girls’ night
diane payne
It was just a matter of time before someone organized a gathering. So easy to simply let things slide. First it’s a week that has passed, then it’s a month. Then the seasons begin to change.
Maria took the initiative to call everyone about meeting for dinner. Not call. E-mail. Too much time had lapsed to feel comfortable just picking up the phone and admitting it has been awhile since the girls have gotten together. Probably one or two have gotten together. Maybe even three. But not all four. And Maria figured it’s her who has been left out of the loop. But it’s just as likely no one has gotten together since their last dinner party.
Jill pulls up to the restaurant first and realizes no one else is there yet. She goes to the bar and orders a gin and tonic regretting she hasn’t offered anyone a ride. She figures the other three will come in one car, simply assuming no one calls her because she lives the farthest from town.
It’s rare she sits at a bar alone. Movies have ruined this experience for her. Seems like the minute she enters, she’s supposed to be prey and a predator will run to the bar and offer her a drink the minute she sits. She pulls out her money and pays the bartender. Two men are watching the sport channel. Two couples are sitting at another table. One man is sitting by himself at the end of the bar reading a book. No one looks her way. It wasn’t like this when she was twenty. She doodles on her napkin to look like she’s doing something important or creative, anything but to be just sitting here waiting.
“I saw your car out there and wondered where you were. Then I remembered the bar. Duh!” Candace sits down and orders a Bloody Mary.
“I’m so glad you’re here. I was feeling awkward by myself.”
“It’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other. What’s everyone been doing?”
“I don’t know. It’s like the entire summer has passed and we haven’t had one ladies night. What’s wrong with us? I was beginning to miss everyone.”
“Me, too. It just also seems like Maria is the one who organizes everything. Wonder why that is. I can pick up the phone just like I pick up this glass,” Candace says lifting the glass to her ear. “Hello! Girls! Don’t you think it’s time we get together?”
They both laugh even though it’s not that funny.
Maria and Bobbie walk in together and join them at the bar.
“Have you girls been here long?” Maria asks walking to each friend to give a big hug. She’s also the only hugger of the group.
Jill points to her almost full glass and says, “Not really.”
“Should we grab a table?” Maria asks while leading them toward the hostess.
“Someone’s in a hurry,” Jill says grabbing her drink.
“She’s the organized one. We’d be sitting at the bar another two hours before we remembered we came here for dinner,” Candace whispers.
As soon as the hostess seats them, Bobbie flags a waiter down to order a whiskey sour. “What do you want?” she asks Maria.
“Nothing for me.”
“Nothing?” Bobbie leans over and says, “Come on, what do you want?”
Maria groans. “Nothing quite yet.”
“Quite yet! Ladies night doesn’t last forever!” Jill reminds her.
“It has been too long,” Candace says. “What has everyone been doing? How do we not run into each other? What’s happened to us?”
“You know summer vacations. Family. Work. All that great stuff,” Bobbie says shrugging her shoulders.
“Okay, let’s hear about it. Where did you go on vacation, Jill?” Candace asks. Jill is always traveling, sometimes for her job, sometimes for pleasure.
“Jim and I went to Italy for two weeks. You’re not going to believe this but I actually enrolled in a cooking course!”
The girls burst into laughter. No one does believe it. Jill is the worst cook.
“The next ladies night is at your house,” Maria announces.
“I don’t know that I really passed the course. The chef kept drinking more and more wine as I destroyed endless meals. He tried to be so polite about my mistakes at first, but then he just couldn’t believe someone could burn noodles a second time or forget to sauté garlic and onions. And the funny thing is, Jim took a watercolor class and he’s actually good. I’ve never seen his draw anything. He told me he used to take art classes in high school and then never bothered with any of it after he started college. He blames a lot on his frat years. I should have taken the watercolor class. No one would be expected to eat it afterwards. Not even one taste. When I asked our chef what a garlic press was, he just hit his forehead with a spatula. Talk about humbling.”
“I think it’s honorable you took a cooking class on your vacation,” Maria says.
“Let’s just call it humbling. I don’t know what I was thinking. What about you, Bobbie? Let’s hear about your wild summer.”
“I finally went to Hawaii. A cousin got married in Maui, and lo and behold, I maxed out my credit card and spent two weeks there. I haven’t seen this cousin since we graduated from high school. I’m sure I was on the invitation list because she didn’t think I’d actually pay to come to her wedding.” Bobbie laughs about this, then continues her story. “You know, I went alone.”
No one is sure what Bobbie means by the statement so they remain silent.
“Freddy moved out.”
“You didn’t tell me that!” Maria shrieks. “Why didn’t you call? Say something?”
“I don’t know. It kind of happened throughout the summer. I wasn’t even sure he was really going to move out but something about the word “wedding” made him freak out. He called it the seven-year-itch. What an idiot.”
“You guys have been together seven years! Damn, that must hurt. Unbelievable.” Jill shakes her head in disbelief.
“We started dating seven years ago. We’ve only lived together the last four. Who comes up with these terms? Seven-year-itch. Sounds like being plagued with flea bites.”
“But Hawaii was fun, right?” Maria says with false optimism, obviously disturbed that the friend she calls her closest friend, her best friend, has failed to let her know that her lover is no more. She doesn’t even want to hear about it now. Just move on to something simple, something harmless like Maui.
“You’d be proud of me. I had a great time. I met all kinds of people. I even went sailing with a man. God, I haven’t been with anyone but Freddy in years.”
girls’ night
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