Unlikely Friends

Noon was approaching. I was walking along Forbes Avenue looking for Carnegie Cafe. I didn’t want to go there, but I was nothing if not a woman of my word. I kept returning to the digital clock on my phone as I trudged.

11:56. Bennett better be there when I arrive. The things I have to say to him.

He had really put me through hell after that ridiculous stunt he pulled. The second we were off the air Jess was hammering me with questions about this “mystery man.” A mystery man? More like a manipulative snake. Lost in my thoughts, I continued facing down at my phone screen.

11:58.

The broken sidewalk beneath me was cracked and littered with cigarette butts and the occasional gum wad, and to avoid tripping over uneven concrete or stepping on the remains of someone’s Hubba Bubba, I had to glance down at my feet more often than usual. A man, presumed homeless because of his worn out clothes and lack of shoes, sat curled up outside of an old apartment building. I watched as other pedestrians walked by or crossed the street early to avoid his potential gaze, though he never lifted his head from those holed socks of his. It was sad to see someone so down on their luck, and far too relatable. As I passed him, I offered him a kind smile before hearing the subtle grunt of a snore. He was sleeping. Quietly, I reached in my purse and pulled out a twenty dollar bill and rested it on his lap before continuing onward. He needed it more than I did.

I hadn’t noticed I nearly passed the cafe until I heard the annoying tap of gentle knuckles against the window. The sound stopped me in my tracks as I looked to my right and locked eyes with that boy who I hadn’t spoken to for fifteen years.

He looked the same. Older, but the same. I remembered those deep brown eyes and the way he smiled with his lips sealed together, curling up at the left corner. He was still clean-shaven and youthful, and he was smiling like the idiot he was.

12:00.

I slipped my phone back into my small navy blue purse before adjusting the strap of the bag over my shoulder.

Bennett lifted his hand in a small wave through the window, which I promptly ignored as I headed inside the small cafe. The modest coffee shop was homey. The scent of coffee beans hugged my nose and awakened memories of early morning coffee runs with Jess before work. I paced along the window toward the back corner table where Bennett was sitting and sat down across from him with my back pressed against the chair and my arms crossed over my chest, followed by the crossing of my legs at the ankles. Though I hadn’t said anything yet, I would have been sure my anger was clear.

But no.

Bennett wouldn’t break out of that stupid half-grin.

This only frustrated me further. How can he be so dense?

“What?” I asked him.

Finally, that moronic smirk retreated from his lips.

“What?” he returned, his eyes getting soft now as if he was totally oblivious to the aggravation he had caused me. His shoulders slumped, giving him the same lanky look he once had in high school.

“Why did you want to meet with me?” I clarified.

“Wow. You really haven’t changed. Same old Liz, so quick and to-the-point. What? No, ‘Hi, Bennett. It’s been awhile. How has the last fifteen years been for you?’” as he said this, he leaned back in his own chair, his arms crossing over his firm chest and pinning his dark gray tie against the breast of his white button up shirt. “Isn’t it obvious? We were best friends. We did everything together. I missed you.”

“We were best friends.” I said through a sigh as I sat up, only to slump forward and cast my eyes to the floor to save myself from his gaze. The wood was so polished my reflection stared back at me from the floorboards. For some reason, I hadn’t expected him to hear my breathy whisper, but he had.

“That’s not my fault,” he was quick to respond, “I tried apologizing. I approached you at school and you told me to leave you alone. I tried calling you and you wouldn’t pick up. After graduation I never saw you again. You just packed up your life and left me behind. That’s not what friends do, Liz. Friends forgive each other.”

Immediately, my cold gaze shot back at him and I sat up straight in my chair, my shoulders back and my fingers gripping my forearms as they remained crossed and placed on the table. “You want to talk to me about being friends?” I asked with a sarcastic cackle erupting from my throat. This loud and sudden retort caused many of the customers around us to turn their heads in curiosity. I could tell this made Bennett uncomfortable by the way the usually confident boy slumped further in his chair.

Good.

“Friends, Bennett-” I corrected, “Good friends don’t tell people they’ve been friends with since 4-years-old that they can’t hang out anymore after dating a girl for 6 months.” I paused and took a breath to regain my composure. “So, Bennett-” I began in an overly sarcastic tone. “How is Mindy doing? You two married? Lots of kids? Or did she divorce you and that’s why you came to me?”

Bennett looked at me with his eyes slightly narrowed before he shook his head. “Mindy and I broke up senior year of college. That was nearly ten years ago. You remembered her name?”

I blinked my eyes a couple times at his response. I always knew she wasn’t right for him, but for some reason I couldn’t imagine them actually breaking up.

“Well, of course I remembered her name… You talked about her all the time. You said you wanted to marry her. You said she was the one…”

“Liz, I’m pretty sure I thought every girl I dated in high school was ‘the one.’ In fact, weren’t you the one that always told me to start taking things slow? That I shouldn’t fall in love so quickly?”

