...And a Happy New Year

March 11, 2014

Chaney came into work, hoping to find Stephanie at her desk, but was once again disappointed as she walked past an empty cubicle. Chaney was becoming worried as to where Stephanie could have possibly gone. The last time they had been around each other, she hadn’t let on that something was up. If anything, Stephanie was acting as a rock for Chaney in all of her Halvo drama. Her worry only increased as later on in the morning, their boss, Mr. Rickford, walked over to Stephanie’s cubicle with an empty box and began to fill it up with her things. It took all Chaney had in her to stay calm.

With a shaky voice, she inquired, “Mr. Rickford? Where uh, where is Stephanie?”

His own eyes getting a bit misty, he draws a deep breath before replying, “We’re not sure. No word on her whereabouts have surfaced. She’s been gone over a week. I’ve been asked to pack her things.”

Chaney meekly nodded and looked down at her desk. She couldn’t fathom not working side by side with Stephanie. She was her best friend, next to Halvo.

Mr. Rickford stopped packing the box and took in Chaney’s distraught appearance. He half smiled at her .

“Chaney, how are you holding up? I know the two of you were close.”

She couldn’t make eye contact, but found herself picking the nail polish off her nails to keep her calm enough to reply.

“It’s not easy. To go from seeing each other every day to not seeing her at all…it’s just a lot to take in.”

He walked around to Chaney’s cubicle and put a comforting hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

Chaney looked up at him momentarily, taking note of the sincerity and sympathy in his eyes before focusing back on her picked-polished nails.

“I know it must be tough. If you need someone to talk to, my door is always open.”

She nodded, not having the strength to respond.

He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze again before returning to pack up Stephanie’s desk.

Chaney struggled to do any work that day, much as she had the week before. She was grateful that Mr. Rickford empathized enough to realize that she wasn’t being the most productive at work. It helped that the work load had been light all day and the week prior. Light work weeks were rare, and it was these rare times that she especially missed Stephanie. They would always have the most insightful, and interesting conversations to help pass time in between the occasional documents that would be passed their way to be filed. Now she was left up to her own devices to keep herself entertained. It wasn’t only for boredom that she missed Stephanie, but her absence was more pronounced as she had nothing to do.

She had been staring idly at her cubicle wall at the couple of pictures she had pinned on the wall; trying her best to force her thoughts away from her missing friend.

A knock on her wall and a clearing of a throat called her attention away from her pictures.

She sat up straight and looked over at the entrance to her cubicle, wondering who was there. She was surprised to see John casually leaning against the opening of her cubicle.

“Hey, thought you could use a friend. Have you had lunch yet?”

She looked at her clock and saw that she had been sitting there in a trance for the last couple hours, almost skipping lunch altogether.

She shook her head no.

John motioned with his head for her to follow him, and began making his way towards the exit.

Chaney quickly grabbed her purse and phone before hastening after John to catch up with his unnaturally fast walking pace.

They approached the door to exit her office, and John opened the door and motioned for her to go ahead.

They continued towards the elevator and out of the office building, still not saying a word as they walked outside in the warm Arizona sun. Chaney didn’t know what he had in mind, but she was glad for the company. Today had been a particularly lonely day, and she was hoping for good conversation if nothing else.

John didn’t go to his parked truck which caught Chaney off guard as she started to walk towards it and he went the opposite direction. He stopped, seeing that she didn’t follow and offered his arm out for her to take as they walked down the sidewalk.

She couldn’t get over the change in her interaction with John today compared to the rocky last couple of months around each other. He was firstly, being unusually quiet, but also being such a gentleman. He was holding open doors, offering his arm as they walked, and he even stood on the outside of the sidewalk nearest to the road. Seeing this side of John was unusual for her, as he had never acted that way around her. She was beginning to believe that they were actually turning over a new leaf in their relationship. Chaney was further impressed by the fact that all of these actions seemed second nature to John; none of this seemed to be out of character for him or like he was trying to put on an act.

They continued to walk in silence until she saw the familiar diner she and Halvo frequented come into view. She smiled once she realized that’s where they were eating. John looked out of the corner of his eyes to see Chaney’s face light up upon seeing the diner. It brought a small smile to his face and he hoped that he could reestablish their friendship to what it was before he acted like a jerk to her. John was stubborn and hated to admit when he was wrong. Something like this, swallowing his pride and trying to get past his own misjudgments, was never easy for him. His goal by the end of lunch was to show Chaney that he isn’t the bad guy that he had been showing to her, and to show her more of the gentleman that his parents raised him to be.

He led her into the diner and they took a seat at a booth across from one another. They each picked up a menu to glance over the items before sending their order in to their waitress.

