Riggs:Yeah. Getting to her made the Uber driver rich. Glad you’re on the road. I could use the help. I’m drowning here.
Ash:Elsie?
Riggs:Yep.
Ash:Hey, Rhonda and I were talking about getting together for the Fourth of July. I’m going to start a group text so we can all get in on the conversation.
Fourth of July? I’m not sure that’s a good idea, but before I can object, my phone pings.
Maddie:Just heard about the Fourth. Rhonda wants me to come, but I’m going to spend it with my mother.
Riggs:I think that’s best.
I’m sure she’s thinking this could be one of their last holidays together. I hope that’s not the case, but you never know.
Ash:We understand. It was like that for us with our mom.
Riggs:I’m not sure how Elsie will feel about this. We have a tradition of visiting Mom and Dad’s graves on the Fourth, and she’s made it pretty clear that she wants it to be just the three of us. She won’t even let bitchboycome.
Dad was a combat veteran, and boy, did he love the Fourth of July. It was his favorite holiday, mostly because he was a patriot, but also because the man was nuts about fireworks. Not all vets like them, I guess it depends on their experiences. But for our dad, it was like he turned into a twelve-year-old with all the sparklers, fountains, and his favorite, the biggest firecrackers he could find. He would shoot them into the air with an old slingshot. As young boys, Ash and I couldn’t get enough of the fun. At the same time, Mom loved to cook. She would make her famous potato salad; fried chicken; and red, white, and blue layer cake. Elsie was little, but she could swim like a fish. We always celebrated the holiday at a swimming hole on a river near our place, and it took a lot to get her out of the water, even for a slice of cake, which she loved. I can’t hold back a grin at the memories.
Ash:You’re probably right, but what about the week after? Vegas, baby! Rhonda, we’ll fly you and Maddie out for the weekend, or the whole week if you can be gone that long.
Rhonda:Wait, who’s bitchboy?
Ash:Oh, that. It’s Elsie’s boyfriend. We don’t think he treats our sister right, that and he acts like a little bitch most of the time. I guess we’ve been calling him bitchboy for so long it’s a habit now.
Riggs:PLEASE don’t ever let our sister know we said any of this. I like breathing.
Ash:Definitely, she’d make us disappear for sure. Anyway, Vegas?
Ash is the devil. Leave it to him to come up with something tempting like a Vegas trip. There’s always something exciting to see, and I’m a sucker for the Cirque du Soleil shows. I’ve seen three of them, and Vegas has the show I want to see the most. It’s the one with all the water called O. And do I want to see Maddie again? Hell yeah, I do! But should I? Hell no, I shouldn’t!
What to do?
Hmm.
Fuck it. Why not? I can be friends with her. That’s not breaking the rules. Besides, she could use a friend like me, someone who’s gone through what she’s going through with her mother. We’ll just keep things in the friend zone where we’re both safe. That shouldn’t be too hard.
Riggs:It’s not a bad idea. Vegas is always fun, and since we’re leaving for New Zealand at the end of July, we might as well do something like this while we can.
I threw in that last part so that the girls are clear about our schedule. If Ash didn’t explain our lifestyle to Rhonda, he’ll be forced to now. This way she’ll know what she’s getting into.
Rhonda:I don’t know. I think I’d rather spend that weekend like all my interesting weekends, with a bunch of dumbass rednecks standing around a bonfire while they get drunk and stare at my tits, but don’t have the balls to talk to me. That would be way better than Vegas.
Ash:Buying your tickets now!
Maddie:Make mine refundable. It’ll depend on how my mother is doing.
Ash:Will do.
I’m having second thoughts already. Actually, who am I kidding? If I spend more time with her, I’ll only want to spend even more time with her so why torture myself when there’s no hope of anything happening between us. New Zealand will be the final nail in the coffin that holds any chance of a relationship. That’s inevitable so it’s all pointless… isn’t it? Honestly, I’m not sure.
My phone pings.
Maddie:I didn’t want to say anything with Rhonda standing next to me. She’s really excited about Vegas, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to come. That’s why I wanted Ash to make my ticket refundable.
Riggs:Why is it a bad idea?
