Just One More Kiss: Based on the Motion Picture by Faleena Hopkins

Author:Faleena Hopkins [Hopkins, Faleena]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hop Hop Productions Inc.
Published: 2020-02-21T18:30:00+00:00

As I accompany her on a hike down a natural staircase of light grey stone that spans the width of four houses, I broach the obvious question, “So what are you going to with yourself now that you’ve quit your job, Abs?”

“Everyone keeps asking me that.”

I offer, “You could open a restaurant.”

Abby snorts, “What do I know about restaurants?” and lowers herself to the next plateau.

She doesn’t cook well.

But I’m trying anything.

Can’t shake the feeling I’m meant to help her. “You could learn.”

“If I wanted to, I would.” Abby hops to another level. “But I don’t.”

“You could work out of your home, helping people grow their businesses? Use the marketing skills you have.”

“No way. I've left that behind me.” She sits down on the stone, about to jump to the next level, and looks up at me. “You saw me at the office, right?”

“It was too boring to stay long.”

She hops down. “Exactly!”

Unable to argue, I mutter, “Right.”

“You know uh, that check-stand lady?”

“Wanda?”

“Yes, Wanda! She said something about gardening.” Abby shrugs, “That didn't sound terrible,” and jumps down to the next plateau.

These steps are never-ending.

I mutter, “We never had a plant we didn't kill,” and don’t add that it’s why we hire a landscaper. If Abby were to keep up our property, it’d be brown.

She leaps to another one, reminding me, “We weren't home enough to take care of them.”

God, so true.

Would she be good at gardening? I sigh, “What a waste of time.” Meaning all that work. Not plants. That kinda sounds pleasant, albeit odd coming from a city girl like her. “We should have had kids.”

She spins around, faces me, shocked.

“We always agreed: there are enough people on the planet.”

“And we wanted to enjoy our lives. But did we?”

Abby stares at me. “We did!” She lowers herself down, correcting the mistake. “We do.”

“But now…”

“No! No. We wouldn't have spent…” Abby closes her eyes, stopped on the same stone as she collects her anger. “We wouldn't have worked less if we'd had kids. We just would've gotten a nanny.” She holds my gaze, assuring me it’s a fact. Stepping to the next lower tier, she adds, “And then they'd have gone to a therapist and said we didn't love ‘em.”

Sure I get her logic. Abs and I were rarely home — ambition plus our active social life would’ve equaled bad-parenting.

But…

“You'd have someone to love now that I'm gone.”

Abs stops again to face this argument, head on. “Okay, A.) That's a terrible reason to have a child. And…A.5) What children stay near their parents when they become adults anyway? And then B.) I have you now.” Her voice becomes softer. “So why are we even talking about this?” She steps down yet another layer, adding, “Especially when we can't do anything about it.”

Don’t wanna argue anymore.

No enjoyment in it.

This doesn’t feel good.

But I can razz her, so I follow Abby onto a large, flat slab of rock to make a very important point. “Now, granted, I'm no longer among the living so how can I split hairs…” Abby turns around to hear me out.

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