Bryon and Cathy's talk
"Hey Cathy! What's up?" I exclaimed, walking into the hospital cafeteria.
Cathy was sitting by an empty table, looking bored. But, as always, her eyes lit up when she saw me.
"Hi Bryon! I was waiting for you. I just got on my break," Cathy answered, a smile on her face.
As always, I knew this was an invitation for me to buy her a coke. So, I bought two, and for a moment, we just sat there in silence, drinking the cold, syrupy, bubbly, pop.
"So, Bryon, how's your mom? Isn't she set to come home soon?" Cathy asked.
"She ain't bad, I guess. She's comin' home in about a week or so. Not that things are gonna get better then. She can't go back to work for another month. A Month! How are we gonna get money? Me and Mark, we're working hard as we can, but it's still not enough." I signed, then took another sip of my coke. I could tell Cathy anything, and she didn't mind.
"Bryon, things will get better, I promise you. You'll find a way. You always do." Cathy said, her eyes glinting as they caught the sun's ray. She smiled, but I could tell something was bothering her. I always know when chicks are worried.
"Cathy, you alright? You seem worried." I said, concerned.
"I wish I could say I'm fine. But I'm not. It's M&M. Our dad, he's just constantly grilling M&M about his long hair and attitude. I'm always anxious when they start to fight. M&M, he's such a sweet kid, but one day, he's just going to snap. I wish there was something I could do." Cathy drawled, a tear silently slithering down her cheek.
I reached over and wiped the tear from her cheek. Her skin was soft, a bit fragile, and pale, like a porcelain doll. It really breaks something inside me when I see chicks upset.
"Cathy, he'll be fine. I promise." I told her, trying to sound reassuring. We sat there in silence for a few moments. I wasn't so sure she'd believed me.
"You know, sometimes I wonder if there was something I could have done too. Mark keeps telling me it wasn't my fault, but inside, I think there was something I could have done to save Charlie," I lamented.
"Bryon, I know you feel guilty. It's just human nature. But you have to understand that it wasn't your fault. It was Charlie's. What was he doing anyway, letting minors into a bar? In my opinion, it was his own fault." Cathy answered, a bit indignant.
"Huh. I never thought of it that way. It just always seemed so normal, us goin' hustlin' in the bar," I admitted. "Hey, I knew it was illegal for Charlie to let us in. But I always thought of it as our fault, mine and Mark's."
"Bryon, listen to me. What happened that day was no where near your fault. Sure, you used bad judgement and acted a bit stupid," Cathy paused, raising an eyebrow. "But it was still not your fault. In the end, it was the Texans who shot him."
"But he had so much ahead of him- Charlie had just found out he wasn't going to get drafted. He was so successful. But now, he's gone. If only I hadn't gone to the bar that day." I responded, burying my face in her shoulder, hugging her.
She embraced me, and I caught a whiff of her strawberry shampoo. It smelled like summer and hope.
"Thank you. You always know how to make me feel better," I whispered.
I took a minute to compose myself.
"I'm probably goin' now. I promised Mike, you know the kid who got beat up trying to help the black girl, I'd visit him." I told her.
"Bye then, Bryon. Thanks for the coke and conversation. It gets awfully boring around here without you.
"Bye Cathy," I replied, heading towards the door. I was real lucky to have a chick like her.