CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Everybody wonders
And some people know
I guess that I'm some people
Cause, baby, it shows
When will you do it
And why will you go
If you've already decided
Then deliver the blow
The way you walk around me
The way you talk around me
You act so speechless
You've got nothing to, nothing to say
The way you walk around me
The way you're talking to me
Makes me wonder if this was only play
And I wonder will you still love me
Do you still love me
Like you did before
Come on, baby
You think I'm so blind
I see what you're doing
Behind my back all the time
I get suspicious
When you call me someone else's name
You think I don't notice
That nothing's the same anymore
TAYLOR
Taylor felt as if he were high on life. For the first time in a long time, things seemed as if they were finally going in the right direction. He'd gotten his closure with Mel and things between them were civil. He'd
patched things up with Drew. Tying up loose ends felt great!
Now convincing Natalie to see things his way would be his last hurdle to emotional freedom. How could he lose?
He found Natalie in the living room, nestled in the corner of one of the large sofas, needlepoint work in hand. She was crocheting. Crocheting was a hobby of hers. She said it relaxed her.
She was cute when she crocheted.
He sat down beside her and turned toward her. "Hey, Nat, we need to talk about something."
She lifted her eyes from her needlepoint. "Talk?"
"Well, more like a discussion."
"Okay," she said, putting down her work and focusing on him. "What's up?"
"Um, you remember Mel, right?"
Natalie's face read pure suspicion. "Yes..."
"And you remember how, well, you know. We've known each other all our lives, right?"
"Yes..."
"Well, uh, she and I have talked and we decided to let bygones be bygones and...so I think we're cool for now."
"Oh, really...?"
"Yes."
They stared at each other in silence for a moment as Natalie thought about what she was going to say next. Finally she said, "Why are you telling me this?"
Taylor was a bit taken aback by her question. "What do you mean, why wouldn't I?"
"I have to admit it surprises me, really. That you're saying anything at all, I mean. Your old girlfriend waltzes into the picture again and you're already ready to run off with her. I get it. At least you chose to be honest."
"Wha--what? No!" Tay responded. "No. It's totally not like that. Just the opposite, I'd like the two of you to get to know each other. Try to get along?"
"Excuse me?"
"Yeah. I mean, you're my wife, she's a close friend. What's wrong with friendship, right?"
"What's wrong with--seriously, Tay? Are you hearing yourself? You want me to befriend your ex girlfriend. Do you know how crazy that sounds? To be honest, I'm a little concerned."
"About what? There's nothing to be concerned about. You're my wife, I love you. Mel and I are just friends, nothing more."
"Mel and I," Natalie scoffed. "She's your ex girlfriend."
"It's not even like that. We were friends when we were small children and out of all that time we were only together briefly. It didn't work out. Now here we are. I understand where you're coming from, I do. Really. But I really want everyone to be able to get along. Or try."
"Let me get this straight. You want me to be all buddy buddy with your ex."
"With my friend," he corrected.
"She's your ex."
"Nat, she's like family. She grew up in my house. With my entire family. Are you asking me to give up a life-long friend?"
"Ten years, Tay! She disappeared for ten years! Why are you fighting so hard for this?"
"Because true friendship never dies. It never goes away. And I'm asking you--inviting you--to be a part of that part of my life. It's kind of important to me."
Tension ran high on the sofa. Natalie just stared at him. Finally she said, "I don't like this."
"I get it," Tay said. "I totally get it. But she's my friend and she's Ike's friend and Zac's friend, too--"
"They weren't romantically involved with her."
"We were kids! It's not like that anymore!"
"What, like we were when we first met? That same year?"
Tay sighed, exasperated. "Nat, is there something you're not telling me here? Do you not trust me?"
"Oh, I trust you. I honestly do. It's her I don't trust."
"Because you don't know her."
"Maybe so. I don't know. Tay, what would happen if I told you no? That I want nothing to do with her and that you should never see or talk to her again?"
Once more, Tay was taken aback. "Well what if I said the same thing about Kate?"
"Oh lord, be realistic here. Kate? Honestly."
"I'm serious. What if I decided that I didn't like you hanging around with Kate and that it made me uncomfortable and I didn't like who you are when you're around her?"
Natalie looked hurt. "Is that true?"
"No. But what if it was?"
"Tay, that's preposterous! It's just Kate. You can't tell me who to be friends with or keep me from seeing them!"
Tay raised his eyebrows at her, questioningly.
If the term "eating crow" had a visual, Natalie was serving herself from a silver platter. Quietly, she responded. "I don't have to like this."
"I know. But I don't want to have to feel like I'm having to have this friendship alone, you know what I mean? I don't want it to feel like it's wrong when it's not. I want you by my side."
