Growing up I was always very close with my first cousin, Whitley. We had grown up basically like sisters since our mother's lived together in the family house in Louisiana. They had both inherited it from my grandmother when she died. Since neither one of them were married at the time they just decided to live together. I loved having my aunt Mary and cousin in the house with us all the time. The house was old and way out in the middle of swamp land. Both being perfectly terrifying to a six year old. Whitley and I shared a room and it made growing up on the bayou not so scary. When we were eight years old my aunt Mary got really close to a guy named Jeff. They grew so close that she married him not long after they started dating. The day of the wedding they packed up all their stuff in a truck and moved to New York; leaving me and my mom alone in the old house. Whitley and I drifted apart not long after she moved away. The only time I ever heard from her was in the Christmas cards that aunt Mary sent out every December.
And now they're all standing in my living room like we hadn't been separated for fourteen years.
Roughly a year ago, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. Even after she went through all the treatments available she just wasn't able to pull through in the end. So now everyone is in my living room just a few short hours after the burial of my mother. I watched in silence as my relatives hugged and wept on each other's shoulders. Seeing their grief and feeling my own gnawing a hole in my heart was too much for me to handle, so I quickly turned on my heel and bolted up the stairs.
My bed creaked when I slammed myself onto it. I buried my face in my pillow and let out a loud scream. I couldn't cry anymore, the only thing I could do was scream. At some point I must have fallen asleep because when I looked toward the window it was pitch black outside. I rolled back over and went to sleep. I woke up again when it was light outside but I didn't bother to get up. I didn't get out of bed for the next two weeks, except for the occasional trip to the bathroom or fridge.
Around the middle of the third week I couldn't stand lying in my room anymore so I got up and went downstairs. The sun had just set behind the trees casting the house in shadow. Something I hated still to this day. I flipped on the kitchen and living room lights. It only helped a little.
I brewed a pot of coffee and sat myself down at the kitchen table. The clock on the wall read eight PM. Usually at this time mom was just coming home from her shift at the diner and I was leaving for my shift at the bar. We would share some gossip over a quick cup of coffee and she'd wait up for me to come home later that night. I let out a shaky sigh and sipped my hot coffee. As I stared at the peeling floral wallpaper the realization that I can't stay here hit me like a ton of bricks. At least, I can't stay here right now. It hurts too much.
I was working on my second cup of coffee when I heard a knock rattle the screen door. I walked through the hall and to the backdoor. I flicked on the porch light only to see Whitley's shining blonde hair and smile just beyond the screen door. My face broke into a smile, possibly the first smile in over a month. She pulled open the door and stepped into the house.
"Glad to see you up." She stated as she walked past me and into the kitchen.
"I thought you were back in New York." I replied.
"And leave you like this?" She shook her head as she poured herself a cup of coffee. "No. I don't think so."
I joined her at the kitchen table. We sat in an awkward silence for what felt like an eternity. After so long I couldn't take the deafening quiet anymore, so I finally broke the silence.
"So, how is life in the city?"
"Great. I love living in the city, I recently opened my own café." She smiled, obviously proud of herself.
Whitley was exactly the way she was when we were eight. Freckles were splashed across her nose and she still talked with the same amount of high energy.
"I have my own apartment. Well it's not my own per say," She waved her hands around dramatically when she spoke. "I have two roommates."
"I think I'm gonna need a roommate." I responded. "Remember how much I hated being alone here?"
Whitley looked around at the gloomy old house, with its creaking boards and faded wallpaper. She shivered a little. "I always hated being alone here too."
A silence fell over us again. I sipped my coffee and she cleared her throat.
"Do you want to come and stay with me in New York?"
I almost choked on my coffee. I had never been out of Louisiana. New York? I would never survive there!
"I…I- I don't think I can…"
"Why not? I mean, what is keeping you here?"
I thought it over…the only thing I have here is my job and it's not the greatest in the world. There is really no reason why I couldn't move to New York.
"There is an extra bedroom that no one is using, since our last roommate moved out." She placed her hand on mine. "Please, Sarah? It'll be good for you to get out of this swamp for a little while." She laughed a little when she put emphasis on swamp.
I stared out at the willow trees in the front yard shining in the light of the moon. Moving to New York with Whitley felt right. I was always one to go with my gut feeling, so I made my decision to leave Louisiana behind.
"I want to go to New York with you." I stated.
She squealed and reached across the table to hug me.
"You're going to want to start packing, I've got to be back in a few days and I figured we could take your truck so you can have it in the city. You won't really need it much unless you need to go out of town." She laughed again.
"How long will it take to get there?"
"Oh, you know, only about seventeen hours."
"Jesus Christ! Seventeen hours?" I exclaimed in horror.
"It's not so bad. We can catch up on the way there." She smiled.
I smiled again too. My heart was still heavy with grief but I had a strong feeling that mom would be proud of me.
"I'm going to go pack. We can head out tonight if you want." I said to her.
"Sure! While you're packing, I'm going to order a pizza." She pulled her phone out and dialed the number to the local pizzeria.
