About fifteen minutes later Mindy noticed Ephram coming out of the pharmacy, "Look there he is," She pointed Ephram out to her friend who seemed to be lost in her thoughts, probably thoughts of how stupid this must be. But Mindy knew this could be a good way to find out more about Ephram even if it was a little wrong, okay so it was really wrong she thought to herself. But then again when had that ever stopped her.
"What's he got?" Madison questioned which took Mindy away from her thoughts.
"I don't know it looks like a bag its like full of something, I can't tell but it looks like there bottles our something."
"What kind?" Just as Madison asked the question she saw something fall out of the large plastic bag Ephram was carrying and as it reached the ground it bounced a few times and then came to a stop. She could see him notice it as he looked down at it and then slowly observed his surrounding cautiously and slowly bent down and rested the plastic bag down on the cement sidewalk as he picked up the bottle. He just stared at it in his hand as if contemplating something. She saw him look up as his eyes found a trash can not far from him on the sidewalk; it was almost as though she could read his mind he was probably asking himself what to do. He looked back down to the bottle in his hand and then shook his head as if dismissing whatever thought he had just had.
"It's a prescription bottle." Mindy noticed.
Madison had known but was waiting for confirmation and had gotten it. She looked even closer and into the plastic bag as she now had a better view of it and whispered in a confused manner not understanding if what was right in front of her was possible, "They all are."
Mindy looked for herself and knew her friend was right but had no idea why, why would he have them all?
"He's hiding something, he's gotta be hiding something from me." Madison said stating the obvious, but just really needing to say it out loud as if to make it real.
"You don't know that for sure." Mindy told her trying no to let Madison get upset and keep some hope alive.
"No he is! Just look at him he's edgy and cautious you can just tell by his body language." She spoke as Ephram placed the prescription bottle inside the bags with the others and got in his car. He didn't start it, but just sat there for a few minutes.
Just then Madison's phone rang and she jumped at the sound of it. She looked through her purse and found it reading the caller id which simply said, "Him," she continued to let it ring again and then turned to her friend, "It's Ephram."
"Well answer it."
She flipped open the phone, "Hello." She said quickly.
Ephram sighed in relief as he sat in his SUV. He'd been sitting there for a few minutes just thinking. Thinking about what he'd just done, what he was going to do, going to try. He felt nervous and unsure of himself and everything, he'd seriously considered forgetting the whole thing when he'd seen the trash can. It would have been so easy to just throw them away to throw it all away but then again he'd probably be throwing his future away his future with her away so he fought the temptation. He just wanted to hear her voice to be reminded of the reason he was going to basically be a human guinea pig.
"Hey, you." He spoke softly into the phone and just like that just by hearing her voice all his insecurities were washed away and he was sure he'd made the right choice.
"What's up?"
"Nothin. Have you ever just had a moment where you just needed to hear a familiar voice?"
"Yea, sure."
"Well I'm having one of those moments."
"Are you alright?" He could hear the concern in her voice.
"Yeah I'm fine, I just needed to hear a familiar voice and you're the first person I thought of."
"Is there something you needed to talk about, or something you wanted to ask or tell me?"
"No, not really." He said dismissing her questions, "But I won't keep you long."
"Okay so I'll see you tonight."
He noticed the hope in her voice as he remembered that he had said he was going to be by but now knew he needed to go home and do some research and make some phone calls to his doctors. He hated to disappoint her but he needed to figure out a game plan. He'd been called by his doctor's office and told to go to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription but he didn't know for what, well he knew for what but he needed to talk to his doctors and find out more and ask him all about it. To his surprise when he'd shown up it wasn't just one prescription it was several. As he went to get them the pharmacist had told him that all the medications were pretty strong and had the potential for severe side effects, so he should call his doctor to be sure the directions were correct. The poor pharmacist didn't have a clue of what to tell him other than that, he'd never had such an order like Ephram's. Ephram could see the curiosity in his eyes as he paid for all the meds he knew the pharmacist was dying to know what was so wrong with Ephram. So was Ephram but he was literally dying to know why he had to be so sick, why him? But to just be polite he thanked the pharmacist for his help, paid him and left. Now he had to tell Madison he wasn't going to be able to see her tonight and that he didn't really know when he'd be able to see her again.
