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‘I haven’t TOUCHED another man, and I can’t believe you’re accusing me of that.’ I shook my head at the absurdity of her accusation. ‘Are you really accusing me of sleeping around? Sounds like you lost most of your brain cells last night. Is this seriously our friendship? It’s turned to crap. Let’s stop pretending we’re amazing friends and everything is okay, because it’s really not. We’re two different people and aren’t in high school anymore.’What was I saying? Did I really want to end my friendship with Deb? Too late now… The words had left my mouth, and I could tell by the look on Deb’s face she was livid.
She scoffed and eyed me up and down. ‘And, what, you think you’re perfect? What, just because you’ve lost some weight, don’t drink or smoke, and have a job at Patrick’s restaurant, that makes you so fucking fantastic, does it? You know you wouldn’t have even gotten that job if it wasn’t for me. I got you that catering job. Remember that.’ She clenched her fists.
‘I know that, and I thank you for convincing me to do it, but Patrick liked the food. It was all about the food … I cooked that, not you or Daniel, just me and Paul.’ I could feel myself losingmy patience and getting more and more frustrated by each word she spoke.
‘I’m done with you. I’m so done with you and this whole pathetic friendship. I think it’s time for you to move the fuck out. You’re a vibe-killer.’ She pointed her finger at me as her reddened eyes narrowed.
‘Fine by me,’ I said with an attitude that was out of character for me.
‘I hope you feel guilty. You’re the shit friend that ditched their best friend at her birthday party. Oh, and by the way, I saw Seb last night, and a hot chick was dancing on his lap.’ She smirked as her eyes flickered with bitchiness.
My stomach dropped, then tightened as thoughts rushed through my head, tumbling over each other.I can’t stand this any longer. I refuse to cop abuse from Deb and be made to feel guilty for being myself, and I don’t know if that’s true about Seb, but if it is, it doesn’t surprise me. She’s never driven me anywhere in her life and acts as though I’m the worst friend in the world. I sure as hell don’t feel guilty for not wanting to drink. And sure as hell don’t feel guilty about getting a full-time job.
I swallowed and managed to catch my breath before responding.‘You’re lying, Deb. You’re just trying to hurt me.’
‘He’s clearly lost interest in you, Naomi. Just get over yourself. Everyone can see you think you’re better than us because you work for Patrick.’ She sounded like a nasty schoolgirl, and she looked as though she’d burst out in laughter any second.
Everyone? Who’s everyone?It was the first time in my life I was glad I was awake at 8am because I had time to pack my belongings and move into Mum’s before work. Lucky for me, my belongings were simple things like books, makeup, skincare, clothes, shoes, and doona sets.
‘I’m out, Deb. I’m moving back to Mum’s. Have a nice life.’ I shook my head at her and could barely look at her face without feeling angry.
‘Good. Go run off, you dickhead. I’mofficiallydone.’ She gesticulated with her hands to emphasise her anger.
I stormed out of the kitchen, went straight into my room, and locked the door. No time for folding, I thought as I pulled all my clothes off hangers and shoved them into a suitcase while hot tears brimmed my eyes. Deb didn’t appreciate me one bit. I was so done trying to be a good friend to her and offer guidance.
Five jumbo suitcases later, I was ready to officially move out. I cracked open the door and heard nothing, so I dragged my first suitcase into the living room. Deb was nowhere to be seen. She was probably smoking in her bathroom or drinking another bottle of wine.Oh well, not my problem anymore, I told myself, shaking my head and forcing back more tears.
***
I drove back to Mum’s house, and as I reached the orange driveway, I felt a sense of relief that I didn’t own any furniture at Deb’s house. The process of leaving was so quick; it happened in a flash. All my paraphernalia was shoved into suitcases, and then,bam, I was out the door. I pulled a suitcase from the boot and wheeled it up the driveway, then pulled the rest out piece by piece. The moment I opened the front door, I felt a surge of comfort. I’d missed the French patterned floors and the blue dining-room wall, the flowers, Mum’s art, the Chesterfield couch, and that aroma that just smelled like home.
‘Naomi, what are you doing here?’ Mum asked as she placed her herbal tea on a coaster on the coffee table and paced over to me. She expressed a motherly look of concern.
‘Deb and I had a huge fight, and I’m moving out.’ My eyes were still glassy, but I took in a deep breath to steady myself.
‘Oh, sweetheart. I kind of suspected this would happen. Debra has always been trouble. But, aside from that, I’m just so glad you came home.’ She gave a concerned smile and placed her dry-paint-speckled hands on my shoulders.
‘Mmm.’ I nodded, unsure of how to feel about what had just happened.Did I seriously just move out of Deb’s house?
‘We’ve really missed you.’ She looked deep into my eyes with a sincerity that made my heart melt.
‘I’ve missed you both too.’ I thought briefly of my shopping trips with Deb before shaking my head to shut out the memory. ‘Oh well, it was fun while it lasted, I guess.’
‘Here, let me help you.’ She grabbed the suitcase and rolled it inside. ‘I’ll bring all these into your room, and you go get ready for work.’
‘No, I’ll do that.’ I shook my head. ‘I still have an hour before I have to leave.’
‘You look so worn out, though, darling. Did you have a late night?’
‘Yeah, kind of.’ I looked down at the floor and sighed.
Mum let go of the suitcase handle and wrapped her arms around me, giving me a warm, motherly hug. Just what I needed. I rested my chin on her shoulder while I breathed in her faint scent of lavender oil. She must have had a headache this morning – lavender oil was her go-to headache remedy. As I looked over her shoulder, I noticed her rainbow leopard painting had been replaced by a new one – an Amalfi Coast scene of sweeping town views overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea. The painting was breathtaking with its boats whizzing by on blue water and depicted exactly the kind of beauty I’d seen on Google Images. Springtime must have been her inspiration because the vibrant bougainvillea flowers were in full bloom.
How peculiar that she has been working on a painting of Italy, and now I’m working in an Italian restaurant.My heart warmed as I thought about my journey and how I ended up the pizza girl at one of the most prestigious restaurants in Australia. Even though life was filled with many obstacles, everything felt worth it now I had found my dream job, and that’s where all my focus wanted to be.
23
The Confrontation
