The pain in her voice was clear. Kara leaned over to give her a hug. The tremors from her sobs seemed to last forever, then Suzanne relaxed her hold.
“I’ll be right back,” Kara whispered. She went in the bathroom to wet a washcloth.
“Put this over your eyes. It’ll help with the redness.” She couldn’t keep a tear from running down her face. “Don’t forget, I know what it’s like not to have a parent.”
Suzanne sighed at the pleasant coolness of the washcloth. When she lowered it, Kara knew the time was right.
“It’s pretty bad…someone threw them out. Mom saved a few pictures. Dave looks so different now, I didn’t recognize him.”
“You’re kidding,” Suzanne added, with a hint of surprise.
Kara shook her head, and begun. “Here’s the thing, Suzanne. So we didn’t luck out with one of our parents. Why go over and over it? It doesn’t change anything. I think we’ve both been through enough.”
Kara’s logic seeped into her consciousness and she sat up on the side of the bed. Suzanne gave her eyes one final wipe with the wash cloth and put it down. Then she reached for a bottle of water on her night stand and drank all of it.
“I don’t know if I can do this…tonight, I mean.”
“You’ll be with friends,” Kara reassured.
“I need a shower,” Suzanne informed, looking at the bathroom. Kara backed off to give her room. Slowly at first, she reached for her bathrobe on the door and closed it. Kara listened for the shower to turn on and let out a ‘yes’.
She returned to the closet and found the skirt she picked out earlier. There was a sweater to match; Kara put them on the bed. Car headlights bounced against the walls. “Scott and Neil,” she cheered. It gave her hope this might work.
It didn’t take Suzanne long to get ready. Kara helped put concealer under her eyes to hide the swelling. On the way downstairs, Kara heard football talk and knew Scott was there. He could have waited in the car, but
knew this was important to her.
Neil mentioned reservations at Cedardale and good byes were said. The
grandfather walked them to the door and the grandmother smiled from her rocker. On the way out Kara turned and waved a ‘thanks’.
Neil and Suzanne walked in front to the car. He gave her a quick once-over and a ‘wow’. “For a techie, you sure know when to say the right thing,” Kara thought. Scott heard it too and put his arm around her. He gently pressed her against the car to give her a kiss.
She put a hand on his face. “How did you know we could do this?”
Scott met her eyes. “Because I know you.”
They kissed again with more intensity.
6-DRAMATICS
At Cedardale the hostess seated them in the enclosed porch, Kara’s favorite. There was a smoldering fire in the circular fireplace.
“Scott…I don’t even have a birthday card,” Suzanne apologized.
“It’s not my birthday…I don’t like them, anyway,” he interrupted. “We’re here for you.”
“We heard about Casa and Eleanor,” Neil confirmed. “Maybe you’d like to talk about it later.”
“I don’t know if I can…just ask Kara,” she warned. “I’ll bolt before I make a big scene.”
“I think we should get it over with,” Kara explained, picking up her napkin. “Remember last time we were here?”
Their waitress came over to take their order. She forgot a pad to write on and left to get one.
“Good idea,” Suzanne agreed, and let out a fake boo-ho. Kara dabbed a pretend tear and put her napkin down. Scott and Neil did the same without over-doing it, out of respect for Suzanne.
The waitress finally returned with a pen and pad. She saw them look like they were wiping away tears. “Is this an act, or something? It looks like you’ve been slicing onions.”
“We know why they’re why called ‘Weepers’, if that’s what you mean,” Suzanne observed.
The waitress looked up, making a connection. “You’re talking about kids that work at The Onion, right?”
Scott ordered nachos for an appetizer. As soon as she left, he raised his water glass. “To the cause of all our problems…The Onion.”
Their glasses clinked together.
“I can think of several times it looked like I was slicing onions,” Kara explained, “because of what happened there”
Neil looked a bit confused, like he didn’t get what onions had to do with Weepers. It didn’t go unnoticed. He covered it up by quickly raising his glass for another ‘clink’.
The waitress returned with nachos but forgot plates for everyone. This time she was a little embarrassed and quickly brought them. They all dove in. Kara hadn’t eaten since Ricardo’s and even Suzanne was nibbling some.
“Ok here goes,” Suzanne said out of nowhere. “Please…just keep on eating.” There was a brief pause before she started.
“We stopped in front of Casa just for a look. Mom was about to pull away. All I could think was…my mother is just a few feet away. I jumped out of the car and was inside before I knew it. Now comes the hard part.”
They all reached for more salsa, to take the attention off of Suzanne. She took a sip of water to get some composure.
“If she’s going to ‘bolt’,” Kara told herself, “this is the time.” Scott read her mind and gave her hand a squeeze.
“I was there. I can take it from here.”
Suzanne nodded in gratitude.
“Eleanor came down the stairs and stopped when she saw Suzanne. All she said was ‘I always knew you’d come back’. Then she walked by us for a cup of coffee.” Kara remembered her frustration and cut it short. “The Desk Lady, who told Eleanor we were here, asked for Suzanne’s phone number. She’s giving it to her sponsor, whoever that is.”
A sponsor is part of a support group,” Scott explained. “Someone to call when there’s a problem.”
“Don’t tell me this is it,” Neil encouraged, looking at Suzanne.
“He’s right,” Scott jumped in to say. “If you don’t hear from her sponsor in a week or so…give Casa a call. Maybe someone can meet with you and Eleanor.”
“Good idea,” Kara agreed, “When I think about it, I’m not sure what Dave would do if I just showed up.”
A look of optimism returned to Suzanne’s face. If her friends believed
there was hope, it must be so. She wiped a real tear with her napkin. Everyone did the same until she finally said ‘stop it’ with attitude.
The waitress returned for their supper orders. She had to repeat everyone’s at least twice. It was annoying but a diversion at the same time. When she finally left they all looked at each other.
“She’s new,” Suzanne excused.
“Ya