Chapter Four
2995 Words
Chapter Four
“Sure, what is it?” asked Eliza.
“Well,” Melissa stalled, “I hope this is ok, but I kind of told the guy from last night, Theo, that we’d go on a double date with him tonight.”
“We?”
“Yeah, I mean me, you and Andrew.”
There was a pause.
“Well, I guess we don’t have a choice now, because you already said we’d go!” Eliza replied, unable to hide her frustration. When did Melissa speak to Theo? I didn’t even realize they’d exchanged numbers!
“Melissa, I don’t mind going out with you guys, but you know Andrew, he’s a man of routine. Plus, he has to get up really early tomorrow morning. I doubt he’ll be able to stay out late.”
Melissa seemed to perk up. “That’s totally fine, just ask him to come out for a couple of drinks, that’s all!”
“Ok, I’ll call you back.”
Eliza hung up, slouched back on her couch and sighed. She knew Andrew wouldn’t like this, and she was certainly not thrilled. Why couldn’t Melissa have just asked before making plans? Despite her reservations, she still wanted to be a good friend, and Eliza would prefer to tag along rather than let Melissa go off alone with this strange man. Not that she still thought that he’d tried to d**g her, but perhaps her suspicions were justified by the fact that strangers were simply rare in their town, and it was therefore simply harder to trust them.
Andrew reluctantly agreed to come along, on the condition that he could leave as early as eight. Eliza sent him text-message appreciation kisses and assured him that he was free to go as soon as he wanted, as long as he just showed his face at the restaurant.
>>
Eliza drove up to the restaurant and met Andrew in the parking lot. They shared a kiss and a cigarette, which Eliza enjoyed even though she didn’t consider herself to be a smoker. Andrew used to not be one either, but ever since he’d gotten his own office, it had seemed as if he was running a one-man cigar club. Apparently, part of the Millstone Firearms image involved being a “manly man”, and Andrew had to project that image while meeting with clients. Despite the macho talk, Eliza knew that smoking was less of a pleasure than a weakness. She usually hated smelling smoke on her boyfriend when he came home from work, but today was an exception. After smelling cow dung all day at the livestock fair, Eliza felt that she could use the cigarette.
Eliza and Andrew were a few minutes late, however, Eliza couldn’t spot Melissa’s car in the parking lot either. They were the first of their party to arrive. Andrew went ahead and ordered food, since he knew that he would have to dash off before the rest. About fifteen minutes later, Melissa arrived, looking beautiful but flustered, and possibly a little tipsy.
“Hey, sorry I’m late. Is he here?”
“Nope, so I guess that makes two of you!” Eliza replied, trying to lighten the mood. She knew that Melissa would be concerned about Theo’s tardiness. In order to distract her friend from pondering the possibility that she was stood up by her date, she decided to appeal to her baser instincts. “Drinks?”
“Sounds good to me.”
Melissa sat down, looking slightly more upbeat after Eliza’s proposition. However, she had a look of worry in her eyes that made Eliza question her friend’s state of mind.
“Hey, is everything ok with you?”
“Yes,” Melissa responded, staring up into space for a second. “Well, actually no,” she hesitated. “It’s all ok now, but I had to go see my mom, and it was a little so-so with her, but I think she’s calmed down a bit. But I was worried I’d be late, and you two would be stuck here with my date all this time, but as it turns out that didn’t happen so I’m pretty glad!”
“What happened with your mother?” Andrew asked gently.
Melissa looked thoughtful again. “It turned out that nothing had really happened, but she called me earlier today and there was something about the way she sounded that scared the daylights out of me. I’m not sure what was on my mind, maybe I just got paranoid over nothing. I drove over and got stuck in traffic, so I called her from the car and she wasn’t picking up. So I called one of the nurses and she went to check on her, and assured me that everything was fine. I finally arrived at the hospital to find that she was fine, indeed.”
“So she wasn’t sick or anything? It was just a false alarm?” Eliza inquired.
“Not exactly. She wasn’t sick or feeling ill physically, but she began spewing some nonsense. It wasn’t anything malicious but... I don’t know how to explain it, it upset me a little.”
“What did she say?” Eliza inquired as she fidgeted nervously with her straw.
“She... uh, well, it’s stupid.” Melissa blinked her eyes rapidly to prevent herself from tearing up. “She started yapping about how I was about to make a big mistake, and she had a dream, and she didn’t tell me what happened in the dream but she just flat-out told me that I should cancel all my plans tonight and lock myself in the house. She told me that something bad was going to happen to me, but didn’t tell me why or when.”
“What did you say?”
“What could I say? This was utter nonsense, even for my mother. This ‘something bad is going to happen’ thing is just a way for her to say ‘I don’t trust you with making your own life decisions,’ and it’s infuriating! I’m a grown woman, and the only reason that I’m still in this dingy hole of a town is because of her.”
