“I’m going to make you lunch, alright?”
Karlie nodded. She was still lying on the couch, lifeless.
“Are you feeling any better, Karlie?”
“No.”
Toni sighed.
“What do you want to eat? Sandwich? Salad?”
“Anything is fine,” sighed Karlie.
Karlie did feel better, just a little bit. It still hurt, but it helped to have someone around, someone who would put up with her moods, with her pain. Toni was there almost all day, every day, to talk her through things, cook for her, and help her on the path to recovery.
She closed her eyes, until she heard a tray being put down on the table.
“Here you go, Karlie. Lunch. Enjoy.”
Toni smiled brightly at her, and Karlie tried to return the smile lightly. She wanted to heal as quickly as possible but didn’t know where to start.
Maybe that’s why Toni is here, she thought to herself, to nudge me in the right direction.
Toni was eating a sandwich of her own, across the table from Karlie. She did not seem to mind the silence as she chewed away quietly.
It would be like this for another few days, until Karlie finally began to talk to Toni – about everything but Taylor. She did not know if she could ever really start talking about the hurt she was enduring, unless it was a confession to Taylor directly. Soon enough, Karlie was helping Toni with the cooking, was smiling again, and didn’t sit on the couch all day.
It was lunch and Karlie was talking to Toni about her plans for the week.
“I think I want to start working again,” said Karlie.
“Really, Karlie? That’s great. You shouldn’t just hole yourself up in one place forever. That’s really unhealthy. I’m glad you’re going back to work.”
“Yeah,” agreed Karlie, “But will you visit me? I’m going to miss these talks we’ve been having.”
“Of course,” smiled Toni, “Of course I’ll visit. I’ll visit you everyday.”
They smiled at each other brightly.
-----------
“Karlie!” squealed Sean when he saw her walking through the door of the dairy the next day.
“Why didn’t you call?” he yelled as he pulled her into a bear hug, trying to squeeze the life out of her.
“S-Sean!”
“Oh, right. Sorry.” He released Karlie as she began hyperventilating.
She took a few moments to gather her air before speaking.
“I wanted to surprise you,” she said softly, “How have you been?”
“Oh man, Karlie! I’ve been so bored around here. There’s no one to talk to!”
Karlie looked around the dairy, which was filled with workers all sitting in groups. They did not miss Karlie like Sean had missed her, only greeted her with cordial nods. She looked back and Sean and raised her eyebrows.
“I mean – there’s no one who listens!” he said while throwing his arms into the air.
Karlie laughed out loud. “Oh, Sean, you have no idea how much I’ve missed you! Tell me everything!”
Sean smiled brightly and said, “I’ve missed you, too, Karlie. You and your ears.”
Karlie frowned.
