Page 9 of Falling in Love with Two

I sip my Jack and Coke. “You beg me to come out so that we can have fun and let loose, yet all night long, you’ve been acting weird. It’s like you have something to say, but you can’t spit it out. Let’s quit beating around the bush.”

She taps her finger on the table, searching for the right words.

I exclaim, “Oh, my gosh! Are you firing me?”

“No, of course not. But I did get some bad news about my mom.”

Amy’s mom has been in a nursing home for a while now with a myriad of health issues.

“Shit, Amy. What happened?”

“Health-wise, she’s about the same. But her insurance isn’t going to cover the cost of her nursing home anymore. It’s a long story, and I won’t bore you with all the details, but after going through all my options, the only choice I have is to move her in with me.”

The reason for her apprehension becomes very apparent. “And you’re going to need room for her, which means I can’t keep crashing on your couch.”

“Yeah,” she replies with sympathy written all over her face.

It all makes sense now. She thought I’d be mad at her for telling me I had to go somewhere else. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Amy and I worked together at a big tattoo parlor in Portland and became best friends. After she moved here to Kensington to open her own place, I found myself in a bad situation with no way out. When I called Amy to vent, she offered me a job and a place to stay. No questions asked. She gave me the fresh start that I needed.

I’ll never be able to repay her for everything she’s done for me.

So, no, I’m not upset that she can’t continue to be my crutch forever.

Fear is written all over her face as she waits for my response.

“Amy,” I begin. “It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not!” She cries. “I feel horrible! I know that this was supposed to be your new start. I don’t want to push you back into any of the bad situations you were in before.”

I hold up my hand to stop her because I know Amy, and she’ll ramble all damn night.

“Woman, you have to take a breath. I am so appreciative of everything you’ve done for me. I’m not going to be mad at you for needing to take care of your sick mom. I totally get it. And it’s about time I get my own place anyway.”

“I just feel like such an asshole.”

“Don’t. I’m almost thirty. It’s time.” I take another sip of my drink. “How long before I need to be out?”

“Probably in about a month or so. I still have some things I need to work out—finding a nurse for her and all that.”

“A month? No problem.”

I say the words with all the confidence in the world, but I know the actual act won’t be that easy. Due to my stupid decisions in my past, I have shit credit. And because of my irresponsible tendencies, I don’t have a ton of savings.

But I’m not going to say any of that to Amy. She feels bad enough without me piling it on.

“I really am sorry,” she says. “If I had my way, you and I would stay roommates. It’s so much more fun that way.”

“I agree,” I reply with a smile.

My mind races with all the things I’m going to have to do in the coming days. There are a million things to figure out.

But tonight, I don’t want to worry about any of it. I just want to have a good time with my best friend.

I want to forget about all the stress. Although from this point forward, I should probably be worried about my spending habits, but that will also be something for tomorrow’s Leah to handle.

Tonight, I want to drink to dull the pain and forget all the bullshit.

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