Natalie looked down at her hands, then back up at Taylor. "Okay," she said quietly. "I mean okay, I'll try. For you. I will. But it still makes me uncomfortable. That's not gonna change. I'm going to ask you where you've been and what you did. A lot.
"Fair enough," he said. "I'll hold nothing back."
________________________________________
MEL
A week had passed since Mel and Taylor had spoken. They hadn't spoken at all since that night by the road in Tulsa. With her mind a little clearer and freer, Mel had enjoyed life a little bit. Something she hadn't done in
quite some time. She'd attended a party with Drew, lunch and shopping with Manuel. She had embraced New York with fresh eyes and open arms.
It was at a chic spa in the Upper East Side where Mel and Drew had gone for pre shoe shopping pedicures that Drew dropped the bomb on Mel.
"So let me run something by you," Drew said.
"Okay," Mel responded.
"You have any plans Saturday night?"
"What plans would I have?"
Drew scowled at her. "Ha ha. So anyway, Taylor called me the other night."
Mel's eyes widened to saucer status. Drew could feel the verbal attack coming, so quickly she said, "Now, wait, wait, wait! Hear me out. He thinks it would be a good idea for us all to get together and hang out. You know, catch up and stuff."
"He does, does he?"
"And so do I," said Drew.
Mel turned her attention to the technician working on her pedicure and thought for a minute. Then she looked back at Drew. "Who is 'all'?"
"All of us."
"Like Ike and Tay and Zac..."
"...and their wives," Drew finished.
Mel studied Drew for a minute. "Drew, what is going on here?"
Drew sighed. "Fine. Okay. Tay wants you and Natalie to get to know each other."
Suddenly, uproarious laughter erupted from Mel. She couldn't control herself, it just came out. She laughed and laughed until tears formed in her eyes. As she finally calmed herself, she shook her head. "Yeah, no. That is totally not gonna happen."
"Actually, it is..."
Mel composed herself quickly. "What do you mean, it is?"
"Saturday night at ten o'clock we have a section reserved at Lavo. For ten."
"Ten??"
Drew's eyes lit up. "I got us dates!"
Mel closed her eyes and rested her head against her chair. This pedicure was no longer relaxing.
"We should probably go dress and shoe shopping after this..." Drew was saying. It was only background noise to Mel now. She had stopped listening.
Everybody wonders
And some people know
I guess that I'm some people
Cause, baby, it shows
When will you do it
And why will you go
If you've already decided
Then deliver the blow
The way you walk around me
The way you talk around me
You act so speechless
You've got nothing to, nothing to say
The way you walk around me
The way you're talking to me
Makes me wonder if this was only play
And I wonder will you still love me
Do you still love me
Like you did before
Come on, baby
You think I'm so blind
I see what you're doing
Behind my back all the time
I get suspicious
When you call me someone else's name
You think I don't notice
That nothing's the same anymore
TAYLOR
Taylor felt as if he were high on life. For the first time in a long time, things seemed as if they were finally going in the right direction. He'd gotten his closure with Mel and things between them were civil. He'd
patched things up with Drew. Tying up loose ends felt great!
Now convincing Natalie to see things his way would be his last hurdle to emotional freedom. How could he lose?
He found Natalie in the living room, nestled in the corner of one of the large sofas, needlepoint work in hand. She was crocheting. Crocheting was a hobby of hers. She said it relaxed her.
She was cute when she crocheted.
He sat down beside her and turned toward her. "Hey, Nat, we need to talk about something."
She lifted her eyes from her needlepoint. "Talk?"
"Well, more like a discussion."
"Okay," she said, putting down her work and focusing on him. "What's up?"
"Um, you remember Mel, right?"
Natalie's face read pure suspicion. "Yes..."
"And you remember how, well, you know. We've known each other all our lives, right?"
"Yes..."
"Well, uh, she and I have talked and we decided to let bygones be bygones and...so I think we're cool for now."
"Oh, really...?"
"Yes."
They stared at each other in silence for a moment as Natalie thought about what she was going to say next. Finally she said, "Why are you telling me this?"
Taylor was a bit taken aback by her question. "What do you mean, why wouldn't I?"
"I have to admit it surprises me, really. That you're saying anything at all, I mean. Your old girlfriend waltzes into the picture again and you're already ready to run off with her. I get it. At least you chose to be honest."
"Wha--what? No!" Tay responded. "No. It's totally not like that. Just the opposite, I'd like the two of you to get to know each other. Try to get along?"
"Excuse me?"
"Yeah. I mean, you're my wife, she's a close friend. What's wrong with friendship, right?"
