7. Secrets and Sandwiches
What is she doing?
Carla never ignored her phone calls, and when she missed them for some reason, she always called back right away. It had been hours and nothing. She was almost tempted to pop over there and ensure everything was okay, but she didn’t want to interrupt if she and Matt were… enjoying each other’s company.
Truth be told, she felt a little awkward going over there lately without warning. It had never been like that before her divorce, but she sometimes felt like a third wheel now, so she often waited until Carla appeared in her yard or called rather than simply stopping by like she used to. She was a little sad about it but filed it under the heading “It is what it is” and made some simple life adjustments—no big deal.
Gia pulled out her phone and glanced at it. Alright, no more dating apps to waste precious time on—what else was she supposed to do? She had relied on that swiping motion for so long that she sometimes found she wasn’t quite sure what to do with herself now. Her morning garden work was done. Carla was M.I.A. The kids were with their dad. And she’d already accomplished all she could think to do—and had enough motivation to start—inside the house. As a freelance blog writer and social media manager, among other odd writing and editing jobs here and there, there was always “something” to do, but she just couldn’t focus on her work.
Gia sighed. “Now what?” she said aloud, glancing around her home. She headed into the kitchen to make a sandwich. She couldn’t take the silence for another second, so she made three sandwiches, tossed them in plastic baggies, and walked out the front door toward Carla’s house.
She considered taking the route through the fence, but given that Carla hadn’t answered—or returned— her phone calls, Gia felt weird just appearing in the backyard. Ew, she thought. She didn’t like how the dynamic had changed, even though, as far as she knew, she was the only one who even noticed it. She walked up the front steps and rang the doorbell.
It took a few moments, but finally, Carla appeared at the door. “Oh! Gia, hi, hello!” she greeted, seeming frazzled. “How’s it going?”
“Uh. Okay. You’re being weird. I called.”
“Yeah, sorry! I was, uh, spending some special time with Matt, if you know what I mean.” She winked, finally finding her composure.
“All day?” Gia asked.
Carla laughed nervously, twirling a piece of hair around her finger. “Mmhmm. You know us. Just like rabbits!”
“I brought you sandwiches—fresh tomato, basil, and mozzarella.” Gia held up the fistful of little sandwich bags, and Carla’s eyes lit up. She still needed that sandwich.
“Yes! Come in,” Carla told her. “Actually, wait. Uh, just hold on,” she said, suddenly appearing nervous. “Wait here a second.” Carla closed the door in Gia’s face, but through the open window to her side, she could see—and hear—the two of them shuffling things around inside and the hard slam of a laptop closing in a hurry before the door re-opened.
“Come on in!” Carla chirped overly cheerfully as Gia eyed her suspiciously.
“You’re being weird. Why are you being weird?”
“I’m not. Let’s eat. Giiiiive meeee saaaandwich,” she begged Gia, feigning starvation, just as Matt emerged from the hallway, having hidden the computer in an undisclosed location.
He gave a quick wave. “Greetings, neighbor! Ooh, yay, sandwiches! Is this from the garden?”
“Yep. Fresh basil and tomatoes. And the mozzarella is from the farm down by the elementary school,” she responded. “Local and organic!”
“Sweet!” Matt grabbed a sandwich bag and pulled apart the zipper seal. He took a bite and started chewing, his eyes closed and head bobbing up and down in satisfaction. “Now that’s what I’m talking about. Carla, grab one; it’s delicious.”
Carla still looked more awkward than usual, but she grabbed a bag and opened it. She wasn’t turning down free gourmet sandwiches, even if she was feeling guilty for keeping things from her best friend.
“Mmmm, girl. This is to die for, as always,” Carla said, agreeing with Matt’s assessment of the surprise meal. Suddenly, a glimmer of mischief flashed across Carla’s face.
“Hey, you know who I was just thinking about the other day?” she asked, looking directly at Gia.
“Who?” Gia asked through a mouthful of mozzarella.
“Do you remember that guy Benjamin Marshall from years ago? He was kind of nerdy, always showing up at the bars we were at but never saying much to us? He had his own group of friends.”
Having just taken a drink from her water bottle, Gia started sputtering, sending droplets of water right toward her friend.
“Ew, Gia… That’s gross,” Carla said, wiping the water off her face with her sleeve.
“Sorry, I, uh, it went down the wrong pipe.”
“So, do you remember Ben?”
“I do,” Gia replied simply. “I think he moved to South America or something.” She attempted to act nonchalant, but enough emotion was behind Gia’s eyes that Carla knew immediately there was more to this story than she let on.
“Why do you bring him up?” Gia asked.
“Oh, I don’t know. Just being nostalgic today, I guess. You know? Just thinking about the past and how we’ve shared so much of our lives,” she emphasized the last words, an incognito dig at Gia for keeping whatever had happened between her and Ben to herself.
Matt eyed the two women and thought it was the perfect time to change the subject. He stood up and stretched. “Enough about the past! Let’s discuss the present. It’s the weekend—patio beers?” He grabbed the remainder of his sandwich, ushering the two women toward the back door.
“Sure,” Gia agreed. It wasn’t like she had anything else to occupy her time right now, and a bit of a buzz and some friendly chatter might be just what she needed to kick the funk she was beginning to feel without the crutch of online dating to boost her confidence; however fake those compliments were.
Yes, friends. What Gia needed right now was friends. Carla and Gia sat down at the patio table, shielded from the sun by the large umbrella above, as Matt headed back in to grab a cooler full of beer.
“Cheers!” Matt proclaimed.
“To nostalgia,” Carla added with a smirk.
Carla raised her beer and clinked it against the other two bottles. They were acting weird, without a doubt, but at least they were good company.