Melissa took a breath and it appeared as if a demon left her body. Her eyes flittered from rage to compassion, and she looked up at Andrew and Eliza apologetically.
“s**t, guys, I’m sorry, I didn’t really mean that. There’s nothing wrong with this town, it’s me that’s all wrong. It’s just that too much has happened here already that I feel the need to move on with my life, but I can’t. And when I began thinking that I’d screwed up my chances for meeting a new man, then bang, I suddenly meet a hot stranger at the bar the other day. Just like that! And then my mother almost screws it up for me by making me drive to her loony bin... I mean her care hospital, and almost making me miss the date. Speaking of which, what is taking him so long?”
Just as she uttered those words, Eliza noticed a perfectly shaped figure walking through the door.
“Speak of the devil,” she said.
>>
Theo walked over with a smile on his face, but his eyes were looking tired. Even though he looked devastatingly handsome, there was still something about his appearance that suggested he hadn’t slept that night.
Melissa turned to her date and smiled with genuine gratitude. Eliza realized how much she must appreciate his company right now.
Eliza had met Naomi, Melissa’s mother, sixteen years ago, when Naomi had been at her peak, both in beauty and in charm. However, due to a decline in her mental state, Naomi hadn’t spoken to any of her former friends or family members in the past ten years. In actuality, Melissa and Eliza’s families were intertwined, since Eliza’s father was Naomi’s cousin. However, the girls had met at school and had been completely unaware of their familial relation until they were surprised by this information at a mutual aunt’s wedding ceremony.
The saddest thing about Naomi’s mental health issues was the lack of support that she received from her community. Throughout her life, she had never had that many people on her side. The curse of good looks seemed to be prevalent in their family, since just like Eliza’s father, Naomi had been scorned by many citizens of Birkbridge as a result of her attractiveness. To make matters worse, Naomi was a single mother, who had never been married, which spurred malicious rumors about the nature of her profession and private life. Many believed that a desperate woman would go through many lengths just to support the wellbeing of her only child.
Many of the hateful, jealous people who took pleasure in shunning Naomi from the social circles of Birkbridge had made accusations that she was ‘unhinged’, ‘godless’ and ‘crazy’. Due to the irony of fate, or perhaps thanks to the destructive powers of psychological bullying, things had taken a turn for the worse and Naomi ended up in a mental care unit.
Public opinion about the woman had recently changed from scorn to pity. Finally, the citizens of Birkbridge had begun to feel guilty about the way they treated her, since they were confronted with the plight of Naomi’s daughter. Melissa was a very outgoing member of the community, which possibly resulted from her eagerness to please people to avoid ending up like her mother. It was no secret that Melissa had been the only person to help her mother during the darkest of times while the latter descended into madness. Prior to her final retreat to the mental hospital, Naomi had been the talk of the town on several occasions.
The first incident occurred when a jewelry store clerk arrived at six in the morning to open up the store for business, and had found Naomi lying there, asleep on the floor. After a thorough investigation, the police declared that nothing had been stolen or moved, and after a few hours of interrogation at the police station, Naomi was set free.
There was another time, when she was found stumbling out of an abandoned building. This happened a couple more times, in equally bizarre locations and under similarly odd circumstances. And every single time, the story was the same. She didn’t remember why she was there or how she had gotten there, and no evidence was present to support claims of ‘breaking and entering’, since there was no damage to the property. During this time, the p**********n rumors were even more rampant. However, after a while, people began to show some genuine concern at last. It was almost as if they had wanted Naomi to be crazy all along, and now that she was, they were suddenly able to accept her.
Nowadays, the only information that Eliza ever received about her second aunt was through Melissa, and Melissa didn’t really like to talk about her mother. Of course, Eliza made sure to never push her friend beyond her comfort zone in regards to this delicate issue, but she nevertheless made sure to inquire about her wellbeing from time to time.
For the past year, there seemed to have been very little wrong with Naomi, and Melissa had begun to fear that social isolation was actually preventing her recovery. The nurses had even confirmed that Naomi was well enough to come back and live at home with Melissa, but Naomi seemed reluctant to move back. Melissa had still been hopeful that her mother would come around, but now things seemed to be taking a turn in a negative direction. Even though today’s episode didn’t seem like a big deal, the minor anxiety attack could still be symptomatic of wider mental issues. Of course, Eliza hoped that this wasn’t the case, and she sincerely wished the best for her best friend and her mother. She certainly hoped that Melissa would have a good time with Theo and forget all about what had happened.
Despite the initial awkwardness caused by Theo’s late arrival, the mood had picked up. By the time the second round of drinks was served, the conversation was flowing with relative ease. Andrew and Theo seemed to be getting along fine, even though they were disagreeing about almost everything. In fact, the two seemed like the polar opposites of one another, with only the exception of their good looks and charm. However, they were both attractive in completely different ways. Andrew was a strawberry blonde suburban boy, with stubble on his face and a dimple on his left cheek. He was irresistibly handsome in a kind of man-child way, since his physique was broad and muscular, but his eyes had a glint of child-like joie de vivre. He was a man who could appreciate the same things over and over again; his food, his beer, his job, his friends, and, of course, his beloved girlfriend.
