The Space In Between(18)

“I’m sorry, didn’t mean to pry. It’s just…You’re such a young girl. No need to look so sad.”
He had no clue. I gave him a short smile, informing him that I was fine. It turned out I was a liar.
“I’ve been there before, too. A dark place. You wonder how things are ever going to be all right, ya know? But they will be. You gotta trust in the process. No one can be sad forever. Not even you.”
I wished I could believe that. But sitting in the taxi, I was growing sick, watching the amount of money add up on the clock. When Joe pulled up to my apartment building, I sighed. I was five dollars short. I would have to run upstairs to borrow some cash from Ladasha.
I stepped out and went to hand him the money, telling him I would be right back with the rest. He pushed the cash back to me. “Keep it. Take care of yourself, all right? And if you ever need a ride, give your ol' buddy Joe a call. I know how easy it is to get lost in the Big Apple, and I'm pretty good at helping people find their way home.” He handed me his card, delivered me a warm grin, and pulled off.
After that night, Joe became my official driver for my nightly flings with Cooper. He never charged me, which was sweet, but he also never judged me, which was even sweeter. He spoke to me about his wife, how much he loved her, how much she cared for him. He spoke of their struggles and how they worked through the issues no matter what. They had been married for almost forty years, and he prayed for forty more.
I wondered sometimes if I would ever get married.





DERRICK STOOD ON stage in front of the microphone, looking handsome as ever. When he performed he became the song, transforming into the lyrics, fully committing to the words. I just turned twenty-one, so I was filled with excitement to see him perform for the first time in a bar. He was so amazing up there. Such a natural.
A few of his friends filed in and surrounded me, looking as proud as I was to see him up there. His best friend Steve slugged me in the arm and before I could smack him, he pulled me into a hug.
“Welcome back home, soon to be Mrs. Stevens.” Steve said as he sat down next to me.
“Thanks. Good to be back, as always.” My eyes looked up to Derrick who was grinning in my direction and I turned to Steve, “Does he ever talk about how he misses me?”
Steve picked up his beer and rolled his eyes. “Don’t do that Andie. I’m not your messenger boy.” I fed Steve my best puppy dog eyes and whimpered. “He wrote you a new song.”
My eyes widened with excitement. I loved when he wrote songs about me. I bit my bottom lip and looked up to my baby. “He loves me, huh?”
Steve cleared his throat and nodded, chugging his drink. “The best way he knows how.”
Derrick finished his song and spoke into his mic. “A big thanks to everyone coming out tonight for your love and support. Now I’m gonna take a small break and go have a drink with my future wife.”
He slid in next to me and kissed my neck. “You did amazing.” I beamed with pride.
“I’m so happy you’re here. I called you earlier, but it went to voicemail. Figured you weren’t going to make it.” He smiled and picked up my cell phone.
“Of course I was going to make it, don’t be dumb.” I warned him. Kissing my nose, he went searching through my phone. “What are you doing?” I wondered out loud.
He held up his finger to me and began speaking into my cell phone. “Hey! You have reached the voicemail of the soon-to-be Mrs. Andie Stevens. She cannot get to the phone right now, but leave her a message and she’ll call you back! Bye!”
I smirked at his corniness and grabbed my cell phone back from him.
Mrs. Stevens. I could get used to that.





I SAT ON the couch, looking at all the missed calls on my cell phone from my mom. Seven. It had been awhile since I’d spoken with her, but I couldn’t listen to her sob on the telephone anymore. I looked at the number of voicemails on my phone, which was exactly seven, too. Rolling my eyes I prepared to listen to my mom beg me to come home.
“Hi, Anders, it's your mother. I was just calling to see how you are doing. I haven't heard from you in a while. I wanted to see if you were able to make it to Thanksgiving. I know you said you were busy with your jobs…but…we would really love to have you. We’ve never had a Thanksgiving without you…”
I placed the collar of my shirt into my mouth and bit down on it, as if to hold back my tears. “It’s already sad enough that Derrick’s family won’t be joining us. His mom is pretty lost. But to not have you at the table…” Her sniffles were heard. Geez Mom…
“We all miss you. Whenever I say I want to call you at work your dad refuses to let me. Says it’s not that kind of job. Daddy says he loves you and is keeping you in his prayers. I love you, too. Call me when you can. And honey, you should really change your voicemail.”
I closed my cell phone and glanced at the coffee table in front of me. Ladasha always left her cell phone out for me to use for one reason and one reason only. As I lifted it, a level of shame washed over me. I began to dial my cell phone and listened to my voicemail. The moment I heard Derrick’s voice speak to me through the telephone, my heart skipped a few beats.
“Hey! You have reached the voicemail of the soon-to-be Mrs. Andie Stevens. She cannot get to the phone right now, but leave her a message and she’ll call you back! Bye!”
I ended the call, bit my bottom lip, and dialed again. This went on as long as I could allow it to until I picked up my cell and texted for a beverage of sorts.