12.
FARRAH
“Hurry up, or we’re going to be late!”
“God forbid you miss the first game,” I muttered as I walked out of the bathroom. I picked up my card case and slipped it into my pocket before I grabbed my keys off the dresser, and then I looked at the women sprawled across my bed with a frown before I asked, “Are you comfortable?”
“Very. I like this blanket. I may have to steal it.”
“I’ve got some more yarn. If I can ever spend a night at home relaxing, I may start one for you, but if you keep dragging me all over creation, I won’t have the chance.”
“An idle mind is the devil’s playground,” Moe said as she stood up.
“No, it’s not. I’ve never once daydreamed about you, Moe.”
The women on the bed laughed as Moe threw a pillow at me, and when I threw it back, they laughed even harder.
“Come on!” Moe insisted as she hurried toward the front door. “I don’t want to miss anything.”
“I think we should bring up Moe’s latest addiction in our next meeting,” I said as I followed the women outside.
As I used my key to lock the deadbolt, Fiona said, “It could be worse. She likes going to the early bird session at the bingo hall, which means we’re surrounded by elderly people who want to be in bed before the sun goes down. At least she’s not keeping us out until all hours of the night.”
“I know, but now she’s got us going to a different one that starts later. If she makes us stay through two sessions, we’re all going to be dragging ass tomorrow.”
“I can barely manage to stay awake through one session. I’d be sleeping under the table if I had to sit through two!”
Moe scoffed as she looked at Serana and asked, “How do you sleep with all that noise?”
“Even before I went to prison, I could sleep anywhere.”
“How are we all getting there? I can’t fit all of you in my car.”
“That would be a sight, wouldn’t it?” Taylor asked with a laugh as she pulled her keys out of her purse. “Y’all can follow me over. I know where we’re going.”
Since we were going to a new bingo hall, something I was not happy about considering we’d already accompanied Moe once this week, I followed Taylor across town. It made me sad to think that I was going to be so close to the dance studio where I’d be spending time with Lynn in a perfect world. Instead, I hadn’t spoken to him in a week.
When Taylor pulled into a parking lot across the street from the studio, I followed her, lost in thought, wondering what Lynn might be doing tonight since he wasn’t spending it with me.
“There’s not a bingo hall here.”
“No shit, Sherlock,” Moe said as she unlatched her seatbelt and turned to face me. “We’re going dancing.”
“No.”
“Yes. We are. I took the time to plan this for you, and you’re not going to shit on all my hard work.”
“I appreciate the thought, Moe, but going in there with you when I’d rather be there with Lynn isn’t going to make me feel better.”
“Try it, you might like it,” Serana said from the back seat as she opened her door. As she got out of the car, she said, “Come on, Farrah. Trust the process.”
I got out and stared at my friends in disbelief for a second before I asked, “Y’all are really going to make me do this?”
“Absolutely,” Taylor said as she linked her arm through mine. “Come on, girlfriend. I feel like getting my boogie on.”
Since Taylor was all but dragging me across the street, I finally relented and decided to look at this like the gift it really was. I had good friends who were doing their best to pull me out of the depressive funk I’d been in this week. I could hear music playing as we got closer to the door, and it took everything I had not to pull away and walk back to my car.
“I don’t want to do this.”
“Farrah, believe me, it’s not going to be nearly as bad as you think,” Taylor insisted as Moe opened the door and motioned for us to go ahead of her.
The first two people I saw were Garvey and Corey Forrester, who were talking to a few men I recognized from the times that they’d volunteered at The Flower Patch. Zoey and Janis were there and smiled as they skirted the dance floor and walked the perimeter of the room, making their way toward us.
“What are you guys doing here?” I asked Janis when she got close enough.
“It sounded like a lot of fun,” Zoey answered instead. “We brought some of our friends so everyone has a partner, and we’re all ready to learn something.”
“That sounds great.”
“You’re so full of shit. Your voice is saying everything’s fine, but that neon sign of a face you’ve got is screaming a different story,” Janis said cheerfully. “There’s someone here for you to dance with too.”
