against it.

“Exactly,” she said, amusement lacing her voice. She was so thankful Erin couldn’t see the way she lit up. At least she could smile at that voice wrapped in the safety of the airways between them.

“Well, at least now I know.” Julia could almost hear a smile in her airy tone. “I was thinking about the trip tomorrow and then I realized the last time I took one, I was in 6th grade and we went to the beach down the road and I was obviously the student and not a chaperone. So, I have no idea what I’m doing!”

“You’ll be with me, so you have nothing to worry about,” replied Julia. “Really all it is is a bunch of counting student heads every five minutes. We make sure we’re arriving on time, and at the right place. That’s about it.”

“That and being responsible for over a dozen teenagers in a dangerous city!”

“If you ignore the catcalls and people trying to sell you pictures next to drag queens, you’ll be fine,” Julia chuckled.

Erin gasped playfully, “You didn’t tell me there would be drag queens.”

“I guess I should have led with that. We probably would have had more volunteers.”

“Or less, depending on how you look at it.” It was so easy to fall into that teasing banter, that all–too-familiarness. “What time are you getting to school Monday morning?”

“The bus leaves at five in the morning, so I will probably be there around four to coordinate with transportation.”

“I’ll try to get there early too. That way you have an extra hand,” she paused unsurely, “only if you want.”

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