"Alexis?! Hey! How's it goin'?" I asked delightedly.
"Everything's fine. I just need to get to my new job. I work for MODE London now. As the new Creative Director. And I figured you wouldn't mind if I hitched a ride?" she said apprehensively.
"NO…No, of course not. Sure, we can ride together." I said. I was so happy to see her. Not only had I missed her but she'd be at my new job. At least there'd be one familiar face. It had been a long time since we talked.
"Daniel, let me just start off by saying how sorry I was to hear about Molly. I know you really loved her. How did you handle it?"
"Ummm…" I began laughing at the memory of all that transcended, " I joined a cult that drank strong hallucinogenic drugs through tea hoping to be reunited with her. Betty had to save me from my imminent death."
"Wow! Well, I'm glad to hear you took it so well." She said sarcastically.
"Yeah. I would've never made it out alive had it not been for Betty. She saved my life."
"Hmmm…Betty…" she says, thinking. "Have you talked to her recently? I heard she runs her own magazine now. In London actually."
"Um, yeah, I have talked to her," I said, "Actually, I just talked to her this morning."
"Really? How is she? Is she alright? How's her magazine?" she asked enthusiastically.
"The magazine's doing well. They are about to run their first issue so she's really busy. It's called B Magazine. It's about the average woman. What she can do to make her life better. What other woman can learn from each other. That type of stuff." I said.
"That does seem like a Betty kind of magazine. What does her demographic look like?"
"I don't know yet. They're having a launch party in about a week, Do you wanna go? I'm sure Betty would love to have you there."
"Oh. Well I'll see if my calendar's clear. Hmmm…just out of curiosity, do you know if Betty's seeing anyone? Last time I saw her she was dating that mousy accountant."
Oh crap, the moment of truth. I never told anyone that me and Betty were together. What to do? What to do? OK, I've made up my mind. "Um…yes. Actually, Betty and I have been dating. We've been going out for about 4 months now."
The first emotion to register on her face was shock. The next was amusement. And finally, she showed pure joy. "Oh. My. God. Really Daniel?! That's great! I'm really happy for you guys!"
Phew, I thought, Thank God, I told her. I don't have to hide anymore.
XXXXX
It felt good to finally let someone know what was going on between me and Betty. The two of us had both agreed not to tell anyone from MODE because we both knew it would spread like wildfire. Betty didn't tell her family because she didn't want a "Papi's infamous womanizer lecture" as she called it. The only person in my family who had even the slightest clue was and she could only assume what happened because I hadn't given her any details. It also felt good to realize I had some support so before I could stop myself I asked, "Hey Alexis, could I have some non-judgmental advice?"
"Sure thing. Is it about Betty?"
"Yeah."
"Ok. What is it?"
"Well, I just feel a little threatened. And I have no idea how to deal with this kind of thing."
"By who?"
"Well, Betty got a call this morning from her ex-boyfriend, Matt, and he wants to meet her. I don't know if they ever officially broke up but he left her to join the Peace Corps in Africa. Betty says she's going to meet him to let him down easy but I know how she used to feel about this guy. I want to show her I can give her more than he can. I really love her."
"Ok. You know Betty has never been a love-can-be bought kind of girl. If I were you, I'd show her an emotional and romantic gesture versus an expensive one. Have you told her you loved her?"
"Yeah. Just this morning."
"OK. So show her. Find a way to make her want to stay with you…without hiding her birth control pills away from her." That last part made me laugh.
"How do I do that?" I asked genuinely.
Alexis gave me this funny look and started to laugh. "Show your commitment." She said simply, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.