Band-Aids

“Hey, girl.”

Jenny looked up from her computer and towards the entrance of the voice came from. Her eyes immediately landed on a five foot, dark skinned girl. Her short, sculpted black hair had little snowflakes sitting at the top of her head and her overly white teeth shinned from her constantly smiling lips. Jenny smiled, “Hey, Nora.”

The tiny girl hopped the display counter of the flower shop to be behind the desk with Jenny. Since Jenny owned the floral shop, Nora took the liberty of making herself at home. “What’s up chica?”

“Trying to get these damn orders in before three,” Jenny said distractedly, eyes glued back on her computer screen.

Nora glanced around and scrunched up her nose. “You need more flowers? It smells like a plant massacre in here.”

Jenny chuckled, “That’s a good thing. This is Moffat Greenery.”

Nora picked up a flower from the many displays and started twirling it around her fingers carelessly. “So how was your weekend?”

“Not going to lie, pretty hectic. Hell.”

Nora set the rose that was in her hand down and frowned. “Sorry, Jen.” She hopped up on a counter and started to swing her legs back and forth. “Next weekend I’ll be able to make it. Chad will too.” Jenny smiled and nodded. Nora and Jenny were best friends and Nora and her boyfriend Chad would come over every Sunday and play with Carrigan and Daniel. It gave Jenny some time to do whatever she wanted but she usually ended up cleaning the house, getting her needed shopping done or putting in extra hours at work.

The kids adored Nora and Chad and looked foreword to Sundays so they could spend all day with the couple. Nora and Chad loved Carrigan and Daniel almost as much as Jenny did. They never passed up an opportunity to play with them if they didn’t have to. Unfortunately Chad was away on a business trip and Nora went with him to visit family last weekend, leaving Jenny to fend for herself. It wasn’t like Jenny was completely thrown for a loop. She understood she couldn’t always count on Nora to cover for her whenever she needed, even though she usually did.

Nora and Jenny met when Jenny moved to Baltimore. They attended the same college and were in the same calculus class. Suffering through the dreaded math together was the start to their relationship and even though Jenny was forced to drop out of college because of Carrigan and Daniel, they stayed close.

Chad was just as great as Nora, if not better. He insisted on picking up the kids from daycare if he was off work and randomly stopped over and dropped off dinner for the Moffats. Jenny would never understand what she did to deserve such great friends and nothing ever went unnoticed by her. Some nights she would lie awake and tear up at how blessed she was. She was able to turn one of the worst nightmares into a life that she loved to live.

“Don’t worry about it Nora. You don’t need be at my house every Sunday. I understand that,” Jenny said kindly, chewing on the end of her pen as she studied the computer screen.

“Yeah I know I don’t need to, but I want to.” Nora paused and thought about her statement. “You were left with these kids and it is only fair that I—”

“Nora Jean,” Jenny scolded. “Don’t ever feel guilty or obligated to help me.”

“No, no! That’s not what I meant, Jen.”

Jenny exhaled loudly, “I know. But, it’s just you shouldn’t feel like this is your burden. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Either did you,” Nora added in quickly.

Jenny ignored the comment and continued talking. “Don’t plan your life around Carrigan and Daniel. I know you love them, but their not your responsibility. They are mine.”

Nora was quiet and walked over to Jenny. She wrapped her arms around Jenny’s neck and squeezed her tight. “You’re such a good mama!”

Jenny laughed and looked up at Nora from her chair. She mimicked Nora’s baby voice and pinched her cheeks, “And you’re such a good best friend.”

Nora’s signature giggle rang through the empty store, reminding Jenny that no one else was at the store. As if on cue, one of her workers entered through the front door bundled in her winter coat and snowflakes melting in her frizzy hair from the heat of the floral shop. She said a quick hello to Nora and Jenny and then went to the back, leaving Nora and Jenny alone again in the front.

“So!” Nora shouted energetically. “We should go out to lunch before I have class today.”

“I can’t. A shift manager called me earlier this morning saying she was sick, so I have to work two shifts today. I’ll be here all night.” Nora pouted childishly. “Wait, you have class today?”

“Yup! We just started our new semester. So I’ll have class after lunch instead in the morning. What?” Nora asked after seeing Jenny’s face turn.

“Nothing…I was just going to ask you if you couldn’t pick up Carrigan and Daniel from daycare today since I’ll be working.”

“Oo, sorry Jen.”

“Do you think Chad will be free?” Without waiting for an answer, she picked up the phone and dialed the familiar number.

“Hey Jen-Jen!”

“Hi Chad,” Jenny smiled. “Can I ask you for a favor today?”

She heard hesitation in his voice. “It depends what the favor is. What’s up?”

“Could you pick up the kids?”

“Sorry, Jen. I’m stuck at the office all night. Ask Nora though, I’m sure she’d be glad to. I gotta go! I’ll talk to you later. Bye!”

“Crap,” Jenny said to Nora, putting the phone back its cradle.

“What are you going to do?” Jenny didn’t answer Nora. She started to roll through her options. She could close down the store for thirty minutes and go pick up the two kids, but even if she did that, what would she do with them? Take them to work with her? She couldn’t close early. She had an important order that was being picked up later. She didn’t know anyone else well enough to have them pick up the kids and watch them at her house all night. She couldn’t believe it. What was she going to do?

Jenny ran her fingers through her hair nervously, pacing around weighing her options. And then the past months events rolled through her mind. She glanced at her purse, where her cell phone sat. Call me if you ever need anything, Jenny. I’d be happy to help you. The words replayed in her mind. Should she do it? She promised herself that she wouldn’t. But there was only one option left.