A Life More Complete (32 page)

Bob: That’s my girl. Nothing like making an ass of yourself. Now that you’ve
told everyone maybe you should tell Ben?

Me: Maybe.

Bob: What do you mean maybe? Just tell him. Are you going to avoid him
forever?

Me: No

Bob: Stop trying to end the conversation with one word answers. You don’t
scare me. TELL HIM!

Me: No yelling. Can I text him?

Bob: You can’t be serious...

Me: I am.

Bob: NO! Yes, I’m yelling. Meet him for dinner or something. He deserves
it.

Me: FINE! I’ll stop by his office on my way home today. Happy now?

Bob: Yes

Me: I gotta go. Live you! XOXO

Bob: Live you, too.

Me: Damn phone

My next stop is Melinda’s office. She’s
on the phone and I catch her off guard. She quickly spins her chair around to
look at me and the smile drops from her face. When I walked up she was doing
her usually flirty laugh. It’s borderline obnoxious, but who am I to judge her
methods. She’s scored more guys with it than I could if I had showed up to a
bar topless. She lowers her voice slightly and begins to respond in one word
answers; ending the call quickly.

“Who was that?” I ask.

“Just someone I went on a date with. No
biggie,” she says nonchalantly, flipping her hand at the phone. “How’d it go
with Ellie? Guessing she didn’t fire you.”

“Nope. Actually she was totally fine
with it. Really nice. Strange, huh?”

“That’s good. Now you can stop
stressing about it,” Melinda says. She’s coming across distracted, which isn’t
that unusual. The strange part is that she has failed to give me any
information on her most recent date. She loves to talk about them, brag about
them and also fill me in on all the gory details that no one should be privy
to. But today, she’s a closed book.

“At least now I can walk around with
my pants unbuttoned and have a legitimate excuse,” I add to gage her response. Knowing
Melinda, she’ll quip back with a joke.

“That’s true,” is all she says.

I leave her office feeling like I
came in during the middle of a movie. Something is bothering her, but I don’t
want to press the issue. Especially if it’s something she’s not comfortable
sharing. Melinda shares everything, so it must be intensely private for her not
to say anything.

As much as Bob had me convinced to
tell Ben, I head home straight from work. I arrive home to an empty house. I
call Tyler but his phone goes straight to voicemail. I can’t remember if he is
in court today, so I call back again. Then I send a text. Somehow now that I’m
pregnant my need to know where he is at all times doesn’t seem as ridiculous. I
put a calendar up on the wall in our kitchen and asked him to write down his
court days, but he dismissed me as if I were a mother asking her teenager to
give up his nightly whereabouts.

My phone begins to ring a few minutes
later while I’m microwaving leftover spaghetti from our dinner out last night. I
grab the phone assuming it’s Tyler and get the shock my life. My screen lights
up with the name “Mom”.

My emotions run wild and a small part
of me hopes that she has found out that I’m pregnant and is calling with
congratulatory remarks. This pregnancy just might be what is needed to salvage
any inkling of family we may have left. After all she is the baby’s grandma. I
answer the phone with benefit of the doubt replaying over in my head. It’s gone
so well for the first two conversations, maybe third time’s a charm.

“Hello?” I answer with more
enthusiasm than necessary.

“Kristin, this is your mother,” she
says. “I’m calling to inform you that your father has passed away.” Without
pausing to allow this to sink in she continues at a quick pace all the while I’m
still trying to wrap my head around the fact that the call is not about my
pregnancy. “The wake and funeral services will need to be arranged by the next
of kin. That is you and your sisters. If you are unable to make it back to
Illinois to take care of this your father will become an unclaimed body. The
state of Illinois will bury him. The choice is yours. I just thought you should
know. I already spoke to Rachel. Will you please call Courtney? Thank you. Good-bye.”

She hangs up before I can even speak.
It was gigantic one-sided conversation that was basically a string of run-on
sentences due to the speed she delivered them. I slide down into the kitchen
chair. I’m shocked to say the least, but I’m even more shocked at my own
stupidity. I can’t believe I would even for a second consider that her
contacting me would hold any purpose other than to convey information. A
business transaction. I can picture her calling from the kitchen of the house I
grew up in; a hand on her hip, her blonde hair swept into a neat chignon, tailored
business suit with a glass of wine in her hand. It’s the way she looked every day
of my life. I’m sure the reason she placed the call when she did is because in
just under an hour she will be drunk.

I call Rachel as soon as my mother
hangs up on me. At least she was able to gather a little more information
regarding our father’s whereabouts and how quickly we will need to arrive in
Illinois. Rachel and Paul are flying back to Illinois on Thursday, which is two
days from now. Rachel takes over calling Maizey while I make what arrangements
I can over the phone. We both agree before hanging up that burying our father
will be something that is not left to the state of Illinois, even though we
haven’t seen him in years.

I call Tyler for third time with the
same straight to voicemail response. Seconds later I get a text from him.

Tyler: What do you want? Working late. Big case starts on Tuesday.

Me: My dad died.

Tyler: Sorry.
L
Can we talk later? Super busy.

I have to check my phone for a second
time because I am completely astounded by his use of a frowny face in reference
to my father’s death. Really? A frowny face? What are we, fifteen? I can only
respond with a one word answer because what I really want to send in one
message will be broken into multiple messages and Tyler will give his usual
response. “TL; DR”.

Me: Sure

I pick up the phone and call Melinda
and she doesn’t answer, so I call Bob.

“Hey, can you meet me for dinner
tonight? Or at least a drink? I know I can’t drink, but you know what I mean.”

“Sure. What’s up?”

“My dad died and Tyler is working
late. I don’t really feel like being alone.”

“Oh baby, I’m so sorry. I know you
weren’t close with your dad, but still. That doesn’t make it any easier.”

