The Conversation, Part 2

This is my new addition to the previous post. I think I shall cross post this over on my pleonast blog as well. Enjoy!

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“My life-style determines my death-style! My life-style determines my death-style!” Jim loved the stereo in his car – it was quite fun to drive with the windows down and the stereo loud. It was so loud he barely heard his phone start singing, “Maybe I’m crazy, maybe you’re crazy…” He pressed the “pause” button on the stereo.

“Talk to me.”

“Hahahaha, hey Jim.”

“Hey Emily, how are the kids?”

“They’re doing fine, Mike and I are taking them to Chuck-E-Cheese tonight? What are you up to?”

“That depends on who wants me around.” Jim laughed. “You never know where I might be – the wind blows so many different directions after all.”

“Come keep us company then, you know how Ben loves to play with his godfather. We’re going to celebrate Jenny’s birthday tonight since we are going to be in Atlanta next week.”

“Wow, she’s going to be, what, three?”

“Yeah, amazing how they grow up so fast.” Emily paused. “So, Jim… what’s going on?”

“Oh whatever do you mean?” Jim feigned innocence as well as anyone.

“Uh-huh, spill it.” Emily chided.

“I wondered how long it would take you to get around to asking. What precisely do you want to know?”

“You weren’t sitting together hun - that usually means something big.”

Jim sighed, “O.k. I’ll give you the shortened version – I don’t feel like reliving the whole conversation. I finally told Amy I didn’t want to be her best girlfriend anymore.”

“Huh?”

“You know, being the close friend that hears everything, goes everywhere, blah, blah, blah. It’s been driving me crazy – I mean, seriously. You know how I feel about her, have felt about her. I have had enough – enough going crazy, enough worrying, enough trying to be something I am not. I’m tired.”

“Are you happy?”

“Do I sound happy?” Jim quietly answered. “I don’t have much of a choice though – stay “friends” which annoys me to no end and leaves me both inside and outside at the same time, or choose to put distance between us which will at least give me room to breathe. Besides, she really needs some girl-friends. As if it weren’t emasculating enough…”

Emily laughed. “You always have the most complicated relationships and the funniest ways of describing them.

“I wouldn’t be very interesting if I didn’t know how to speak.” Jim chuckled. “I’ll see you tonight dear – what time, six as usual?”

“Yeah, see you tonight.” Emily hung up, shaking her head. That boy has the worst luck. No, that man - tease as she might, she was only six months older. He just always seemed younger than that. There had to be something she could do.

Jim smiled. Emily had always been like an older sister to him. She was more like a best friend than anyone else. He was only slightly jealous when she had married his roommate, but his love for both of them long outstripped any other feelings. “It will be nice to play with the kids again. I just hope Em knows to leave well enough alone this time.”