The Last Supper

         The cold food sat on the plain, white plates congealing slowly. They had finished eating hours ago. Now, the two women sat together on the hard bench, their butts slowly going numb: Jamie fiercely wishing for all the yesterdays she couldn't reclaim, Mary Beth dreading a tomorrow that would never come.
         The silence stretched across the room uncomfortably. They'd never been at a loss for words since they first argued over the rules of hopscotch at William Penn Elementary, but now the words fled from their tongues. Jamie closed her eyes tightly, staring at her favorite black boots wishing she knew what to say.
         "It'll be all tight," she finally whispered, unable to come up with any timely words of wisdom. She brushed the hair back from Mary Beth's eyes slowly.
         "No, it won't," Mary Beth answered calmly. "It'll never be okay again."
         Jamie pulled her knees up to her chest.
         “So, how’s life been?” Mary Beth asked, trying desperately to maintain the semblance of a normal visit.
         “Oh Bethie,” Jamie sighed. “Don’t do this."
         “No, no. I want to hear. Since graduation from the university, I’ve barely seen you.”
         “I know, sorry.”
         “No, no. Don’t be sorry. You were off making a name for yourself as the up and coming star of National Geographic. It’s what you’ve always wanted, Jamie.” Mary Beth fished a paper out of the bag lying next to her. The edges of the article torn from National Geographic were crumpled and torn. "Do you remember that article you wrote a while back, I don't know how long? You know, the one about those guys-"
         "The ones who'd died, seen the light, then come back?"
         "Yeah, that one." Mary Beth paused, uncertain whether or not she should go on. Looking right into her vibrant green eyes, Jamie knew. She wrapped her arms around her tightly and whispered, "I believe it all Bethie. After talking to those guys - wow! They're pretty convincing."
         "Yeah, I guess. But...I guess its now or never, Jamie!" Mary Beth looked up and laughed at the horrified expression on her best friend's face. "Oh Jamie! If I don't laugh, I'll never stop crying."
         Jamie's features softened into a small smile. "You sound like the old Bethie. For a while there your letters were pretty bleak,” Jamie looked down at her jagged nails wishing she could break the habit of biting them.
         “I remember I got one while I was in Cairo writing a piece, you might remember, on the latest mummy excavations – you were always into that stuff.
         “Yeah well, anyways, I just remember reading your letter and thinking I needed to come home because you needed me,” Jamie started harder at her hands as if she could somehow will time backwards.
         “I even bought a plane ticket – it cost a fortune,” she laughed nervously. “Then the latest excavation discovered a new tomb of the unknown pharaoh and I had to go. Maybe if I’d come…” she left the sentence unfinished. Slowly, her shoulders began to shake. “Oh Bethie,” she choked out.
         “Geez, Jamie. You’d think I’d be the one crying,” Mary Beth said as she took her turn wrapping her arms around her best friend.
         "Maybe it wasn't the best time in my life. I was pretty mixed-up with David and stuff, but its okay. It’s all over now.”
         “Yeah.” Jamie began dabbing mascara from under her eyes. “I knew I shouldn’t have worn mascara when I came here.”
         Mary Beth grinned and her lips slowly spread wider until she was laughing uncontrollably. Soon, they were both rolling around on the hard floor like two schoolgirls until they were exhausted.
         “So, Jamie, did you ever meet that guy again? What’s his name – the one you kept writing about?”
         “Oh yeah. Didn’t I ever tell you? he….” Suddenly, the years disappeared as if they were in high school again curled up on the floor of Bethie’s living room watching Stepmom for the hundredth time while painting their toenails a fiery shade of red for Beth and hot pink for Jamie, dreaming of their future hunky husbands and fabulous careers instead of two women nearing middle age in a concrete six by six cell.
         The talk turned from guys to the merits of the latest chick flick. “But she is such a phenomenal actress, Jamie. I mean, you just can’t deny that.”
         “Sure, sure. She’s had her hits. But his movie is terrible, Bethie. I mean really terrible. Just because she’s famous doesn’t mean she gets an Oscar for every movie she’s in. I mean, geez – ”
         “Ladies,” the guard interrupted them, almost reluctantly. Mary Beth thought she was one of the nicer guards she’d had. “It’s time.” They rose slowly, arthritis of the heart stiffening their resolve. Mary Beth’s hands shook as she stared at Jamie. “It’s time,” Mary Beth repeated as if she’d been waiting to hear those words for years, yet she couldn’t believe they were actually coming. Suddenly, tears began rolling down her cheeks. “I didn’t want to cry,” she whispered. “I thought I was ready.”
         Jamie smiled a sad smile. One that’s not really a smile at all, but an involuntary turning up of the muscles because there’s nothing else to do. She held Mary Beth tightly for the last time, holding on forever. Cupping her face in her hands, she said, “Listen to me. Mary Beth, you are the most wonderful person I’ve ever known. And, I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. I know,” her voice faltered, but she continued resolutely.          “I know David did things – he shouldn’t have. I’ll never know what happened exactly or why, but I trust you. And I love you.” The involuntary smile crinkled a little, turning upside down. The girls separated.
         "Thanks for helping me polish off those three cheeseburgers and fries and chocolate milk shakes," Mary Beth said turning her head toward her best friend as the guard escorted her away from her cell down the hall to the door that haunted everyone on Death Row.
         Benath her, Jamie's legs crumpled slowly. At the same time, Mary Beth's stiffened.