As quiet as the two of them had been since John showed up, Chaney for once didn’t mind it. The ease of sitting in silence with someone is a luxury she didn’t often experience. There weren’t many people she could comfortably sit in silence with and be completely content. John was proving to be one of those few. She liked this side of John; this gentler nature he was showing. He wasn’t quick to judge or throw around comments to agitate the other person. He was simply being there. Considering the turn of events the last week had brought her, she was thankful for the change of pace.

She had been constantly badgered about her knowledge of Stephanie’s whereabouts and it was wearing on her nerves. Of course Halvo was there when he could be to help relieve some of her stress and take her mind off of what was going on, but he could only do so much.

She couldn’t put her finger on it, but something was off with him. Since he left her house the day she found out Stephanie had gone missing, he had been acting differently. Beforehand, he seemed just as surprised and distraught as she had been. Now, however, he didn’t seem fazed about it. She knew he was only trying to be a constant for her so she wouldn’t stress out too much, but the way he went about it only rubbed her the wrong way. He kept brushing off her worries and saying that Stephanie will turn up. She knew, rather hoped, that to be true, but the way he said it came across as apathetic an uncaring; almost like he was sick of her talking about it and wishing she would change the subject. Needless to say, she hadn’t been in contact with Halvo the last couple of days as a result. Seeing John was a nice change especially since she hadn’t really seen or talked to him since she moved into her apartment.

They continued to sit in a comfortable silence for a few more minutes until Chaney spoke up.

“Thank you.”

John looked up from his stare down at the table, and looked at her questioningly.

“For what?”

Chaney smiled, “Firstly for not asking me or talking about Stephanie. I mean, I know she’s one of my best friends and an important person to us, but thank you for not badgering me about my knowledge about her.”

John half smiled and nodded.

“I figured you would be getting enough of that as it is, and I didn’t wanna be that person ya know?”

John paused momentarily, stopping himself before asking the question he wanted to ask. He debated whether or not to ask, not wanting to wear anymore on her nerves as he could tell she was exhausted. He observed the dark circles that rimmed the bottoms of her eyes. The whites of her eyes were a light shade of red from lack of sleep, and her overall posture was slumped, unnatural of her normally rigid stance. She exuded exhaustion and he could see the stress lining her forehead as she tried to comprehend and deal with what was going on.

“Chaney, can I ask you something?”

She looked up at him from her partially slumped position over the table and nodded.

“How are you doing? Really. Don’t give me some bullshit ‘I’m fine’ or whatever. How are you really doing?”

She shrugged and leaned up from her hunched position over the table and slumped back against the back of the booth.

“Honestly John, I have no idea. I can’t sleep. I haven’t had much of an appetite. Halvo is acting weird. My best friend is missing. Co-workers and cops keep contacting me and asking if I know anything of Stephanie’s whereabouts…How do you think I’m doing?”

John wasn’t expecting such an all-around honest answer, though he asked for one. He didn’t know if he had earned the privilege of her deep, truthful answers and insight or not. Seeing how worn down she was just from this past week, he could only guess she was desperate for some sort of normalcy and if he could provide it to her, he would.

“I didn’t realize so much was going on…is there anything I can do to help?”

Chaney sat up in her seat, shocked that he was offering to help. Halvo wouldn’t even do much of that as of late. She had seemed of more of a burden to him than anything else. He kept claiming that she was just stressing out over nothing and that his odd behavior was due to the surprise he still had yet to give her. She tried not to jump to conclusions, but she had a feeling he was keeping more secrets from her than just his surprise. He had been acting so odd, she hadn’t been able to tell him about the phone call she had received over a week ago about her artwork. No one else knew because no one else seemed interested in how she was doing or what was going on in her life lately, unless it involved any information about Stephanie. John seemed different than everyone else. He seemed like he could become her only confidant.

“For now, just be my friend.”

John smiled and nodded, “That I can do.”

“Well, as my new friend, I have some exciting news amidst all of this chaos….”

“Go on…”

“I got a phone call a little over a week ago. It was actually the day that Stephanie was last seen. Anyway, this local art gallery contacted me. Somehow they had gotten a hold of some of my art pieces and want to exhibit them in a show.”

John grinned widely and reached across the table to clasp one of Chaney’s hands in congratulations.

“Chaney! That’s fantastic! Why haven’t you said anything about this before now? Why has no one else said anything about it?”

Chaney laughed darkly, “Because you’re the only person that knows about this besides myself and the woman that called me. She said she would call for a follow up with more information. She called me back the middle of last week. The show is in a couple weeks.”

“I’m so proud of you! That’s great news! I had no idea you did art…what kind of art do you do?”

“I paint. Watercolor primarily. I actually haven’t picked up a paintbrush since college. I have no idea how this gallery got a hold of my pieces, but who knows. If people are interested in my work and purchase it, I could potentially get back into painting. I miss it more than I realize.”

“Why did you stop painting? Is that what you went to school for?”

