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NATALIA: I know you’ve got more important things to keep you occupied, but if you’re interested, I’ll be sitting in the corner booth at Frank’s at 12:30 if you want some of the best Eggs Benedict and home fries. I miss you…
Sunday comes and goes, and Michelle and I spend an hour at Frank’s, and Sherri never shows. The Eggs Benedict is stupendous, as usual, but both Michelle and I are really worried about Sherri.
We finish our meal and pay, then part company. While Michelle goes back to her dorm, I walk the rest of the way back to Gramp’s bar, to check in and get some much-needed commiseration from him. It’s Sunday afternoon, and he spends the day doing inventory and bookkeeping, so the place is pretty quiet when I arrive, the interior cool and dim. There’s a cleaning crew in, the sound of a vacuum and the dishwasher going as I walk from the back-alley entrance to the office.
Gramps is sitting at his desk, his reading glasses perched at the end of his nose.
“Hey, sweets, what’s up? You look glum.”
I bend over and kiss him on the cheek. “We haven’t heard from Sherri since Friday night. I invited her to brunch today, but she never showed.”
“That’s too bad. I imagine she’s all wrapped up in her new beau. The Prince, right?”
“Yes,” I say and lean on his desk. “I guess this was going to happen eventually. One of us would meet someone and would spend most of our spare time with them. That’s what happens when you fall in love, right?”
“It is.” Gramps puts down the receipt he had in his hand and turns to face me. “I remember when your Gran and I met. Man, I was hooked on the adrenaline of just meeting her and spending time with her. I totally ignored my friends and got the biggest ribbing when I did see them at work. You and Michelle have to cut Sherri some slack. Once things go back to some kind of normal with her, she’ll be more available. You just wait and see.”
I smile. Gramps can always make me feel better.
I spend the rest of the afternoon helping him with the books. I have supper with him and my brother that night at home, our usual Sunday fare of rotisserie chicken from a deli and some roasted potatoes and veg, then I go up to my room and sit at my desk, reading over the texts I sent over the past few days.
She still hasn’t returned my latest text by the time I’m ready for bed, so I send her one last text before I close my eyes.
NATALIA: He must really be something to keep you from brunch… Talk to you later — if you ever get another free moment!
I getthe call early Monday morning.
I’m sitting at a desk at hospital, wondering if I will actually just call Sherri’s cell and interrupt her when her younger sister Lori calls.
I thought Sherri might get her heart broken chasing Harrison O'Connor, but I but never imagined it would be so bad.
“Natalia, oh my God, Natalia — it’s Sherri.”
“What?” I ask, my heart rate increasing. “What happened?”
“She’s dead. She’s dead!”
The words just won’t sink in. At first, I think I’ve misheard her.
She's dead?
How could she be dead?
“What do you mean, she’s dead?”
“I mean, she’s dead. She died of an overdose! Did you know she's doing drugs? We never knew she did drugs!”
I can’t speak, my shock is so great.
“No,no,” I finally manage, my heart racing. “She doesn’t do drugs. She never did drugs. She told me she smoked pot when she was in high school but nothing since. What happened?”
“She was out last night, and I guess she did too much. She stayed over at some rich guy’s house, and they found her in the morning, and she was already dead. She just OD’d…”
Lori weeps openly, and that starts my tears really flowing.
“Oh,God, Lori…” I cover my mouth with a hand and cry, unable to stop myself. “I’m so sorry.”
“My mom asks me to call you and tell you and Michelle,” Lori manages, seemingly to have regained control over her emotions. “I have to go now.”
