A drowsy resurrection took hold of me as I slowly climbed the ladder from the depths of slumber back into the realm of the living. Or at least that is what felt like when I looked at my clock to see I slept most of the morning.
"I also missed a bunch of texts and a phone call. Shit! Angel!"
"Hey, you're up; how are you feeling? Keisha says, leaning against the entrance to the door.
"I feel like I'm dehydrated, heh. Where is Meg at?"
"She went back to her mom's house. I think she will be there for a couple of days."
"Did y'all fight or something?" I say to her co
"No, she just woke and said she would stay with her mom's for a little to get outta our hair. It looks like she is going to go to UGA next weekend to meet an old coach. I might go with her."
"Right, okay, well, have fun."
"Hey, you don't have to go in today just to let you know."
"Cool, because I was supposed to meet Angel for something yesterday after work."
"Angel? I haven't heard that name in years."
"Yeah, we were just going to try to do something."
"Something, is that what the kids call it today?"
"Yeah, that is exactly what they do, 100 percent."
"Wow, interesting, well okay. Are you sure you okay to drive?"
"I feel fine, well, as fine as I can be."
"Well, drive safe, I mean it. I don't wanna hear momma if you get a wreck and die."
"I'm happy that's what you're really worried about, the nagging."
"It's a killer, you know." Keisha says, walking out of the room to prepare for work. I roll out of bed to relieve my thirst and sit in the living room, pulling out my phone to text Angel.
[Hey Angel, yesterday pretty much disappeared from me. Is it okay if I come over today to talk.]
[...................................] "Okay she's typing." I waited patiently on the couch for 30 minutes, watching the text bubble move and disappear. It says she has seen my message, but maybe she is searching for the right words. I don't know. I tried calling her, but all it did was ring; maybe if I go over to her place.
"Yeah, that's what I'll do." I get cleaned up and dressed to drive over to Angel's place. If I remember correctly, she didn't live too far from the area we currently live in. It doesn't take long before I arrive at the familiar yellow house at the end of the cul de sac.
I park outside and walk over to the house, knocking on the door. An older lady opens the door. Her expression immediately shifts to a smile and then a smirk as she shakes her head.
"Craig? I thought you were supposed to be coming over yesterday?"
"Hey, Mrs. Esteban, it's been a while. Yesterday, I ended up with me in a hospital bed. But I'm here now."
"Well, are you going to get over here and hug me?" She says, pulling me into a hug and rocking back and forth. "I'm supposed to be mad, and I can't let La Mera Mera see me hugging you like this."
"Sorry for just showing up here, but I figured Angel is furious; that's why she isn't answering my text."
"Oh, mad, she went through all the stages of grief."
"That bad."
"You know how she gets."
"Oh yeah. That's why I came over; like I said, I had an incident and got knocked out by some banana boxes at work...Okay, context, they fell out a pallet."
"What are you doing here?"
"Angel! Hey, sorry about yesterday; I can."
"You should be sorry, Craig."
"Angel!"
"No, Mom, how about this, for example? Hey, I'm not going to make it. Don't spend all Saturday night." She sighs and shakes her head. "Mom, can we have some privacy."
"In your room."
"Right..my bad. Come on, Craig."
"Oh, okay."
"Good luck, Craig; her bark is worse than her bite." Mrs. Esteban says as my angry friend and I enter her room. It looks almost the same as the last time I was here. Damn, what was that like 6-8 years ago."
"Looks not different in here," I say to her, trying to break the tension. She stares at me with an unamused look on her face. "Right, so I had an incident yesterday. I got hit with a bunch of banana boxes and was knocked unconscious." She raises an eyebrow at me, not believing a word I just said.
"How likely is that, Craig."
"I know, right, but I have a knot on my head to prove it." I say, showing the back of my head."
"Why are you giving me a shitty boyfriend excuse. I expected more from you, aren't you writer." {Damn, everybody gotta hit the writer button."
"Oh, wow, you swinging for the fences; I must have really pissed you off."
"No shit, Sherlock." The sweet Angel has left the building, and Rosa the Demon has returned."
"I'm serious, and I was in a hospital bed."
"Craig, if you didn't want to work with me, all you had to do was be honest."
"I do, that's why I'm here. What can I do to get you to believe me?"
"Tell the truth, let's start with that. Where are you on a date with sister friend Megan."
"No, although she did make me dinner, that was because she was looking out for me. After the hospital."
"Uh-huh."
"Angel."
"Then you show up unannounced..."
"Angel, you are one of the last people I would stand up like this; I'm sorry I didn't text you yesterday. My head was killing me, and I don't remember much about it. {Megan}
'Besides what?"
"The thought that Banana boxes are like high key heavy." Angel stares, not amused at my comment. At this point, I got the hint that this was a moot point and I wasn't going to reach her today. I turn around and open her room door, but she grabs me.
"I will believe this ridiculous story, this once, because I want to work with you."
"Angel, I am one hundred percent being real." I plead with her as She grumbles and grabs her iPad off her dresser. She takes a deep breath, turns it on, and sits in the chair beside her bed. She motions me over to sit on the bed. Before I do, I notice a lump under her covers.
"You hiding something?" I say, pointing to the lump.
"No, it's Ana. You remember her, right?"
"Oh my god, Ana, is still alive?"