You’ll never regret the drink you don’t take.
But what if the drink was thrown on me? There aren’t any instructions about this in my twelve-step program...
“I’m so sorry,” the dog’s owner says, offering me a small bottle of water.
Julia snatches it from his hand and shoots him a stern teacher glare that’s known to silence her third-grade classroom in seconds. She twists off the cap and dumps half of the contents down my front.
“Hey,” I protest as more ice-cold liquid soaks through my shirt and bra. But in an instant, the intensity of the alcoholdilutes, and the thirsty scratch in my throat lessens to a more tolerable level.
A small audience of onlookers forms a circle around me like drama vultures, their eyes locked on me like I’m the main course.Why am I such a walking train wreck?My cheeks heat as I resist the urge to tell them to mind their own business. Instead I bite my tongue to the point of pain, refusing to make a bigger spectacle of myself.
Mia and Nia have no such worry, barking at a few gawkers to mind their own business and swatting a woman’s phone from her hand before she can capture the moment. Even the chihuahua scampers back to his owner with its tail between its legs.
“Here,” Lola says, quickly untying her scarf and wrapping it around me so that the long ends cover my soiled shirt. “Use this until it dries.”
“Thanks. All of you.” Their worried faces build my resolve. “I’m not going to drink.”
Julia’s sharp gaze locks on my shaking hands, and I tuck them into my pockets.
“I’m not,” I repeat. “I just wasn’t prepared to be sprayed in it. It caught me a little off guard.”
“Let’s get you some fresh air.” Mia parts the crowd, leading the rest of us to a quieter area on the sidewalk.
“I’m sorry, Maya,” I mumble, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.
“Do not apologize. You did nothing wrong.”
“But I ruined your shopping trip.”
The other girls shake their heads, and Julia adds a resounding, “Absolutely not.”
“See? You didn’t ruin anything. How were you supposed to know there would be a domino effect that would end in you covered in wine? But you handled it with grace and resilience.”
“I bet it’s not easy to fight temptation every day like you do either,” Julia adds.
“Some days, it isn’t too bad. The mood swings still hit me. But today was...intense.” Five pairs of eyes soften into something akin to pity. “But I don’t want to dwell on it anymore. Change of scenery or topic usually helps. I’m okay.”
Maya slings an arm over my shoulder for a side hug. “You know, if it ever isn’t okay, I want you to let me know so I can help. Because that’s what sisters do.”
Sisters.
My eyes blur at the sentiment. Forget what I said before. I’ll wear a thousand dresses for this girl—in any shade of pink she wants.
“Same goes for me,” Julia adds.
“Eres familia—Maya is our family, so you are too,” Mia says.
Nia pats my shoulder in agreement.
Blinking, I can barely see through the tears. “Thank you. That means more than you know.”
“Feeling better?” Julia hands me another napkin.
I dab it under my eyes, cringing when the paper comes back with smears of mascara. “Much... and I think the slap of cool water helped too.”
“I’ll remember that for next time.”
I raise a brow at Julia’s gleeful expression. “You know not every situation will require me getting doused with water, right?”