“Awesome.”
“Awesome may be overkill. I’m more of a work in progress,” I heard a familiar voice say from behind me. When I spun around, Lynn smiled and said, “Hey, gorgeous. May I have this dance?”
“But . . . I don’t . . . we can’t . . .”
Lynn interrupted my stammering and said, “There’s nothing wrong with a group of people getting together to learn a new skill, right?”
“Right,” I whispered, still in shock.
“Will you come out on the floor with me?” Lynn asked.
“I’ll go anywhere with you.”
Lynn took my hand and led me to the same area of the room where we’d been during our first two lessons. I tried to brush aside how it felt to have his hand holding mine but couldn’t ignore the zing of electricity as he leaned down to touch his lips to my ear and said, “I’ve missed you, Farrah.”
I smiled as he leaned back and answered, “I’ve missed you too.”
“I’ve tried to figure out why I feel so strongly about seeing you, and I came up with a few theories. Do you want to hear them?” Lynn asked in a low voice so that the people around us couldn’t hear. When I nodded, he said, “The first was that you cast some sort of spell on me, but since I’m not a big believer in shit like that, I dismissed that one pretty easily.”
“What’s another theory?”
“That I stepped into the pages of one of those books my daughter loves to read. Our characters are star-crossed lovers that will make the reader cry before the happy ending.”
“I’d rather not cry, thank you.”
“But you think there will be a happy ending?”
“I hope so, but I’m not very good at hoping anymore.”
“I’d like to change that for you.”
I didn’t know how to respond to that statement, so I asked, “Do you have another theory?”
“The third is sort of along that same line but a little more classic.”
“Tell me.”
“It’s a Romeo and Juliet thing. We’re not supposed to see each other, but the attraction is so strong we can’t deny it.”
“Or is the attraction so strong because we’re both rebels and don’t like to be told what to do?” I asked.
“I like my idea better.”
“Either way, I’m not drinking poison for you. I gave that shit up years ago.”
Lynn barked out a laugh that made everyone in the room turn to look our way, and just to be funny, I waved like the queen of the parade before I elbowed him and said, “Shhh.”
“I talked to my lawyer today,” Lynn whispered. “Got some good news.”
I jerked my head to look at him so quickly that it gave me a twinge in my neck, but I ignored it and asked, “What is it?”
“Our final court date is next Thursday right after lunch.”
“And then it will be over and done with?”
“I’ll have the official ruling, the case will be closed, and the girls and I can go on with our lives.”
“That’s great!”
“Which means that I’ll be able to date anyone I want.”
“Do you have anyone specific in mind?”
The instructors had just finished their demonstration and ordered all of us to get ready to try out the new steps, which meant that I finally got to feel Lynn’s hands on me again. As he pulled me into his arms, much closer than the instructors had shown, he said, “Only you, Farrah. Since the moment I met you, I haven’t thought of anyone else.”
“You say all the right things.”
“I mean them.”
“You’re really messing with the idea that I’m not going to hope anymore.”
“I’m not just going to teach you to hope again, Farrah, I’m going to make you believe.”
◆◆◆
When I woke up the next morning, I was still walking on air even though I’d barely slept last night. I couldn’t stop wondering what might happen once the court case was over and I could see Lynn again. After all of my hard work to get sober and turn my life around, I thought I’d never have to wait for a judge’s ruling again, yet here I was, making my coffee as I worried about all the things that could go wrong.
When I walked out on the porch with my mug, I wasn’t surprised to find Moe and Serana there and Fiona walking our way with her own mug in hand.
“Mornin’, ladies,” I said cheerfully.
“She’s still giddy.”
Moe nodded and agreed with Serana. “Makes me wanna punch her.”
“I’m trying very hard not to get my hopes up, but it’s a little difficult when I think of how he wanted to see me so badly that he actually got Moe to play along for the sake of romance.”
“I was just sick of watching you mope.”
“Whatever. She liked playing matchmaker,” Serana tattled. “She tried to get Garvey to agree to come, but he kept blowing her off, so she got Zoey involved. The rest is history.”
