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“Do what?” she asked. “Know all the things you’re thinking all at once? I’m your best friend. It’s one of my superpowers.”
“Got it,” I said. “So, can I help you look for places?”
“No.”
“Why not?” I asked. “Come on. It’ll be fun! I’ll treat us to lunches and everything.”
“Most of my shopping is gonna be online until I can narrow it down. Then, I’ll be contacting a realtor. And you? You’ll be in Gatlinburg.”
“Uh, why the hell would I be in Gatlinburg?” I asked.
“Because I know you and I know you enjoy the mountains more than the beach. You like the beach when no one is there but you like the mountains no matter what. There’s a cabin resort in Gatlinburg that caters to people who just need to get away. That’s where I went after my breakup with Tommy last summer.”
“You did come back a new woman. I never heard you talk about Tommy after that fiasco.”
“Best fucking decision I ever made. I treated myself to some sleep, a hot tub, and a massage, then came back to tell his sorry ass that it was over for good and never to call me again.”
“Get it, girl.”
“And that’s what you need,” she said. “A place to go think. That idiotic apartment that you live in? That place isn’t a place to think. It’s a prison and it’s kept you there long enough.”
“I can’t argue that point with you.”
“I think you should get rid of it altogether, honestly. Get it off your plate before you go to the mountains.”
“First, I haven’t agreed to the mountains and, second, where the hell would I come back to?” I asked.
“Girl, you know you can always stay with me.”
“We did enough of that shit in high school,” I said.
“And we’ll do more of that shit now,” she said. “Look, Whit. I love you. You’re not my best friend. You’re my fucking sister. We’ve literally been through all the shit together. Trust me that I know what’s good for you. Pay whatever you need to get out of that lease, pack your shit up, and come stay with me for a bit. Please?”
“Am I staying with you or going to the mountains?” I asked.
“Don’t get smart with me. First you do one, then you do the other. And, finally, you figure out just what you are going to be when you grow up.”
I watched as Gwen’s hand reached out to take mine and I could feel tears rising in my eyes.
“I don’t know what to do,” I said.
“What have you always wanted to do?” she asked.
“Be a lawyer,” I said.
“Then find somewhere else to be a lawyer. Open up your own damn practice, for all I care.”
“It’s just not that simple,” I said.
“No, it’s not. I can tell you that firsthand. I can also tell you that it’s the most exciting thing I’ve ever done with my damn life. And it’ll be that way for you, too, once you find out what you want.”
“But how do I find out what I want?” I asked.
“Go to the resort,” she said. “Get yourself a cabin. For a few days or a week. Hell, go and stay through the holidays. Pack up your shit, toss that apartment, blow off Memphis for a while, and go do something you want to go do.”
“And I want to go to the mountains?” I asked.
“Girl, I don’t fucking know. All I know is you love the mountains and you love watching sunsets with coffee in your hand.”
