Chapter 6
My eyes flutter open on Saturday morning and I slide my hand across the bed to reach for Elliott in the dark. Instead, all I find is an unmade side of the bed. It’s obvious that he never came to bed last night. Unfortunately, I am almost relieved by the revelation. The last thing I want is to wake up and have to continue our attempted conversation. I’ve lost any sense of courage I was feeling yesterday.
I roll to my other side to retrieve my phone and check the time. It’s 8 am. There’s a dull headache behind my eyes, the aftermath of the tequila I had before bed, I suppose. That’s what I get for having nothing but coffee and one taco before drinking, I guess. I put the phone back down and pull my blanket tight around my body, trying to will myself back to slumber. Just as I close my eyes once again, my phone vibrates on the table next to me, jolting me back awake.
Caroline: Hi girls. Still up for hot yoga and brunch today?
SHIT. This day keeps getting better. I totally forgot that was today.
The phone buzzes again.
Mandy: Yes, please! I feel like an absolute cow. I can not wait to get my sweat on.
I pick up the pillow next to me and press it into my face before letting out a scream. Hot yoga is the last thing I want to do today. Hanging out with Caroline and Mandy is the next-to-last. These women are both just so, for lack of a better term, plastic-y. They both walk around in expensive clothes with their fake boobs and designer purses while driving $80,000 cars and turning down their noses at everyone else around them. They are just so different from anyone else I have ever been friends with, and I clearly don’t fit in with them. In fact, they are the exact type of women I generally try to avoid. They are the girlfriend and wife of Elliott’s two best work friends, Logan and Greg, so I don’t really have a choice but to play nice. Considering the fact that I still have no friends here in the city, I have to at least try to befriend them. Working from home is nice, but it makes meeting new people nearly impossible. Especially when you are an introvert.
Elliott has been begging me to get to know them for a while now, so that we can all do things together. Therefore, when they invited me to tag along with them on a Saturday, I knew I had to accept the invitation.
Me: I’ll be there! Can’t wait!
Caroline: Yay!
Mandy: See you girls at Namaste at 9!
With a huff, I roll out of bed and stumble towards my closet. I’m not really a fan of name brands, but my mom is. Well, scratch that, she is a fan of people thinking she can afford name brands. With that being said, this year she bought me some knockoff Lululemon leggings for Christmas. I’ve never been inclined to wear them, mainly because I rarely do any type of exercise, or have a reason to put on athletic wear. I tend to live in lounge wear. However, today they are just what I need. I already feel self-conscious when I’m around these ladies. They are both so perfect and I’m just, well… me. I know I don’t fit in with them at all, but at least I can dress the part.
Fast forward to 8:45. I pay for parking and carry my gym bag and the yoga mat I bought for this outing towards Namaste, the yoga studio. Immediately, I spot Mandy waiting outside the door on a bench, staring straight down at her phone, oblivious to the world around her. Even from a distance, she looks flawless and intimidating as hell. She’s wearing a black crop top with matching leggings and white sneakers. Her bleach blonde hair is in a perfect high ponytail, and her French manicured fingers loudly tap on her phone screen.
“Hi” I say nervously, as I approach her.
“Hey.” she says back, not bothering to look in my direction. After probably a full minute of awkward silence, she pulls a water bottle out of her bag. “Ugh, where is Caroline? We will not get a good spot inside if she’s late.”
As if on cue, we look up to see Caroline rushing across the street towards us. She looks just as flawless as Mandy does. She’s wearing an olive green crop top and legging combo, with a high teased ponytail. If I’m not mistaken, they are wearing the same outfit, just in different colors. I glance down at my own clothes. I paired my fake leggings with a bright pink fitted tank top. I thought I looked cute when I left the house, but now, in the presence of these two, I feel so much less polished. Honestly, I didn’t know my self confidence could get any lower than it was already, but here we are.
“Ugh, sorry, guys!” She says, stopping in front of us. “I had a hard time finding a place to park. The parking lot is almost full already. I had to park next to some old crappy Honda.” She whispers that last sentence, with one hand covering her mouth like she’s saying a bad word. “Hopefully they don’t scratch my Wagoneer when they leave.”
Caroline turns to look at me. My mouth is slightly hanging open and I can’t hide the look of confusion on my face.
“I try to only park next to cars that are newer and nicer, so hopefully the owner will respect the surrounding cars when they are getting in. I never get door dinged by other nice vehicles.” She explains.
“Oh, yeah, that makes sense.” I say, trying to remember what direction she came from. Not far from here, I parked my Honda in a busy lot. Surely there is no way she was talking about my car, right? My car isn’t brand new, but it’s far from old and shitty. I shake the thought from my head. No, she has to be talking about an older Honda with missing hubcaps and duct tape holding the mirrors on and dents all over the body. I can not let myself get worked up for no reason.
“You guys ready?” Mandy asks, already sounding bored. She picks up her things and heads towards the door without waiting for an answer.
