Summer and the City (13 page)

“Of course not,” I say, touching her shoulder. I pause. “Maybe I should go. Before anyone else wanders in.”

She nods. “That’s a good idea.”

“The soufflés are in the oven. All you have to do is take them out in twenty minutes, turn them over onto a plate, and put a scoop of ice cream on top.”

She looks at me gratefully, and envelops me in a hug. “Thanks, Sparrow. I couldn’t have pulled this off without you.”

She takes a step back and smoothes her hair. “Oh, and Sparrow?” she adds carefully. “Would you mind going out the service entrance?”

Chapter Eighteen

Where is everybody?
I think in annoyance as I bang down the phone for the millionth time.

When I got home last night, I kept wondering about Samantha and Charlie. Was that the way to a happy relationship? Turning yourself into what the man wanted?

On the other hand, it seemed to be working. For Samantha, anyway. And in comparison, my own relationship with Bernard was sorely lacking. Not only in sex, but in the simple fact that I still wasn’t sure I was ever going to see him again. I guess the best thing about living with a guy is that you know you’re going to see him again. I mean, he has to come home at some point, right?

Unfortunately, the same can’t be said of Bernard. And it’s all Maggie’s fault. If she hadn’t been so rude, if she hadn’t insisted on tracking down Ryan and seducing him . . . And she’s still
with
Ryan, having a mini affair, while I’ve got nothing. I’ve become a handmaiden to other people’s relationships. Aiding and abetting. And now
I’m
all alone.

Thank God for Miranda. I’ll always have her. Miranda will never have a relationship. So where the hell is she?

I pick up the phone and try her again. No answer. Strange, as it’s raining, which means she can’t be marching around in front of Saks. I try Bernard again too. No answer there either. Feeling thoroughly pissed off, I call Ryan. Jeez. Even he’s not picking up. Figures. He and Maggie are probably holed up having sex for the twentieth time.

I give up. I stare at the rain. Drip, drip, drip. It’s depressing.

At last the buzzer goes off. Two short toots, followed by a long one, like someone’s leaning on the button.
Maggie
. Great friend she is. She came to New York to see me, but spent all her time with stupid old Ryan. I go out into the hallway and lean over the stairs, prepared to give her a piece of my mind.

Instead I see the top of Miranda’s head. The rain has flattened her bright red hair into a neat cap.

“Hey,” I exclaim.

“It’s pissing out there. Thought I’d stop off here till it lets up.”

“C’mon in.” I hand her a towel and she rubs her hair, the damp strands standing up from her head like the crest on a rooster. Unlike me, she appears to be full of good cheer. She goes into the kitchen, opens the refrigerator, and peers in. “Got anything to eat in this place?”

“Cheese.”

“Yum. I’m starving.” She grabs a small knife and attacks the brick of cheddar. “Hey. Have you noticed how you haven’t heard from me for two days?”

Actually, I haven’t. I’ve been too busy with Maggie and Samantha and Bernard. “Yeah,” I say. “Where were you?”

“Guess.” She grins.

“You went to a rally? In Washington?”

“Nope. Guess again.”

“I give up.” I wander to the futon and flop down, gazing out the window. I light a cigarette, thinking about how I’m not in the mood for games.

She balances on the arm of the futon, munching her cheese. “Having sex.”

“Huh?” I stub out the cigarette.

“Having sex,” she repeats. She slides onto the cushion. “I met a guy and we’ve been having nonstop sex for the last two days. And the worst thing about it? I couldn’t poop. I honestly could not poop until he finally left this morning.”

“Hold on.
You
met a guy?”

“Yes, Carrie.
I
did. Believe it or not, there are some men who find me attractive.”

“I never said there weren’t. But you always say—”

“I know.” She nods. “Sex sucks. But this time, it didn’t.”

I stare at her wide-eyed and slightly jealous, not knowing where to begin.