I headed upstairs and pulled my suitcases out of my closet. I wouldn't be able to put everything of mine in them. So I would only pack the things I have to have. I started by pulling all the clothes from my closet and stuffing them into a bag.
"Sarah!" I heard Whitley's voice carry up the stairs. "I'm gonna go get the pizza, I forgot that they don't deliver out this far. I'm also going to swing by my hotel and get my things! Be back soon!"
"Okay! Be careful!" I yelled back.
I heard her fire up the old truck that my Grandpa had handed down to me. It sputtered for just a moment and rumbled out of the drive way. I continued stuffing clothes into the suitcases till they were full to bursting. I left one bag aside for shoes and a backpack for my laptop and a few other miscellaneous things like, CDs, movies and books. Once all the bags were full I stepped back and stared at my room. I wouldn't be back here for a while. I blew a strand of hair from my face and swung my backpack onto my back. I carried my bags downstairs and sat them at the backdoor. Whitley should be back any minute. So I went and sat back down at the kitchen table to wait for her.
I was completely lost in thought when a noise sounded throughout the kitchen, causing me to jump. Whitley's phone was vibrating on the table. I glanced at the screen, it was lit up with the name Leonardo displaying. I was having an internal debate to answer it when it abruptly stopped ringing.
"I'm baaack!" Whitley yelled from the door.
"No need to yell," I laughed. "I'm in the kitchen."
"You pack really fast." She replied, pointing to all my bags stacked up beside the door.
"I only packed the basics. I'll come back down for the rest some other time."
"Well…you ready to go? We got a tasty pizza in the car." She smiled.
"Now or never." I stated with an unsure smile.
We loaded my bags in the bed of the truck before getting settled in the cracked and worn leather seats. I stuck the key in the ignition and the Chevy roared to life.
"Do you think this old thing will make it to New York?" I laughed.
"Of course! This truck is the most reliable pile of rust in America."
We both laughed as I picked up speed on the road. For the first time in these few weeks I felt like things were going to be okay. Once on the interstate we rolled up our windows and Whit passed me a slice of pizza. She rifled through the old selection of cassette tapes in the glove box. Not even a second later and Creedence Clearwater Revival was streaming from the speakers.
"I can't believe these old tapes still play."
"I know. They're ancient." I responded.
I turned the music down a little, "Hey Whit…"She looked up from the tapes at me. "Who is Leonardo?"
She looked confused for a moment, "How do you know about Leonardo? I didn't tell you about him."
"Oh well, you left your phone at the house earlier. Your screen said it was someone named Leonardo."
An ear to ear smile broke across her face before she responded, "Leonardo is my fiancé."
"Really? Why didn't you tell me you were engaged?"
"Well…I…it just seemed inappropriate to bring it up." She looked back down at the tapes and I realized what she was saying.
"Not inappropriate at all. I'm so happy for you!" I looked over at her and the smile came back to her face. "You can tell me anything. Seriously, I want to know the full story."
A look of excitement passed over her features.
"I wanted to tell you so bad! He just proposed two months ago so the whole engagement thing still feels so new!" She gushed.
"How long have you two been together?"
"We've been together since we were sixteen. I met him early one morning when I was on my way home from a party. It was probably about four in the morning and I was in a seriously sketchy part of town."
I urged her to continue. "I was headed to the subway when I was ambushed by a group of guys. They were putting their hands all over me and one of them busted my lip."
I gasped, "How did you get away?"
"Well, that's how I met Leonardo. He saved me." She had a dreamy look in her eyes. "He beat the crap out of them and basically carried me to safety. He was awkward around me at first but I kind of forced him to open up to me." She laughed. "We've been pretty much inseparable since that night."
"What does Aunt Mary and Jeff think of him?"
"Well…they kind of sort of haven't met him yet."
"How could they not have met a guy you've been with for the past seven years?"
She let out a sigh, "It's complicated."
I could tell that it was something she didn't want to talk about so I dropped it for now.
"So what about you, you have any romantic tales for me?" She asked.
I scoffed, "Oh yeah, tons of them."
"Well go on, tell me!"
"I was being sarcastic, Whitley." I replied.
"Oh. Well why not?"
"Ugh. I dunno, I guess I just never really met a guy that captured my interest. I dated Jimmy Coots for a while. Don't even get me started on how horrible that was." I replied.
"Oh my Gooooood. You dated Jimmy Coots? Remember when we told him there was a twenty foot catfish in the pond in front of your house? He stood there for hours with a fishing pole trying to catch it." She laughed at the memory.
"Yes I remember that. He brought that up quite a bit while we were dating. All the pranks we pulled on him made his childhood a living hell. Those were his actual words." I said trying hard to stop laughing.
"He was just so gullible!" Whitley stated, swatting tears from her eyes.
Our conversation was interrupted when her phone started vibrating in her lap. She quickly put it up to her ear.
"Hey babe!" She squealed into the phone.
I could hear a deep voice mumble through the phone, though I couldn't make out anything he was saying.
"I know…I miss you too. I'll be back in New York soon though. We're on our way right now."
I clearly heard him say 'we?' through the phone.
