“Come.” She grabbed my hand and led me through the room. We stopped several times to greet old friends and classmates. We both ordered a glass of sauvignon blanc at the bar, and Gary got himself a scotch.
“Have you been here long?” I asked when we settled ourselves at one of the high-top tables.
“About a half hour,” Lauren answered as she ran her hands down her red silk dress. “It’s such a treat for me to get out of the house these days and out of sweatpants.” Lauren, a real estate attorney, had been working mostly remote since her youngest daughter was born.
“How is the baby?” I asked.
“Great,” Lauren said as she twirled one of the microbraids that framed her dark eyes. “It only took ten months of trying, butfinally, Kendra’s sleeping through the night. Which would be great, except now I wake up every morning at two o’clock to pee.”
“Me too.” I also checked my work emails in the wee hours of the morning, but I decided to keep that fun fact to myself.
“Omigod!” Lauren exclaimed. “Wait until you see Penis! You are going to be in shock! The boy is no longer geeky or scrawny. He is drop-dead, gorgeous-heartthrob handsome.”
Gary loudly cleared his throat.
Lauren blushed. “Sorry, honey.” She batted her long lashes at her hunky husband. “You know I only have eyes for you. But I’m not blind! Let’s just say if I wasn’t married, and was interested in white guys, I wouldn’t be sitting here sipping wine with Waverly.”
“Lauren!” I exclaimed. “You’re horrible.”
“You say that now. Wait! When you lay eyes on him, I’d bet you dinner and a bottle of wine you’ll be gushing too.”
I gave Lauren the side-eye as I took a stuffed mushroom from a passing waiter. “I’m kind of shocked he’d show up tonight.”
“I know.” She nodded. “Poor guy. I don’t think he even had any friends. Remember in elementary school you were always stuck sitting right beside Penis because of your last names?”
I took a sip of wine, then replied, “Yep.”
“What’s with all this penis talk?” Gary asked with mock horror. Lauren and I both cracked up.
Lauren, née Nelson, jumped in. “When we were in elementary school, Waverly came up with the cleverest names for a few kids. Usually, they grew out of them, but his stuck right through high school.”
“Hey, Nosey Nellie!” I said, trying to defend myself.
“You nailed her.” Gary pointed toward his stunning wife.
“What can I say? I was good. And speaking about Penis, if anyone is to blame for his moniker, it’s his parents. What were they ever thinking when they named him? I just put two and two together, which wasn’t too hard.” My comment made Lauren and me giggle like six-year-olds again.
Gary’s eyes darted between us. “I’m afraid to ask. What was his real name?”
Lauren didn’t answer her husband’s question. Instead, she bumped me with her elbow and said, “Look. He’s heading our way now.”
I glanced up at the sea of faces and spotted a tall, good-looking, muscular, sandy-haired man with broad shoulders wearing a charcoal gray suit walking toward us. My eyes blinked in rapid succession.What in the world is going on?
10
He extended a hand,and my breath hitched in my throat. He looked down at me and said, “Hello, Waverly. So, we meet again?”
For once in my wisecracking life, I was at a complete loss for words. I had no doubt he enjoyed my unease immensely.
Lauren and Gary both looked confused by my reaction. Lauren broke the awkward silence. “Waverly, you remember Peter, don’t you?”
My mouth went dry as our eyes met. I struggled to take a sip of wine as I studied his features. I won’t lie. I was more than slightly in shock. “Pe…Pe… Peter? Peter Ennis? You’rePenis?” I gasped as my hand flew to my mouth at my slip.
“Yes, although I never really cared for the name, as you can probably imagine.” Then with the slightest of smiles, he added, “You can call me Pete.” He extended his hand.
“Pete.” I found my voice and let the name roll over my tongue as I shook his hand. I swallowed hard. “I’m sorry, Pete. Everyone thought it was so funny when we were in first grade. Who would have thought it would stick?”
“Certainly not me.” He winced. I kicked myself for how cruel I once had been. I never once took his feelings, or any of the other children my friends and I teased, into consideration. The pain in his eyes was palatable. In my quest for popularity, I had managed to make his life a living hell, and I felt guilty. At least I had some answers to some of my recent questions.
