Love Among the Pizza Boxes

So I lucked out.
Beth works today, too.
It’s another slow work day.
The people of the mainland are finally learning to cook for themselves instead of making us do it for them.
She’s sitting on the floor again.
So I sit down across from her and lean back against the cabinets behind the register and the phone.
“So, uh… I’ve been wondering,” I say to her.
Beth looks up from her fingers and raises half her uni-brow at me.
“Whatever happened to your mom?”
I probably shouldn’t’ve asked that.
I ask a lot of bad questions.
My French teacher in high school told the class once that there’s no such thing as a bad question.
“Well…” Beth picks at her nails some more. “She left. She figured out a year ago that I was a lesbian. So she took my sister and she left. End of story.”
“Oh. I’m sorry.”
Beth takes her hat off and sets it next to her on the floor.
“Your dad works in my apartment building.”
She looks up from her nails again, very suddenly.
“Really?”
I nod.
“How’s he doing?”
“Why don’t you know how your dad’s doing?”
Beth narrows her eyes at me. “Because I don’t talk to him, that’s why.”
“Why don’t you talk to him? Because he’s always gone?”
“No.” Beth picks up her hat and examines the Pizza Hut logo carefully. “I ran away.”
Oh.
“Well…. Where’re you living now, then?”
“With my girlfriend and her family.”
“Why’d you run away?”
“Because my dad isn’t ever home – we wouldn’t know the difference.”
Oh.
Well then.
Now, I have a few options here.
I could host an intervention.
And make Gary the doorman leave.
And I could reunite Beth and her father.
But that’d be a lot of work – and I don’t think I could pull it off.
Because I’m not good at interventions.
So I’m gonna go with option number two: just leave it alone for now.
If they don’t want to resolve their extreme family issues, then fine.
Let them have their way.
“Hey, Beth? You’re a girl, right?”
What?
What kind of question is that?
Yes, she’s a girl.
“Uh… Yeah?”
“Uh – right. Of course you are. Anyways. I have a question to ask you.”
“Okay…?”
“Well. Um. I was thinking yesterday. Er – this morning, actually.”
Spit it out, man.
God, you’re an idiot.
“Anyways. Do you love your girlfriend?”
Beth blinks.
“Why’re you asking?” She raises half her uni-brow again.
“Just answer the question.”
She sighs. “Yes, I do.” She almost glares at me. “Why?”
“How do you know?”
“How do I know I love her?”
I nod.
Beth sighs again. “I… She… I… Uh…”
I furrow my brow.
“I just know. I just do. It’s – It’s hard to explain.”
“But I want to know. So explain.”
Beth groans. She runs a hand down her face. Then she mumbles something about me being a persistent little bastard. “Well. It’s because… Well first off… Uh… Well she’s been my friend since second grade. She’s always been there for me, especially when my mom left. And when I ran away, she offered me a place to live. … I dunno. It sounds like I’m describing my best friend. Well, uh – that’s because I am. I fell in love with my best friend.”
I blink. Then I nod.
“So… to love someone, you have to know them for a long time?”
Beth shakes her head really fast. “No. You can know each other for just a couple hours. It depends on each case.”
“But how do you know when you love someone?”
“I, uh… Well. Uh…” Beth gives me a funny look. “Why’re you asking?”
Uh.
My eyes widen a little.
“Uh. Uh – no reason. Just wondering.”
Liar.
You’re a dirty liar, Riku.
You’re wondering because you love Shayla.
Shut up, Constance.
Beth smiles a knowing smile.
I still hate that smile.
She chuckles. “You’re so whipped.”
“Am not.”
I sound like I’m eight years old again.
The phone rings.