Write about a friendship you failed...
Click. I hung up the phone. And just like that I knew I had just made one of worst decisions of my life.
We made plans over a week ago. She would meet me for dinner on the Island. She and Janessa were hiking in Acadia for the day. "I'll call you around three," she told me. I knew I shouldn't had left our little "send off dinner" so close to her departure date. She was actually doing it, I couldn't believe it. In just a week she would be on a plane to Africa to join the Peace Core. I couldn't find the words to tell her how happy and proud I was. She was off to make a real difference in this great big world. Well, three o'clock came and went as did four, five, and six. "Time must have gotten away from them," I kept thinking to myself. That's the thing with the Ryan girls, we always made plans...and they were always subject to change. We had played this game all through high school and college. Flexibility was the name of the game. It just worked for us, until I met Matt.
Matt was punctual. Matt made plans weeks in advance. He had a schedule, he stuck to it. Spontaneity was a challenge for him. I swear we had to "plan" spontaneous events! I'd tried suggesting whimsical ideas to him before, I didn't get anywhere but frustrated with his ridiculous responses about why we couldn't do what I suggested.
So, when five o'clock rolled around, it was decided we would join his crowd for dinner. It was obvious to him my girls had bailed on me. He'd be damned if we were just going to sit around waiting on a phone call. I took my time getting ready. I had a nagging feeling Jill would call with an outrageous tale about what kind of shenanigans she and Janessa had gotten themselves into. I smiled just thinking about those two yahoos, I secretly wished I had just gone with them for the day.
"Brit, let's go. It will take us at least ten minutes to get there, and we still need to pick up Mark and Sue," Matt barked from the kitchen.
Of course, dinner reservations were at 7:30, but we had to leave at 7:00. We needed to be at the restaurant at least ten minutes before our reservation. I slid my arms through my autumn kissed brown LL Bean fleece and zipped it up in anticipation of the brisk October evening.
Rrrrring. Rrrring.
I froze in panic. What now?! Answer the phone? Walk out the door? Could it be Jill? Mark and Sue? All of these thoughts flashed in my mind as I made myself run to the phone.
"Hello?"
"Hee, hee...Brittany?"
"Yeah. Jill, where are you?"
"Hahaha, Pittsfield!"
"Pitsfield!? I thought you were hiking on the Island today."
"Well... we changed our minds."
Her voiced trailed off as my mind raced about what to do. I could feel Matt's piercing eyes burning a hole in the back of my head.
"So...what's your plan?" I asked.
"Well, can you just meet us in Bangor for dinner?"
Long pause. Ordinarily, yes. Yes, I could meet you in Bangor even though you are three and half hours late calling me. But, you see, I've met someone who doesn't find this little thing we do even a tad bit amusing. He made plans for dinner two hours ago, and I have to go with him.
"Umm...," I stammered. "Jill, I really can't. I didn't hear from you, so I didn't think you still wanted to get together. Matt and I made other plans. I'm so sorry." I held my breath in anticipation of her reaction for my out of character response.
Silence. Silence is what I got.
"Well," she answered in an unfamiliar hurtful, snappy tone, "I'll guess I'll see you in a couple of years."
Her words cut me deeper than any knife ever could have. Guilt, sadness, and regret filled my voice as I slowly choked out, "I guess so."
I hung up the receiver, followed Matt out the door, and walked out of my best friend's life.
No comments:
Post a Comment