“He’s a law student at NYU,” she says, settling into the couch. “I met him in front of Saks. At first, I didn’t want to talk to him because he was wearing a bow tie—”

“
What?
”

“And it was yellow. With black polka dots. He kept walking by and I kept trying to ignore him, but he signed the petition, so I thought I’d try to be polite. Turns out he’s been studying all these cases about free speech and pornography. He says the porn industry was the first to use the printing press. Did you know that? It wasn’t because everyone wanted to read all this great literature. It was because men wanted to look at dirty pictures!”

“Wow,” I bleat, trying to get into the spirit of things.

“We were talking and talking, and then he said why don’t we continue this discussion over dinner? I wasn’t really attracted to him, but he seemed like an interesting guy and I thought maybe we could be friends. So I said yes.”

“Fantastic.” I force a smile. “Where did you go?”

“Japonica. This Japanese restaurant on University. And it wasn’t cheap, by the way. I tried to split it with him but he wouldn’t.”

“You let a man pay for you?” This isn’t at all like Miranda.

She smiles awkwardly. “It goes against everything I believe in. But I told myself that maybe this once, I could let it go. I kept thinking about that night with you and your friend L’il. About how her mother was a lesbian. I kept wondering if maybe I was a lesbian, but if I am, how come I’m not attracted to women?”

“Maybe you haven’t met the right one,” I joke.

“Carrie!” she says, but she’s in too good a mood to be offended. “I’ve always been attracted to guys. I just wish they were more like women. But with Marty—”

“That’s his name? Marty?”

“He can’t help his name. I mean, you don’t exactly get to name yourself, do you? But I was kind of worried. Because I wasn’t sure I could even kiss him.” She lowers her voice. “He’s not the best-looking guy. But I told myself that looks aren’t everything. And he really
is
smart. Which can be a turn-on. I’ve always said I’d rather be with a smart, ugly guy than a good-looking dumb guy. Because what are you going to talk about with a dumb guy?”

“The weather?” I ask, wondering if Bernard thinks the same thing about me. Maybe I’m not smart enough for him and that’s why he hasn’t called.

“So then,” Miranda continues, “we’re walking through the Mews—that cute little cobblestoned street—and suddenly he pushes me up against the wall and starts making out with me!”

I shriek while Miranda bobs her head. “I couldn’t believe it myself,” she titters. “And the crazy thing about it was that it was totally sexy. We made out every five seconds on the street and when we got to my house, we ripped off our clothes and we did it!”

“Amazing,” I say, lighting another cigarette. “Absolutely amazing.”

“We did it three times that night. And the next morning, he took me to breakfast. I was worried it was a one-night stand, but he called in the afternoon and came over and we had sex again and he spent the night and we’ve seen each other practically every minute since then.”

“Hold on,” I say, waving my cigarette. “Every minute?” And another one bites the dust. Miranda is going to have some big romance with this guy she just met, and I’ll never see her again either.

“I hardly know him,” she giggles, “but so what? If it’s right, it’s right, don’t you think?”

“I guess so,” I say grudgingly.

“Can you believe it? Me? Having nonstop sex? Especially after all those things I told you. And now that I’ve finally had good sex, I’m thinking it might give me a new perspective on life. Like all men aren’t necessarily horrible after all.”

“That’s great,” I say weakly, feeling sorry for myself.

And then it happens. My eyes well up with tears.

I quickly brush them away, but Miranda catches me. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Why are you crying?” Her face screws up with worry. “You’re not mad because I have a boyfriend now, are you?”

I shake my head.

“Carrie. I can’t help you unless you tell me what’s wrong,” she says gently.

I spill the whole story, starting with the disastrous dinner with Bernard and how Maggie insisted we go to a party and how she ended up with Ryan and how Bernard hasn’t called me and now it’s probably over. “How did this happen to me?” I wail. “I should have slept with Bernard when I had the chance. Now it will never happen. I’ll be a virgin for the rest of my life. Even L’il isn’t a virgin. And my friend Maggie is sleeping with three guys. At once! What’s wrong with me?”

Miranda puts her arms around my shoulders. “Poor baby,” she says soothingly. “You’re having a bad day.”

“Bad day? More like bad week,” I sniffle. But I’m grateful for her kindness. Miranda is usually so prickly. I can’t help but wonder if maybe she’s right and two days of great sex have awakened her maternal instinct.

