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

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Chapter 10

The bell above the diner door rings.

“Finally,” Rose throws her hands up. She gets up and walks towards the door where Chiquita and Penny are standing. “Give me back my cigs,” she says as she snatches a pack of smokes from Penny's hand.

It's a bit disorienting when everything you thought you knew gets yanked away from you and replaced by another perspective. Penny feels like she's floating now, but drowning at the same time. All those things that Chiquita just told her swirl around in her mind like cream, poured onto a cup of coffee. Like clouds, she thinks. Clouds in my coffee, just like the song.


Rose and Chiquita are already walking back to where Tara is sitting when Penny finally snaps out of her swirling clouds. “Ro,” she calls with a croak, but the person she's calling doesn't answer and keeps on walking. She just stares at their backs and doesn't see the subtle smirk and eye roll that Chiquita wears.

//

Tara sits there. Once in a while she leans closer to the menu that she's holding in her hands, pretending to be having trouble reading the items on that piece of paper. But she knows. She knows what's going on. She knows, as Rose and Chiquita walk side by side towards the table, that they would sit across her— together. And that means she'll have to share with Penny.

They did, and Tara swallows hard.

//

“P, what do you want to order,” Rose asks. When she doesn't get an answer, she looks up and finds that Penny... isn't there at the table. She feels a nudge on her ribs.

“I might've been a little bit harsh on her,” Chiquita whispers. She shots Rose an apologetic smile.

“Meh,” Rose shrugs. “It's what she needs. But I'll go check on her.”

//

“Cee schooled you, huh?”

Penny scoffs. “More like whiplashed,” she tries to joke. But as much as she wants to laugh to her own shot, she can't.

“Come on,” Rose smiles to Penny. She links their arms together and slowly drags Penny back to their table. “You didn't order anything yet.”

//

“I had to tell her everything.”

“I know,” Tara says. “I wish you hadn't— but thanks for doing what I couldn't.”

Chiquita offers her a smile. “Ready,” she asks, gesturing to her two friends who are walking arm-in-arm towards them. When she looks back to Tara, she's already looking intently at the menu. Again.

//

From the corner of her eyes, Tara can see the two figures are getting closer. So she swiftly turns away from the list of beverages on her menu and pretends to be looking for something in her purse.

Tara has a plan, and that is to turn back around after Penny sits next to her— she's going to let Penny lead and they're going to talk everything out. But Tara feels like she has been rummaging through her bag for forever, and she hasn't felt the spot next to her dip yet. Tara looks up to find a very torn looking Penny.

//

Penny is standing in front of the table, playing with the nails of her thumbs while looking at a tight space at Chiquita's and Rose's side of the booth, then at the perfectly empty space next to Rose. Back and forth, back and forth. She bites her bottom lip like she wants to make it bleed.

Tara knows that face. It's the face of the eleven-year-old girl that came to live at her house one day. The one who asked for a pillow and a blanket and ready to sleep on the floor even after Tara had said they are to share everything from that point on.

Screw all this ego.

“Hey,” Tara softly calls. She gives the spot next to her a quiet pat and offers Penny a smile.

//

“So,” Rose starts, after the waitress set down the food for Penny and Chiquita. She gives the second girl a look and once again they communicate silently.

I'm gonna do this right now.

Got your back.

//

“We're just going to make this quick,” Chiquita tells the girls sitting across her. Already their faces have fallen. Scared little girls, she thinks. She laughs internally because there is no way she would hurt them anymore than the way they've hurt themselves. “First of all, we're sorry.”

Rose picks up from there. They're starting a long forgotten routine of finishing each other's sentences, and that makes Penny smile a little bit. “We're sorry because we had to break our promises earlier. But somebody had to reset your brains and tell it like it is,” she smirks, and from the corner of her eye she can see Chiquita nodding along. “Although I'm sure Cee was a lot harder on you, P. She's a beast.”

“I am,” Chiquita nods again. “Tough love, P. Tough love,” she adds.

“Second of all,” Tara continues before Chiquita carries her sentence.

“We're sorry because we let this happen,” she cringes. “We should've smacked you both way sooner than now.”

“Maybe go full on Sugar Ray Leonard on you guys,” Rose adds.

“Or Ali.”

“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.”

“That's right. Although nobody can really float like a butterfly,” Chiquita frowns. “Except maybe for Tay. 'Cause we all know she can.”

“Absolutely,” Rose continues. “Dancing queen,” she smirks at Tara, but underneath that smirk is an overflown basket of pride.

“Which brings us to another point,” Chiquita clears her throat. “We all have our dreams and promises. We keep some and break some,” she points out. “We make mistakes even with the best intentions. But this,” Chiquita makes a gesture that points out herself and Rose, “is not us blaming either one of you for anything at all.”

“That's right,” Rose nods. “You guys apologized for making us take sides, but the truth is... we never did. And this,” she makes the same gesture, “is us reminding you that there are four of us. Here.” Rose gives a warm smile to both her friends and then stays quiet, waiting for Chiquita to finish their shared monologue.

Chiquita keeps silent for a moment, giving a thought to what she's going to say. She wonders if she should continue an elaborate speech about their dreams and whatnot, or if she should just start cracking a joke to lighten up the mood. But she makes a decision and closes the game with a question in disguise. “And we hope that it will always be enough.”

//

“What if they don't like me?”

“They will.”

“But they're your friends. Not mine.”

“That's because you haven't met them yet. And besides, how many times do I need to tell you? From now on we share everything.”

“What if they don't wanna share you?”

“What if they don't wanna share you?”


(end of chapter 10)