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"What'll it be, ladies?" the waitress asked.
Both women ordered coffee. Siobhan ordered one of the house omelets and Sara ordered the eggs benedict. The diner was busy and Sara wondered if it was like that every morning or every Friday morning or just today. She hadn't been in the place on a weekday since Ty had shown up at the school looking for her over a year ago. Sara looked over at the booth she had sat in with Ty that day then flipped her coffee cup over for the waitress when she came back over with the pot.
"Cheers," said Siobhan holding her cup to Sara before taking a big sip. "So what is new?"
"Um," Sara said. "Well, Robbie's team made the playoffs."
"That's great," Siobhan said. "Or is it not?"
"Enh," Sara shrugged. Robbie was happy about it. It meant more games obviously and more practices. She was kind of ready for hockey to be over.
"Well, anyway, not kid stuff. What's new with you?" Siobhan asked. "I mean, how often do we get out, without the kids, these days."
"Hardly ever," Sara agreed. The only reason they were out together right then was because it was Good Friday and the schools had an early release which meant no lunch. "What time do you want us there Sunday?" she asked Siobhan
"Oh, Charlie's coming at two. You can come whenever. I figured I’ll try to have the turkey done at four. Josh wants to try brining it. What do you think? Have you ever done that?"
Sara set her coffee mug down on the table hard. So hard a little bit of coffee splashed out. She glared at her friend.
"Oh here," Siobhan said, grabbing a bunch of napkins out of the holder and passing them to Sara. Sara didn't take them. "What?"
"What do you mean Charlie?" Sara said. "He's coming?"
"Yeah, well, Josh said he didn't have the kids this Easter and Josh told him we were hosting and he should just come over. Is there a problem? I thought you guys got along okay, you know over February break."
"No, there isn't a problem," Sara said, and took the napkins from Siobhan and began wiping up the small mess she had made. She felt a bit sulky about it, but she couldn't very well raise a stink about who Siobhan and Josh invited to their own house. At least she had two days to think (obsess more likely) over what it meant that the guy hadn't bothered to reply to her attempt to initiate...what? What had she been trying to initiate exactly?
"Okay, so then what about you? What's new with you?" Siobhan asked.
Sara thought about it and nothing came to her. They sat there in silence, Siobhan staring at her quizzically until Sara finally gave up. Sara put her elbow on the table and rested her cheek in her palm.
"Nothing. I got nothing," she told Siobhan. "It's official, I have the lamest life ever."
"Oh honey, come on. I wasn't trying to make you feel bad."
"I know you weren't."
The truth was Sara didn't feel bad, just a little bit lonely, sometimes, mostly after the kids went to bed. Last night she had made herself a pledge that she was going to stay off the damn internet and find something productive to do with the little bit of free time she actually had.
"So," Siobhan paused as the waitress appeared with their plates. "Do you want to talk about the whole Tinya thing?"
"Not really," Sara thought, but she shrugged and said okay. Truth was it had been the time she spent on the internet reading everything she could find on "Trouble in Camp Tinya," that made her promise herself she needed to find something better to do with her time. She just had no idea what. Sara and Siobhan dug into their meals and ate in silence for a few bites.
"Well you think she did it?" Siobhan asked, while she buttered a piece of toast.
"Did what?"
"Cheated on Ty, with the singer from Covalent."
"She said she didn't."
Sara had read all the stories, the speculation derived from Steve appearing in the clothing ad for Inya's clothes. Everyone wanted to know why Steve had done the ad and not Ty. Sara, after seeing the ad, had kind of wished Ty had done it. Those clothes were about as un-Ty as you could get and she figured he would have looked ridiculous. Just thinking about Ty in skinny jeans made Sara chuckle and Siobhan looked at her.
"Sorry," Sara said. "I just had an image of Ty in those clothes, you know, from the ad."
"Oh, that is funny," Siobhan said chortling.
"I know," Sara said. "I wonder what they sell for accessories."
"God, Ty accessorizing, I can't imagine." Siobhan laughed harder then stopped. "But do you believe her? That she didn't cheat on him?"
"I don't know, Sha," Sara said. The official statement from Inya had been something along the lines of they were all great friends, the three of them and Ty had no problem with Steve doing the ad, which turned out great and everything was just great. "Blech," thought Sara, but to Siobhan she said, "I don't know these people, so how would I know if it's true."
"You know Ty."
"I knew Ty. Well, I thought I knew him anyway. I doubt he's anything like he was back then now, anyway. He's probably changed a lot, I mean, don't you think?" Sara said, thinking about it. He must have. How could you go from a just-barely-getting-by existence to a music superstar, practically overnight, and not have it change you?
"Well, I for one, hope it is true and I hope she dumps his sorry ass for Steve whoever he is, and leaves him looking like just as big of an idiot as..."
"As I was?" Sara asked.
"I didn't mean it like that."
"I know you didn't."
"I just want him to pay for the way he treated you, you know, it's not fair."
Sara smiled at her friend. Siobhan's loyalty was unquestionable.
"Well, if it will make you happy, I'll definitely cross my fingers for her to dump his sorry ass. You know, for your sake," Sara held up both her hands, fingers crossed and Siobhan laughed again.
"Anything else, ladies?" the waitress said, and when they shook their heads, she dropped the check on the table. "Take your time," she called as she scurried away.
"I got it," Siobhan said, grabbing it and holding it out of Sara's reach. "Stop it. I'm getting it."
"Fine," Sara said.
"Let's go to the mall."
"Okay. Why? What do you need?"
"Not me, you."
"I don't need anything," Sara said.
"You clearly do. I mean I asked you what was new in your life and you couldn't tell me anything. I mean, when was the last time you bought some new clothes?"
"I couldn't tell you," Sara said. It was probably the new underwear she had bought last year for Valentine's day, but she quickly decided not to bring that up.
"Okay, so we'll go to the mall. You can get a new dress."
"A dress?"
"Yes."
"What the hell do I need a new dress for? Where am I going to wear it?"
"You know, for Easter, when you were a kid didn't you get a new dress every spring for Easter?" Sara nodded. "So there you go."
"Yes, but I'm not a kid," Sara said, remembering. Oh those dresses, they were the best, weren't they? Of course she had some friends that hadn't wanted to wear a dress, ever, and for them it was pure torture, but for Sara the new dress, with the pastel colors and the stiff skirts and the bows, the bigger the better, that tied in the back but never stayed tied. "I don't need a new dress and I have nowhere to wear it too."
"You can wear it on Sunday. On EASTER," Siobhan said, like it was obvious, counting out the money and securing it and the check to the table with the salt shaker.
"It's not like I'm going to CHURCH!" Sara practically shrieked at her, but she kept her volume down and no one seemed to notice.
"Wear it to my house then."
"Oh, please."
"I just think you should look nice, that's all."
Sara saw where this was going, and she started to say something about Charlie and how this was not a date or a fix up, but she changed her mind.
"How about a shirt then? I could use a new shirt anyway," Sara said.
"Deal!" said Siobhan and the two friends shook on it and took off for the mall.