Cross Roads

Chapter 1

Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep

The continuous sound of a car horn is heard at the crossing of 22nd and Chaplin Ave with a frustrated "Argh" or "Ahh" punctuating the monotonous sound. Everyone is either angry or frustrated at this crossing now on Friday, 13 January at 7.05 in the evening. Simply because they all have places to go and this traffic jam here is not helping anyone. But one particular woman is feeling up to her limits stranded just at the crossing before she has to turn to reach her destination for the evening. A woman named Katie Lovejoy, sitting in a midnight blue Honda Civic, just three cars away from being able to make the particular right turn to Chaplin Ave. She is making her feelings about this particular situation known to everyone present or stuck at the crossing by beeping her car horn continuously and by periodically shouting and cursing this situation out. Thus, bringing a foul mood on everyone stuck here unfortunately.

Now Katie Lovejoy is not at fault. She is late. And not just to any meeting or a simple dinner reservation. But she is late to her first date with a guy she liked after so long being immersed in work and not even thinking about dating. Simply because she got her heart broken by her high school sweetheart about whom she was sure that she would be spending the rest of her life with. But alas that did not pan out quite as she imagined it to be. Thus, thrusting Katie into the arms of her career. Now she is a very successful woman in her late twenties and is at the height of her career. She is happy in that aspect, but she started missing that special someone. So, she did what any person who wants to date nowadays does. Tried her hand at online dating.

Katie is not the type of person who believes in superstitions or anything like that. But her best friend, Annalise does. And she has to because every time Katie plans something and notes them down, things do not go quite the way Katie hoped for. Thus, making Annalise go to Katie and lend her best friend, her shoulder to cry on or take out her frustration on. But Katie never listens to Annalise's warnings about not to plan out things to a T. Katie is a very optimistic and carefree person or at least she pretends to be with everyone. But Annalise knows the real Katie, the one she becomes when things inevitably do not go her way. This time is not much different either.

As Katie sits in her almost brand new, few weeks old car, frustratingly hitting the steering wheel and groaning about the traffic jam messing up her schedule, Annalise rolls her eyes listening to her best friend through the phone. Katie did not want to go out on this venture alone. And because Annalise strictly said no on being a third wheel to Katie's first date with this guy, she is now on the phone listening to her best friend groan and curse at innocent people stranded at the crossing much like Katie herself.

"Argh. I hate this. I hate it. Why can't people drive? Like come on people move. It's not rocket science; you push the gas pedal and drive. Come on. Dammit." Katie shouts beeping her horn while punching the steering wheel. Katie then leans her head on her hands after realizing nobody is moving no matter how much she curses them out. Her eyes slowly land on her phone, perched on the vacuum clip stand mounted on her dashboard. The name clearly displays Annalise and that the call has already been for twenty whole minutes. Katie groans, glaring at her phone.

"Now don't you start, Lis." But no sound is heard from the phone. "Hello, are you even there Lis or did you leave me in this mess as well?" Still nothing. "Great. That's just great." Katie punches her steering wheel again in retaliation.

"I am here." A small sound is heard after a minute of silence from the perched cell phone still connected to Annalise's call.

"Did you mute yourself, bitch?" Katie asks, cursing her best friend out in her frustration.

"Now, now Katie. Don't take your frustration out on me. I am your innocent best friend who will lend you her shoulder when you come running to me at the end of tonight."