A new friend

Trying to capture the beginning of a friendship

My hands were shaking. The traffic in town was frustrating, the college students had returned from break. Darting in and out of traffic on their cell phones, cutting me off simply to turn into the drive 500 feet away.

I pressed the seek button on my radio until the display flashed the local NPR station. The clock said it was 4:58. I stopped at the red light and turned it up. listening to the hosts give the call letters to the stations throughout the state.

5:00. Time for All Things Considered. Amy's voice came through the radio as the light turned green. The sound of my friends voice, lower and softer than it was in real life calmed the anxiety. I listened as I drove through town, watching the traffic but focusing on the soft tones of the radio.

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"Coffee?" I sent the message to Amy and waited for the reply. I had managed to brush my teeth and hair, and that was all I'd planned for the day.

"Come on over."

Telling Travis that I was travelling to his arch nemesis home, I headed out.

The cold hit my face, the scent of woodsmoke hung in the air between our houses. The mini pony nickered his good morning, and Minana the Yappy Dog greeted me.

I knocked once and stepped inside.

It was dim after the blinding white of the snow.

"Hello." Amy was coming out of the living room followed by Mickey the Pug dragging his legs behind him, weak woofs letting me know he was on his way.

"You get to be the scary lesbian today." She handed me the mug her daughter had purchased at Pride.

"Yay!"

She was dressed for work, the smell of her Cashmere mist perfume and Stress relief lotion mingled with the zen wax melts complimented by the warm aroma of coffee wafting up. It was cozy.

Once again, I had a million stories that I wanted to tell her. Anecdotes from my daughters. Something I had read that I thought she'd enjoy. But they became stuck in my head. So the words that tumbled out of my mouth felt incoherent, disjointed. Boring.

Drinking my coffee, I watched her as she spoke. Her eyes lit up as she mentioned Joe, she shrugged her shoulders when she talked about disappointment. A half smile flashed across her face as her cat tiptoed across the table before settling on her lap. A look of concentration furrowed her brow when her phone pinged with something from work.

She asked about Autumn. I regaled her with the story of my daughter trying to walk across the house wearing a blanket that was in the shape of an attacking shark, how she fell in the kitchen looking and acting as though she was being devoured.

The amusement shone first in Amy's eyes, then she smiled and laughed. It started the same way that her mother's does, her laugh somehow musical. Not contagious, but something to stop and listen to. One of my favorite sounds.

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The doorbell to the facility rang. The other Aides were busy with residents, leaving me to answer it. Standing there in a purple and white coat was Amy. Manicured nails tapping on a phone.

She glanced up and gave a professional smile asking me to remind her which way to her mom’s room.

Still relatively new and not recognizing family members, I asked who she meant.

Her mom was our newest resident, and showering her was my shift duty that evening. Her mom had an independent streak. She could turn the water on with no assistance. So she did. Soaking me in the process. I pointed her to the correct room.

The hours were chaotic at the facility. I was on every shift, depending on need. I began to look forward and anticipate Amy’s visits to Marilyn. Like a child, I would race to the door to get in a quick conversation. After a couple of months, I worked up the courage to ask her to coffee. She didn’t say no.

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