Surviving Keith

Chapter 6: Toby

"So..." Mara said as I was driving her home after the commotion in Carla's place. "What are you planning to do now?"

"Honestly, Mara, I don't know."

"You love Trixie,"

"I do,"

"And Carla?"

"What about her?" I said, "Mara, she's my friend. That's all she'll ever be. She made that pretty clear."

"Are you really over her?"

"Yes," I said, "It's been too long, Mara. And I really like Marielle."

"She lied to you though,"

"You know pretty well that I am aware of that."

"So it's okay with you then?"

"You know it's not," I said and sighed, "but...I don't know, okay? I don't know what we'd be after this, I don't know anything."

She paused for a while and then, "You know, Toby," she said, "I always liked you for Carla."

I stopped the car. Thankfully, we were in an alleyway where no other cars really passed by a lot. "Mara, what?"

"You know that, right? You know that I always wanted you and Carla to be together--"

"Yeah, but why are you telling me this now?" I said, "Mara, her husband just died."

"Yeah, but, come on. We both know that Carla was just overwhelmed by everything when she married Keith."

"You don't know that."

"I do," she said, "She's my bestfriend and she might not tell me everything all the time but, you know..."

"She loved Keith."

"Let's just say she did, yeah, but you and her...who knows, right?"

"You sound so insane right now, Mara."

"Just think of the possibilities, Toby. She's single, you and Trixie are--"

"That's out of line."

"Okay, sorry," she said, "but come on. Won't you at least take a chance on Carla now? I mean, you've waited for so, so long. I'm sad that Keith died but you know, I'm sure he would want Carla to be in someone else's arms and be taken cared of..."

"I don't want to think about this, okay?"

"Okay," she said, "Sorry."

"Why don't we talk about you, though?" I said, "Hiding a man anywhere?"

She shrugged, "It's over."

"Whoa...who is this? And where is he?"

"I'd rather not talk about it,"

"Come on, Mara."

She kept quiet which bothered me. Mara never keeps quiet. It was as if I hit a nerve and she didn't know what to do. 

"Hey..." I said, "hey...I'm sorry."

She smiled and didn't say anything.