On the Rocks(71)
“I’m happy, Abby. I hope you know that. And I hope you’re happy for me.”
“I am,” I said. I surprised myself, because I meant it.
“You were a really great maid of honor. I’m sorry if I made things harder on you than they already are.”
She reached over, and we hugged tightly, something she and I had not done for a very long time. Weddings really do bring out the sap in people.
I released myself from her embrace and fixed one stray curl that had fallen down behind her ear. “Go, have a great time on your honeymoon. Call me when you get back. I want to hear all about it.”
“I will, I promise,” she said as she once again left me alone in the ladies’ lounge, surrounded by the white remnants of her wedding day.
I picked her dress up off the floor and put it in the garment bag we’d brought from home. I folded the bag, fastened the buckles, and handed it to my mother in the vestibule by the doors.
“Can you take this home, please?” I asked. “It needs to go to the dry cleaner, and I’m heading back to the beach on Monday morning.”
My mother took the bag from me, but clearly had a problem with that. I imagined I would’ve been able to see the shock on her face if her face was able to register any type of expression whatsoever.
“What do you want me to do with this until I leave? I can’t just stand here holding a travel bag. I look like an out-of-town guest,” she said.
“Don’t worry, Mom. There’s not a person here tonight who doesn’t know who you are. Give it to one of the waiters to stash somewhere if you don’t want to hold on to it, but I can’t take it home with me.” I turned and headed back to the lounge to make sure Katie hadn’t left anything else behind.
“Abby,” I heard my mother call from behind me. She came up to me and for the first time in a very long time wrapped her arms around me. “I know today was hard for you, and I’m proud of you for the way you handled yourself.”
“Really? Thank you. That means a lot,” I said. I squeezed her tightly. We may have had more differences than I could count, but I loved her and deep down still hoped that one day we could mend our fractured relationship.
“You’re welcome. And I want you to know that nobody could have pulled off that dress, but you came damn close.”
That day would not be today.
I decided that it was time for me to leave.
Chapter 17
Princess Leia Was a Whore
I WAS ABLE to get a cab as soon as I got outside, and once I was nestled in the backseat I immediately kicked off my shoes to rescue my throbbing feet and knees. I couldn’t wait to get home, ditch the dress, peel off my Spanx, and pour myself a glass of Cabernet. I got out on the corner and walked barefoot down the dirty, dusty street toward my building, staring at the ground as I walked. When I looked up, I found Bobby sitting on my stoop, smoking a cigarette and playing a game on his iPhone.
“Always a bridesmaid, huh?” he said as he blew a steady stream of smoke into the night air. “Why are you carrying your shoes?” he asked, eyeing the chunky pink shoes in my hand. “You’ll need a tetanus shot if you’re not careful.”
“What are you doing here?” I asked, embarrassed to be seen in this get-up. He smirked at me, the freckles on his nose invisible in the dark. He smiled, enjoying his successful attempt to ambush me, and placed his pack of cigarettes in his pocket.
“That’s some dress. What does one even call that shade of pink?”
“I don’t even think the people at Crayola know what to call this shade of pink.”
“You look like you just escaped from a cotton candy machine.”
“Bobby, it’s been a long night. Did you come here just to make fun of me?” I asked. “I don’t need you to tell me I look ridiculous any more than I need you to tell me I’m actually a brunette and still slightly overweight,” I moaned. “Please be nice to me.”
“I’m sorry,” he sighed. “I didn’t come here to make fun of you. I knew that you weren’t exactly thrilled about going to your sister’s wedding, and I happened to be in the city because I just found out I have a job interview on Monday. I figured the wedding would be over by midnight and you’d be coming home alone and would maybe want some company. So I took up residence on your stoop about a half-hour ago, and here you are.”
That was actually sweet. I appreciated Bobby going out of his way to help cheer me up, even if his methods were, as usual, a little strange. “It actually ended up being okay. Nowhere near as bad as I thought it was going to be,” I admitted.
“Good. Can we can go inside now?” he asked as he took the ugly pink satin pig shoes from my hand.
“Who said you were coming inside?” I asked.
“You’re not going to invite me in after I sat out here playing Words with Friends while I waited to check on you?” he countered.
“You’re right, where are my manners?” I said as I climbed the stoop to my front door. “I was planning on opening a bottle of wine. Do you want to come up and have a glass?”
“What kind of gentleman would I be if I made you drink alone?”
“You’re no gentleman,” I teased.