knew.
“David! Hey, how are you?” She addressed the taller of the two. He looked a little like Charles, blond and broad, but his hair was cropped very short, rather than in dreadlocks like Charles’ was.
“I thought that was you.” He reached over and gave Carolyn a hug. “It’s been such a long time! How have you been, babe?”
“I’ve been good. How about you?” She smiled up at him. I hadn’t seen Carolyn smile like that since college, when we used to go to keg parties together. It was her “come get me” smile.
“Oh, I’m hanging in there.” His friend standing next to him cleared his throat. “Oh, sorry Max. Uh, Max, this is Carolyn. She and I were in a play together at the Guthrie.”
“Nice to meet you,” he said to her. He turned to me, but before I could introduce myself, Carolyn broke in. “And this is my friend Faith. She and I went to college together, and she moved down here a few weeks ago.”
They both smiled, muttered things like “cool!” or “great!” and nodded their heads. For an uncomfortable moment nobody said anything, but then Carolyn relented.
“Would the two of you like to join us?”
“Sure!” said David. “Hey, what are you two drinking?”
“Vodka tonic, light on the tonic.” said Carolyn.
“Miller Light.” I said.
David reached into his pocket, and handed Max a twenty. “Why don’t you go buy these ladies another round?”
Max smiled and said sure, and walked to the bar as David sat down next to Carolyn. I wondered why David couldn’t get the drinks himself, but it soon became clear he was wasting no time in getting close to Carolyn. He already had his arm around her. Carolyn, who had finished her second drink, relaxed into his embrace.
“So, tell me really, how have you been?” He leaned in and spoke to her as if they were the only two people in the room.
“I’ve been kind of restless,” said Carolyn. “How have you been?”
He ignored her question. “Restless? Why have you been restless? I thought you were the girl who had it all.”
She laughed, and sucked on an ice cube from the bottom of her drink. “No. I am not that girl. I am the girl who has it all, but wants more.”
“Well hey, there’s nothing wrong with that.” He inched even closer to her than he already was. “You know, I always thought you were too good for this place. Have you ever thought about hitting New York or Los Angeles ? See how you do there?”
She squealed like a call-in prizewinner on a radio morning show. “Oh my God! I can’t believe you asked me that! Because I’ve been thinking about it, really seriously.”
I tried to interrupt. “Carolyn, you’ve been thinking about it seriously? I thought it was just something that you were considering.”
She waved her hand as if to dismiss me. “You know what I mean. Same thing.” Her attention turned back to David. “So, you think that I ought to go for it, then?”
“Yeah!” he said. “I mean, I am. I’m leaving for New York in a month. Hey, I know! You ought to come out there and stay with me. That way you can check it out. What do you think?”
“Sure! That would be great!”
“Carolyn!” I nearly shouted, “Don’t you think you ought to talk to your boyfriend, Charles, about this? You know, the one who wants to marry you?”
Her eyes squinted and reprimanded me before her words dug in. “Actually, Faith, I think I’m an adult, and can handle my own life. Thanks though.”
Max came back with the drinks. He handed them to us, and sat down next to me.
“So,” he asked, “what did I miss?”
Nobody answered him. Instead, David leaned over and whispered something in Carolyn’s ear, and they both started to laugh. She then whispered something in his ear, and they both laughed again. Max and I looked at each other, as if to concede how unpleasant the situation had become. As Carolyn and David continued their own private little conversation, Max addressed me.
“So, you just moved
“David! Hey, how are you?” She addressed the taller of the two. He looked a little like Charles, blond and broad, but his hair was cropped very short, rather than in dreadlocks like Charles’ was.
“I thought that was you.” He reached over and gave Carolyn a hug. “It’s been such a long time! How have you been, babe?”
“I’ve been good. How about you?” She smiled up at him. I hadn’t seen Carolyn smile like that since college, when we used to go to keg parties together. It was her “come get me” smile.
“Oh, I’m hanging in there.” His friend standing next to him cleared his throat. “Oh, sorry Max. Uh, Max, this is Carolyn. She and I were in a play together at the Guthrie.”
“Nice to meet you,” he said to her. He turned to me, but before I could introduce myself, Carolyn broke in. “And this is my friend Faith. She and I went to college together, and she moved down here a few weeks ago.”
They both smiled, muttered things like “cool!” or “great!” and nodded their heads. For an uncomfortable moment nobody said anything, but then Carolyn relented.
“Would the two of you like to join us?”
“Sure!” said David. “Hey, what are you two drinking?”
“Vodka tonic, light on the tonic.” said Carolyn.
“Miller Light.” I said.
David reached into his pocket, and handed Max a twenty. “Why don’t you go buy these ladies another round?”
Max smiled and said sure, and walked to the bar as David sat down next to Carolyn. I wondered why David couldn’t get the drinks himself, but it soon became clear he was wasting no time in getting close to Carolyn. He already had his arm around her. Carolyn, who had finished her second drink, relaxed into his embrace.
“So, tell me really, how have you been?” He leaned in and spoke to her as if they were the only two people in the room.
“I’ve been kind of restless,” said Carolyn. “How have you been?”
He ignored her question. “Restless? Why have you been restless? I thought you were the girl who had it all.”
She laughed, and sucked on an ice cube from the bottom of her drink. “No. I am not that girl. I am the girl who has it all, but wants more.”
“Well hey, there’s nothing wrong with that.” He inched even closer to her than he already was. “You know, I always thought you were too good for this place. Have you ever thought about hitting New York or Los Angeles ? See how you do there?”
She squealed like a call-in prizewinner on a radio morning show. “Oh my God! I can’t believe you asked me that! Because I’ve been thinking about it, really seriously.”
I tried to interrupt. “Carolyn, you’ve been thinking about it seriously? I thought it was just something that you were considering.”
She waved her hand as if to dismiss me. “You know what I mean. Same thing.” Her attention turned back to David. “So, you think that I ought to go for it, then?”
“Yeah!” he said. “I mean, I am. I’m leaving for New York in a month. Hey, I know! You ought to come out there and stay with me. That way you can check it out. What do you think?”
“Sure! That would be great!”
“Carolyn!” I nearly shouted, “Don’t you think you ought to talk to your boyfriend, Charles, about this? You know, the one who wants to marry you?”
Her eyes squinted and reprimanded me before her words dug in. “Actually, Faith, I think I’m an adult, and can handle my own life. Thanks though.”
Max came back with the drinks. He handed them to us, and sat down next to me.
“So,” he asked, “what did I miss?”
Nobody answered him. Instead, David leaned over and whispered something in Carolyn’s ear, and they both started to laugh. She then whispered something in his ear, and they both laughed again. Max and I looked at each other, as if to concede how unpleasant the situation had become. As Carolyn and David continued their own private little conversation, Max addressed me.
“So, you just moved
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