Sips and Shots by Anthology

Author:Anthology [Anthology]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Torquere Press
Published: 2011-09-12T05:00:00+00:00

Part Two

Joanna sat at the granite breakfast counter in a swivel chair and pressed a thumb into a ball of pasta dough Nancy placed in front of her. She gazed into the sunken family room at Nancy’s husband, Sam, asleep in front of the television as the Uconn men battled to survive the Sweet Sixteen.

“Does Sam have a gut?” she asked in whisper.

Nancy nodded. “Holiday glut. He gained twelve pounds this season, and if you noticed, that elliptical machine I bought him for Christmas hasn’t been touched.”

“I envy you,” Joanna said as she absently rolled a fork over a gnocchi ball.

“Are you being sarcastic?”

“Not at all. I mean look at everything you have. I’m at the stage in life when I hoped I’d have this, too. Stability, comfort, napping in front of the TV on a Sunday afternoon.”

“You know what envy is?” Nancy countered. “You and Courtney in the hot tub at that Stowe ski lodge last year. That’s envy. I swear if I had to hear one more of your steamy sex stories, I was going to beat you over the head with a blunt instrument.”

Joanna laughed. “Seems like when it comes to the perfect relationship, you and I split the difference.”

A cough echoed from the family room. “Need any help, babe?” Sam asked, still half asleep.

“We got it under control, darling,” Nancy called back, smiling at Joanna. “You can parade a dozen sexy, shirtless firemen in front of me, and I’ll always choose Sam,” she said lovingly. “Well, ninety percent of the time.”

They shared a conspiratorial laugh.

“Considering the proximity of that rolling pin to your hand and my cranium, I probably shouldn’t tell you what happened the night we saw ‘The Lion King’.” Joanna wiped flour off her fingers and braced for the reaction.

Nancy glared at her. “You didn’t. You slept with Courtney?” she accused in hardly a discreet whisper.

Joanna rolled her eyes. “How do you know these things all the time?”

“Because you’re so damn predictable. Does this mean you’re back together?”

“No. No, we both realized it was a mistake the next morning and that’s that.”

“That was over two weeks ago, and you’re just telling me now?”

“Needless to say, I’m somewhat chagrined about it, and I hate it when you give me that I can’t believe you did something so stupid look when I’m already painfully aware of it.”

Nancy wiped her hands on a checkered dish towel and pulled out the chair next to Joanna. “I’m not looking at you that way, hon. If you want to know the truth, I’m not at all convinced this breakup’s gonna stick.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Jo, you’ve been here something like two months. Have you decided what to do about the house? Have you even started looking for a place? No. You stay at work ‘til all hours and, when you aren’t working, you mope around here and follow me like the cats when I open a can of tuna.”

“Are you saying you want me to leave? Does Sam want me out?”

“You can stay as long as you want.

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