Don't Forget
Girls Night
“I asked that cute redhead at your front desk out.” Beatrice said spreading a coat of highlighter yellow on her big toe, “Sorry.” She glanced at Mia.
Girls Night meant romcom marathons, 90’s cartoons, and music that made them feel like they were still sixteen. A weekly detox from the here to there of everyday life. Beatrice and Mia were in Mia’s queen sized bed. They’d just finished braiding each other’s hair into styles something the Spice Girls would sport.
“Oh honey that’s nothing to apologize for.” Mia said shaking her burgundy nail polish before starting on her toes.
“I just don’t want to shit where you eat.” Beatrice said her face was leaning on her knee in concentration.
“I’m pretty sure you’re using that expression wrong.” Mia said laughing a little.
“You know what I mean, though.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean.” Mia said.
Mia's walls were lime green and her room was big enough for her. It fit her bed, her book shelf with a 20 inch flat screen TV, and there was even space for her yoga mat for the mornings when she was woken by the sounds of her own screams. Beatrice was known for sleeping like a rock, Mia couldn't live alone or with a stranger, so this was their living arrangement. Mia's eyes wondered to her table like white desk with all kinds of paints splattered on it. Mia and Eric had painted it together one of their many times alone together after school. Those times when they would mostly talk sometimes make-out. Mia gave a small smile at the memory. If only things could stay that simple.
Mia looked at Beatrice. She was acting strange. Quiet, “How did it go?”
“Hmm?” Beatrice said looking to Mia as if she had just remembered she was there.
“Did she say yes?”
Beatrice turned red and said in a low voice, “Well...yeah.”
“Ay mami!” Mia squealed.
“I didn't expect her to say yes.” Beatrice’s lips pouted to one side of her face so she could nibble on the inside edge, “I’m like a cat with a toy. I pursued her and now that I got her I don’t know what to do with her.”
“What do you mean?”
“The club scene is easy. You see a girl you like. You tell her you wanna take her home. You take her home. The next day there’s just an understanding…” Beatrice said, “This is your thing not mine.”
“What’s my thing?”
Beatrice did spirit fingers by her head, “Relationships.” It was like the finger thing they did describing Fantastic Mr. Fox’s son.
“Uh relationships are not,” Mia air quoted, “‘my thing.’ I mean look at my track record. I was so love struck with Connor, a guy four years older than me with no interest in me”-
“Oh he was interested, it was just illegal.”
“I’m going to let that comment slide because I love you.” Mia said her eyebrow perking, “Any way love-struck-teenager Mia destroyed anything she got close to like fire. I hurt Eric way too many times”-
“I’ll say.”
Mia ignored her continuing, “And now that I've been out here for like what five years and how many boyfriends have I had?” Mia held up her hand in an zero.
“That’s because you’re like that monkey.”
“Monkey?”
“I read somewhere that there’s this monkey that has two male partners because usually she has two kids so there’s a Daddy for each.”
“I don’t want to be a monkey though.”
“Eric and Connor are totally your Monkey Daddies though.”
“And you’re OK with this?” Mia asked.
Beatrice smiled at her, “I wasn't at first, but I know Eric. When he finds a project, there’s no telling him he can’t fix it.”
Ouch! “Thanks.” Mia said grimacing.
Beatrice shrugged, “You asked.” Beatrice said. She stretched out her her feet to examine her handy work, “Eric is coming to New York.” She said it in one breath as if it wouldn't jar Mia as much if she treated it like a band aid.
“What?!” Mia said, “How long were you sitting on that bomb?”
“A day or two?” Beatrice offered for peace, “He called me, I thought he just wanted to catch up. Then of course he brought up your birthday coming up. Then he was just like, ‘I’ll be there in a few days.’ What was I supposed to say?”
“Tell him to talk to me first? Say that I would want to know?” Mia was starting to spiral. What was she supposed to do with this? “He is my actual ex-boyfriend B.”
It was Beatrice's turn to grimace, “I was just so excited about seeing him again. He was like the big brother I always wanted before he was your boyfriend, you know.”
“Does he know about?”
“About what?”
“About Connor, that he’s in New York too.” Mia said, “That we've met again.”
“Not from me.” Beatrice shook her head, “Maybe his Monkey Daddy senses are tingling.”
“Is he going to stay here?” Mia was too freaked to laugh at Beatrice’s joke.
“Not if you don’t want him to.” Beatrice put her hand on Mia’s shoulder, “I’m sorry. I really didn't think about it.”
“What am I going to do?”
“Have you called Connor since he showed up at your job?”
“No…”
“Then you’re still in the clear…” Beatrice shrugged. She picked up the small bowl of nail polish remover and dipped a Q-tip in it to start cleaning up her edges.
“Until Connor decides to do something more stalker-ish and he sees Eric and then”-
“Moooortal Combaaat!”
OK that one was really funny. Mia giggled, “Dude seriously this is not OK.” Mia nudged Beatrice
“I think you’re over thinking it.” Beatrice said giggling too, “We’re grown ups now. You’re not the same Mia, he’s not the same Eric, and the other one I’m sure has changed as well.”
“No,” Mia shook her head, “You saw that smug look on his face in the supermarket. Connor is still Connor.”
“Outside appearances can be deceiving.” Beatrice said, “Technically you haven’t given him a chance to explain the airport business.”
“I don’t get it.” Mia shook her head, “Are you Team Eric or Team Connor?”
“I’m Team Monkey Daddy.” Beatrice laughed.