“I uh, initially went to school for painting, but my parents said during the middle of my freshman year that I would never make a living as an artist and that they would completely cut me off if I didn’t change my major. Needless to say that put an abrupt end to my painting career. My painting professor was distraught to see me have to change majors because of that, and he worked with me after hours to help me develop my skill. He always told me that he knew I could make it as an artist because I had natural talent despite my lack of formal training prior to college.

“After I graduated, I couldn’t continue to paint because my parents would know that somehow I had continued to paint despite their wishes for me to stop. If they found out that I had continued to paint during college, I would’ve been on the streets years ago, and most likely without a job.”

John sat there in silence, taking all of that in. He had no idea that Chaney had this hidden portion of her life. Especially something that made her so happy. He hated that no one but her professor seemed to support her dreams. He sort of understood what that was like. His parents initially weren’t too thrilled about him dropping out of college to join a band, but they loved him and were willing to support him regardless. Their support meant the world to him, because it gave him the extra confidence in himself to pursue his dreams. He couldn’t imagine how different his life would have turned out if his parents had refused to support him. He had always been stubborn and determined to get what he wanted, so chances are John would still be in a band. However, if his parents hadn’t have supported him, his relationship with them would probably be strained. The thought of not having his family as his support system was unfathomable.

Knowing now that Chaney didn’t seem to have a support system, he was determined to become hers. Being a fellow creative, he understood how important having people believe in you was.

“Chaney, let me propose something…”

Not knowing what he was going to ask, she nodded unsurely, “Alright…”

“Let me be your support system. You now have some financial independence and your own place, so you know you won’t be on the streets. If you want to get back in painting, I’ll be there to support you. I’ll be at all of your gallery showings, when you need inspiration or feedback, whenever you need me. I’ll be there.”

For the first time in over a week, Chaney adorned the biggest smile her face could muster. Her eyes had a new brightness and light to them. For the first time in years, she felt like she could finally pursue her dreams. She never had someone so willing to support her and her pursuit of painting.

Halvo didn’t even know she painted. She never told him, fearing his reaction; at least initially. She still refused to tell him about her passion for painting as it was the one aspect of her life that was truly hers. She didn’t share that with anyone other than her painting professor and now John. She was excited to share this side of herself with John, with another person besides herself.

She found out over the course of the last couple of months that John was a creative himself, but didn’t know just how creative he was. She was still blissfully unaware of the fact that he wrote poetry as well as the songs he sang. The extent of her knowledge of John’s creative being was the fact he sang in a band. She knew that musicians and singers were creative in their own right in ways much different than hers.

“That means a lot to me John. Thank you.”

He grinned and nodded, “Of course! If there’s one thing I pride myself in, it’s being there for other people. Truth be told, I’m a bit surprised Halvo hasn’t been supportive of this…That’s uncharacteristic of him, especially since it concerns you.”

Smiling sheepishly, she said, “That’s because Halvo doesn’t know that I paint.”
John stared at her incredulously.

She continued, “I never told him about it. I’ve been painting since I could hold a paintbrush. As a kid, I did it because it was the only thing that would keep me calm, and it became the only constant in my life after a while. When I met Halvo and started becoming friends with him, I was afraid he would think it was weird that I painted. I didn’t want him to think I was a freak, especially because at the time my brother was my only friend.

“Of course now, I know better than to think that Halvo would find me weird for painting. However I liked having that one piece of myself to keep solely to myself. That is until I went to college and worked with my professor, and now you. Besides my parents and professor, you’re the only person I’ve ever told that I paint.”

John was taken aback, not realizing that she would share such a private part of her life with him, especially considering how badly he had treated her. He hoped this was her way of saying she forgave him and that they could build a legitimate friendship from this.

“I’m glad you told me. I’ll be your number one fan from this day forward. Then I’ll have the pride of saying I ‘knew you when’ when you become a famous painter.”

Chaney laughed lightly and smiled.

Conversation flowed easily between them through the rest of their lunch. John ended up paying for both of their meals as he wanted it to be his olive branch for how rude he’d been to her in the past. She accepted it, and he walked her back to her office building.

Before he went towards his truck, he lightly grabbed Chaney’s arm to get her attention before she walked back inside.

“Hey, why don’t I pick you up after work and we stop by and see Halvo?”

Chaney hesitated momentarily, not really being the biggest fan of Halvo’s at the moment.

John sighed, “I can tell you miss him. C’mon, it’ll be good for the both of you. I’ll be there to act as a buffer if need be.”

Chaney reluctantly agreed.

John nodded, smiled, and made his way to his truck as Chaney walked into the office building.

She made her way back up to her cubicle, feeling refreshed from her lunch with John. He definitely showed a different side of him than what she had previously witnessed. Maybe she wasn’t as wrong about him as she once believed. Maybe she could sense all of these things about him long before she ever met him and that’s what attracted her to him. She didn’t know, but she was thankful for this newfound friendship they had established.

