Holding on to Love

Chapter 2

                The long tones sounded in my ear, telling me that Sammy’s phone was ringing. I remember her adorable Hello Kitty phone like it was yesterday.  Pink is her favourite colour. It might still be.  As I waited for her to pick up, I thought of all the things that could come of this call. Would she even pick up when she saw my number on the caller ID? Does she even remember my number? I honestly would not blame her for doing any of these things. I won’t be surprised if she answers just in the hopes of telling me off for ignoring her all this time. It must have hurt her more than it hurt me.  I won’t even be surprised if she’s found a new friend to replace me. We used to be best friends; neither of us really had any others apart from each other. She would have been lonely.

                I almost hung up, before I heard a soft click, and the beautiful voice of my favourite person in the world.

“Hello?” She hasn’t seen the caller ID. She doesn’t know that it’s me.

“Sammy.” I breathe, hoping for the best.

“Aubrey?” Sammy squeals. She sounds so excited; I cannot believe it!

“It’s me, Sam! I’m so sorry.” I hear her sob quietly.

“I’ve missed you SO much, Aubrey. Don’t even worry about it. I know you’ve been through such a rough time. “

“That means a lot to me.” I told her. “You have always been the most understanding person I know. I’m kicking myself for ever thinking that I should let you go. I really am an idiot.” I sit down on the couch, getting comfortable.

                The absence of Sammy’s voice has left a giant empty hole in my heart, I now realize. Amazingly, I feel almost whole again. Almost, but not quite. I still have the feeling that there’s something missing.  But for now, I’m just going to live in the moment. I start by explaining.

“I know that there’s no excuse for how I’ve been acting, but I just want you to know that I’m sorry, and it was the worst mistake of my life. Leaving you like that, I mean.” Biting my lip, I wait for her response.

“I know. Did you not think that I knew you well enough to know that? You can’t even begin to guess how many times I’ve almost up and gone to visit you on a whim, missing you so much. But I stopped myself, each and every time, Aubrey, because I knew that you needed time and space. I know my own best friend!”

I had missed how honest Sam was. Although sometimes it could be a little nerve wracking, I loved it.

“Please tell me you have not found another replacement. I wouldn’t blame you.” I commented sheepishly.

“Are you crazy? You’re the one and only, baby!” Sammy was always joking and teasing like that. I had almost forgotten.

“Speaking of pet names” she continued, “Guess who has a new boy toy?”

“No way! I’m so happy for you! Is he hot?” I wiggled my eyebrows not realizing that she couldn’t see me.

“Oh yes. How about we meet up for coffee and I can spill all of the dirty details?” This sounded like a great idea. I can’t believe how quickly things have gotten back together, just like they used to be.

                We agreed to meet in half an hour at The Bean. We used to hang out there all the time. It was easy to talk to each other and tell secrets because of the wild chatter that always surrounded the sculpture. Nobody could ever hear a word we said, so we were always free to say what was on our minds.

                I need to make myself presentable. After all the tension between us this past year, I feel an urge to make a good impression. Not that Sammy will care, but I should do this much for her. I was still in the same outfit that I wore to the little café, so I didn’t need to change, but I decided to do a little makeup for a change. I’m not exactly a professional makeup artist, but I try my best most of the time. After putting my landline phone back on the charger sitting on the coffee table, I get up and fix my dress, which had wrinkled a little during the phone call. I hurry upstairs to get started.