“Enough with the Monkey Daddy!”
Girls Night meant romcom marathons, 90’s cartoons, and music that made them feel like they were still sixteen. A weekly detox from the here to there of everyday life. Beatrice and Mia were in Mia’s queen sized bed. They’d just finished braiding each other’s hair into styles something the Spice Girls would sport.
“Oh honey that’s nothing to apologize for.” Mia said shaking her burgundy nail polish before starting on her toes.
“I just don’t want to shit where you eat.” Beatrice said her face was leaning on her knee in concentration.
“I’m pretty sure you’re using that expression wrong.” Mia said laughing a little.
“You know what I mean, though.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean.” Mia said.
Mia's walls were lime green and her room was big enough for her. It fit her bed, her book shelf with a 20 inch flat screen TV, and there was even space for her yoga mat for the mornings when she was woken by the sounds of her own screams. Beatrice was known for sleeping like a rock, Mia couldn't live alone or with a stranger, so this was their living arrangement. Mia's eyes wondered to her table like white desk with all kinds of paints splattered on it. Mia and Eric had painted it together one of their many times alone together after school. Those times when they would mostly talk sometimes make-out. Mia gave a small smile at the memory. If only things could stay that simple.
Mia looked at Beatrice. She was acting strange. Quiet, “How did it go?”
“Hmm?” Beatrice said looking to Mia as if she had just remembered she was there.
“Did she say yes?”
Beatrice turned red and said in a low voice, “Well...yeah.”
“Ay mami!” Mia squealed.
“I didn't expect her to say yes.” Beatrice’s lips pouted to one side of her face so she could nibble on the inside edge, “I’m like a cat with a toy. I pursued her and now that I got her I don’t know what to do with her.”
“What do you mean?”
“The club scene is easy. You see a girl you like. You tell her you wanna take her home. You take her home. The next day there’s just an understanding…” Beatrice said, “This is your thing not mine.”
“What’s my thing?”
Beatrice did spirit fingers by her head, “Relationships.” It was like the finger thing they did describing Fantastic Mr. Fox’s son.
“Uh relationships are not,” Mia air quoted, “‘my thing.’ I mean look at my track record. I was so love struck with Connor, a guy four years older than me with no interest in me”-
“Oh he was interested, it was just illegal.”
“I’m going to let that comment slide because I love you.” Mia said her eyebrow perking, “Any way love-struck-teenager Mia destroyed anything she got close to like fire. I hurt Eric way too many times”-
“I’ll say.”
Mia ignored her continuing, “And now that I've been out here for like what five years and how many boyfriends have I had?” Mia held up her hand in an zero.
“That’s because you’re like that monkey.”
“Monkey?”
“I read somewhere that there’s this monkey that has two male partners because usually she has two kids so there’s a Daddy for each.”
“I don’t want to be a monkey though.”
“Eric and Connor are totally your Monkey Daddies though.”
“And you’re OK with this?” Mia asked.
Beatrice smiled at her, “I wasn't at first, but I know Eric. When he finds a project, there’s no telling him he can’t fix it.”
Ouch! “Thanks.” Mia said grimacing.
Beatrice shrugged, “You asked.” Beatrice said. She stretched out her her feet to examine her handy work, “Eric is coming to New York.” She said it in one breath as if it wouldn't jar Mia as much if she treated it like a band aid.
“What?!” Mia said, “How long were you sitting on that bomb?”
“A day or two?” Beatrice offered for peace, “He called me, I thought he just wanted to catch up. Then of course he brought up your birthday coming up. Then he was just like, ‘I’ll be there in a few days.’ What was I supposed to say?”
“Tell him to talk to me first? Say that I would want to know?” Mia was starting to spiral. What was she supposed to do with this? “He is my actual ex-boyfriend B.”
It was Beatrice's turn to grimace, “I was just so excited about seeing him again. He was like the big brother I always wanted before he was your boyfriend, you know.”
“Does he know about?”
“About what?”
“About Connor, that he’s in New York too.” Mia said, “That we've met again.”
“Not from me.” Beatrice shook her head, “Maybe his Monkey Daddy senses are tingling.”
“Is he going to stay here?” Mia was too freaked to laugh at Beatrice’s joke.
“Not if you don’t want him to.” Beatrice put her hand on Mia’s shoulder, “I’m sorry. I really didn't think about it.”
“What am I going to do?”
“Have you called Connor since he showed up at your job?”
“No…”
“Then you’re still in the clear…” Beatrice shrugged. She picked up the small bowl of nail polish remover and dipped a Q-tip in it to start cleaning up her edges.
“Until Connor decides to do something more stalker-ish and he sees Eric and then”-
“Moooortal Combaaat!”
OK that one was really funny. Mia giggled, “Dude seriously this is not OK.” Mia nudged Beatrice
“I think you’re over thinking it.” Beatrice said giggling too, “We’re grown ups now. You’re not the same Mia, he’s not the same Eric, and the other one I’m sure has changed as well.”
“No,” Mia shook her head, “You saw that smug look on his face in the supermarket. Connor is still Connor.”
“Outside appearances can be deceiving.” Beatrice said, “Technically you haven’t given him a chance to explain the airport business.”
“I don’t get it.” Mia shook her head, “Are you Team Eric or Team Connor?”
“I’m Team Monkey Daddy.” Beatrice laughed.
“Enough with the Monkey Daddy!”
♠ ♠ ♠
Go, team Monkey Daddy!