The sound of knocking woke me up from my nap. I opened the front door thinking that it was Melanie, since I asked her to get some freshly baked scones from my favorite bakery.
“What took you so--” I was cut off when I found Arthur standing out the door.
“Hi.” he greeted awkwardly.
“Hey! Where’s Mel?” I asked, seeing that he had the box of scones in hand.
“She stayed at the bakery. She wanted to see if they could serve the dessert instead of the caterer.” he informed me.
“Oh, ok. Thank you for bringing the scones.” I said, about to take the box from him.
“Actually, I also wanted to talk to you.” his face was serious as usual.
“Alright, sure. Come in, please.” I opened the door wider. He settled on the couch in the living room while I placed the pastries in the kitchen. To be a polite hostess, I brought him a piece of scone along with iced tea.
“Here you go. So what do you want to talk about?” I asked as I sat on the chair adjacent to him.
“I just want to clear the air between us. I don’t want it to be awkward anymore when we all hang out. I want us to be friends.”
“We are friends.” I told him.
“Yes, but I know you still don’t trust me.” he replied.
“That’s because I still don’t think you’re trustworthy. Arthur, you’ve got to earn people’s trust.”
“Then what can I do to earn your trust. To be your friend?” he asked.
I scoffed and said, “I don’t know. I usually trust people when I see that they deserve it.”
“Please, Karen. I know I’ve done stupid things, but I can assure you that I’ve changed.”
“It’s just hard to forget those nights when Melanie used to call me crying, because you’ve acted like a jerk again. You were a huge dirtbag before, just letting you know.” I said.
“And I regret it every day. Melanie told me that it was you who said that the past cannot be changed, so let’s just focus on the present, and make sure we don’t make the same mistakes.”
“Yes, I did say that.” I pondered for a moment. Growing up, that was what my parents taught me. If I keep blaming him for what he did, I wouldn’t be able to appreciate whatever good he’s doing in the present.
“I hope we can put the past behind us, Karen. I look forward to being good friends with you. I’ll get going now.” He gets up, straightens his clothes, and headed for the door.
“Arthur, maybe if you smiled a bit more, I’ll reconsider being friends with you.” I said it jokingly, but it was also half-true.
He smiled genuinely, nodded, and exited the apartment.
YOU ARE READING
Lily of the Valley
ChickLitA good-paying job, decent car, and a good apartment are all you need in the busy city of Los Angeles. It is a plus for Karen to have great friends and a supportive mother beside her. Everything is just the way it should be, until "he" comes back to...
