Maxine poured them both glasses of red and explained that her husband was out of town for work. “We should have gone out to a restaurant or something. We should have celebrated our reunion,” she said to Elena. “I hope this is okay for now?”
“Of course! It’s cozy,” Elena said. And it was. But it also filled her throat to realize that Maxine came home to so much love and tenderness every day. Elena had lived so much of her life in the Middle East. She’d suffered through a painful relationship and a terrible breakup. Now, she lived with Carmen, which wasn’t exactly easy.
Not that Maxine’s life was easy. You never really knew what someone was going through.
They clinked glasses and studied one another. Maxine was unafraid in her gaze, which Elena was grateful for. Maxine had never been afraid of anything.
“How are things?” Maxine asked.
Elena sniffed. “With the medication? She’s taking them. Thank goodness.”
“That’s good, but that’s not what I mean,” Maxine said. “I mean, how are things with you? What’s it been like, being back like this?”
Elena was surprised at how gentle and wonderful it felt to be asked that. She nearly burst into tears. “It’s been a lot, obviously. I mean, I feel like my dad should come home any minute, and my mom’s all over the place, and…” Elena realized she was talking too quickly.
Maxine nodded. Somehow, she’d already eaten too much.
“Oh, but what about you?” Elena asked. “I want to hear about all of it. About the girls. About your wedding!”
Maxine laughed. “It’s been ages since the wedding. I remember flashes, like when someone stepped on the trail of my dress, or when my Uncle Reggie got drunk and sang ABBA. But mostly, I remember being really afraid.”
“Afraid? You?” Elena couldn’t fathom it.
Maxine nodded furiously. “Oh, yes. I’d done so much by then. I’d graduated from medical school. I’d, you know, performed surgery. I’d moved countless times. But I hadn’t fully committed myself to another human. It felt insane.”
“And how’s that been? The commitment?”
Maxine ate another bite of pasta. “It’s been one of the greatest gifts of my life.”
Elena let her eyes flutter down. Her heart filled with happiness for her former best friend, a woman who deserved the world and always would. “That’s wonderful, Max.”
“And what about you?” Maxine asked.
Elena laughed again. “What about me?”
“Were there any men in your life? Or are there any men in your life? Present tense?” Maxine sipped her wine. “I remember you as sort of boy crazy, if you don’t mind me saying.”
Elena threw back her head. “I was. I remember.” She considered her own stories and what she felt Maxine deserved to know. “I had a boyfriend back in Syria. I was pretty sure he was the love of my life.”
Maxine frowned. “What did he do?”
“What makes you think he did anything?”
“I don’t know.” Maxine shrugged. “A hunch, I guess?”
Elena laughed nervously. “You always could read me.”
“Sure. I felt like we could read each other’s minds, there for a while,” Maxine said. “But come on. What happened with the guy?”
“He was a journalist,” Elena said delicately. “Better than me. Lauded.”
“Never better than you,” Maxine interjected.
“Okay. But people thought he was. Or they think he is.” Elena inhaled and told her friend everything she could remember from that time in her life, almost word for word what she’d already told James Murphy. Maxine listened, captivated, and then let her fork fall with rage onto her plate. It clanked.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Maxine cried.
Elena was grateful to hear her friend’s anger. “It’s been a while since then,” Elena said finally. “I’m getting over it. Sort of.”