“Not everyone is the same,” she says firmly. “People develop at different times.”

“But I don’t want to be the last.”

“Lots of famous people are late bloomers. My father says it’s an advantage to be a late bloomer. Because when good things start happening, you’re ready for it.”

“Like you were finally ready for Marty?”

“I guess so.” She nods. “I liked it, Carrie. Oh my God. I really liked it.” She covers her mouth in horror. “If I like sex, do you think it means I can’t be a feminist?”

“No.” I shake my head. “Because being a feminist—I think it means being in charge of your sexuality. You decide who you want to have sex with. It means not trading your sexuality for . . . other things.”

“Like marrying some gross guy who you’re not in love with just so you can have a nice house with a picket fence.”

“Or marrying a rich old geezer. Or a guy who expects you to cook him dinner every night and take care of the children,” I say, thinking of Samantha.

“Or a guy who makes you have sex with him whenever he wants, even if you don’t,” Miranda concludes.

We look at each other in triumph, as if we’ve finally solved one of the world’s great problems.

Chapter Nineteen

At about seven, when Miranda and I have taken a few swigs from the bottle of vodka and have proceeded to interpretive-dance our way through Blondie, the Ramones, The Police, and Elvis Costello, Maggie arrives.

“Magwitch!” I exclaim, throwing my arms around her, determined to forgive and forget.

She takes in Miranda, who has picked up a candle and is singing into it like it’s a microphone. “Who
is
that?”

“Miranda!” I shout. “This is my friend Maggie. My best friend from high school.”

“Hi.” Miranda waves the candle at her.

Maggie spots the vodka, storms toward it, and proceeds to pour half the bottle down her throat. “Don’t worry,” she snaps, catching my expression. “I can buy more. I’m eighteen, remember?”

“So?” I say, wondering what this has to do with anything. She glares at Miranda and drops onto the futon.

“Ryan stood me up,” she snarls.

“Huh?” I’m puzzled. “Haven’t you been with him for the last twenty-four hours?”

“Yes. But the minute I let him out of my sight, he disappeared.”

I can’t help it. I start laughing.

“It isn’t funny. We were at some coffee shop getting breakfast at six in the evening. I went into the bathroom, and when I came out, he was gone.”

“He ran away?”

“Sure sounds like it, doesn’t it?”

“Oh, Mags.” I’m trying to be sympathetic. But I can’t quite get there. It’s all too ridiculous. And not terribly surprising.

“Could you turn that thing off?” Maggie shouts at Miranda. “It’s hurting my ears.”

“Sorry,” I say, to both Maggie and Miranda, as I scurry across the room to lower the volume on the stereo.

“What’s her problem?” Miranda asks. She sounds put out, which I know she doesn’t intend. She’s just a bit soused.

“Ryan ran out of the coffee shop while she was in the bathroom.”

“Ah,” Miranda says with a smile.

“Mags?” I ask, making a cautious approach. “There’s nothing Miranda likes more than guy troubles. Mostly because she hates all men.” I hope this introduction will make Maggie and Miranda appreciate each other. After all, guy troubles, along with clothing and body parts, are a major source of bonding among women.

But Maggie isn’t having it. “Why didn’t you tell me he was a dick?” she demands.

This isn’t fair. “I thought I did. You knew he was engaged.”

“You’re dating a guy who’s engaged?” Miranda asks, not liking the sound of this.

“He isn’t really engaged. He
says
he’s engaged. She made him get engaged so she could string him along.” Maggie takes another swig of vodka. “That’s what I think, anyway.”

“It’s a good thing he left,” I say. “Now at least you know his true nature.”

“Here, here,” Miranda adds.

“Hey. Miranda just got a new boyfriend,” I tell Maggie.

“Lucky you.” Maggie scowls, unimpressed.

“Maggie has two boyfriends,” I say to Miranda, as if this is something to be admired.

“That’s something I’ve never understood. How do you handle it? I mean, they’re always saying you should date two or three guys at once, but I’ve never seen the point,” Miranda says.

“It’s fun,” Maggie retorts.