"I won't be able to come by tonight."
"Then tomorrow?" she asked him back.
"Actually I'm not really sure when I'll be able to see you again." He said calmly.
"You're not leaving, are you?" She questioned and he could hear the fear in her voice.
"No, no." he wanted to be sure she knew he wasn't going anywhere, "I just have to do some work. I'll tell you what as soon as I get it done I'll call you and we'll go out. I'll take you out my treat to make up for having to cancel on you. Does that sound reasonable?"
"Sounds like a plan. Good luck with your work."
"Thanks, Madison. Bye." He hung up the phone and started his car.
Before she could even say goodbye he hung up on her.
"What'd he say?" Mindy wondered as she'd been trying to listen to the conversation and was wondering what he'd said.
"He said he couldn't come by tonight and didn't know the next time he'd be able to see me."
Mindy looked to his car and saw him starting to pull out, "He's leaving." She put on her seat belt and reached out to the keys in the ignition to start the car.
Madison stops her by reaching out and placing her hand on Mindy's, "Wait, just stop. I don't wanna do this anymore."
Mindy takes her hand away from the key, "Why not? I think it's pretty obvious we're on to something. I think, actually I know he's hiding something from you."
"Weather he is or isn't, isn't the point. This isn't how I want our relationship to be, it's wrong. What we're doing is wrong."
"What relationship, I mean your just friends right?" Mindy could tell she'd hit a sore spot as Madison sighed and looked away from her and out her window. "It's okay to want more."
"No it's not. It's wrong."
"Well it was wrong back then too Madison at least it was to everybody else."
"That's different. You and I and him, we all knew it wasn't wrong. Let's please not go back to the past."
"No. That's exactly were I wanna go, exactly where you need to go weather you like it or not. Back then Madison all those feelings and emotions between you guys was by the outside world's point of view wrong, and what happened?" Mindy was trying to get Madison to remember that before it had been wrong to but that it happened anyway, just like it could happen again but now hopefully with a better ending.
"They were still there and we still cared and loved each other so much. I mean we didn't care or tried not to care about everybody else because of everything we did have. It wasn't built on this, on me following him around. We had trust."
"But even with that it still ended. So-" Mindy was cut off.
"I know it did, it's not what I wanted though. I wanted to work at it and make it right. You know that! I mean you were there you know how much it killed me to go through it. To have to say goodbye to him." Madison said becoming emotional as she remembered the past and how it had ended with Ephram, how he broke her heart.
"He's not gone anymore Madison." She stated simply. She was desperately trying to get her friend to admit that she still had feelings for Ephram, that this time it could work and more importantly she had the chance to be happy.
"That's what makes it so hard. I'm starting to find out that all those feelings that I felt for him, that I buried deep down inside are still there and I think the same goes for him." She said it; she actually admitted it out loud. That she still wanted Ephram. It surprised her but she now saw that it was exactly what Mindy was trying to do, she's was trying to get her to say it.
"So why not try again, you're both older now and you've got a chance."
"Because there's no way to tell if it'll end up like last time. That even though all the love is there that it just won't end. What proof do I have that things won't have to be like last time when everything seemed to be fine and then it wasn't and it was over. I mean I have things I haven't told him you know that, all that I've been through and it seems like he's got a secret of his own. Ho do I know that my heart won't get broken again, that I won't spend another four years regretting what happened and being so alone without him." Tears were beginning to form in her eyes.
"You don't. Madison there's no guarantee that's the way love is, the way life is. But I can tell you right now that if you don't at least try or make an effort you're going to regret it. He's so close now, are you just going to be to afraid and let him slip out of your reach. Are you going to be a coward and take the easy way out or are you going to be the brave women I know you are and risk it, everything you've got for the ultimate reward. For him, for love, and not being alone anymore."
