"So how did it go seeing Shana?" Roxanna asked me as we got ready to go out and meet up with some friends Friday night.
"It was interesting…" I shrugged.
"What did that crazy bitch do now?" Caroline exclaimed. She was already dressed, complete with a red mini dress, straight hair, and full makeup. After I was finished applying my makeup, she was now curling my hair.
I shook my head as I thought back to my earlier exchange with Shana. As I watched CJ, she arrived to fetch him from Roxanna's place. When she arrived, we were playing Minion Rush on my phone. She arrived early, so CJ wasn't prepared to leave.
It had been a long absence between us since I left for Boston. Now that we have been reconnected, we can at least be considered acquaintances. There wasn't any emotion from either of us, as if we were determined not to acknowledge each other's presence. We went on just by glancing up at the ceiling. It was like there were no lights to help identify each other. We were acting like strangers… not even a rootless, leafless tree or vine of memory separates us.
I watched her as she gathered CJ's belongings while lamenting the traffic. Shana hurried about, and I gave her a brief period of attention as I pondered what had drawn Carter to her. She had the same appearance as the last time I saw her. I even questioned what Dale saw in her too. She continued to wear her auburn hair long, showcasing her thin form in black slacks and a low-cut top. Her attitude was the only thing that had changed.
She exhibited an aura of superiority and arrogance when her dishonesty was uncovered. She claimed that at the time I had encouraged her cheating ways with my brother. When I slapped her back, she avoided me at all costs after that. She simply appeared impatient to leave my company at this point. Roxanna informed me a month after I left, and Shana asked Leon if something happened between Carter and me. Leon advised her to contact Carter, but I'm not sure if she did. I'm not sure if she felt uneasy with me because she knew or because she was unaware.
"Hmm," Roxanna said when I finished explaining her behavior.
"What?" I asked, looking over at her. She had on a navy blazer over a beige dress with cutouts. That made her brown skin's red tone pop. She completed her ensemble with gold hoops, revealing heels, and a bun of hair.
"That doesn't sound unreasonable. If it were me, I would stay out of it," Roxanna commented.
"Oh, this is just the calm before the storm of Katy and Carter getting back together," Caroline declared, finishing up my hair. It fell past my shoulders in waves. Caroline assisted me in choosing the black floral shorts that I was sporting together with a white, sheer, semi-short sleeve blouse.
"I'm just saying, they've both moved on. They both dated. Their focus should be co-parenting," Roxanna said, rolling her eyes at Caroline.
"I hope so, for CJ's sake," I said, sincerely, before grabbing my bag. Roxanna looked at me critically.
"What?" I asked, checking my makeup. I had on mascara, eyeliner, gold shimmer on my lids, and pink gloss. It looked simple but pretty.
"Nothing. You look hot, girl."
I blushed and grinned, latching on to her and Caroline. "We look hot!" I corrected her, as we headed out.
*****
We went to a place called Jam Lounge, one of the many pubs and restaurants in the downtown area. It was Roxanna's favorite one. This one has limited cuisine with a Caribbean flair, reggae music until late ten, and a DJ after eleven, with specialty drinks all night long. We arrived there at nine o'clock in the evening just as things were changing so we could get a table, some food, and some beverages before the partying began.
Roxanna walked us to the host stand queue when we got there. Peter, Jennifer, and Cat, who I used to work with at Bottle Ground and who is close to Roxanna, were already there. I surveyed the space. Even though the DJ was getting ready, the room was still dark.
My hunt came to an end at the pub, and I grinned. I felt at home when I saw his tall, lanky physique, even in the dim illumination. I can always recognize him. I left the crowd and went directly to the bar. I gave him a bear hug and instantly encircled his waist. His sparkling blue eyes flashed with astonishment when he glanced around, but he soon resumed holding me.
"Hey, Katypad. Geez, you look good!" He grinned down at me.
"J-Rosh!" I smiled back. "What happened to your hair, man?" I said while rubbing his buzz cut. I knew Josiah cut his blonde, shaggy mop of curls; I just didn't realize how grown up and sexy he looks now.
"I had to. Freakin' boy bands were stealing my style. They were ruining my street credit." I laughed. Josiah is the goofiest kid I've ever met. The thought of him having street credit is ridiculous—maybe with the lollipop guild.
"Did you lose all your strength?" I teased. I shrieked as he lifted me by the waist and sat me down, still holding me.
"What do you think?" He asked back, cocking an eyebrow at me.
"Good thing we lost that bet!" Caroline exclaimed from behind me before I could answer.
"What bet?" I asked, confused, turning away from Josiah.
"You don't remember Josiah? When Josiah came back from Boston, we bet that you were going to gain all the weight back," Caroline answered, smiling sweetly.
I scoffed at Caroline's remark. When hanging out with my buddies, I knew I had to have a sense of humor. About everything, we make jokes. Everything was fair game, with the exception of my weight—I've been told I use it as a defense mechanism. The mere mention of weight, diets, or elephants would make me immediately stop talking. I'm no longer uncomfortable with my body or my eating habits.
When Josiah came to see me in Boston, he could see how I was feeling. I once more went to food because I was depressed. I'm sure I would have gotten the weight back. I didn't act rudely when I accepted his wager. I was certain Caroline's remark was only a reflection of how attractive she thought I was if she felt free to make fun of my weight.
Josiah glared at Caroline even after I laughed it off. Throughout the remainder of the evening, they were in a peculiar mood with one another. At the table with our buddies, we sat down. We all placed cocktail orders and munched on ceviche, fried plantains, and tacos. Naturally, we were all joking around while laughing and catching up.
Meanwhile, Caroline teased Josiah repeatedly, but he never responded. Josiah's humor was cornier than Caroline's, and his wit was just as quick, yet he completely disregarded her. The rest of us were very quiet and reserved, so the celebration essentially took place in awkward silence. While we ate in silence, we watched and listened to both of them. I occasionally try to break the ice by starting conversations and making jokes here and there, but they both made the whole gathering simply unbearably awkward. With Josiah and Caroline, it led to a couple of embarrassing situations. We laugh it off now, but at that time…. man.
I knew it was generally true that you shouldn't hang out with your ex-partners; you should even avoid socializing with them. You could only do so if you were truly over them; otherwise, there would be war. Now between Josiah and Caroline, who were making it too obvious, something no one could overlook.
As soon as we made the decision to dance, the awkward situation became more hostile. The DJ was mixing hip-hop and pop songs from the 1990s and 2000s. Josiah made the offer to join me. The old, self-conscious me would have done that, but I astonished him by expressing a desire to dance as well.
"Since when do you dance?" He asked incredulously.
"I have moves you've never seen before," I smiled. winking at him playfully.
The smile fell off his face when Caroline snorted, "I bet you do."
Josiah avoided her eyes before grabbing my hand. "Prove it," he said, pulling me up and leading me to the dance floor. We spent the rest of the night dancing with everyone. It was a fun time, excluding Caroline and Josiah's behavior towards each other.
Yet, I couldn't help but notice them eyeing each other the whole time. Like you were staring at your most disliked crush most of the night, hoping they'd ask you to dance, and worked this whole thing out. Yet at the same time, you won't dare to ask them to dance. It made me wonder if their relationship was truly over and what ended it in the first place.