“Baby bye bye bye!”
A helpless laugh escapes me, and I jump right in on instinct. Together, in the worst harmony imaginable, we finish the next line:
Don't wanna be a fool for you
Just another player in your game for two
You may hate me, but it ain't no lie
Baby, bye, bye, bye.
We dissolve into laughter, hers bright and chaotic, mine shaky but real. One minute into talking to her and I already feel a million times better.
“So, what’s up?” she asks once the laughter fades. “Finally ready for that baby shower yet?”
I pause, pressing the phone tighter to my ear. “Gen…”
She hears it instantly, she always has. Her tone shifts in a heartbeat.
“What’s wrong?”
I bite my lip. “There’s… some stuff I haven’t told you. About Patrick. About Patrick and me.”
I hear her breathing on the other end. No panic, no interruption, just quiet, solid waiting, the way only sisters know how to wait.
I rub a hand over my eyes, the words humiliating to say out loud, even to her. “Patrick… I guess he hooked up with someone. Or almost did. The night of his promotion ceremony. After he stormed out.”
The silence on her end makes me feel like she hung up but I know she’s there. She just lets me say it.
I keep going, because if I stop, I won’t get the next part out.
“He… he made it seem likeshecame onto him,” I say quietly. “That he pushed her off. He told me he didn’t even remember kissing her.” My throat tightens. “Only that’s not true.”
I inhale shakily.
“I saw the tape, Gen. She made the first move, yeah, buthekissed her first. He touched her. They disappeared into the bathroom together and… who knows what happened in there.” My voice cracks. “The woman’s claiming he forced her, and I know the old Patrick would never do that. But drunk Patrick? If he’s capable of cheating…” I shrug, even though she can’t see it. “I don’t know what to do anymore.”
Genesis is silent for a beat. Not shocked silence, listening silence. Waiting for the rest. Thereismore, but I can’t say it yet. Not on the phone.
She finally exhales. “Where is he right now?”
I sniff hard. “He’s staying at Harvey’s. Harvey promised I don’t have to talk to him as long as I… I don’t know… don’t tell him I’m done.”
“Okay. Good,” she says, all business now. “I’m checking flights. There’s one through New York tonight… good, there are some seats left.”
I put the phone on speaker. I can hear fast tapping on her end, her laptop keys probably.
I wait, holding my breath without realizing it.
A minute later she says, “Alright. I’m booked. I’ll be there by tomorrow morning. And we’ll figure everything out, okay?”
My lips press together as tears burn hot behind my eyes. “Thank you, Gen.”
“Don’t thank me,” she says softly. “Just hang on. I’m coming.”
Taking a deep breath, I hang up. I can do that.
By the time my shift hits the halfway mark, I’ve run the breakup speech in my head so many times it’s starting to echo.
