Echoes

The Question

"Ohmygod, Clawz," Hope gushed into her phone, "he's taking me to the Boston Club tonight."

"Whoa, how did he even land a reservation?"

"He said he knows someone on their staff. Who cares, it's the freaking Boston Club. They featured it in Manhattan Nightlife and all the foodies are raving about it. It's the restaurant on everyone's scope right now--" Hope shook with the effort of holding herself together, and added, "--especially for proposals."

"No. Freakin'. Way. You think he's gonna--"

"I think he's gonna! Tonight's our four month anniversary."

"That's so not a thing."

"Is that jealousy I hear?"

"Sanity."

"Whatever," Hope said with a chuckle. "We were talking about some stuff last week, and I don't know, it just felt like everything pretty much clicked that this guy is the one. He wants the same things I want, likes the same things I like, has the same goals I have..."

Claudia's voice went silent for a moment. "You think so? I mean, you'd know him better than I do, for sure. But... really?"

"Yeah, really. Come on. We're great together." Hope glanced at her closet door and gasped. "Oh! Wait 'til you see the dress I bought for this. His eyes are going to fall out of his head."

"Hope, I don't mean to pry, but I thought your finances were a little tight?"

"Well, when we were trying to save for our trip to Ireland, sure, we pinched some pennies. But the 'Vette cost a lot to repair, and Derrick didn't have the cash on hand at that moment, so I used the travel fund to help him out. I still had a few hundred left in it--"

"Help him out? Or pay for the whole thing?"

Hope shook her head and took a deep breath. "Clawz, I'm trying to tell you about my dress. Stop being some kind of self-appointed big sister for a minute and listen. So, all your horrible morning workout routines must have been doing some good, because literally none of my outfits looked right--baggy in all the wrong places, too tight where you're making me build some muscle--"

"Hope," Claudia said, quiet but firm. "I need to know. Did Derrick offer to pay you back? Or did you just give him several hundred dollars like, hey, no big deal?"

"First, I'll have you know I had way more than that," Hope responded. "Second, of course he's gonna pay me back, he just had some other stuff to take care of last month. Plus, you know, I think he needed to spend some money on a little something special in a velvet box..."

"Hope, I'm just saying--"

"And third," Hope said, "when did it become your business?"

"I'm your best friend, Hope. Everything I have going on is your business, and everything you have going on is mine. Gotta look out for each other, right?"

Hope flopped onto her bed and stared at the ceiling. "I guess."

"I just don't want you getting hurt, girl. And I'm pretty sure I've heard similar stories about Derrick from past girlfriends. The guy hasn't always been the best partner."