The Nothings

Tabitha (Chapter One)

  It was around the time the Celine Dion song came on that Tabitha realized she needed to get out of this wedding. Now. There were so many people she didn't know, or people that she used to know. They kept coming up and asking her what was going on in her life, and she hated to admit that since the three years they'd seen her nothing interesting had happened. 

  Yes, she still lived with her mother. And her older brother, yes. Yeah, her nephew was getting older, and he was very cute. Where was she working? No, she was still unemployed. No, she wasn't in college either. What does she do all day? Well, she takes care of her nephew and the house, she says faintly. Embarrassed. They looked at her with pity. At least she has a boyfriend? Nope, she doesn't have one of those either.

   And she never would, she adds silently to herself as she stares at her ex-best friend dancing with her new husband who Tabitha disliked on sight. She wasn't sure why. Brianna had a long history of picking complete losers though. Brianna was always the type of person who thought being single was a fate worse than death. She would fall for any guy who showed her the slightest bit of interest. Tabitha could never understand why. They weren't friends any longer, but Brianna wasn't so bad, Tabitha thought. Sometimes.

  Tabitha was seated by some older relatives of Brianna's who were trashing someone named Cindy who was apparently uninvited because she was divorcing someone named Todd, and now Cindy was shacking up with a new guy who was ten years younger than she was. And she has three kids! Some people!  One older woman in a sequined blue dress that looked like it could have belonged to Dorothy on The Golden Girls couldn't get over Cindy's disgusting behavior. She was apparently horrified by the whole situation; so much so that she had to tell anyone who came to say hello to her all about it. 

  Tabitha sighed inwardly, and she wondered if it'd be rude if she left now. It was nearly ten. She'd been in the company of these people for three hours. That was an ungodly amount of time to be social in her opinion. She tried to control her nervous tapping foot. It was her 'tell'. She played with the thin silver chain around her neck instead. It was attached to a tiny glass lilac charm. Brianna gave it to her as a bridesmaid gift.  They used to give each other 'best friend' jewelry all the time back when they were close, but they hadn't seen each other in three years so Tabitha had been surprised by the gift.

  "You're the only person I can see as my bridesmaid," Brianna said on the phone during their awkward conversation when she called ask Tabitha to be a bridesmaid. "Please tell me you'll come! You can wear whatever dress you want! I know it's last minute, but please do this for me. I really miss you."

  Tabitha tried to use all of her best excuses, but Brianna started to cry. She didn't really have a lot of girl friends, she sobbed, and Tabitha knew why since Brianna was the jealous type. She thought all girls were catty and competition, and she made a point to only hang out with guys. Tabitha knew that Brianna had probably only been friends with her since Tabitha wasn't a threat. 

  Tabitha wasn't like all those other girls who boys might like more, were prettier or had a more interesting life. That and they had known each other since they were kids. It was a comfortable, stale friendship tinged with bitterness, and more about duty than love. Tabitha was almost grateful when Brianna finally found a boyfriend and no longer had any time for her old friend Tabitha.

  Which was why it was so strange when Brianna called, and she acted as if no time had passed. She couldn't wait to tell Tabitha all about the wedding. Brianna hadn't wanted to get married in a church, but her father had begged her, she told Tabitha. Her Mom wanted her to have her cousins be her bridesmaids, but Brianna hated all of them, and she didn't want them in her wedding pictures. She told Tabitha about the dress she picked, and how long she'd starved herself to fit into it. She talked about her job at the local nursing home, and she talked about how she wanted to have kids right away. She wanted at least five of them. It sounded like hell to Tabitha.