Act Three: Fools Rush In
Christina sat across from Lori in the big round booth inside the mostly empty pub. They each had a drink in front of them and neither were talking. This was unusual for both of them, even at nine a.m. Christina knew why she wasn't talking, but why wasn't Lori talking? She was always talking; did she know something? Did she talk to Terry? Did he tell her anything? Her mind was again going crazy.
"Two shots of Tequila please." Christina shouted at the waitress walking across the other side of the bar. She nodded back and smiled, holding a round tray with six beers on it.
"Tequila huh? You really do need some therapy." Lori laughed. "How's it going at home?"
"He's still gone, I don't expect him back, but in a way, I'm kind of relieved." She shrugged, peering into her drink.
"Well good, you know how I've always felt about him." Lori agreed. "Fucking jerk."
The table was quiet again for a long time when the waitress put down two golden shots in front of each one of the women. They continued sipping their drinks, not touching the shots. Christina's thoughts drifted to Jim. He had taken her to places her husband never had, or maybe never could. Talking about it with Lori would make it real and she wasn't sure that she needed real right now, but she didn't have time to consider what she needed. She picked up the shot and turned it upside down, taking the whole glass of tequila into her belly.
"Wow!" Lori blurted out. "I've never seen you do that?"
Christina reached over and slid Lori's shot so it was in front of her, never taking her eyes off of Lori. Both their eyes narrowed but not a word was spoken. Christina abruptly raised the shot glass to her mouth, tipped it back and swallowed the whole thing.
"Holy shit Chris, what's going on." Lori was shaking her head. "I know Dennis left you, but you have to slow down, we work tomorrow."
"Two more." Christina yelled at the waitress, holding two fingers in the air.
"This is fine Chris, you get this out of you. I'll give you a ride home. Let's just hope dick head isn't there and start screaming at us. " Lori gritted her teeth and pursed her lips.
Silence seemed to rule, as the sounds around them began to drift off into the distance. Both women sipped their drinks and looked at each other, neither one knowing what to say to the other. Christina knew that Lori thought it was her husband that she was concerned about, but she was hoping that her best friend would figure it out on her own, and that obviously wasn't going to happen, how could it, just wishful thinking. The waitress set two new drinks and two shots down in the middle of the table. Each woman slid a drink toward them, leaving the shots in the middle. Mustering up all the nerve she could, Christina reached out and wrapped her fingers around one of the shots.
"Bed Bath!" She blurted out, before throwing back the shot and slamming the glass down on the table.
"So, you gave him that bed bath." A smile formed on Lori's face. Christina nodded, not looking at her.
"And?" Lori continued, knowing something was up, but also knowing that her best friend would never do anything too crazy.
Christina just kept looking down at the table, her hand clutching the cool drink, eyes roaming all around. Lori couldn't figure it out, she still thought it was her husband that was on her mind, it had always been her husband, then Christina would talk with her about him and they would move on. Lori's eyes started to dart back and forth. Why would she not talk about her husband, she seemed so open to it in the past? It makes no sense, no sense at all. Lori slammed her palms against her head, and like a bullet to the brain it hit her.
"Ok, wait..." Lori stammered, as the haze in brain began to clear. "No wait...just ...No...Wait, what?" Her brain couldn't connect the dots.
Christina was the perfect, beautiful wife, she would never. Lori reached out and slammed the last shot down her throat.
"You didn't..." A sharp pain shot through Lori's brain. "Christina?" Her eyes now wide, staring at her best friend. "What?"
"Yes." Was all Christina said.
A fleeting smile appeared on Lori's face before vanishing, leaving her eyes wide and mouth hanging open. The words were not there, she had never felt this way before. Had her best friend truly done something...neither the thought nor the image could materialize in her brain. It just didn't make sense.
"So," Lori finally spoke, the fog of denial clearing in her head. "you gave the hot fireman a full bed bath?" The words seemed to help her think. "And you washed his whole body, even his private areas."
Christina, who was now looking down into her drink, glanced up, making eye contact and then back down, before swallowing an unusually large gulp.
"Ok, that's ok." Lori reasoned. "But something happened." She paused, not wanting to say it, but mustering up the courage. "So something happened, like you gave him a hand job, maybe?" She cringed when she said it. Christina again looked up at her and quickly back down.
"Alright, not ideal while at work, but we can work with that, at least it wasn't more, right?" Lori looked at Christina, who wasn't looking up at her. "That's all... right?" No movement from her friend. "And a...a..." Again she cringed. "a blowjob?" Her head tilted a little and jaw tightened.
Christina looked up again, biting her lip, this time for a little longer, to gauge the reaction of her best friend. In a way, she felt like she had disappointed her, which was worse than making her mad. Her long dark bangs fell in front of her face and she didn't want to move them, in fact she wanted to hide behind them, forever. Taking another drink, she looked back down, during the long silence that followed.
"Well," Lori sighed, as her thoughts collected. "I guess you didn't have sex with him." She was reaching for something positive. "No sex, correct?" Christina kept staring down into her drink unwavering and lifeless, like a stone gargoyle.
"Waitress!" Lori yelled across the bar. "Two more shots!"
It felt as though an eternity drifted by as the two women sat in silence, drinking. The waitress had come and gone with their shots, leaving them in the middle of the table. Christina continued to hide behind her bangs, while Lori was deep inside her own brain. Neither had any idea where to go with this next, but both knew it must be dealt with, and probably tonight.
"So, let's just get this out of the way right now." Lori spoke first, breaking the long silence. "The guy is hot. I mean smoking hot. I would have been all over him in a heartbeat. Just...you know, probably not at work." She waited until Christina raised her head and eyes. "But it happened, and it's over." She paused for a moment. "Do you think he'll say anything to anyone?"
"No." Christina whispered, shaking her head slowly side to side.
"Good, that's good news." Lori sounded genuinely relieved. Now it was time to cheer her friend up. "Tell me, was it great?" There was a long moment of heavy silence before Christina cracked a little smile.
"It was amazing." Her voice was high and light. "Holy shit Lori, I seriously heard angels singing and trumpets blowing."
"Jesus Chris, now you must tell me everything." Lori urged.
Christina went on to tell her best friend all the details of the previous two nights, leaving nothing out. As the words flowed out of her, all the emotions and feelings came rushing back and her spirits rose as if a weight had been lifted off her soul and she was free to move unhindered. Not a thought of work nor her husband entered her mind and she was once again free of those burdens, if even for a short period of time. When she finished her story, both women picked up the shot glasses in the middle of the table and made a toast, while laughing and talking. Then, when the laughing died down, the smile left Christina's face, followed by Lori's.
"The good news is," Lori nodded. "Mr. Hot fireman is supposed to be discharged today, and once he is gone, no more worries for you."
"Yes." Christina agreed, but still with a frown on her face.
"It's o.k. Chris. You just need to quit having sex with the patients." Lori said the words like it was an everyday occurrence, making Christina laugh. "You know, then everything will be fine."
"Well, there is one more thing." She looked around. "Do you remember Terry?"