“We were even rewarded for being kindhearted enough to help you,” Moe said with a straight face while Fiona, Serana, and I laughed hysterically. Moe ignored us and asked, “Did you see those hotties Zoey and Janis brought to the dance lessons?”
“I’d never wanted to roar like a cougar until last night,” Serana admitted.
“Hot damn, the one I was dancing with was smoking,” Fiona said, her Southern accent getting deeper as she fanned her face with one hand. “And the one who partnered with Ginger? Lawdy, that boy was fine!”
“I didn’t notice,” I admitted.
“Of course she didn’t,” Moe complained. “My partner was incredibly uptight, but the man had rhythm.”
“He was close to our age, wasn’t he? That’s all I remember about him,” I admitted.
“Enough about all that. Tell us about how wonderful it was to see Lynn again,” Serana ordered.
“You looked so happy,” Fiona said dreamily.
“I was happy. And not just to see him, but happy that he wanted to see me. How did this all come about?” I asked.
“The day they took you to the hospital, he came and found me to ask what was happening,” Moe admitted. “I made the plan then and have been in contact with him here and there ever since.”
“I’ve always suspected that you’re a closet romantic,” I teased.
“I just didn’t want to listen to you whine anymore,” Moe retorted. She rolled her eyes before she said, “But I am glad that you’re happy today.”
“She just doesn’t like to have competition in the crusty old grump department,” Fiona said as she nudged Moe with her elbow. “Don’t worry, Moe. You’ll always win that competition.”
“I’m not quite old enough to be your mother, but I’ll whoop your ass like I am if you keep touching me,” Moe threatened. When we all laughed, Moe glared at Fiona and asked, “Why in the hell are you so cheerful all the time anyway?”
“The sun is shining, and I’m free to come and go as I please. There’s not much that can ruin that feeling.”
“I can think of a couple of things,” I muttered when I saw Jill and Margie walk around the corner toward the conference room where we would be meeting with Garvey soon. “What the hell are they up to?”
“And why are they following us around?” Moe asked.
“They’re supposed to be here for the meeting, right?” Serana asked.
“They were at bingo the other night.”
I looked over at Moe in question before I said, “I didn’t notice them there.”
“I have a sixth sense when it comes to evil people like those two.”
“Because you’re they’re leader?” I replied without thinking.
“I’m here recruiting new members, but there they are driving people off with their sparkling personalities.”
“You ain’t gotta lie, Moe. We all know you’re a big softie,” Serana teased.
“She’s a romantic at heart,” Fiona added.
“That’s me. Rainbows and unicorns all the way. I’m just a ray of fucking sunshine.”
“And we’re the ants under the microscope,” I added dryly.
“No. Those bitches are because I know they’re up to something, and it’s pissing me off that I can’t figure out their game.”
“I agree with Moe. They’ve been way too nice to me lately. I keep looking over my shoulder.”
“Ladies, we need to stay as far away from Jill and Margie as possible so they don’t suck us into their vortex of evil,” Serana said dramatically. She shrugged before she added, “Besides that they’re both horrid bitches who make me want to commit a violent felony or two. My parole officer would definitely frown on that.”
“Not if their bodies are never found,” Moe suggested.
“Obviously, you’re not the best at hiding the body, Moe, so maybe we should find an alternative way to get rid of them,” I said as I gave Moe a cheesy smile. “Love you!”
“Fuck off,” Moe growled before she agreed, “Serana is right. We need to stay as far away from them as possible while they fuck themselves over. We can just sit back and watch the show.”
“I hope there are fireworks,” Fiona said cheerfully.
“If there aren’t, we'll set off our own to celebrate once they’re gone,” I promised.
Always the optimist, Fiona said, “That’s going to be fun!”
“Let’s hope we get the chance.”
“Is it bad that we’re hoping they slip up and get sent back?” Serana asked. “I don’t want to fuck up my karma.”
“If I’ve learned anything in therapy, it’s that only you can control your destiny,” I offered in response. “Let’s just hope their destiny takes them far away from us.”