“I think it makes it worse. The guilt
is unreal.” I choke back the tears that have been threatening since hanging up
with Rachel.

“Name the place and I’ll be there. Did
you call Mel?”

“I called her, but she didn’t answer.
You want to meet at Richmond?” I know his response even before I say it, but I
still ask and when he declines I’ve got the pregnancy card in my back pocket.

“Richmond in El Segundo? Eww, no, they
don’t have gluten free beer, but I will, because your dad just died. You owe
me. I’ll be there in two days.”

“Stop being dramatic, just get here. I
figured I was going to have to play the pregnancy card, but now I can use it
later. Either way the baby wants teriyaki beef sliders. I’ll meet you by the
front door.”

“Okay. I’ll call Mel again before I
leave. See you soon and again, I’m sorry about your dad, love.”

“I know. Thanks. Bye.”

I change out of my work clothes into
a pair of yoga pants, because by the end of the day the thought of buttoning a
pair of jeans makes my stomach literally hurt. I wash my face, brush my teeth
and pull on a short sleeve t-shirt. I send Tyler a quick text.

Me: Meeting Bob for dinner. You’re off the hook. Stay as late as you
want.

Slightly passive aggressive on my
part, I know, but still.

Tyler: K

I roll my eyes at his response and shout
out loud, almost too loud. “Really?” That’s the reply I get after my father
dies and another man is consoling me.

Bob and I settle into our seats in
the back of the bar in a half booth half table spot. It’s packed so I order
immediately joking with Bob that right now I’m so hungry I could eat him.

 
The conversation switches over to his new
job because just recently there’s been some serious drama. He’s filling me in
the totally animated way that only Bob can, arms flying, crazy faces to go
along, all the while making me laugh like no other. It turns out that one of
the girls who works with Bob got a new set of boobs, but kept denying it until
one of the other girls in the office called her out on it. Chaos ensued.

“Krissy you should’ve seen them! It
took everything in me not to yell, “Cat fight!” So Abby Fake Boobs, was all
like, ‘Mind your own business,’ to Office Hag Laura, who was like, ‘You’re such
a slut! You only got fake boobs so you can steal other people’s husbands.’ It
was ghetto nasty. Girls, you’re such jealous bitches.”

Bob stops suddenly and the enthused
look on his face vanishes. He begins to say something as I look over my
shoulder where his eyes are focused. If words came from his mouth I don’t
recall them at all. I stare for what feels like an eternity and Bob’s hand on
my cheek pulls me back into the now.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” I can’t
help but lace my words with utter distain. “Did you know about this?” I hiss at
Bob, right now hating him without ever hearing his answer.

“No,” he responds instantly like the
good friend that he is. “I swear on everything that is holy I had no idea.” Shaking
his head his eyes are wide as he takes in Melinda walking with her arm linked
with Ben’s to a table on the opposite side of the overcrowded bar.

“Well, this explains everything,” I
whisper shout. I begin to tap my fingers and Bob covers my hand with his. “How
dare she!” This time it comes out as a shout and even with the ever-growing
noise level the people nearby turn and look at me.

“Okay, okay. Settle down, killer,”
Bob says infuriating me even more. “I’m gonna play devil’s advocate here, so
don’t hate me, but you guys broke up. And sweetheart, take a look at yourself? You’re
married and pregnant. I know baby daddy sucks right now, but you picked him.”

“You suck right now! You’re supposed
to be supporting me. Come on, I know all of that, but it still doesn’t make it
any less of a blow. Plus, I’m even angrier that she hid it from me. Acting all
sheepish and uncomfortable when I walked in on her phone call today.”

“Sorry. I thought I’d give it a shot.”
Shrugging his shoulders, he gives me the answer I’m looking for. “Hands down,
she’s a bitch. Have at her,” he says with a self-satisfied grin on his face.

I take few deep breaths before I haul
my still starving ass across the bar to confront the two-faced bitch that was
once my best friend. I should’ve known she had it in her. When I think back to
all those times she ditched me at the bar to run off and sleep with some random
guy she just met. Leaving me alone knowing full well I hated taxis and would
eventually have to put myself in one to get home. I could count on one hand the
number of times she seemed genuinely concerned about me. It really doesn’t
matter now because we are done. She crossed that line, broke that unspoken rule
among friends and even worse pissed off the starving pregnant girl.

I’m pretty sure that there is smoke
coming out of my ears, like a bad cartoon and if it’s not it should be. I slam
my hand down on their table as soon as I stroll up on them. It takes both of
them by surprise and I wish I had a witty remark, but all I can come up with
is, “What a surprise!”

The look on their faces is exactly
what I’d hoped for, yet Ben seems slightly less shocked to see me than Melinda.
She just looks completely horrified.

“Fancy seeing the two of you here...together.”
I blink waiting for a response. When neither replies within the two second
window I leave open I continue. “I can’t believe my best friend would think so
highly of me to shack up with my ex-boyfriend.”

Ben looks at me quickly but turns
away with a small look of hurt in his eyes. He places his elbows on the table
and glares slightly at Melinda, “You said you told her?” he questions. “I
wouldn’t have done this if I had known she didn’t know.” Ben looks my way
apologetically, but it doesn’t clear him the way he thinks it will.

Melinda
leans closer to Ben and half whispers, “I was planning on it. It just...”

“It just what, Mel? It slipped your
mind? Doubt it. I walked in on you making plans with him today and you had the
balls to lie to my face. We’re done. I’m done with both of you!” I shout once
again a little too loud.

“Let’s go Ben,” Melinda says as she
rises from the table. I can feel my anger coming out in the form of tears that
I have been trying to hold back. I don’t move when she stands so we are now
face to face. I feel a hand on my shoulder pull me back just slightly allowing
Melinda room to pass.