“But it goes both ways, right?” Miranda counters. “We hate guys who date more than one woman at a time. I’ve always believed that what’s unacceptable in one sex should, by definition, be unacceptable in the other.”

“Excuse me.” Maggie sounds a warning note. “I hope you’re not calling me a slut.”

“Of course not!” I jump in. “Miranda’s only talking about feminism.”

“Then you shouldn’t have any problem with women having sex with as many men as they want,” Maggie says pointedly. “To me, that’s feminism.”

“You can do anything you want, sweetie,” I reassure her. “No one’s judging you.”

“All I’m saying is that men and women are the same. They should be held to the same standards,” Miranda insists.

“I totally disagree. Men and women are completely different,” Maggie replies obstinately.

“I kind of hate when people say men and women are different,” I interject. “It sounds like an excuse. Like when people say, ‘Boys will be boys.’ It makes me want to scream.”

“It makes me want to sock someone,” Miranda agrees.

Maggie stands up. “All I can say is that you two deserve each other.” And while Miranda and I look at her in bewilderment, Maggie runs into the bathroom and slams the door.

“Was it something I said?” Miranda asks.

“It’s not you. It’s me. She’s mad at me. About something. Even though I should be mad at her.”

I knock on the bathroom door. “Mags? Are you okay? We were just having a conversation. We weren’t saying anything bad about you.”

“I’m taking a shower,” she shouts.

Miranda gathers her things. “I’d better go.”

“Okay,” I demur, dreading being left alone with Maggie. Once she gets angry, she can carry a grudge for days.

“Marty’s coming over anyway. After he finishes studying.” She waves and hurries down the stairs.

Lucky her.

The shower is still going full blast. I straighten up my desk, hoping the worst is not to come.

Eventually Maggie comes out of the bathroom toweling her hair. She begins picking up her things, stuffing clothing into her duffel bag.

“You’re not leaving, are you?”

“I think I should,” she grumbles.

“C’mon, sweetie. I’m sorry. Miranda is just very adamant about her views. She doesn’t have anything against you. She doesn’t even know you.”

“You can say that again.”

“Since you’re not seeing Ryan, maybe we could go to a movie?” I ask hopefully.

“There’s nothing I want to see.” She looks around. “Where’s the phone?”

It’s under the chair. I grab it and hand it over reluctantly. “Listen, Mags,” I say, trying not to be confrontational. “If you don’t mind, could you not call South Carolina? I have to pay for the long distance calls, and I don’t have that much money.”

“Is that all you’re about now? Money?”

“No—”

“As a matter of fact, I’m calling the bus.”

“You don’t have to go,” I say, desperate to make up. I don’t want her visit to end in a fight.

Maggie ignores me, looking at her watch as she nods into the receiver. “Thanks.” She hangs up. “There’s a bus that leaves for Philadelphia in forty-five minutes. Do you think I can make it?”

“Yes. But, Maggie—” I break off. I really don’t know what to say.

“You’ve changed, Carrie,” she says, zipping up her bag with a snap.

“I still don’t know why you’re so angry. Whatever I’ve done, I’m sorry.”

“You’re a different person. I don’t know who you are anymore.” She punctuates this with a shake of her head.

I sigh. This confrontation has likely been brewing since the moment Maggie turned up at the apartment and declared it a slum. “The only thing that’s different about me is that I’m in New York.”

“I know. You haven’t stopped reminding me of the fact for two days.”

“I do live here—”

“You know what?” She picks up her bag. “Everyone here is crazy. Your roommate Samantha is crazy. Bernard is a creep, and your friend Miranda is a freak. And Ryan is an asshole.” She pauses while I cringe, imagining what’s coming next. “And now you’re just like them. You’re crazy too.”

I’m stunned. “Thanks a lot.”

“You’re welcome.” She starts for the door. “And don’t worry about taking me to the bus station. I can get there myself.”

“Fine.” I shrug.

She exits the apartment, banging the door behind her. For a moment, I’m too shaken to move. How dare she attack me? And why is it always about her? The whole time she was here, she barely had the decency to ask me how I was doing. She could have tried to understand my situation instead of criticizing everything about it.

I take a deep breath. I yank open the door and run after her. “Maggie!”