Madison let the tears roll down her cheeks as she looked out her window trying to get control over all these emotions that were just spilling out. She needed to put an end to this and get control over herself. "Please just stop. I know you're trying to be a good friend but I can't talk about this anymore."
Mindy started her car, "Fine this is the last thing I'm going to say. Tell him. Tell him how you feel. Tell him what nobody in the world knows besides us knows, what you lost. About the-"
"Don't!" Madison screamed at her friend as she looked straight at her with pain in her eyes as fresh tears streamed down her face and she thought that they'd never stop as she knew just where Mindy was going, "Don't talk about it, don't ever talk about it. You know how much it hurts me." She took a deep breath and wiped her tears desperately trying to gain some type of control over herself, which was becoming more difficult by the second as she thought about her secret and telling Ephram, "If, if I tell him, it will be because I want to tell him, and not because you think I should. Now just take me home please. I'm done talking."
Without another word being spoken Mindy started the car and the women began their drive back to Madison's house. The silence in the car was both a blessing and peaceful but also so painful as it gave her time to think, to really start to think about what Mindy had said, about Ephram and being honest with him about her feelings and about being honest with him about her past. As she was beginning to get caught up in her thoughts the car slowed to a stop and she realized that she was once again home. Her tears had stopped not to long ago but the pain that they came from was still there, it was always there but like she always did she tried to hide it. She tried to hide it from Mindy as she was about to say goodbye to her, but she knew that Mindy could see it, she always could. She didn't move for a minute or two and neither did Mindy and they just stayed that way in the car, neither knowing exactly what to say to the other. Madison decided to break the silence.
"So not exactly what you were expecting your visit to be huh?" She questioned trying to lighten the mood as she tried to laugh a little but didn't really succeed. Mindy didn't say anything but instead just gave Madison a weak smile that didn't really reach her eyes.
"Maybe next time around we'll go to do something fun, maybe shopping or something." She said turning towards her friend. "I know you have a flight to catch so I'll let you go and I'll call you later." She undid her seat belt and moved to open her door but stopped and reached over to hug her friend, "I know you just want what's best for me, you always do." She pulled away, "I'll see ya later, Mindy." She opened the door and stepped out and was about to close the door when Mindy's voice stopped her.
"Madison." Madison opened the door more widely and bent down to look at her, "I actually think I'm going to be staying in town for a while. I'm in need of a vacation so I'm gonna call my boss and let him know that I won't be going back to New York for a while." Mindy made up her mind, that she had to stay weather or not Madison wanted to admit it she needed her to stay.
"Mindy you know you don't have to stay because of me." Madison knew that she was the real reason that Mindy had suddenly changed her plans from just swinging by for a quick visit to an extended stay.
"I don't have to, but I'm going to. I know you're a big girl and all that and you can take care of yourself but I just haven't been the best, best friend as of late and I really miss you. Especially pushing your buttons." She says as she smiled.
"What about your boss, won't he get mad." Madison was reaching now trying to find some way to get her friend to reconsider.
Mindy laughed at her comment and was going to make sure she let Madison know that her mind was made up, "Oh yea Mad's what's he going to do? Fire his sister, I don't think so. I'd kill him!" Madison smiled as she knew all to well that Mindy's job wasn't in jeopardy.
"Okay." She said defeated as she knew that there was no way she was getting Mindy to leave.
"Yea I'll call you when I get settled, and no I'm not gonna stay with you. You don't need me around to snoop and try and pry out things about your new line coming out."
"That's not gonna happen." She said confidently.
"Well if I really tried I know I could get something out of you, I know Tom would love it if I could. He's just dying to try and find a way to steal you away and get you on board with us."
"Isn't everybody?"
"Well believing me I'll be trying. But go get inside before you get sick or something and your freezing me in here." Mindy said as she shivered from the cold entering her car.
"Alright bye girl."
"Bye." Mindy called out before Madison closed the door to her car and quickly walked to her door and disappeared inside her home.
