Two Friends

"I am so glad you were up! I can’t sleep, my mind just won’t stop thinking about this coming weekend. I have so much to do, and I know I’m going to forget something!”

Cindy put down her coffee cup and looked at her friend. Mary was one of the “Perfect People” Cindy liked to call them. You know the ones, the girl who never gets in trouble, dates the best guy in class, has the perfect dress for the prom, and yet was really nice. Now here was Mary, starting to pace around the livingroom of Cindy’s apartment, still looking perfect.

“Sit down, Mary, you’re making me jumpy just watching your nervous energy! Everything is going to be allright. You have planned for this your whole life and now that the day is almost here, you know you have it in the bag”

“I don’t know anything of the kind!” Mary said. “I have a book full of to-do lists that I can’t even read anymore! I’ve written over them, and checked them off, but I’m still worried I’ll miss something. What if the caterers don’t show? Or the Flowers?  What if my dress doesn’t fit? I just know I’ve gained weight.”

She flopped down in the chair with her leg over the chair arm and let out a big, tired sigh. “I just know I’m forgetting something.”

Cindy took a sip of her coffee. She knew what Mary was going through. Hadn’t she taken the leap last year? She smiled as she remembered what her day had been like; September in New York.; a picture perfect day. Just cool enough to wear formal clothing without a coat. Her eyes glassed over as she remembered all the plans.. her Mother had flown in from home to help with the last minute plans. It was great having her help, but she kept breaking out in tears all the time, and Cindy started to wonder if her mother was upset she was getting married.

“No,” her mom had stated, “I’m so happy and proud of you and Dennis! You couldn’t have made a better choice if I;d done the choosing for you!”

Cindy had wondered about that at the time; was she picking someone to get her parent’s approval or because she really loved him? Dennis was a lot like her father, even looked like him a bit. She smiled at the thought.. they were both medium height and Dennis’ hairline was already moving away from his forehead just like her Dad’s had done. Yes, even their temperament was similar, although Dennis was quicker to smile and laugh.

Cindy felt like an old married woman now, just a year later. She hadn’t told Mary yet that she thought she was pregnant, wanted to keep it to herself until after Mary’s big day. She didn’t want any of the attention to be taken away from Mary.  Anyway, Dennis didn’t know yet, and she wanted him to be the first to hear. It was only right that he was told first.

Mary stood up again and started to pace, moved back to the couch and picked up her coffee and moved again.

“If only I could harness that energy” Cindy thought.

“My mother is driving me crazy!” Mary blurted out. “She has this long list of people who have to be invited to the reception! Have to she says! Like Bob and I are made of money! Doesn’t she realize each one of those plates of so called food is costing us all our savings?”

Now she was walking faster, the rug was going to be worn out by the time this was over, Cindy though. “I was lucky, my parents helped with the expenses, they knew it would be too much for Dennis and I to afford on our salaries, what with the school loans and all. Anyway, they had been saving for this since I was born! Dad even has money set aside for Molly when she decides to get married. Although every year I think this will be the year my sister meets the one,  and then she ups and dumps the guy and goes on to the next! I don’t know what she’s looking for, but she is driving us all crazy!”

Cindy looked at the clock on the wall. It had been Dennis’ grandfather’s clock and Dennis loved it, and so Cindy loved it too. It showed that it was almost 8 o’clock in the morning. Mary had shown up at her door about an hour ago, still in her pajamas. Of course she did live across the hall, which made it a little easier to understand.

“ I wish my mother was as generous as yours!” Mary continued as she plapped down again. “She says they can make a donation towards the reception or she can give us a down payment on a house. But in this economy who wants to buy a house? I don’t know where we’ll end up living? Bob is still in law school and it will take awhile for him to get situated with a firm, and I’m just starting to make money at my job. Who knew Ad Agencies ran on slave labor? Up till a couple of months ago, I was one of the slaves!” Now she was up and pacing again. Cindy felt like she was watching a tennis match, back and forth, back and forth as she listened to all Mary’s worries.

Cindy understood what Mary needed; A good friend who could listen when you needed it and just to be there to help sort out all the thoughts running non-stop through your brain.

“You really need to get a bigger place” Mary stated as she looked around Cindy’s apartment, “I’m running out of room to walk!”