She’s already outside, standing on the curb, her arm raised to hail a taxi. I hurry toward her as a taxi pulls up and she opens the door.

“Maggie!”

She spins around, her hand on the handle. “What?”

“Come on. Don’t leave this way.
I’m sorry
.”

Her face has turned to stone. “Good.” She crawls into the backseat and shuts the door.

My body sags as I watch the taxi weave into traffic. I tilt my head back, letting the rain’s drizzle soothe my hurt feelings. “Why?” I ask aloud.

I stomp back into the building. Damn Ryan. He
is
an asshole. If he hadn’t stood Maggie up, we wouldn’t have had this fight. We’d still be friends. Sure, I’d be a little pissed off with her for sleeping with Ryan, but I would have ignored it. For the sake of our friendship.

Why can’t she extend the same courtesy to me?

I bang around in the apartment a while, all churned up about Maggie’s disastrous visit. I hesitate, then pick up the phone and call Walt.

While it rings, I remember how I’ve neglected Walt all summer and how he’s probably pissed at me too. I shudder, thinking about what a bad friend I’ve been. I’m not even sure Walt is still living at home. When his mother picks up, I say, “It’s Carrie,” in the sweetest voice possible. “Is Walt there?”

“Hello, Carrie,” Walt’s mother says. “Are you still in New York?”

“Yes, I am.”

“I’m sure Walt will be very happy to hear from you,” she adds, sticking another knife into the wound. “Walt!” she calls out. “It’s Carrie.”

I hear Walt coming into the kitchen. I picture the red Formica table crowded with chairs. The dog’s bowl slopped over with water. The toaster oven where Walt’s mother keeps the sugar so ants won’t get it. And, no doubt, the look of confusion on Walt’s face. Wondering why I’ve decided to call him now, when I’ve forgotten him for weeks.

“Hello?” he asks.

“Walt!” I exclaim.

“Is this
the
Carrie Bradshaw?”

“I guess so.”

“What a surprise. I thought you were dead.”

“Oh, Walt.” I giggle nervously, knowing I deserve a hard time.

Walt seems ready to forgive, because the next thing he asks is, “Well,
qué pasa
? How’s Nuevo?”

“
Bueno. Muy bueno
,” I reply. “How are you?” I lower my voice. “Are you still seeing Randy?”

“
Mais oui!
” he exclaims. “In fact, my father has decided to look the other way. Thanks to Randy’s interest in football.”

“That’s great. You’re having a real relationship.”

“It appears so, yes. Much to my surprise.”

“You’re lucky, Walt.”

“What about you? Anyone special?” he asks, putting a sarcastic spin on “special.”

“I don’t know. I’ve been seeing this guy. But he’s older. Maggie met him,” I say, getting to my underlying reason for the call. “She hated him.”

Walt laughs. “I’m not surprised. Maggie hates everyone these days.”

“Why?”

“Because she has no idea what to do with her life. And she can’t stand anyone who does.”

Thirty minutes later, I’ve told Walt the whole story about Maggie’s visit, which he finds immensely entertaining. “Why don’t you come to visit me?” I ask, feeling better. “You and Randy. You could sleep in the bed.”

“A bed’s too good for Randy,” Walt says jokingly. “He can sleep on the floor. In fact, he can sleep anywhere. If you take him to a store, he’ll fall asleep standing up.”

I smile. “Seriously, though.”

“When are you coming home?” he asks.

“I don’t know.”

“You know about your father, of course,” he says smoothly.

“No.”

“Oops.”

“Why?” I ask. “What’s going on?”

“Hasn’t anyone told you? Your father has a girlfriend.”

I clutch the phone in disbelief. But it makes sense. No wonder he’s been acting so strange lately.

“I’m sorry. I figured you knew,” Walt continues. “I only know because my mother told me. She’s going to be the new librarian at the high school. She’s like twenty-five or something.”

“My father is dating a twenty-five-year-old?” I shriek.

“I thought you’d want to know.”

“Damn right,” I say, furious. “I guess I’ll be coming home this weekend after all.”

“Great,” Walt says. “We could use some excitement around here.”