“Bobbie? It’s Tarin.”
“Tarin? Oh my god. Where are you? How’d you find me?”
Sobs were all she could hear. “Oh Bobbie. I’ve missed you.” Tarin fought hard to keep her emotions in check. It had been so easy to locate her, thanks to social media. She’d hunted down her old friend on Facebook. She hadn’t even had to look anywhere else. It made her flinch to think she hadn’t reached out to her for so long. She’d wanted to but hadn’t been sure how she’d be received. It hadn’t mattered that they’d been best friends as kids; sometimes things couldn’t be forgotten... or forgiven. If she hadn’t been desperate, she wasn’t sure she’d ever have contacted her. She needed help and had no one else to turn to. It made her sad and angry to think she was calling someone whom she hadn’t seen in almost twelve years to ask for her assistance. She was asking so much from Bobbie and was going to share so little with her—not that she could tell her much anyway, because there was still so much she didn’t know herself.
Pushing away her depressing thoughts, she pulled her attention back to her friend and her rapid-fire questions.
“Where are you now? I’ve thought of you so often, wondering what happened to you. What have you been up to? How’s your father? You’re still working for him? He doesn’t know you called me though, right? I’m still in Toronto. Well, in that general area. God I’ve missed you. I’ve wanted to call you so many times but well you―”
“I know and I missed you too. I wasn’t sure whether you’d want to talk to me.” She could clearly picture her beautiful, big brown eyes that had always made her feel so warm and welcome.
“Oh, Tarin.” There was an attempt at muffling sounds.
“Bobbie?”
“Where are you now?”
She bit her lip. “Hey, I’m coming out eas—uh, there and was wondering if you knew of a place I could rent? A two bedroom would be great.”
“Uh... where exactly do you want to live? I’m sure there is something in Forrest Hill, Bloorwest Village—”
“Nope, too ritzy. I want something low-key, nice, cheap rent. Well, you know something reasonable for a good, quiet neighborhood.”
“Oh? Really? What’s going on? Your dad will have a fit when he finds out.”
“I don’t intend for him to find out.”
“Things finally blew up between you. I figured this would happen one day. I knew you’d blow a gasket when you found out. In fact, I can’t believe you’re talking—”
“What are you talking about?”
There was a moment of complete silence. “Well... nothing... I mean... I’m sorry to hear about your dad’s problems.”
Tarin was certain she’d changed the subject but she sure had gotten her attention. “What problems?”
“His business is being audited. He’s spitting mad about it.”
“You keep in touch with him?”
There was a bit of hesitation before Bobbie answered, “Uh... no. He was ranting in the newspaper about your family, especially your grandfather.”
“Oh that. I think the threat of audits happen in big business, right?” Though she had no idea what Bobbie was talking about, she’d check the news for stories about his business. At one time, she’d read everything there was to know about C-Lite Hotels. She’d planned on being in charge of them one day but that had all died a quiet death.
“I don’t know. Anyway, I’ll see what I can find for you. Nothing is really cheap but Richmond Hill and Pickering are probably your best bet. Is there any place in particular...?”
“Just some place I can rent. Affordable.”
“Uh... I have a house in Vaughn with a basement suite that’s going to be available soon. Would that work? At least for starters?”
“That would be great. I need it by the end of the week, though.”
“No problem. I’ll make sure it’s ready by tomorrow.”
“If it’s going to cause—”
“It’s not. Don’t worry, softy, the person moving out will be fine. Glad to see some things haven’t changed. I’ve so missed you.”
“Thank you. Me too.”
“I guess, well, I figured when your dad yanked you from school and refused to let me see you that you—”
“Let’s not go through all that old stuff. So, how are you doing?”
“Good. Life is good. Nothing to complain about as my grandmother would say. You never met her, did you? She passed away a few years ago. I still miss her; she was quick as a whip at ninety-three.”
“No, I never met her. She sounds nice. How’s your mom?”
“Oh, good. She’s Mom. Doesn’t change. Busy. Still trying to look eighteen at fifty-eight. Still dating men half her age and flipping through them like underwear.”
Tarin burst out laughing. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t find that funny...” Her mom’s need to look years younger was why Bobbie had always been a little heavier than she needed to be, and at only five foot two, it hadn’t taken much for her to appear overweight.
“Don’t worry, I’m not offended. I’ve about had it with cleaning up her messes. Anyway, forget about her. How about you; what are you up to? Did you ever find your moth—sorry; forget it.”
“My mom? No, but I’m still looking.” She didn’t bother sharing that she had checked into adoption and government agencies in the off-chance that someone might be looking for her.
“Do you really think she’s alive? Your dad said—”
“He said she died when I was born, but it wouldn’t be the first lie he’s told me. Forget it. It’s dumb, I know.” Tarin grabbed a strand of long hair and tugged on it. It was odd talking with someone whom she’d once shared every secret but now felt as if she couldn’t—and she didn’t know why. “I’m, uh, changing careers. I’m looking at... some data entry. Should be a good challenge for me, you know me and computers.”
“Isn’t that the truth? Remember in school, I had to hack into your English exam to change the mark and give you the one you deserved.”
“I do.” Bobbie had always been there for her. “I’m leaving day after tomorrow. I’m going to rent a car in Montreal and drive out—”
“So you’re in Montreal. It’s six to maybe an eight-hour drive—depending on how you drive. It’ll give us plenty of time to catch up.”
“I can’t—”
“You can and I will.”
Tarin chuckled along with Bobbie. It had always been that way between them. Bobbie always got her way. “Okay. But I need a car seat for a two-year-old.”
“Awesome. You have a child? Boy or girl?”
“Boy.”
“Does your dad know?”
“Uh—no and I want it to stay that way.”
“When he finds out—he always wanted a son.”
“I know. He just can’t find out. Not right now.”
She didn’t ask any more questions but Tarin knew that she would, eventually. For now, it was enough to know she was okay with it. Time dropped away and they were two teenagers at boarding school experiencing true friendship. The lack of contact hadn’t changed the bond they had.
“Remember Anna and Stacy?”
“Oh my god. Those two tormented me every day. I know it was that witch Stacy that put gum in my hair.”
“Yeah I think so too but putting those frogs in her boots was priceless.”
They reminisced about many of the silly things they had done. It felt good, especially since she hadn’t thought about any of it since the day she’d left twelve years before.
“So what are you doing now?” Tarin asked.
“Oh, nothing much. Mom keeps me busy.”
“Did you ever get married?”
“No. Well... there are some things you need to know but I’ll share all that when you get here. I don’t want to bore you with my news. So what’s new with you? I guess that was a stupid question. Obviously something or you wouldn’t be coming out here on the sly with a young child.”
“Uh, yeah. A few things happening in my life, too. I guess we have a bit to catch up on.”
“It’s been a while. Almost half our lives have been apart.”
“I hadn’t thought of it like that.”
They talked for a few more minutes but it had become somewhat strained as the years apart started to show. Tarin really didn’t care to share what was going on in her life and she had the feeling Bobbie was holding back too. After she hung up, she wondered why she hadn’t told her the truth about her career or where she lived. Or why she’d felt the need to fly into Montreal, when it would have made more sense to fly straight to Toronto. From the moment she’d made the decision to leave, a niggling voice cautioned her to be careful and to keep her true plans quiet, at least until she knew who she could trust.
Setting down her phone, the tears she’d been holding back poured down her face. Silently, she watched her son dance like his favorite cartoon characters were doing on television. He was grinning from ear to ear. It warmed her heart to see him so happy. Maybe he could teach her about having fun.