On the other side of the spectrum, there was Theo; a dark-haired man with a body made for business attire, perfectly symmetrical face and cheekbones that could slice through glass. His eyes were that of an adrenaline junkie. Unlike the routine-loving Andrew, Theo seemed to be the type of man who would do almost anything to chase after a new experience. Nevertheless, his manners were calm and gentlemanly, and his flirtation seemed pretty under control. Even so, Eliza suspected that this man had plenty of experience with the ladies. As he talked about his many travels, she couldn’t help but wonder whether he went from town to town, sweeping women off their feet, only to leave them for the next. Even if he were a womanizer, she wouldn’t dream of interfering with Melissa’s life, since if there was anything that Melissa hated, it was being told what to do. Nevertheless, Eliza hoped that she was wrong about this man and that there was some possible future there for her friend. Melissa deserved more than just the string of one-night stands that had made her weary over the past few years.
By the time that the main courses arrived, Andrew had already finished his dinner, since he had ordered prior to the arrival of Melissa and Theo. He excused himself, gave Eliza a tender kiss on the lips and headed out of the door.
The others ordered another round of drinks and toasted.
“To new friendships,” Theo said, giving Melissa a cheeky wink.
Melissa giggled whole-heartedly. The flirtation between her and Theo had escalated throughout the night and she seemed to be having a really good time.
“Since it’s only 8:30, would the two of you like to go to the bar? I haven’t been there on a Friday night but I hear it’s worth experiencing,” Theo suggested. His voice and manner was still suave as ever, the alcohol not seeming to have affected him.
“I’d love to go,” Melissa responded without batting an eyelid.
Eliza looked over at Melissa awkwardly, since she was about to make her excuses and go home. But now that Melissa had agreed to go, she didn’t want to sully the moment. They made eye contact and Eliza managed to deliver the message without opening her mouth.
“I’ll be right back, just going to the restroom,” Eliza said.
“I’ll come with,” Melissa chimed in.
As soon as they were outside of earshot, Eliza began to jabber. “I really want to come out with the two of you, but Andrew’s already gone home and he expects that I’ll be back after dinner.”
“El, you’ve been really really sweet with me today, and I know that I sort of made you come here without even getting your consent first. And I haven’t even had the chance to thank you for that, but trust me, I will. I owe you one, big time. But you realize that after the day that I’ve had, I don’t feel right going off with Theo on my own. It’s not that I don’t trust him, but I barely know him.” Her voice lightened, and she smiled up at Eliza. “And, let’s face it, I would like to prove my mother wrong and show that I am a responsible human being!”
Eliza smiled back. She thought about Melissa’s mother again and felt a pang of guilt for wanting to ditch her friend at a time like this.
“Oh, all right then. I’ll come along. But just for one drink!”
“One. Not a drop more, I promise! You’re the best, El, seriously, words can’t even express how cool you’ve been. All I can say is that Andrew is one heck of a lucky bastard.”
Eliza smiled coyly, waving her arm as if to dismiss the shower of compliments. She put her arm around Melissa, and they walked back to their table.
Theo looked up as they rejoined him. “So, I guess we’re going?” he asked.
Melissa nodded enthusiastically.
Eliza was about to sit back down, when Theo intervened. “The bill’s already been taken care of.”
“Oh, thank you,” Eliza responded. She grabbed her coat from the chair, and Melissa followed suit.
Within ten minutes, the three of them arrived at the bar. Nelly’s was the same place where they’d met Theo the night before, and it was one of the most popular hangout spots in Birkbridge, especially on the weekends. Many of the locals, including Andrew, also frequented the Beer Cave, which was a more laid back and patriotic style bar. The cave theme referenced the famous Indiana caves, which were known primarily for being featured in the story of Huckleberry Finn. Eliza had sometimes accompanied Andrew during his bi-weekly hangouts with his friends. Sometimes they went on their own, but most of the time Eliza would find herself perched on a stool, watching Andrew playing pool with his friends. For this reason, she much preferred going to Nelly’s with her friends. Granted, it was more crowded, but at least she didn’t have to watch or play pool. Plus, the beer at Nelly’s was much better suited to her taste.
As soon as they walked into Nelly’s, Theo excused himself and disappeared to the bar. Meanwhile, Melissa and Eliza joined forces to try and hunt down an empty table. After circling the venue twice, they finally spotted a group leaving and took the vacant space.
Within a few minutes, Melissa spotted Theo approaching the table. As he got closer, it became apparent that he was walking over with another man. They approached the table, and they each set down two drinks.
“Let me introduce you,” said Theo. “This is Hayden, my brother.”
- Writer