I obediently grab my bag and follow along in her path. Mandy has kind of always struck me as a bitch, while Caroline is at least a little warm and welcoming. I have mentioned this to Elliott before, and he agreed Mandy is kind of gruff, but that’s just her personality. She’s a nurse and from the stories Elliott tells me, she deals with a lot of stupidity daily, making her a bit cynical. Basically, he told me she has a very low tolerance limit for people, but he swears she’s a great person, at least as far as Greg says.
I suppose I haven’t spent enough time with the two of these ladies to really pass too much judgment on them. Caroline works in Pharmaceutical Sales, so she spends a lot of time in and out of doctors’ offices. I think she is just naturally good at being nice and bubbly towards people, whether or not she means to, because it’s a key component of her job.
We pay our fees and quickly sign our waivers. Normally, I would at least pretend to read the paper I am signing, but today I feel like I have to rush so I don’t get left behind. I feel like a third wheel already, or like someone’s annoying little sister that has to tag along, even though no one wants her there. Carefully, I lay my mat down on the floor in the large yoga room just as the instructor enters the room.
“Hi ladies! I see a few unfamiliar faces in here today. I’m Gail and I’ll be your instructor.” Her eyes land on me and she sends me a gentle smile. “We are going to get started in about five minutes. This is a great time to get some water and take a potty break.” She announces in a very calm but kind voice before leaving the room once again.
“I better run to the restroom.” I whisper to Caroline before slipping out of the room. She nods in response while busying herself with some light stretching.
On my way back, I pause just long enough to notice Mandy and Caroline through the window. They are huddled together and giggling, engrossed in some sort of joke between the two of them. I smile to myself, thankful that Mandy’s mood seems to be lifted. Maybe she’s defrosted a bit and will at least be tolerable for the rest of the day. That feeling of relief doesn’t last long, though. As soon as I walk back into the room, they both look at me and abruptly stop talking. It’s obvious that they were talking about me or talking about something they didn’t want me to hear. Suddenly, I feel like I’m thrown back into high school and stuck working with a couple of mean girls on a science project. It takes every bit of strength in my body to not gather my things and leave. I am way too old to be subjected to people that make me feel like I don’t belong, but somehow here I am. Instead, I try to hide the fact that my feelings are hurt and I take a seat on my mat just as Gail walks back in to start the class.
“Welcome everyone.” She announces. “Once again, I am Gail and I’ll be leading today’s hot yoga session. We are going to get started with a brief warm up while this room works to reach a balmy 99 degrees, since the door is now shut.”
I look around the room with wide eyes. 99 degrees? The rest of the attendees look on as though they’ve heard this opening information too many times already.
She continues, “Please remember, if you get lightheaded or dizzy, take a break. Get out of the pose and get a drink of water. Don’t die. It’ll make me look really bad.”
The class erupts in light laughter after that last line, and I wonder again if I should have left when I had the chance. What have I gotten myself into?
I make my way into the lobby of the yoga studio and lean against the concrete wall. Slowly, I allow my body to melt until I am sitting on the floor. The cold concrete immediately works to bring my body back down to its normal temperature. I sip my water and try to steady my breathing while begging myself not to pass out.
The door to the studio swings open and out walk my yoga companions. Caroline has my yoga mat and gym bag under her arm, while Mandy follows along behind her, looking annoyed as usual. Immediately, Caroline moves to sit next to me. “Tyler, are you okay?” She asks, her eyes searching mine.
My breathing has finally returned to normal, and the feeling of embarrassment has taken over instead. “I think so.” I respond with a nod, while wiping sweat from my forehead.
“Did you get lightheaded?” Mandy asks accusingly.
I nod and down the rest of my water bottle. “I don’t know what happened. I was doing okay, but suddenly I felt like I was going to fall on my face during downward dog. Child’s pose didn’t make me feel any better either, and I just had to get out of there.” I cover my eyes. “That was so embarrassing.”
“Did you eat today?” Mandy asks, sounding annoyed, as she shifts her bag from one shoulder to another. It’s clear that I have ruined her Saturday morning and she doesn’t bother to hide it.
I shake my head. “No, I didn’t want it to upset my stomach before class.”
“What about water? Did you drink water this morning?”
I wince. “I had coffee on the way to the studio.”
Mandy rolls her eyes. “I know you probably don’t workout a lot,” Mandy says, looking me up and down with an obvious judgmental eye, “but you have got to eat before working out and you have to hydrate before hot yoga.” She finishes with her arms crossed over her chest. “Or you might, oh I don’t know, get lightheaded and pass out.”
“Noted for next time.” I mumble, as I stand up from my spot on the floor, steadying myself against the wall.
Caroline places a hand on my shoulder. “Let’s go next door for brunch. You need to eat something,” she says kindly. “We can beat the crowd since class isn’t over yet.”
“Food sounds great.” I agree and obediently follow her out the door, avoiding eye contact with Mandy.
When we step through the door of Yolk, the ultra hip brunch restaurant next to Namaste, I am immediately taken aback. Everything from the marble tiles to the crushed green velvet chairs and booth seats scream luxury. I’ve never even been to such a beautiful restaurant, and certainly not for breakfast. I’m more of an Ihop kind of girl, to be honest.