Cindy tried to say something in response but just started to laugh. She laughed and laughed until tears started to come. She and Mary had been friends from the moment they had met in second grade! They had the same teachers most of the time, and always the same homeroom as their last names both started with “B”.  Cindy had the brains, but Mary got the attention. That was okay with Cindy, she liked it that way. Mary was so good with crowds and all the admirers, while Cindy was better off working in the background making sure everything would turn out okay. Maybe that was why she chose to go into Hospital administration work. She loved being busy and getting things done. She had just been asked to sit on the transplant committee. She was the youngest person ever asked, and it had been a great honor to accept. When she had told her parents and Dennis, they had been so proud of her. Now with the baby coming, she hoped she would be able to keep up with the work. Cindy shook her head. She didn’t want to think about that now. Now was for Mary and her plans.

Mary took a huge gulp of air, and tried to stop laughing. It felt so good to be with Cindy and just let loose. She knew this is just what she needed. Sometimes she thought a good laugh was even better than sex to relax your brain and let you calm down and that is what she needed to do now, just calm down. Her brothers were flying in on Wednesday, Her Dad not until the end of the week, he couldn’t get the time off from work he said. Mary thought it was more that he didn’t want to leave and be sucked into the vortex of excitement that was bound to happen as they all came together.

Mary had hoped for awhile that Cindy might get together with one of her brothers. That would have been great, Cindy, her real sister! But it didn’t happen, and now Cindy had Dennis. He was a great guy, a little too staid for Mary’s taste, but then most men were a little too boring for her!

But Dennis had turned out to be perfect for Cindy. If he hadn’t worried so much about his student loans, he would be here now, having coffee with them. But no, Dennis was finishing up his internship in the Army! He signed up after they were married. Said starting married life with the debt of Med School bills was not what he wanted so he enlisted as an Intern and had been sent to work in the VA Hospital in Brooklyn for the past year.

Mary shook her head in amazement to think how it had all worked out. Cindy was working at St Elizabeths just down the street from where Dennis was doing his Internship. Soon all his college loans would be paid off and they could, what? Start a family? OMG! Mary looked at Cindy as if she was seeing her for the first time.

“Don’t tell me -- you’re pregnant!” Mary screamed. She sat down next to Cindy and gave her a huge hug! I can’t believe it! Here I am doing all the talking and not letting you get a word in edgewise! I am so sorry! When are you due?”

Cindy laughed and hugged Mary in return. “Yes, I just found out. Not sure when I’m due yet, I haven’t gone to the Doctor yet. I wanted to tell Dennis first.”

“He doesn’t know yet? Why not? I thought you heard from him every night?” Mary asked. ”I still think it is wrong what they did to him. The minute he got his MD, they shipped him out!”

We knew it could happen, but it was just too good an opportunity for him. With the bonus they offered him, it would pay off all his loans. I was lucky, Mom and Dad were able to pay for my sister and I to go to college, Dennis wasn’t so lucky. His parents are divorced and there was no savings pile sitting around waiting to pay for the kids college education.”

“We’ll make this work. It won’t be for ever.” Cindy put her hand on her lower abdomen as if she could already tell there was a life in there.

“Now where were we? Ah yes, your lists of worries!” Cindy laughed. Mary looked at her and started to laugh. What worries did she have? She was marrying a great guy, with a good job, she had just been promoted out of the slave pool,  and her best friend lived across the hall and was about to have a baby!

They sat there laughing until they were gulping for air. They were laughing and talking so loud they didn’t even hear the doorbell.

Mary stopped first, turned towards the door and wondered who could be here this early. “Were you expecting someone?” She said.

“No,” Cindy replied. “not today or this early.” She got up and went towards the door, looked through the peephole like Dennis always told her to do before opening the door. There were two men standing out there. She didn’t recognize either of them.  She left the chain in place as she opened the door.

“Mrs. Dennis Cantrel?” Cindy nodded. “May we please come in?” the man closest to the door handed her a business card.

Cindy’s hand was shaking so badly she couldn’t undo the chain. Mary reached over and unlatched the hook and pulled the door open. She picked up the blanket from the sofa and threw it over her friends shoulders and left her arm there to hold her.

“We regret to inform you….” 

(1939 words)