Kendra: I have to do laundry and some general maintenance at my apartment.
Me: I have a laundry service…
Kendra:…
That’s how we danced around the subject of our living situation. Generally, she made herself at home in my apartment. She had clothes in the closet and a toothbrush next to mine, but we hadn’t had the more serious discussion. I wanted to, but I also didn’t want to upset the balance we had by pushing too much, too soon.
Me: I have chicken Marsala…
Kendra: Mashed potatoes?
Me: Hand peeling them now.
Kendra: What time will it be ready?
Me: 6:30/7:00.
Kendra: See you then.
I might have taken advantage of the knowledge that she’d be carb-loading for a long run tomorrow and planned her favorite mashed potato meal.
Kendra: I’ll have to thank Nonna for making you a well-rounded Italian chef. I can’t say no to your food.
Me: Or sex.
Kendra: Two-for-one special tonight. I’ll have to find a way to say thank you.
Once the potatoes were set to boil, my phone rang, and I saw my mother’s name on the screen. I had only texted her a few times since Christmas; she and Dad had been traveling since the beginning of the year. The New England winters had never agreed with them.
“Hey, Mom.”
“JJ! I heard your news.” Of course, word had traveled to my parents, and I now prepared myself for her jealousy about my relationship with Nonna. “Were you ever going to tell me?”
“Of course. It’s a new relationship, but I figured you could meet her when you’re in town for Opening Day.” No matter how much my parents traveled, our entire family always filled the owner’s suite on Opening Day. It was our family’s version of Christmas morning. The start of a new season always promised unlimited possibilities.
I spent the next half hour answering and evading invasive questions as my father hemmed and hawed in the background. She was still on the phone as I finished hand-mashing the potatoes, and Kendra let herself into my apartment.
I pressed a finger to my lips, signaling her to keep quiet, and she went to the refrigerator and grabbed us both a glass of wine while I ended the call.
“I’m sorry. That was my mother. If she knew you were here, I would never get her off the phone. Is your laundry done?”
“Eh. I have running clothes for tomorrow.”
“What’s your route?” Kendra’s long runs often had her covering a lot of distance through the city, and some of those miles were in some less-than-safe neighborhoods. Knowing her route and having her checking in multiple times throughout her long runs helped keep my anxiety levels down.
She mapped out the route on paper for me and promised to share her location during the run. “Here, and don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”
“Oh, wait. I picked something up for you.” I went to the closet, where I had a canister of pepper spray for her to take with her. She rolled her eyes, but didn’t argue.
She’d forgotten about it by the time she sank her teeth into her meal. “Oh, my God. I didn’t even know I needed this tonight. Thank you.”
“Are you okay if I tell my sister to come upstairs?”
“Sure. But I think Haley is over.”
“She’s in town?” It wasn’t lost on me that Kendra and Colby had developed a friendship. She hadn’t even toldmethat Haley was in town, and she always had before.
“She arrived this morning. They’ve probably had enough to reunite by now.”
