Joy Argento - Carrie and Hope by Joy Argento Page B

got home from the visiting my grandmother and I want to change my clothes.” She led the way to the living room. “Sit, make yourself comfortable, and I will be right back.”
    Hope sat down without taking off her coat. “You must be hungry,” she called to Carrie.
    “A little bit,” Carrie yelled back from her bedroom. She emerged a few minutes later wearing a pair of butt-hugging dark denim jeans and a long- sleeved dark blue tee shirt. She looked at Hope. “You didn’t even take your coat off. Aren’t you getting too warm sitting there?”
    “Umm, I’m a little embarrassed about the shirt I’m wearing,” Hope said.
    Carrie smiled. “What do you mean you’re embarrassed about your shirt?” Is it really low cut or something?”
    “No, it’s just really ugly?”
    “Why are you wearing an ugly shirt?”
    “It’s our team bowling shirt. I can’t believe they are making us wear these.”
    “Well, seeing you are bowling on your league tonight for the first time, I think that wearing the team shirt is only right. Let me see it,” Carrie tried not to laugh at the strange look on Hope’s face.
    “I’m not sure I want anyone to see it,” Hope said.
    “I’m not just anyone. Are you planning on bowling with your coat on all night?”
    “Maybe,” Hope said. She stood up. “Are you ready to go?”
    “We can go right after you show me the shirt. Come on. Let’s see it. It can’t be that bad.”
    “The only thing that will be more embarrassing than my bowling tonight is going to be this shirt,” Hope said.
    Carrie took two steps towards Hope. She unbuttoned the top two buttons on Hope’s coat. She stopped suddenly. The move felt much too intimate and personal. She felt flush being so close to Hope. “Sorry,” she stammered, unsure of what else to say.
    “It’s all right,” Hope reassured her. She unbuttoned the rest of her coat and pulled it open, revealing a shocking orange bowling shirt with her name embroidered above the pocket on the left side.
    “Wow,” Carrie said, doing her best not to laugh. “It sure is bright.” She took another step backwards to get a better look. “It brings out the brown in your eyes.”
    “Yeah, thanks,” Hope smiled. “I think I’ll wear this color more often. I am always looking for clothes that bring out the color of my eyes. The back is even worse. But, you’re going to have to wait until we get there to see it, because we have to go, so we aren’t late.”
    “I’m ready,” Carrie said. She grabbed her coat from the rack as they headed out the door.
    “I’ll buy you a hotdog and beer for dinner, while you watch me make a fool of myself bowling,” Hope told Carrie as they walked to the car.
    “Deal,” Carrie answered her. “But you aren’t going to make a fool of yourself bowling. You have improved so much since we started practicing. You are going to do fine.”
    Hope started the car and looked over at Carrie. “I’m really nervous about this,” she admitted. “I am so glad you are going with me.”
    “Any time.” Carrie looked at Hope and saw her smile. She reached across and touched Hope’s shoulder. “You are going to be just fine. Honest.”
    “Thank you,” Hope said. “For everything.”
    Fifteen minutes later the two women walked into the bowling alley. The rest of Hope’s team was already there. Carrie thought Hope actually looked very cute in her bowling shirt, at least compared to the rest of the team. All five team members wore the same ugly orange shirts with the words JENSON DENTISTRY with a large white tooth embroidered on the back.
    Hope carried a small canvas bag containing her new bowling shoes. She sat to put them on and wiggled her toes in them as she tied the laces. She felt much more comfortable in them than she did in the rented shoes. They looked and felt more like sneakers than shoes.
    As promised, Hope bought Carrie a hot dog and beer. It took only a few minutes for Carrie to inhale the food. She sat next