Sure. There you go. Let your friend be the one with the messed-up head, Pen. Good thinking!
Charlotte stares at me then blinks dramatically. “You have other friends besides us?”
“Funny. And yes, I do. Who knows if you bitches will up and forget about me before we ever make it to the nursing home?”
“Aw, Pen. We could never forget about you,” Noelle assures me. “Mostly because you wouldn’t let us.” She winks.
“Damn straight. Anyway... this friend of mine is talking to this guy who they’re interested in but really shouldn’t be.”
“And why not?” Amelia questions.
“Because they had a one-night stand and thought they’d never see each other again, but now they keep running into each other and the guy is insistent that they spend some more time together to get to know one another. The guy seems to think they have a connection worth exploring.”
“And why doesn’t your friend want to get to know him? Was the sex bad?”
“Uh, no. Not at all. It was mind-blowing, actually,” I say and then look up to find them all studying me. “According to my friend, that is.”
“All right. So the sex was good, but nothing else is?” Charlotte continues.
I shake my head. “No, there’s definitely a connection. But the guy... he... has a job that kind of creates a problem for my friend.”
Charlotte rolls her eyes. “Oh, Jesus. I’m getting confused. Names would be helpful, Pen. Who is this friend?”
I look around Frankie’s while I come up with a name. Unfortunately, the first one that pops in my head is not a fictional person. “It’s... uh... Garret!” I practically shout, very pleased with my answer.
“Garret? Your assistant?”
“Yes!”There, Garret. Now you’re part of the gossip. I hope you’re happy and pleased that I’m using you as my scapegoat.“But don’t tell him I told you about this. He’s still really unsure about everything with this guy, and I don’t want him to feel like I’m betraying his trust. But you girls are much more experienced with this type of stuff, so I knew you could help me tell him what to do.”
Amelia chimes in. “First, don’ttellhim what to do. Simply offer a suggestion, and let him make that decision, okay?”
There’s my therapist friend coming through. “Yes. Of course.”
“Second, what is the problem with this guy’s job? Is that the biggest hang-up?”
“It’s a big issue for him, yes.”Think, Penelope. What job could this guy have that seems like a dealbreaker, an occupation that would make most people cringe?“Oh! He’s a taxidermist!”
All of their faces scrunch up. “A taxidermist?” Noelle asks for clarification.
“Yes. You know, the people who stuff animals after they’ve been killed?”
“I’m familiar with what a taxidermist is. That’s just not a job you hear about every day.”No, it’s not, but it was the first thing that popped into my head. “So this is a problem for Garret?”
I nod a little over-enthusiastically, but instantly my mind is dedicated to this story. “A big one. See, Garret grew up on a farm and loves animals. He hated when any of them died, but he knew it was part of life. However, when an animal did die, his family never kept the body around, you know?” My friends are all staring at me like I’ve grown two heads, but I’m in this now, so I have to see it through.
“So when he went to this guy’s house, it just brought back all of these memories for him. And he’s struggling with that because he really likes him. He’s thoughtful, funny, and makes him feel wanted. But his job might be a dealbreaker.”
Amelia chimes in again. “Well, coming from someone who’s living with a man whose job was also once a dealbreaker, I feel equipped to offer some insight on the matter.”
“Yes, please do.”
We all shift our attention to Amelia. “A person is not their job. What’s important here is how this man makes Garret feel because, ultimately, work is work. You can separate jobs from relationships. There are healthy boundaries you can put in place there. But if this man is making Garret feel anything that leads him to believe investing time in the relationship may be worth it, then he owes it to himself to explore that. Speaking from experience, of course.”
“Are you sure? Even if it brings up bad memories for Garret?” My heart is pounding as I wait for her answer.
“What Garret needs to ask himself is if those memories are fear or something else—because if they are fear, it’s something he can work past. But if it’s more of a traumatic feeling, then that’s something deeper that needs to be dealt with through counseling.”
I drop my voice. “What if it’s a little of both?”