Dreama’s Journal–October 22
Today, Ana and I had plans to take my best friend, Mary Skinner, to the mall. If she hadn’t needed to get some new clothes for Gunther, I don’t think she would have made time to go out on our monthly excursion. I wasn’t ready to give up.
I picked her and her baby up at her Ocean View apartment. It didn’t impress me too much. Just a plain two-story brick structure surrounded by sand and weeds, it sat near a 7-Eleven and a laundromat. Broken glass and cigarettes littered the oil-stained parking lot. An aura of domestic violence hung in the background. Maybe that was just my imagination. I chose to believe that.
Seeing Mary’s worn, but smiling face appear from the first-floor unit made it less bleak. She lugged her heavy baby along with his equally heavy car seat. I helped her fasten him next to Ana. Then with a sigh, she joined me in the front seat.
The air was cool, so few tourists were in sight. It looked like a ghost town. Loneliness lingered on the faint odor of sea salt.
“You look good,” I told her, and it was mostly true. Her eyes were heavy with dark circles under them. Maybe it was due to allergies. Other than that, her hair looked stylish and her posture relaxed. “How have you been?”
“Just busy.”
“Gunther is really growing up. I can see a difference.”
“Yeah, he has practically outgrown everything.”
“Well, I’m glad we are going shopping together. I have missed you.”
She seemed to appreciate that. Maybe it wasn’t much, but this outing was enough to keep the thread between us from breaking. Eventually, it could grow strong again. We’ll wait and see.
“How is Henry?”
“Oh, he’s good.”
I couldn’t tell her my forbidden thoughts, though once we shared all our secrets. It didn’t feel right. Not since we were at a party at a beach condo and she tried to jump from the balcony did we trust each other with our troubles. Her husband Mark had cheated on her. I coaxed her back into the room, telling her anything she might have wanted to hear. Later that night, they did make up. Now we pretend that everything is perfect. It is easier that way. Besides, I saw the pain she went through because of Mark’s cheating. I didn’t want to be the cause of some other nameless, faceless woman out there suffering. Whether Mary or Stefan’s wife or some other woman, I couldn’t bear the thought.