“We should be celebrating making it almost to the end,” he said, raising his glass. “To all my old friends and the new ones who have brought so much to all our lives. I hope next year brings everything you’ve ever wanted.”
There were cheers of agreement, and the night was off to a perfect start. They ordered a ridiculous amount of pizza, then forgot everything else but stuffing themselves and having a good time. The party was just beginning to come to an end when his phone began to buzz in his pocket, confusing him because everyone who might call him was sitting right there. When he pulled it out of his pocket and saw Erin’s name on the display, he felt a little guilty; he’d completely forgotten about her.
“Hey there,” he answered, wondering how much trouble he was in. “I was going to call you when I got home.”
“Really? Where are you?” Erin asked, a hard edge to her voice. “It sounds like you’re at a party.”
“I just went out to dinner with the guys to celebrate the end of the semester. It’s not a party,” he said. “We were just getting ready to head home.”
“Well, that explains why you haven’t called me tonight, but what about the nights before that?” Erin asked. “I’ve been sitting here by the phone every night waiting for you to call. This is no way to treat your fiancé, Ryan. I’m beginning to think that you don’t want to get married. you’re never here, you never make time for me. It’s so embarrassing, everyone notices when I go places by myself, and I’m tired of making excuses for you.”
He'd heard that same speech so many times since they’d become unofficially engaged that it was the last thing he was in the mood for right then. “Erin, I’m not going to do this with you right now. This is the same argument we have once a month, just think back to the last time and imagine me saying the same things I did then,” he said. “I’m out with my friends right now, I’ll call you tomorrow when I have more time to fight with you.”
“Ryan, that’s so mean,” Erin sniffled. “Why can’t you be nicer to me? We’re going to be married; you’re supposed to love and cherish me. I’m going to tell your mother about this.”
“Go right ahead and tell her, I would expect nothing less,” he said with a sigh. “While you’re at it, tell her not to bother calling me, I’m going to shut off my phone for the weekend. I’m taking a break from you and my mother.”
“You can’t…” Erin started to protest, but he hung up on her, then powered down his phone with a sense of satisfaction, looking forward to a couple of days of peace and quiet.
***Paula***
Feeling an intense sense of accomplishment, Paula filled in the last few boxes in the crossword puzzle, then held it up to admire her work. It had been a long time since she’d given herself enough of a break to do a puzzle from start to finish but she was pleased to find that she hadn’t lost her touch. Closing the book, she stashed it in her nightstand, then stretched her arms over her head with a huge yawn before throwing back the covers.
It had been a long, lazy morning, which she’d definitely needed, but life was knocking on her door in the form of a huge pile of laundry and a bathroom that hadn’t been cleaned in weeks. The kitchen was just as grimy and she was pretty sure it was her turn to clean it, so it was going to be a day full of chores, followed by an evening running errands since the refrigerator and cabinets were basically empty. After throwing on some old clothes, she scooped up the first load of laundry and carried it through the apartment to the utility room.
Once the load was started, she headed for the kitchen, thinking a cup of coffee was just what she needed to get started.Connie was sitting at the kitchen table reading a book and munching on some toast when she walked in, but there was a fresh pot of coffee and she helped herself before sitting down across from her friend.
“I’m going to clean today. I think it’s my turn to clean the kitchen,” she said when Connie put the book down. “Then I was thinking about hitting the grocery store, there’s not much to eat around here. Do you want to tag along?”
“That sounds great,” Connie said. “I don’t think I’m going home for Christmas this year. It’s so much hassle, and I spend more time traveling than I do visiting. My mom isn’t going to be happy, but I’m just not into it.”
“Why don’t you invite your parents here?” she asked. “I wouldn’t mind; we could even get a tree. I wasn’t planning on going home until right before the holiday. I can’t now that I took that job with Hattie; she needs me right up until the end.”
“Your dad isn’t going to be happy about that,” Connie said, shaking her head. “Have you told him yet?”
“No, I’ve been putting it off,” she said, then sighed. “He’s probably already got a bunch of stuff planned for us to do. I hate to disappoint him.”
“You should invite them here too,” Connie said, a spark of excitement in her eyes. “We could do it right, a small party on Christmas Eve, then a big dinner the next day. We’ll sing carols and play games; it will be a blast. Say you’ll do it, invite them, Paula. We’ve always wanted to get our parents together.”
She thought about it for a second, “It would solve all our problems,” she said, the idea growing on her. “I don’t know if they’ll go for it, though. I mean, they have the bakery and everything.”
“Didn’t you tell me that they close the store for the holiday?” Connie asked. “I bet they could make it for a day and a half, they’ve done it before.”
“I don’t want to get my hopes up,” she said, jumping up from the table. “I’ll go call them, maybe they’ll surprise me.”
Her father picked up on the second ring. “Hey, pumpkin, your mom and I were just talking about you,” he said. “Your ears must have been burning.”
She laughed, “Right back at you,” she said. “Connie and I were just talking about you and Mom.”
“Hopefully you were discussing when you’re coming home for Christmas,” her dad said, his voice full of warmth. “We miss you; it’s been too long since we’ve seen you.”
“I miss you guys too,” she said, then paused, feeling guilty. “The thing is, I might not be coming home this year, a few things have come up, and well…I don’t know if I can get away.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” her dad said, his voice full of disappointment. “Is there anything your mom and I can do to help?”
“No, Dad, but that's very sweet of you. I’m not in trouble or anything. I took a seasonal job, and it looks like it’s going to last longer than I thought it would,” she said, hoping he’d understand. “It’s not just that, though. I might have made a connection that could land me a real job as soon as I graduate. I’m supposed to call the guy for coffee next week.”
“Now that is good news,” her dad said, a little note of pride in his voice. “I don’t have to warn you to be…”