“Well… Yeah. But- but, you gave up our friendship for her. She said she didn’t like how close we were and that it was either you stop being friends with me or you two were over. You chose her, Bennett. You chose her over me. Your best friend.”

Bennett frowned, but at least his reply wasn’t hostile.

“I know it was stupid. I knew Mindy, and I knew if I just told her what she wanted to hear at the moment I could talk to her about it later and work things out. I talked to her and she agreed that she was being unfair. I tried apologizing for everything but you wouldn’t hear any of it. I’m sorry. I would take it all back if I could.”

I could tell he was being sincere. Bennett was a lot of things. Naive? Yes. Immature? At times. But he was not a liar.

“Anyways,” he continued, “I don’t want to talk about Mindy anymore.”

It wasn’t like Bennett to be so dismissive, but I didn’t want to push any further. Mindy Page wasn’t exactly my favorite topic of conversation either. Regardless, if we weren’t here to talk about what happened, why did Bennett want to meet with me?

I swallowed to relieve the itch tickling at the back of my throat. “So I’m guessing we’re here because you wanted to apologize?” My left hand rested gently over my right. Air slowly filled my lungs as I relaxed my posture.

“Yeah. That, and I’ve been wondering what Miss Elizabeth Ritchie has been up to for the past fifteen years.” With a warm smile returning to his face, Bennett regained his confident composure. He sat up again, leaning toward me with his elbows resting on the table, his hands folded loosely together.

“Miss?” I chuckled, “Why do you assume I’m single after all these years?” A smile tugged at the sides of my lips, and I cleared my throat to remove it as quickly as I noticed it.

“No ring.” Bennett shrugged with a head nod directed at my hand.

“Oh, you noticed?” I asked, lifting my hand out in front of me to examine my manicure from the back of my hand, “And no, I’m not married. Guess you just had to know if I was available, hm?” I teased.

“Ha, no.” Bennett responded, “Just was curious to see if any guy was foolish enough to marry you.” Uninvited, though warm, his fingers took hold of my outstretched hand, “You quit biting your nails, I see.” He chuckled.

Bennett had me by the hand as we swayed side to side to some cheesy slow song playing in the background. After Mindy broke up with Bennett the first time, the boy convinced me to go to prom with him so he wouldn’t waste the money he spent on his tuxedo.

“You know I hate dancing.” I made sure to remind him so he wouldn’t get too comfortable with our closeness.

“You know I hate that you always have something to say. Can’t you just admit you’re having a good time?” He replied with a faint smile. His eyes glanced over to our intertwined fingers before he spoke, “You really need to stop biting your nails. It’s kinda gross.”

“I have to go.” I said while simultaneously snatching my hand away from his.

“Wait, why?” questioned Bennett.

I didn’t answer him. For what reason I didn’t even know. But I couldn’t stay there any longer. We couldn’t just go back to the way things were. I had already moved on with my life. My heels clacked against those stupid polished floors, slippery from the overuse of whatever coating they used to clean it.

First, I slid backward.

Then I fell.

Back flat on the floor, I continued to lie there with squinted eyes aimed at the ceiling. I muttered an audible groan through clenched teeth in response to the customers that gasped and asked if I was all right. But I remained there, too embarrassed to move.

That was, until Bennett hurried over to me and helped sit me up slowly. “You okay?” he asked. He seemed concerned, but I could tell by the way he bit his lip that he was stifling a laugh.

Once again, I groaned and rubbed the back of my head. Vertigo hit me like a freight train, and I buried my face in Bennett’s chest to shield me from the refulgent light. His voice was soft, but any noise at all was like razor blades stabbing my brain.

“Alright, alright.” His strong arms wrapped around me like the warmth of a blanket as he slowly helped me to my feet while I leaned against him. At some point, I attempted to stand on my own, but my knees buckled in defiance. However, Bennett kept his hold on me to ensure I didn’t fall. “I’m going to take you to the hospital and have you checked out. You might have a concussion.”

I would have refused, but I was in too much pain to argue.

Bennett led me outside the cafe and to his car, a simple 2010 Buick Sedan. He opened the passenger side door for me as I slid in and allowed him to buckle my seat belt. The moment he shut the door and left to get in the driver’s seat, I snatched my purse and shuffled through it in frustration for something to ease my pain. Muttering some choice words, I pulled out a travel-sized bottle of Tylenol and downed two of them dry.

“Hey, hey hey.” Bennett quickly tried to snatch my purse from me, but I tucked it to my right side away from him. “You shouldn’t take those till we find out what’s wrong with you.”

“Just shut up and drive.” I snapped back at him. I probably shouldn’t have been so cruel, but I was in a lot of pain.

Regardless, Bennett didn’t say anything back to me and started the car toward the hospital.