Page 83 of One Week
We take Floyd for another walk. He’s a super friendly dog and commands attention every time we run into someone. It makes for quite a long walk. I can clearly see that Floyd means everything to Eli. He’s his baby. Eli loves him like I love my kids. “You two are adorable together.”
“Dynamic duo,” he says. “That’s us.”
“He’s sweet.”
“Honestly, I don’t know what I’d do without him,” he admits. “I don’t have many people here. After the break-up, I lost most of my friends. There’s still my buddies, Trevor and Dave, but we don’t see each other often.”
“I’m sorry,” I offer. It seems like such a shame that someone as great as him wouldn’t have more friends.
“It’s fine,” he says. “They were never really my friends in the first place. They were Clara’s friends. I was always an outsider. I suppose that’s what it’s like when you move to a foreign country.”
“I can relate,” I tell him. “I mean, it’s not quite the same thing for me. But I’m originally from Brooklyn, and I moved away from all my friends and my family, to Vermont, to John’s hometown. He really sold it to me… quaint small town, family values, good schools, culture, blah blah blah. He didn’t need to coax me too much. But that’s what happened with me. My friends were his, my family was his, but thankfully I had my job. Yet I didn’t make any friends there because I was a Director, and no one wants to hang out with the boss after hours.”
“They obviously had no clue what they were missing,” he chimes in.
I smile. “Yeah, well anyway, I was lucky because I made friends with a few other moms, and I made these wonderful friends through this little journaling club I’m in.”
“That’s great,” he says. “You deserve friends.”
“And now… there’s you,” I add.
He smiles and pulls his gaze from mine — I don’t think he likes to think of us as ‘friends’. “So tell me about these lady friends.”
We’re walking briskly — we have no choice with Floyd in tow. My stride is fast, and I’m slightly out of breath. I realize that I’m a bit out of shape, and could probably use a dog too, if only it weren’t for John’s objections. “Well, there’s Maeve, who just got engaged. I’m one of her bridesmaids. I’ll be wearing a butter yellow dress.”
He grins. “I’m picturing it right now.” He closes his eyes. Thankfully, Floyd is leading him like a guide dog. “You’re gorgeous, and damn, that dress is low-cut. You’re cleavage is hot.”
I laugh. “Oh my god… you must have seen the dress. That’s exactly what it’s like. I’m positive I’m going to have a nip slip.”
“Ineedto go to this wedding,” he jokes.
I laugh again. “Maeve is a little ditzy sometimes, but the sweetest girl you’ll ever meet. She loves notebooks with kitty cats and puppies. She wears flowery dresses, cardigans, lots of polka-dots, funky socks, and has the cutest shoe collection I’ve ever seen. It’s like she’s stuck in a permanent child-like state, which is fitting because she’s a manager at a children’s clothing store. I think she actually gets some of her t-shirts and clothes there.”
“She sounds fun,” he says.
“She is,” I tell him. “And then there’s Corrie who’s brash and loud. She always tells you what’s on her mind. She used to be a paralegal but she’s a homemaker now, although I’m not sure how much homemaking she does because she has a cleaning lady, and no kids yet. She and her husband were trying, but they’re separated now. She dresses to the nines, and has the body for it too. She’s a tiny little blonde thing.”
“I prefer brunettes,” he chimes in with a grin.
I smile up at him. “And then there’s Kayla. She’s the mellow one, a mother earth type, a modern-day hippie. God, she would love Christiania. Anyway, she teaches yoga, and is also a massage therapist. She’s not one for relationships… she has a thing with a friend right now.”
He smiles. “A thing with a friend?”
“You know… friends with benefits,” I elaborate. “Kind of like us… except it’s not just a week for them, and he lives not too far, and not across an ocean.” I smile up at him, but he’s not smiling.
“So this journaling club… what do you all do, share diary entries?!” he asks, curious. He seems fascinated by the whole concept.
“Pretty much… journal entries, poetry,” I explain. “I feel like I can share anything with them. We’re pretty close. Once in a while, we’ll get a new member, and I won’t share anything too personal, but the new members always come and go. The four of us, we’re constant.”
“How many times do you meet?”
“Once a week,” I tell him. “It’s something I look forward to every week.” I pull out my phone and quickly scroll through my photos. I pick out my favorite selfie of the four of us. “That’s us.”
He smiles. “You girls look good together,” he says. “You’re lucky to have them.” His words are soft and there’s sadness in them. I know he’s happy for me, but I think he wishes he had that too.
“How ‘bout you. You really don’t have anyone?!”
He grins, but his smile is sorrowful. “Well, I have Floyd,” he says. “And Albert… but Albert’s gone most of the time. My friends Trevor and Dave… we go for a beer once in a blue moon. That’s about it.”