"Oh yeah, I didn't tell you. My cousin Sarah is coming to stay in the spare room at the apartment."
Their conversation continued for a few more minutes before she finally said 'I love you' and hung up the phone.
"Awwwww." I crooned.
"I know, I know. We are just too sweet." She laughed at herself.
We drove all throughout the night, only stopping twice to fill up the tank. The sun was starting to rise and I felt a rumble in my stomach.
"Want to stop for breakfast?"
"Yes. I'm ravenous." She responded.
I took the next interstate exit and pulled into the waffle house located right off the side of the road. Once at the booth we ordered our food and some coffee.
"So what is Leonardo like?"
"He is ridiculously sweet and thoughtful, though sometimes he can be a little too serious." She smiled at the thought of her fiancé. "He lives with his three brothers." Then she lowered her head and whispered, "They're ninjas."
I almost laughed out loud but the complete serious look on her face told me that this wasn't a joke.
"Seriously? Like, for real ninjas?"
She nodded her head yes, "That's how Leo saved me from that group of guys."
"Oooooh." Was the only thing to come out of my mouth.
Silence passed over us for a moment before I was finally able to speak up.
"Do you have a picture of him?"
"NO!" She almost yelled. "Sorry…I mean, no I don't have any of him. He hates having his picture taken."
"Well, I hope you plan on introducing him to me at some point. I don't want to meet him ten years down the road after you're married and have a bunch of kids." I joked.
"You'll meet him…I just don't know when." She mumbled.
I was going to pry a little deeper about Leonardo but was interrupted by the waiter bringing over our food. We didn't talk while we ate. We ate fast, barely taking a breath between bites. When it was time to pay, Whitley paid for both our checks before I could even get out my wallet.
"You didn't have to pay for me."
"I know I didn't have to. I wanted to." She smiled.
The rest of our trip we reminisced about our lives over the past few years. Though we both have changed so much we both still have so much in common. We both love coffee, yoga, books, romance, and wine. We have the same taste in movies and music and we had both graduated from college and settled into a job. Only her job was much more successful than mine. I was working the graveyard shift at a veteran dive bar and she was running her very own restaurant.
"You know…I could use an expert bar tender at the restaurant."
"Really? I would love to bar tend for you." I replied with a giant grin on my face.
"I figure a hott bartender might bring in business." She giggled.
"Psht. I am sooo not hott."
"You're self-esteem has always sucked. You've never been able to see how pretty you are."
I just don't see what she is talking about. With my long brown hair, pale skin and brown eyes, I think I'm very average looking.
"You have always been the pretty one." I responded.
"Nope, I'm pretty sure we have both always been the pretty ones." She laughed.
"I wish I had your confidence." I stated.
We rode in silence for a while before finally driving past the New York state line sign. She cheered and gave a quick call to Leonardo. She chatted with him excitedly for the rest of the car ride to the city. I was glad she was on the phone with him though, because I was rendered speechless by the towering buildings all around and the people bustling through the busy streets.
She motioned towered a parking garage a few blocks down, "You can park your truck in there for free since you're going to be living in the apartment now."
I nodded and pulled into the dark parking garage. I was lucky that I got a parking spot so close to the apartment building since we both had lots of luggage to carry in.
"I'm on the top floor, so be prepared to break a sweat. The elevator is usually out." She said as she slung her bag over her shoulder.
"We'll have to make two trips for all of these bags." I stated.
"Let's get to it. I'm probably gonna go to bed when we get inside."
"Same. I'll just pass out in the floor." We both laughed as we carried the bags up the stairs to her floor.
When we stopped at her door so she could unlock it, we were both out of breath. She pulled open the door to the apartment and we dragged our bags inside. We entered through the kitchen and off to the side was a decent sized living room. The space was very open and through the blinds of the glass door I could see a balcony just on the other side. The kitchen was full of upscale appliances and against the wall of the living room was a giant flat screen.
"Wow." I stated in awe.
"I know." She replied. "My roommate Clara is a chef. She makes quite a bit of money so she spoils us."
We left the living room and made our way down a short hallway. She pushed open the door at the very end on the left.
"This will be your room."
I sat my bags down on the floor and stepped over to the window that overlooked the city below.
"It's so much to take in." I stated.
"You'll get used to it, in time. It took me forever to be able to fall asleep without the sounds of crickets chirping."
"I bet I'll have the same problem. The crickets and frogs are my sleep soundtrack." I laughed.
Once we had carried all the bags inside the apartment, I was left to get settled into my room. I didn't get the chance to meet my other new roommates. Whitley had explained that Clara and Tori were spending the weekend with their boyfriends. I unpacked all my shoes and clothes and placed them in the closet. Eventually I ran out of hangers to put clothes on so I folded the rest and put them back into my bags. I was exhausted so I decided to take a break. Whitley had left me an air mattress to sleep on and I was grateful that it inflated itself when I plug it into the wall. It blew up into a decent sized mattress and once I had a nice sheet and blanket on top, it was decently comfortable. I pulled the blanket up to my nose and snuggled into a deep sleep.