Page 32 of Oh Boy!
Nathan
Anagging sound rips me from my comatose state, stopping my fantasy in its tracks. One where Sally and I are still an item. I swallow painfully. Not sure what we are now. My mouth is drier than the Sahara.
We’re on a break, right?
The Ross Geller reference isn’t lost on me when I pry my sore eyes open, registering that I’m fully-clothed on the plush sofa of my Paris hotel. Blinking, my stinging eyes adjust to the brightness of my surroundings. Eventually, I remember crashing after a late lunch with Kitty Lefèvre and her fancy friends turned into an all-night affair.
Although they’re at least five years older than me, they’ve been partying into the wee hours of the morning and ready for the conferences with barely any sleep! Thankfully, the two-week-long event doesn’t require my presence every day; artists take turns exhibiting their work according to established themes.
Truth be told, I didn’t anticipate the madness surrounding the event or how wild Kitty’s life could be when I first met her at the scriptorium in Toulouse back when I visited France with the ridiculous hope of being reunited with Fanny. After our brief encounter when I was a preteen vacationing in the South of France with my parents, I couldn’t forget about her and became slightly obsessed. For years, we dreamt about each other, spurring our reunion over a decade later. Anticipation led to disappointment when faced with reality, and we drifted apart within months. Holding on to my insane belief that she was my soulmate, I created a relationship out of a fantasy. In the end, she wasn’t equipped to watch me struggle with my demons. I love being a workaholic, but it comes with strings attached. Creativity is a powerful, demanding, and engrossing drug. I guess she couldn’t deal with my all-consuming art. I couldn’t blame her, and we agreed to remain friends, which didn’t last either. Yeah, I wasn’t lying when I told Sally that I suck at friendships. Apparently, I suck at “boyfriendship,” too. So I went back to the self-destructive habits that have always been my crutch when confronted with an unpleasant reality.
My business trip to the City of Lights kept me from dwelling on the Sally debacle; for the time being, I was working and partying—both to excess. I’ll have plenty of time to overthink where things went wrong on tomorrow’s flight back home… that is, if I’m able to stand and walk again. For now, I’m a spineless moron who let his woman slip through his fingers because… I’m not sure why exactly. The flood of texts that I sent the first week went unanswered, so she probably blocked me, rendering calling useless. Fuck!
My phone beeps. Sprawled on the sofa, I growl in annoyance but extend my arm to grab it. Pressing the button to answer the call, I’m ready to yell at the intruder. Only the telltale accent on the other side of the line stops me; the next best person after Sally, considering the situation.
“Hey, mate. It’s been a while. I should have rung you up sooner. I’m in New York, so I thought we could grab a bite or something. Sorry it’s a bit early, by the way. What do you say?”
“Hey, Rupert, I’m still in Paris. Let’s have a drink on Tuesday.”
“Oh, right! Paris… I should have thought this through.” My British friend chuckles. “I won’t be around that long. Sorry!”
“No need to be sorry, Mister Guitar Hero! Glad the band’s doing well.”
“Thanks, mate.” I explain that I woke up from a nap, grateful that he doesn’t comment on the gravel in my voice that’s a dead giveaway to my nocturnal activities. He lets out a dramatic sigh. “All right, then. I’ll say my piece over the phone... Here goes…” He clears his throat. “Look, I don’t really know you, but I like you. I’ve always thought that you were a decent bloke, but my loyalty is to Sally. I need to know what went on between you two. I felt like you cared for her… Last time I talked to her, her lips were sealed. She just said that you weren’t on speaking terms any longer.”
“Yeah, that pretty much sums it up. Listen, man, I do care about her. From the moment we met, something about her spoke to me… and I’m not talking about her perfect rack.” Oops, I probably shouldn’t have said that; thankfully, Rupert’s a good sport and chuckles. “Man, she rattled some of my deeply rooted beliefs. She didn’t buy my act ,and I found her guarded ways so damn cute. It all went so fast… In a matter of months, she grounded me, you know? Her… hardship that she never disclosed somehow resonated with me. Of course, her departure to Australia crushed me, but it’s important to her. All I wanted was to make this long-distance thing work and encourage her to fully embrace this opportunity. She didn’t give me enough time.” I swallow the memory. “Things went downhill within seconds for no valid reason...”
“Mate, just tell me what you told her. Something must have happened for her to hold a grudge this big.”
Straightening up before I comply, I swipe a bottle of water from the coffee table and reluctantly unload the details of the dreadful evening in question.
“Bloody hell!”
A bead of sweat trickles down my neck as I pace the room. “What did I say now?”
“It’s not my story to tell, Nathan, but you managed to cram all of Sally’s triggers into a short conversation. You totally stirred up memories of the arsehole who betrayed the trust she had put in him to sort out her shit.” He starts counting. “One: ‘You misunderstood’ washisexcuse when he ended it, claiming they’d always been casual. Two: ‘Don’t be like that…’ Boy,heenjoyed telling her what she should be feeling. Three: ‘Kitty…’ That’s whatheused to call her, kitty cat. Maybe it wouldn’t matter that much if she wasn’t that into you… But she is… It kind of takes a genius to fuck up this badly, mate!” He cracks up in a fit of incredulous laughter.
I can’t join him; at once, Sally’s reaction to my niece’s furball rushes to the forefront. And so does her body language when I joked about spiking her drink months ago. Bile fills my mouth when the puzzle falls into place, and my stomach twists at the realization of Sally’s potential trauma. My question is merely a whisper. “Has Sally been raped?” My pulse races as I bite my lips, having the hardest time tamping down my rising anger.
“I can’t—”
“Don’t leave me high and dry, Rupert!” I hiss between clenched teeth. “Of course, it’s her story to tell, butyoucalled me.” My warning is clear.
“Fine…” He lets out a strangled sigh. “No rape as far as I’m aware. The psychological damage runs deep, though… So deep… She’s better now, and I wrongly believed that she’d healed at last. I think your words caused her emotional distress.”
I cut the conversation short when breathing begins to ache. I punch a pillow and process the news; this can’t end like this. I won’t allow it. It seems that Sally and I have gone full circle. It started with a fight for dominance at the dojo. Now, I have to fight again.
For her.
