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“Whatever.” I reach over to give her a hug. “Enjoy. Let us know when you decide to slum it again with us and we can go to a club some night.”
“Maybe next weekend. I’m already spoken for this one. We’re going out to his beach house on Fire Island.” She raises her eyebrows. “Much fun is to be had.”
“Jealous!” I say and shake my head.
“Truly very green with envy and much jealousy,” Michelle adds, chuckling.
We leave the cafe and I walk back towards the subway entrance while Sherri and Michelle walk away.
I sigh and take the subway to the hospital. Since Sherri will be out of town, and Michelle will be studying non-stop.
The life of a boring single lady in Manhattan. Not what I imagined…
I pull a Sunday shift,and it’s slow, with only the most mundane problems that I have to deal with at work — unhappy patients getting into fights over who is standing where in line for the cafeteria, refusing to take their meds, seeing all kinds of conspiracies taking place behind their backs. Business as usual. I barely get any news from Sherri about how her hot date with Mr. Prince of Wall Street is going.
On Sunday night after my shift, I finally break down and send her a text.
NATALIA: Hey, chica - howzit goin?
Nothing. Hours pass and still nothing.
NATALIA: How are you doing? I haven’t heard from you at all. Is the beach house everything you thought it would be?
Nothing again until late Sunday evening.
SHERRI: I’m back home and boy am I hungover. I need to sleep, detox, and then I have to study this week for finals. Catch you later.
NATALIA: Okay, be like that. Did you have a good time?
SHERRI: It was great. Later.
I frown. That’s so unlike Sherri. Usually, she’s happy to text me and tell me all about it, but for some reason, she’s been so secretive with Mr. Richie Rich.
I don’t really know how to take it. Why does he need her to be so secretive about his private life? He’s wealthy, sure. He has a high-stakes job as a broker for his own company. His family is notorious in the New York underworld. But he’s still just a man. He has a family. Friends.
Why all the secrecy?
I don’t speakto Sherri all week, with the exception of some texts on Friday before the weekend.
NATALIA: How did your exam go today. I thought you’d be done and want to party with us.
SHERRI: I’m sorry I’ve been so busy studying I haven’t had time to call. The exam went fine. Maybe not as high a grade as I was hoping but whatever. The three of us should get together next weekend. This weekend I’m partying with the gang. But next weekend, I’m all yours.
NATALIA: Are you finished your finals? I thought you had some next week too.
SHERRI: I do, but I’ve been invited to this exclusive weekend away and I want to go. I’ll make sure to come home early on Sunday and spend Sunday night and all day Monday preparing for my finals on Tuesday and Thursday. So, I’ll be yours next Friday.
NATALIA: Okay. Don’t party too hard.
SHERRI: Oh, I most definitely will. :)
I sigh and lean back on the sofa, the latest episode of Yellowstone on the flatscreen. I guess I’ll be alone with my Netflix and Prime Video all weekend.
Same as it ever was…
The next twoweeks pass as they usually do, with the exception of a very noticeable lack of contact with Sherri. Where we would have usually texted and called and met for coffee at least, we don’t even text except for me confirming that she is, in fact, alive.
“She sure has taken up with Mr. O'Connor,” Michelle says when we meet for coffee after my shift is over on the weekend.