The hostess leads us out the door onto the back patio. It’s May in Oklahoma, and it’s still cool enough in the earlier part of the day to sit outside and enjoy the weather. I’m thankful for the outdoor seating. I’m too sweaty and gross to feel comfortable tainting their plush velvet chairs with my sweaty backside, and the fresh air will hopefully help me feel better while I wait for my food.
Our waitress comes to take our drink order, and we all settle on infused water with cucumber and lemon. As she walks away, we study our menus. It doesn’t take me long to decide on Eggs Benedict, my favorite. Satisfied with my choice, I close my menu and the other two follow. As soon as the menus hit the table, the incredibly attentive waitress is back. “Have we decided?” She asks, holding her pen over her notepad.
“Yes, I’ll have a green smoothie.” Mandy says, not making eye contact with the server at all. She places her menu on top of Caroline’s and goes back to her social media scrolling.
I mentally add this to the reasons why I can’t stand Mandy. You can tell a lot about people based on how they treat their server at a restaurant, and she is basically acting like ours doesn’t exist.
“I’ll have the same.” Caroline pipes up, handing the stack of menus to me.
Suddenly, I feel like I can’t order food. They’re already in better shape than me, and I don’t want to stand out more after my embarrassing stunt today.
“Make that three.” I tell the server, with a soft smile. I already know I’m going to regret this decision.
“So, I have something to tell you, ladies,” Mandy says in a singsong voice. She digs in the change portion of her wallet and slips something onto her left hand. She holds up her perfectly manicured fingers and braces for our response.
Caroline gasps loudly, causing the rest of the restaurant to turn and look our way. She pulls Mandy’s hand closer to investigate the giant rock that is now dominating her left hand. “Mandy, it’s beautiful. When did this happen? How did he do it?” Caroline pries.
She grimaces a little. “It’s almost embarrassing to talk about.” She starts. “Last night was our one year dating anniversary, so he tried to recreate our first date. He took me out for dinner and then for a walk in Bricktown. Just as we reached the bridge, he got down on one knee and proposed.”
“Aw, that sounds sweet.” I say, taking a drink of my water, trying to avoid the sting. If only she knew that I would kill for a “boring” proposal like that.
“I guess, but he could have at least taken me out to a nice restaurant. Not Bricktown Brewery.” She says with a shrug, not bothering to hide the disappointed look on her face.
“No, Tyler’s right. It’s cute.” Caroline adds, trying to console her friend. “Do you have any ideas about setting a date yet?”
“Not yet. It’s going to be huge, like the event of the century, so it’ll probably take another year and a half, if not two years, to plan it.” She takes a drink. “It has to be perfect.”
The two of them lose themselves in conversation about venues and colors while I quietly sip my water. It’s not long before the waitress is back with our smoothies. As she places mine in front of my face, I try to hide my disgust. What in the hell did I order? I lean over and look at the thick green concoction in my glass. To add to my disgust, the drink gurgles and a large piece of spinach surfaces to the top.
My tablemates immediately each take a sip with satisfied looks on their faces as if they are eating a four course meal. I follow, not knowing what to expect. It doesn’t taste like much at all, to be honest. It’s like a flavorless, ugly milkshake. Why would anyone order this on purpose? I look at the ladies with me again and their perfectly toned bodies. This is exactly why I’ll never look like them. I like the taste of food too much.
“So Tyler,” Mandy says while absentmindedly stirring her smoothie, “How long have you and Elliott been together?”
Sigh. Here we go. “Just about three years,” I say, mimicking the stirring motion she is making.
“Oh. I didn’t realize it had been that long,” Mandy says nonchalantly. “Any plans on getting married yourselves?”
“Um…well” I start, trying to decide how to answer, just as we are interrupted.
“Hey ladies!” A high-pitched voice breaks through the nervous conversation and a gorgeous brunette pops up in between Mandy and Caroline. She obviously shops at the same place as these other two. She is also wearing the same crop top and legging set, with a high ponytail, only in pink. They look like they could model for a Lulu store poster, the same outfit all in different colors.
“Jess!” Mandy says, standing from her seat to move to hug her. “Guess what?” she says, but then holds her left hand up to show off her ring before Jessica can guess.
“Holy crap! Congratulations!” she squeals and hugs her friend. “I’m so excited for you!” Mandy and Jessica hug tightly. When they release, Jessica leans across the table towards me with her hand out. “Hey, I’m Jessica.”
I shake her hand. “I’m Tyler.”
“This is Elliott’s girlfriend,” adds Caroline.
“Oh, I work with Elliott. He’s a great guy,” Jessica says with a smile. “It’s so nice to meet you. Well, girls, I have to get over to my table. We just took a spin class and I am starving.” She waves to us and turns, walking back to her table. Her perfect ponytail swaying behind her, against her tanned and toned back.
“Bye!” the ladies at my table call to her as she walks away.
I take another sip of my chunky green smoothie, trying to drown my sorrow and counting down the minutes until I can get out of here.