She was my best friend, the one person I confided in. Yet, the betrayal, it’s difficult to ignore. I didn’t only lose a boyfriend that day, I lost someone I considered family.
I don’t say a word opening the door as she follows behind me. I throw my keys onto the table, missing it narrowly. Walking into the living room, I sit on the couch pretending to sort through my mail, disinterested in her presence.
She sits in the armchair but at the edge of the seat, looking extremely uncomfortable. With the corner of my eye, I barely catch a glimpse of Callie.
Two years had gone by since I last saw her, and boy, has she changed. She was never a skinny girl, voluptuous but with curves in the right places. With her South American heritage, she has olive skin that used to look fresh and vibrant, but something is different, her skin is pale with traces of yellow. Her weight has dropped dramatically, her collarbones are exposed and gaunt. Even the dark circles around her eyes can’t hide whatever she’s feeling.
But that shouldn’t be my concern.
I’m no longer her best friend.
I’m not completely devoid of emotion, and as much as I want to reach out to her, a part of me, the burned and betrayed friend, decides it’s best to listen to what she has to say.
“This is hard for me to say… to tell you,” she says in a somber voice.
I open my big fat mouth with a sarcastic laugh. “That you’re sorry?”
Her eyes leave the floor and look directly into mine. “Yes, of course, I’m sorry. It was the dumbest thing I have ever done. I don’t know what I was thinking,” she apologizes, her posture slouched as she nervously bites her fingernails. “I wasn’t thinking. Jess had a way of…” I’m waiting, suddenly intrigued as to what possible excuse she can come up with, “… a way of making it seem like no big deal. That he wasn’t going to stay with you, that he wasn’t happy, and that he was in love with me,” she finishes.
Ouch. I didn’t expect that. Even though the words came from her, they sting. All the texts he’d sent over the past week seemed insignificant and all one big, fat lie. I make a mental note to respond to him as soon as she leaves.
“I was young. I didn’t know better,” she adds.
“It was two years ago, Callie. That’s a pretty poor excuse, don’t you think?”
She doesn’t comment, the both of us sitting in silence. When time passes and neither one of us talk, I’m about to ask her again why she’s here.
“I’ve met someone. In fact, we got married a few months back.” She extends her hand flashing a simple gold band. “His name is Rodrigo. We met on a cruise.”
“Congratulations,” I say, monotone.
“Thank you.” She smiles. “He comes from a big family. Has five sisters and one brother.” She twists her hands nervously, the sweat beads forming on her forehead. “He wants to have kids straight away. He wants a big family.”
I let out a long sigh, something’s telling me that I need to move on and forgive. There’s more to this story. We may no longer be friends, but I know Callie like the back of my hand. Something is way off. The anxiety is written all over her face.
“He sounds great, Callie. I’m happy for you.”
She nods her head with a small smile that shortly disappears as the darkness overshadows her once-beaming eyes.
“We’ve been trying for a while, and I finally decided to see a specialist. Zoey, I have chlamydia.”
An STD? I’ve heard of it before but not sure what it is. Fuck! Is she dying?
“Apparently, I’ve it for years, but because it went undetected, and I’d never been tested… I’m not fertile anymore.”
In a state of shock, I can see how upset Callie is as she tells me her story. I haven’t been in love and gotten married with that desire for babies straight away, so I can’t imagine what she’s going through. But to know you can never have children is such a huge slap in the face.
“I’m so sorry, Callie. That must be hard for you and Rodrigo considering you both want a big family.”
“He left me. Well, he’s leaving me. It’s his deal-breaker. And I’m not a woman if I can’t produce babies,” she says faintly.
“You’re still a woman, and there’s other ways to have children. Adoption, for example.”
“If it isn’t both our blood, then he doesn’t consider it family.”
He sounds like a selfish prick. So much for better or worse, till death do us part. I’m not going to say that out loud. I may be cold sometimes, but kicking someone when they’re already down is just mean.
“Zoey, I need to tell you something.”