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“No! No. It’s nothing like that. There’s just something silly and irrelevant that I wanna get off my chest. That’s all. But first, I need to tell you something creepy as shit and get your opinion on it. I just…I’m in a mixed space right now and I don’t know what to think.”
“Okay…I’m here for you,” she says, reaching over to lightly rub my back.
I draw in a gulp of air and let it out in a puff. “Last night I went out to dinner with Quade, like I said I was going to. After we parted ways, I turned off the lights and went upstairs. About, I dunno, half an hour later…I went back down for something and saw him pull up in front of the house. He got out, walked up to my front door in the darkness, and attempted to turn the knob. It was locked, but what the heck Holly?”
She looks at me like she wants to care but can’t imagine what the big deal is. “Okay…well he is your bosom buddy of seventeen years. I’m sure he just forgot something or wanted to tell you something, right?”
“Right, except…he never followed up. I waited all morning for him to call about whatever he left at my place, and he got on that plane and never called.”
“Did you ever figure out what it might have been?”
“No.” A solemn silence drifts between us while Holly composes her thoughts.
“Well…it’s a little strange but I guess I don’t see it as any big deal. I mean, I’d expect you to come into my house without knocking.”
“This was different Holly. I don’t think I’m explaining it well but it left a bad taste in my mouth.”
She looks genuinely concerned now, probably more for my mental health than anything else. “Why don’t you just call him tonight and ask him what he wanted?”
“Because…maybe I don’t wanna know? What would he possibly have wanted that would cause him to come back to my house, clearly after I’d decided to turn in for the night, and just open my door and waltz in?” Holly looks confused by my concern. “No, you’re right Holly. He wanted to talk a little longer about something and assumed I’d still be awake. And he was perfectly right…obviously I was.”
We sit quietly for a moment and I almost feel satisfied with that explanation. “It’s just that…then he raised his hand to knock, but didn’t, and he walked back to his car.” Holly recoils slightly in response. “Why would he drive all the way over to come in unannounced, but then wouldn’t bother knocking to get me to answer the door? He could see my office light was on.”
Holly shrugs and looks pensive, but not exactly concerned.
“Wasn’t there something else you were gonna tell me?” she asks, as we begin shuffling into separate spaces at the instructor’s request.
“Later,” I mouth, and float into a nice, secluded corner with my mat.
After a full hour of yoga, I actually feel refreshed and relaxed for a change. I drift over to Holly to exit the studio.
“Good class?” she asks, seeing the slight smile on my face.
“Yeah,” I answer. “Good class.”
She follows me to the parking lot, clearly noticing my increasing smirk. “What’s so funny Fiona? I thought we were all freaked out over your bestie trying to enter without knocking,” she says flippantly.
I roll my eyes over her already making light of the Quade situation, but find that I can’t encourage the maintenance of any angry thoughts. All the worry is rolling away from me like a junk-filled whirlpool on a dingy Jersey beach.
“Okay, but you’re gonna think I’m weird.”
“Too weird to for me? Come on!”
“Okay…there’s kind of a guy.” Holly instantly begins shrieking. “I mean…there isn’t a guy, there’s just kind of a guy in my imagination.”
She stops walking and plants herself in front of me with a goofy frown. “Fiona, what the heck is this nonsense you’re speaking?”
“I have a vendor…a flower vendor…who’s attending the AFA conference this year.”
“Okay?” Now she’s looking at me like I’ve lost my mind.
“A male vendor…who I’m slightly interested in meeting. That’s all.” Her look is slowly morphing into an unconvinced half-smile. “I know. It’s perfectly idiotic. Please forget I said anything. See you Saturday.” I begin booking it toward my car.
“Wait, Fiona!” Holly runs giggling ahead of me and thrusts herself between me and my Jag. “What has gotten into you all of a sudden? You’re all over the place today.”
“Guilty as charged. Look, it’s silly. I do business with this guy on the phone about three times a year, and suddenly I’ve got some kind of…you know…thing for him. It’s not even worth mentioning. I should never have brought it up.” I would open my door and peel out, except Holly’s still standing between me and it. “Now can I please get into my car and drive back to my store?” I ask, feigning irritation but still smiling.
“Not so fast missy. First of all, let me see a picture of this hot flower guy you’ve got a thing for.”
