“It was clear at our first meeting with her that you two have history. Did you sleep with her and never call her back?”
“No. I mean yes but I called her back.” I’d gotten very little rest last night and might have sent some late-night texts to Danessa that were inappropriate and ignored by her. “We used to be a couple.”
“When was this? I know every woman you’ve ever dated.” She followed me to the living room, taking a seat.
“No you do not. I don’t tell you everything.”
She pursed her lips at my blatant lie.
Nori was like a big sister. There wasn’t much she wasn’t privy to. She’d witnessed me slowly spiraling downward. Nori suggested I get help and for months I ignored her until one day she found me passed out on the bathroom floor, face down in my own vomit. That was my rock bottom.
“When did you two date?”
“College. We met freshman year and started dating the year after. You know how college is. Everything feels more intense. It was my first time being away from home and living on my own. Danessa was beautiful and smart. She was prelaw and was so passionate about the political system, social injustice, and defending the little guy. Danessa taught me things I never really thought about. We had deep discussions. She loved to debate and present a controversial counterpoint. On the flip side, she was never the life of the party. But she was popular. Peoplewanted to be close to Danessa, and all she wanted was to be next to me.”
Nori gasped. “She’s the one that got away?”
“What? No.” I pushed her words away with a wave.
“Aldridge, it’s all over your face.”
I couldn’t refute that so I pivoted. “This coffee sucks by the way.”
“That’s because it’s mine and not yours. So, why’d Danessa quit?”
“I don’t know. We were in a perfume shop?—”
“What does that have to do with showing you houses?”
I snapped my fingers. “That’s exactly what I said. Next thing I know she’s upset and claims I’m not taking shit seriously and that we’re a bad fit.”
“As a couple or as a client?”
“As a client. This had nothing to do with our past.”
“Sounds like you fucked up.” Nori bit into my half-eaten granola bar on the coffee table.
“Excuse you. That’s the conclusion you draw after you hear she blew up at me for no reason?”
“With you there’s always a reason.”
“I resent that.” Grabbing my phone, I pulled up Danessa’s contact and prepared to send her another text message. “I’m going to text her.” As I typed, I spoke the words aloud so Nori could give feedback. “Danessa, this is Aldridge. Stop fucking playing with me and respond to my messages.”
Nori snatched the phone from my hand and deleted my unfinished text. “Have you lost your mind?”
“She’s ignoring me.”
“And I’m sure you deserve it.” Nori shook her head in disbelief. “What did you mean by messages? Have you been texting her?”
“No.” I sounded like the cat who ate the canary.
She scrolled up and read through the thread of unanswered text messages I’d sent in the early hours of the morning. “You told her she was overreacting and she needed to calm down. A phrase women just love to hear. And then you claimed she was the worst realtor to ever realtor. Those were your exact words. Next, we get to the section when you trip down memory lane. I’ll spare you the details because it’s embarrassing for you. And lastly you closed it all out by once again insulting her and stating her ears were too big for her head. And I quote, ‘Proportionately it just doesn’t work.’” Nori stared at me waiting for answers.
“I stand by the last statement. Because she always had big ears and I just thought eventually she’d grow into them. Adults keep growing well into their twenties but nope, they’re still very pronounced.”
“I’m convinced your frontal lobe hasn’t fully developed. In college I learned your frontal lobe should mature by age twenty-five, but in some cases, it can take longer, up until the age of thirty. So hopefully you make leaps and bounds in the next four years.”
“I will admit that maybe some of those messages were poorly thought out.”