"What's wrong with--seriously, Tay? Are you hearing yourself? You want me to befriend your ex girlfriend. Do you know how crazy that sounds? To be honest, I'm a little concerned."
"About what? There's nothing to be concerned about. You're my wife, I love you. Mel and I are just friends, nothing more."
"Mel and I," Natalie scoffed. "She's your ex girlfriend."
"It's not even like that. We were friends when we were small children and out of all that time we were only together briefly. It didn't work out. Now here we are. I understand where you're coming from, I do. Really. But I really want everyone to be able to get along. Or try."
"Let me get this straight. You want me to be all buddy buddy with your ex."
"With my friend," he corrected.
"She's your ex."
"Nat, she's like family. She grew up in my house. With my entire family. Are you asking me to give up a life-long friend?"
"Ten years, Tay! She disappeared for ten years! Why are you fighting so hard for this?"
"Because true friendship never dies. It never goes away. And I'm asking you--inviting you--to be a part of that part of my life. It's kind of important to me."
Tension ran high on the sofa. Natalie just stared at him. Finally she said, "I don't like this."
"I get it," Tay said. "I totally get it. But she's my friend and she's Ike's friend and Zac's friend, too--"
"They weren't romantically involved with her."
"We were kids! It's not like that anymore!"
"What, like we were when we first met? That same year?"
Tay sighed, exasperated. "Nat, is there something you're not telling me here? Do you not trust me?"
"Oh, I trust you. I honestly do. It's her I don't trust."
"Because you don't know her."
"Maybe so. I don't know. Tay, what would happen if I told you no? That I want nothing to do with her and that you should never see or talk to her again?"
Once more, Tay was taken aback. "Well what if I said the same thing about Kate?"
"Oh lord, be realistic here. Kate? Honestly."
"I'm serious. What if I decided that I didn't like you hanging around with Kate and that it made me uncomfortable and I didn't like who you are when you're around her?"
Natalie looked hurt. "Is that true?"
"No. But what if it was?"
"Tay, that's preposterous! It's just Kate. You can't tell me who to be friends with or keep me from seeing them!"
Tay raised his eyebrows at her, questioningly.
If the term "eating crow" had a visual, Natalie was serving herself from a silver platter. Quietly, she responded. "I don't have to like this."
"I know. But I don't want to have to feel like I'm having to have this friendship alone, you know what I mean? I don't want it to feel like it's wrong when it's not. I want you by my side."
Natalie looked down at her hands, then back up at Taylor. "Okay," she said quietly. "I mean okay, I'll try. For you. I will. But it still makes me uncomfortable. That's not gonna change. I'm going to ask you where you've been and what you did. A lot.
"Fair enough," he said. "I'll hold nothing back."
________________________________________
MEL
A week had passed since Mel and Taylor had spoken. They hadn't spoken at all since that night by the road in Tulsa. With her mind a little clearer and freer, Mel had enjoyed life a little bit. Something she hadn't done in
quite some time. She'd attended a party with Drew, lunch and shopping with Manuel. She had embraced New York with fresh eyes and open arms.
It was at a chic spa in the Upper East Side where Mel and Drew had gone for pre shoe shopping pedicures that Drew dropped the bomb on Mel.
"So let me run something by you," Drew said.
"Okay," Mel responded.
"You have any plans Saturday night?"
"What plans would I have?"
Drew scowled at her. "Ha ha. So anyway, Taylor called me the other night."
Mel's eyes widened to saucer status. Drew could feel the verbal attack coming, so quickly she said, "Now, wait, wait, wait! Hear me out. He thinks it would be a good idea for us all to get together and hang out. You know, catch up and stuff."
"He does, does he?"
"And so do I," said Drew.
Mel turned her attention to the technician working on her pedicure and thought for a minute. Then she looked back at Drew. "Who is 'all'?"
"All of us."
"Like Ike and Tay and Zac..."
"...and their wives," Drew finished.
Mel studied Drew for a minute. "Drew, what is going on here?"
Drew sighed. "Fine. Okay. Tay wants you and Natalie to get to know each other."
Suddenly, uproarious laughter erupted from Mel. She couldn't control herself, it just came out. She laughed and laughed until tears formed in her eyes. As she finally calmed herself, she shook her head. "Yeah, no. That is totally not gonna happen."
"Actually, it is..."
Mel composed herself quickly. "What do you mean, it is?"
"Saturday night at ten o'clock we have a section reserved at Lavo. For ten."
"Ten??"
Drew's eyes lit up. "I got us dates!"
Mel closed her eyes and rested her head against her chair. This pedicure was no longer relaxing.
"We should probably go dress and shoe shopping after this..." Drew was saying. It was only background noise to Mel now. She had stopped listening.