To Caress My Day

By Friday, Simone and Seth had struck a final deal between them and she had bidded on the house that was based in West Hollywood. With his abetment, she was able to attain it. She was both thrilled that she was fortunate enough to win it out of all the other bidders and indebted to Seth for making it happen. Unable to contain it, she danced around the apartment. “Oh yeah, that’s right! I got me a place! Oh yeah! Uh huh! Drop it low for me, baby!”

“What on earth are you doing?” Twigs giggled from the kitchen where she had been assembling herself a sandwich. She had jumped when Simone came sliding in on her ankle socks, booty shorts, and a tank top singing a song she was positive she made up on the spot. Setting the butter knife down, she turned to watch her dance around the place with a smile on her face.

“What does it look like? I’m dancing!” Simone answered, throwing her arms out as she shook her hips to a beat that could only be heard in her head.

“And what compelled you to start dancing this late at night?” Twigs inquired, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Oh, nothing!” Simone deluded at first with a deceitful smile. Twirling around in a circle, she said over her back. “Just having a chat with your man, is all.”

“My man!” Twigs echoed incredulously, her brown eyes magnifying. She had left a voicemail with Seth this morning, wishing him to call her so she could hear his voice because watching Family Guy just to hear Brian Griffin talk wasn’t enough. While on a music video set she had monitored her phone plenty of times and he hadn’t answered, but all of a sudden he had the time and chose to call Simone instead?

“Yeah, your man!” Simone affirmed with a wink, deliberately shaking her booty in her direction.

No longer smiling, Twigs pouted with envy. “And what exactly were you two talking about?”

“The house.” Simone answered, noting her pout. She halted dancing, her brows furrowed with concern. “What else would we be talking about?”

“Oh. Um, I-I don’t know.” Twigs said unsurely, lowering her eyes so she couldn’t see the disgrace in her eyes. With a shrug she turned back to her incomplete sandwich.

“Oh god, please don’t tell me you’d ever believe I’d try and fuck with your man.” Simone lamented in offense. “It wouldn’t matter if it’s behind your back or right in front of your face, I would NEVER do something like that to you, girl! He may be made of money, but you’re the realest and mean more to be than some hot opulent comedian.”

“No, no, I just...I was just jealous he called you instead of me.” Twigs confided shamefully, wishing she could submerge into her cardigan like a turtle could with its shell. “His time is already so limited as it is. I suppose I figured he’d give me every second he had.”

“And he would have, trust me.” Simone disclosed with a somber smile. “He wasn’t too keen on giving those minutes to me instead of you either.”

“Oh my god, he told you that!?” Twigs exclaimed in horror, whirling around in disturbance that he would convey such a callous thing to her roommate. It didn’t matter how much he missed her, he should never speak that way to the people she loved!

“Hell no!” Simone denied with a wave of her hand. “Are you kidding me? That guy is way too nice to talk to me that way ever in life. You know that.”

“But you said he missed me. How did you know he’d rather be talking to me than you?” Twigs inquired, lost now.

“Because of the sound of his voice. He didn’t sound like his usual self.” Simone simplified. “I almost mistaken it for fatigue at first but it just wasn’t so. I think he was down in the dumps cause he wanted to talk to you but didn’t have the time to talk to the both of us so he had to make a decision.”

“Oh.” Twigs whispered to herself, looking down at her own ankle socks. Now she felt horrendous for being so jealous of their interaction. He wasn’t playing favorites or falling in love with her gorgeous roommate, he was trying to support her like he promised he would. And supported he clearly has, because Simone had been dancing her arse off the second she surfaced from her bedroom. Eager to move past this, Twigs put a smile on her face and asked. “So, what’s going on about this house he found for you? I’m assuming there was some good news?”

Simone’s eyes lit up all over again. “Only the best possible ever!”

Twigs resist flinching and closing her eyes as the dread that’s been weighing down her stomach since the moment Simone reported she was moving out of the country putridly corroded even further like a decomposing corpse. Persevering that same smile, she pretended to predict what she already knew. “You got the house.”

“I got the house!” Simone squealed, jumping around in the place like she was some die hard fan at a concert. “I got the fucking house!”

“You got the house.” Twigs recited, her voice sounding faint and far away as she watched her roommate jiggy. This should be marvelous news and yet it felt like she was suffering from the death of a loved one. Her stomach felt so dreadful she pondered in the back of the head if she should go to hospital to get it checked in case it was something else more ominous and life-threatening. But she knew it wasn’t. She was just losing a friend. A very dear close friend. A sister.

Simone paused in her dancing to glance at Twigs. “Well?”

Taken by surprise at her query, Twigs blinked at her unsurely. “Well...what?”

Lifting a hand, Simone waved her roommate over to her. “Get on over here and dance with me, Dancing Queen!”

Twigs was overjoyed that the laugh she emitted was honest. She didn’t think she could keep up this charade for long. “Oh, you want me to bust a move?”

“Hell, yeah! Show me what you got, girl!” Simone challenged her, going back to whirling her hips to an imaginary tune.

I’ll do you one better!” Twigs gave in, heading over to the small speaker system in their living room. A little bit of adjustments and she had ‘Respect’ by Aretha Franklin playing. Because Neon Jungle came and went, they sometimes traded CDs. This one belonged to Amira. Glancing over her shoulder, she asked. “Is this alright?”

“Give me a time this song ain’t alright?” Simone inquired with a grin, shrugging. “I’ll wait.”

“A funeral maybe?” Twigs suggested before joining in. She couldn’t help but feel jolly for her roommate’s achievement even though it made her heart heavy the longer they danced in festivity. It was a reminder that she was indeed moving out. She could stand it if this new house was in the same country as her, but it wasn’t, it was across the ocean in the same continent her boyfriend dwelled in.

Once Simone had enough of dancing, she turned the music off to notify her roommate. “I almost forgot, I got to go tell my parents the good news!” She had to grab a long coat to conceal her scantily clad form from the people entering or leaving the apartment building but then she snapped her fingers together. “Shit, I also almost forgot I gotta go pick up some cardboard boxes to pack my stuff up first thing tomorrow morning too!”

Twigs reluctantly compelled herself to volunteer to help. “If you want, I can help you out with that too. The gig Mikey found me ended up getting canceled this morning so I have time.”

“How come?” Simone asked with curiosity in her voice.

“The cops found out the guy was a part of some hit-and-run in the states. His career is practically over before it could begin.” Twigs answered, shaking her head in disbelief. No one died, but still it was sad.

“Damn. Well, I’d appreciate your help.” Simone thanked her. “I’ll be back soon then we can get started.”