Best Friends

9

35 years old

"Stop running around Tyrri! This ain't your house!" Normani yelled to her 3 year old son, who wouldn't stop running around my house.

"He's fine. As long as he doesn't break-"  A crash was heard from the living room, making me close my eyes.

"Anything." I finished. Normani smacked her lips.

"Hold on girl." She said, getting up. From the other room I hear,

"I'm finna beatcho ass!" And Tyrri start crying. I roll my eyes and sip my green tea, staring outside at the sunny, summer day. Normani met some guy named Andrew. He was gorgeous, dark, brown, perfect skin, perfect smile, always had a fresh haircut with waves and always had on the nicest clothes. Not too long after knowing one another, he asked Normani to marry him. She said yes of course and they've been together for about three years now. He was the perfect guy, or so it seemed. He was funny, smart, caring, successful. He had his own law firm. Normani was still to this day trying to convince me to move to Chicago with her but I kept saying no. He was on a business trip here in New York and Mani seized the opportunity to come see me. I'm glad she had gotten over her fear of her old pimp, Cease. As she should, since I told her I read in the newspaper that he'd died at a club shoot out a year ago. Since then, her and Tyrri make visits to me whenever they can. I know she's happier than she's been in a while with her life, and I'm happy for her. But I don't like her husband. He was hiding something, I know it. I could feel it. There was something off about him. He seemed too perfect to everyone else. I know for a fact no one is. I just wish I could prove my suspicion was correct. She came back in the room, holding Tyrri, making him sit in the chair next to me.

"Girl he broke a glass tray in your living room. I swept it up. What do you say Tyrri?" Normani said.

"I-I sorry auntie Laurie." He said. I smiled at him.

"It's just a tray. Don't worry about it little one." I said, rubbing his head. We was so adorable, the boy version of his mother. I looked up and caught her staring at me, doing that half smile thing she'd do when she was reminiscing.

"A penny for your thoughts?" I asked.

"No. A tootsie roll will do just fine." She said. I smiled and nodded.

"Fine. A tootsie roll it is." I said.

"I was thinking about how different my life would've been had I... chose to live differently before." She said.

"You shouldn't dwell on the past. What's done is done. We can't change it." I said. Tyrri had his head on the table, his eyes closed.

"I was talking about with you." She said, grabbing the boy and rocking him in her arms. I felt my cheeks get hot and grabbed my now cold tea and sipped it.

"What about me?" I asked.

"Don't do that. You know what I'm talking about." Normani said, raising an eyebrow.

"I can't say I do." I said, looking outside at a squirrel on my back porch.

"I miss that, you know. It only happened what, a couple times? In a way, you were addicting." She said. My eyes locked with hers as she smiled and looked down at her son. She got up and went to put him on the couch in the living room. Me, addicting? She came back in and sat back down, closer to me this time.

"I couldn't have been that addicting if it only happened a few times." I said.

"That's all you'd allow. You didn't see it, of course, but you had that wall up. A wall that hid everything that didn't meet the eye. I was one of the lucky ones who got to know you. At least a little bit." She said, grabbing my hand and squeezing it.

"You always do this when I see you."

"Do what?"

"You try to tease me Normani, play at my heart strings. It doesn't work that way, I don't." I said, moving my hand away from hers.

"I swear I'm not doing anything. Just telling you how I feel. Can I not do that any more?"

"Not like that, no."

"Fine Lauryn. Let's talk about Kombucha juice and pandas."

"You're funny."

"Pandas are cute."

"Mani." I said. She scoffed and looked away from me.

"I have... dreams about you, Laur." She said.

"What kind of dreams?"

"All kinds. Funny ones. Sad ones. I had one the other night where we both jumped off a cliff and into the ocean and turned into mermaids." She said. We looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"Girl, what the fuck?" I asked her, still giggling. After we died down a bit, she looked at me and wrapped an arm around my shoulder and pulled me close to her. She kissed my cheek and I turned and smiled at her. Then she pecked my lips quickly before getting up.

"Normani don't -"

"I gotta get this boy back to the hotel so he can sleep. We're leaving tomorrow, but I will be by to say bye, okay?" She said, grabbing her son.

"Don't ever say bye to me again Normani. Say see you later or I'll see you soon." I said. She smiled and walked over to me, then kissed the top of my head.

"See you soon Kitten."
**************************
"I just need ONE more drink. ONE." Lisa said, holding up three fingers.

"Lisa, baby thats three fingers. And you've definitely had enough." I said. It was later on the next day. Normani never came by. She just called me to tell me she was on her way out and she'd be back in a month or two. I was upset, obviously. I think her stupid husband had something to do with it. He was always jealous of the way Normani looked at me, the way she spoke to me. He knew we had a special connection that he'd never be able to penetrate and break apart.

"Youuuu need a drink other than water, my sexually confused friend." Lisa said with a snicker.

"I'm not sexually confused. I'm too damned old to be sexually confused." I said angrily.

"Mhm, why haven't you talked to anybody or dated anybody since I met you then?" She asked, making a face. I couldn't help but chuckle, she looked like a sweaty dolphin right now.

"Because I'm happy being alone Lisa. Everyone doesn't need a partner to make them happy." I said.

"Ooorrrr... you don't know if you like kitty kitties or doggies bitch. ROOF ROOF!" She said loudly, making  people look at us.

"Okay, that's it. Let's go Lisa. You've had enough." I said, dragging the drunk woman to my car. She was still acting like we were in college or something. We're pushing forty! After I got her in the car, she just looked at the side of my face as I drove her home.

"I texted Connor to help you out when we get to your house." I said, tired of her big brown, drunk eyes looking at me like that.

"Its so beautiful Lauryn." She said, when we pulled up to her house. Connor was already on the porch, walking toward the car.

"What? Your house? I know. I love it." I said.

"No. You. You're waiting for her." She said. I made a face at her just as Connor opened the door and grabbed his wife.

"Thanks Lauryn. Take it easy." He said smiling at me and closing the door. Lisa turned and gave me one last look before going inside with her husband.
*********************
And yes, she's STILL a virgin at 35. 😂 I can't laugh cause I'm still a virgin at damn near 22 so... - Mad MuziQ