How Important Is Getting There? (9/10+1)

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Chapter 9


“So you ship your books all the way from New York. Big deal. What does that have to do with anything?”

“You know,” Chiquita yanks a cigarette out of Penny's lips and toss it to the ground. She kicks around dirt to put it out. “For an extremely successful bookstore owner, and by successful I mean being half of the latest duo to be featured in Wall Street Journal Report, you're really dim about other stuff.”


“Heeey. Screw you.”

“Where do you live?”

“Manhattan.”

“Where's your office?”

“Manhattan.”

“Where's the bookstore?”

“Manha— oh.”

“Exactly. And she doesn't let me get them from anywhere else.”

“Whatever. She left. She didn't say anything to me and she took off—“

“OK. I'm going to stop you right there before I get sucked into your twisted version of logic,” Chiquita holds up one hand and closes her eyes. She's lost her patience. Seems like all she's been doing is holding everything back for the last two years and this is her chance.

These stupid kids, she thinks. Must Ro and I do everything for them?

//

“Thanks for that London connection, by the way. We're slowly, but confidently, sealing the deal with the investor,” says Rose proudly.

“Really? That's so good to hear!”

“Yeah. Those other two beds in your apartment,” Rose smirks. “Hope they come with fluffy pillows because we're SO going to visit.”

“I don't see that happening at all. Like she'd ever go across the pond?” Tara rolls her eyes.

“Hey. Business is business. She'll have to. Underneath all that ego, she still has a good business head. She'll freeload if it means securing the budget.” Rose pauses. “Well, OK. I'll freeload and drag her with me if it means securing the budget.”

Tara chuckles. “Yeah, that's what I thought.”

//

The sky has been in a red hue for more than 10 minutes. Everything is magenta and orange and pink, but the two standing outside the diner are still engaged in a staring contest. One is not even the least pleased with how her friend had basically shoved her to the wall by the shoulder, while the other is extremely irritated with her.

“You know what, P? I've had it. I've had it with both of you, but you especially. Get that head out of your ass cause frankly, I'm done with all of this...” Chiquita does a motion with her hands, struggling to find a perfect word to describe their situation, “this childish Tug of War.”

“You want us to grow old together? Us too. But you seem to forget that we don't only grow old. We grow up. Something that you seem to have forgotten to do. And I'm not gonna stand idly by and let you badmouth Tara. You don't even know half the stuff that's been going on.”

//

“Look, Tay,” Rose says as she grabs another fry. “I'm just gonna be honest here. Gonna lay it all down, 'cause I know Cee's out there slapping some sense back into Penny. She's telling her all those stuff you don't want us to tell—“

“Hold o—“

“No. Here's the deal. I talk, and maybe order a huge slice of cheesecake, you listen, and help me finish it. But you don't get to talk,” Rose crosses her arms. ”And you don't get the whipped cream.”

//

Penny stands with her back still pinned to the wall uncomfortably. Chiquita has been using the last several minutes filling her in on all the things that happened during the last couple of years.

“And that's,” Chiquita pokes Penny shoulder with a finger, “that's how she's been keeping her promises. Keeping everyone's dreams alive. She makes sure I get to travel. She keeps your bookstore business going because it's Ro's. And she's been keeping us together, or at least trying—“

“Because it's mine.”

“Yeah,” Chiquita sighs. “Because it's yours.”

//

“I haven't been telling you everything, for the same reason I haven't been telling Penny everything. Neither of you want me, or Cee, to spill what's been going on. Penny watched every single one of your performances. Even when we had 20-hour days, bombarded with meetings and whatnot, she'd still watch it right after she gets home. I'd go to bed and watch it the next day or something, but she just plops herself down on the couch, turns on the DVR, and watch it,” Rose takes a sip of her water before she continues. “That's not as good as being there at your performances, but she's been keeping her promise too.”

“Did you know that P spent days trying to figure out how to watch your first show live on her computer? And when she finally found a way to watch it via satellite, she stayed up all night so she won't miss it. We watched it together and you were so... breathtaking. You were so good, and I was so proud. When that performance was over, I looked over to P. And she was crying— Penny, the girl who doesn't ever cry, cried.”

//

“That was awesome,” Rose beams at the TV. There is a good amount of pride ballooning inside her chest. She turns to Penny to see if her friend is smiling as big as she is, but her face drops as soon as she sees that it isn't the case at all. “P? Are you... are you crying?”

Penny doesn't answer right away. She still has her eyes glued to the screen even though the credits has already started to roll. Her eyes are wet, wide with pride, but defeated at the same time.

“That was beautiful,” she says between the sniffs with a broken laugh. “That was beautiful and I'm not even there.”


(end of chapter 9)