VI knock on my old apartment door waiting for Anna or Andy to let me in. Strange, they changed the locks, I stare at the door for a second wondering what else they did since Scott and I left. I have no doubts it will feel different being here without Scott, but I know Anna and Andy will keep me occupied enough so that I won’t be wallowing in self- pity. I wonder how Scott’s University was going. Personally, I don’t miss it because of the amazing opportunities that are falling in my lap since the Olympics.
Time is running out for me as far as Michael is concerned. He’s expecting my answer soon. I’m having troubles coming up with reasons why I shouldn’t take him up on this offer. We haven’t discussed dollars and cents, but he said his father gave him a generous budget and when it involves skating, it isn’t the money but the love of the sport that drives me to the decisions I make. My thoughts are interrupted when the door suddenly swings open and Anna is jumping up and down with excitement at the sight of me. She squeezes me really hard as she squeals in my ear. Andy is two steps behind her grinning at the pair of us idiots. The aroma of pot roast comes wafting towards me from over Anna’s shoulder. It was her best dish, and my favorite, she wants something! “What are you up to, your cheeky mare!” I ask suspiciously.
“Nothing,” she says indignantly. She grabs her purse off the table, “Andy and I have to run out for an ingredient, we’ll be back!” They squeeze passed me and out the front door locking it behind them. I hear a solitary step on the linoleum floor and an indescribable feeling runs through me. Then I see movement from the corner of my eye. I’m not alone.
I slowly turn finding Scott standing in the doorway behind me with a shocked look on his face.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“I was invited over for dinner, “he responds.
“Too right, so was I! Did you know I was going to be here?” I ask.
“No, you?”
“Nope, they never said a word.”
“You don’t think?” he said putting the pieces together.
“That we’ve been set up?” I finish his thoughts, “Sure do! I even noticed they changed the locks.”
“Try the front door,” he suggests.
I go to the door and turn the knob left and right. Nothing, “Shit, they really did. We’re locked in!”
“How long do you think they’ll be gone?”
Slightly annoyed he asks me, as if I know, “I don’t know! They said they were only going out to pick up an ingredient.”
“Maybe they’ll be back soon,” he says hopefully.
“It’s hard to tell. They went to a lot of effort, changing the locks and Anna’s famous pot roast. It doesn’t make sense to me.”
“Why?” Scott asks.
“Anna was there for me when you dumped me, putting it nicely, she’s not your biggest fan.”
“It had to be Andy’s idea,” he says to himself.
I start walking around the apartment not sure of what I’m looking for. I find it next to the crockpot. A folded piece of paper with our names on it:
Dear Scott & Isabella,
As you might have guessed by now, you’ve been set up. Through great deliberation, we’ve decided that the two of you are best suited for one another and this is our attempt at helping you get passed your differences. Enjoy the pot roast as I know it’s your favorite Isa. Please leave clean sheets for us, they are neatly stacked in the linen closet. We will see you in the morning!
Yours Truly,
Andy & Anna
We look at each other speechless, “What now?” I ask. “Let’s eat,” he says simply enough, “I’m starving.”
We load our plates and help ourselves to the last two beers in the fridge. I gesture towards the clock on the wall, “Look at the time.”
“Coronation Street?”
“Now you’re talking,” I chirp happily. We park side by side on the couch as per our usual and fiddle with the unfamiliar remote controls until we successfully find our show. We eat, drink and sit in silence following a soap we’ve both watched for years. I feel like my best friend is back. The show ends with the thirty minutes flying by, and then we are left to our own devices. Scott picks up the remote and turns off the television,
“There’s something I have to tell you,” Scott says rather dramatically. His chocolate brown eyes grow serious quickly, “I think I know why Andy and Anna did this.”
“Really?” I ask curiously. “Why?”
“I wasn’t honest when you asked me something a while ago.”
I don’t like where this is going. He is always honest with me, my rock. I feel nervous, “About?”
“Andy knows I’m seeing a girl on campus, it’s nothing serious, a few dates,” he admits.
My lungs deflate, my heart stops and my blood stops circulating. I feel cold and breathless instantly, is this how death feels? Everything is going in slow motion and nothing feels real, its like travelling in a tunnel with no end or control over anything I do.
“I asked you,” I managed to speak.
“You wouldn’t give our relationship another chance, you refused to skate with me, I had this big void to fill. I’m just going through the motions, but I’m not living, everything feels barren.”
“So you’re pinning this on me? You broke up with me. I just stayed broken up to stop you from hurting me again, and you still manage to do it. Are you sleeping with her?”
“Come on Isa, I can’t answer that.”
“You just did!”
I wonder if Anna knows. This is the foremost thought on my mind. Did she know? How can she be a part of this if she knows? She better not know. I search for my purse and grab my phone and punched a text to her.
“What are you doing,” he asks.
“Texting Anna,” I say angrily without looking up from my phone. I keep telling myself: don’t cry, don’t let the hurt show, don’t let it show.
ISABELLA: He told me he’s seeing some1 from school. Did U know?
ANNA: Ya, he swore it wasn’t serious. Andy said he’s really depressed. He calls him a lost soul.
ISABELLA: He’s fucking someone, there’s nothing lost about him. I can’t believe U still did this? Let me the fuck out of here!
ANNA: We’ll be there in an hour. Sit tight. For the record I told Andy it wasn’t a good idea.
It all becomes clear and I know my answer. Any glimmer of hope for us has been extinguished with this conjugal visit. I will throw myself into Michaels project and never look back. Moving to Owerri will be the best thing for me. I back away from Scott on the couch, completely disillusioned, “They’ll be here in an hour to let us out. I have something to tell you as well,” I say just as dramatically.
“What’s that?” he waits with trepidation.
“I’m taking a job in Owerri. I’ve just decided there’s nothing keeping me here anymore.”