The rest of her day went by faster than the morning had and before she knew it, John was texting her to let her know that he was in the parking lot waiting for her when she got off.

She checked the time and noted that she was free to now leave the office. She cleaned off her desk, shut down her computer, grabbed her things, and made her way to John’s truck.

They drove in a comfortable silence to Halvo’s apartment. Since no one else knew of her and Halvo’s secret relationship, she was trying not to seem too excited to see him, despite still being upset with him. At the end of the day, he was still her best friend and she would always miss him after not seeing him for more than a day at a time.

They pulled into the parking lot in front of his apartment complex and made their way to his door.

Butterflies were erupting in Chaney’s stomach at the thought of seeing Halvo for the first time in days. She missed him so much, and was hoping she could control herself enough in front of John to not attack Halvo in kisses when she saw him.

John could tell Chaney was excited to see Halvo even though he knew she wouldn’t admit to it. He could see it in her face. Her whole demeanor seemed to brighten up the closer to his apartment they got. He could see her eyes twinkling. If he didn’t know any better, he would think there was something more than friendship going on between the two. However he knew that couldn’t be the case because Halvo always told him about his relationships long before anyone else. Halvo hadn’t let on that he was seeing anyone, much less being interested in anyone. That alone proved to him that Chaney was just excited to see her best friend. He couldn’t help but smile. He was glad Halvo had someone like Chaney. She balanced Halvo out, and kept him reigned in.

Once they made it to his door, John knocked on it, trying not to laugh at how excited Chaney was getting.

Halvo and Stephanie were watching TV while lounging on the couch, and Halvo casually got up to go answer the door. He opened the door without looking through the peephole, assuming it to be the pizza guy delivering their pizza.

Halvo opened the door without looking up, as he reached into his back pocket to retrieve his wallet and said, “Ok, so how much is that going to be?”

John and Chaney laughed.

John spoke up and said, “Well, I’ll gladly take the twenty if you’re going to start paying us to see you. Gives me more incentive to visit.”

Halvo just looked up at them both, wide-eyed. He then realized that Stephanie was sitting on his couch in plain view of the open doorway. Neither John nor Chaney could know of her presence in his apartment. He quickly pushed them out of the doorway and into the hallway as he stepped out with them and pulled the door closed behind him, leaving it partially cracked.

Chaney quirked an eyebrow at him, confused by his less than hospitable greeting.

“Uh…dude? What’s uh, what’s going on? Ya got a girl in there or something?” John asked as he tried to look around Halvo and through the cracked door.

Halvo nervously laughed and replied, “Uh, yeah. Something like that.”

Chaney’s face grew hot and her heart sank as Halvo said that. She could feel the tears building up behind her eyes, and she refused to let them fall.

As soon as the words left Halvo’s mouth, his face went wide with shock as he realized that Chaney was standing there as well and knew how she would interpret it. He knew he was in trouble now. He frantically turns towards Chaney to try and give some explanation.

Nothing. The words wouldn’t come out. He could see the hurt lacing her face as he stood there, mouth agape.

“Chaney, I uh—”

“Save it,” she cut him off, “I don’t care what you do in your personal life. It’s not my business. It’s no surprise to me that you don’t tell me everything. I don’t tell you everything. No need to explain. John, I’ll meet you in the truck.”

She turned and stormed off down the hallway as Halvo tried calling after her.

When he saw that she wouldn’t turn around or even acknowledge him, he sighed in defeat. Head hung. Spirits crushed. Keeping this secret of Stephanie’s was proving harder than he thought. It was slowly destroying his and Chaney’s friendship and relationship. He had to think of someway to explain to her what was going on without betraying Stephanie.

John looked from Chaney’s retreating form back to Halvo.

“Care to explain what that was about?” John asked perplexed.

“Dude if I knew, I would.”

John sighed, “Well, I was her ride here. I’ll take her home and make sure she’s okay.”

“Thanks dude.”

John left and made his way towards his truck to meet Chaney.

Halvo slowly made his way into his apartment and rejoined Stephanie on the couch.

“Was that not the pizza guy?”

Halvo shook his head.

“What’s wrong? Who was it?”

“Chaney and John.”

Stephanie could only guess what had happened, and she had a pretty fair idea how Chaney was taking it. She had a feeling this had the potential to ruin Chaney and Halvo’s relationship. While she wasn’t opposed to the idea, she knew Chaney would be heartbroken if her and Halvo weren’t friends anymore. She decided to put more faith in Halvo than she had with anyone else at this point in her life.

“Halvo, I uh, I need to tell you something.”

“What is it Stephanie.”

“I’m running away…”

He sighed, “I know, that’s why you’re here.”

“Yeah, but do you know who I’m running away from?”

“Lost a bet.”

“My husband.”