Page 78 of Thanks for the Friendship
Cal cringes while Mrs. Sims giggles nervously.
“It’s nice to see you both,” I say, ignoring his father’s comment.
Mrs. Sims comments on how much she loves my outfit and how pretty my hair looks.
I soak up all the compliments and tell her how the house looks and smells the same.
She links her arm in mine and leads me to the living room to show me pictures of her granddaughter. Cal follows us without saying anything.
“Where are you kids off to?” Cal’s dad asks, joining us in the living room. “You have plenty of gas in your car, right?”
He lets out the same jovial laugh he used to have.
Cal frowns again, while I burst out laughing.
“Oh, my goodness, I totally forgot about that night you ran out of gas.”
He puts his hands on top of his forehead. “Yeah, and I had to call my dad to help us, which was so humiliating. No eighteen-year-old wants to call his dad when he’s trying to impress the girl of his dreams.”
A hush falls over the room.
“You know what I mean,” Cal says quickly.
“Poor Cal was so embarrassed about it,” his mother chimes in.
“To this day, I don’t let my car get below a half a tank.”
“It was a good lesson to learn,” his dad says.
“So, are you just going to dinner or anywhere fun?” Mrs. Sims asks.
I look at Cal. “He hasn’t told me yet.”
“I have some stuff planned.”
Cal’s parents invite me to sit down and ask me all the questions about what I’ve been doing since high school. They were always easy to talk to, and this hasn’t changed now that I’m an adult.
“I moved back to my parents’ house with a few friends almost a year ago because I wasn’t ready for them to sell it,” I say. “Unfortunately, I was just prolonging the inevitable, and it’s about to go on the market.”
Mrs. Sims nods. I’m sure she remembers the big discussion about it at Diane’s birthday party when Sara was trying to convince Cal to buy it for them.
Mrs. Sims sends Cal to the kitchen to get us some drinks. As soon as he’s out of the room, she leans in close to me. “He’s been talking about this evening for a week.”
My pulse begins to pick up speed.
“Louise, don’t give away his secrets,” Cal’s father scolds.
She waves her hand at her husband. “Oh, hush. I didn’t say anything.”
She turns back to me. “Anyway, I think it’s great that you too are reconnecting. Did you know that Cal’s father and I were high school sweethearts?”
“Louise.”
“Mom, what are you saying?” Cal asks, returning with a few water bottles.
“I’m just chatting with Lila. Calm down.”
I change the subject quickly and ask them about retirement life. Before I know it, Mrs. Sims has invited me to join her for Zumba. As much as I adore her, it would be a cold day in hell before I step foot in a Zumba class.
