Friends and Live-Ins Pt. 02

"Well, it's one of the things they train us on. We have a week-long orientation period before we're allowed to work, but they pay us for it, which is real nice. And just like any store, whether you cashier, stock, handle the deli counter or whatever, you've gotta know where stuff is. You never know who's gonna ask for what. And if you have to guess, or admit you don't know, then customers assume no one does. Or that we're incompetent. And it is a pretty basic concept. They're there to shop, they have to find what they need. So they give us a directory, and we just...y'know, learn it. And of course, it gets easier over time. And the aisles have those signs to help everybody. I mean, even as a shopper, you visit your favorite store enough times, you start to remember the layout. Wouldn't you agree?"

"I would. Although as shoppers, we usually just have our list of stuff to get. It's like a scavenger hunt for us, if we've never been there before. I mean, no one really comes in wanting to buy the entire store, do they?"

"Heh! No, ya got a point there. So what do you do again? I'm sorry, with all the stuff we've been talking about I forgot."

"That's okay. I'm a receptionist in a geriatrician office. So I do the basic standard reception-y stuff: take calls, handle appointments, tell patients when they can go see the doctors, paperwork, receipts, all that. But yeah, I really wanna be a professional artist."

"Sweet luck. I can't draw a line. Don't get me wrong, it's fun. 'S like coloring. Just more a form of entertainment for me, 's all."

"Well, that's fine. I'm sure there're plenty of things you can do well that I can't. I bet'cha I couldn't work in a supermarket."

"Ohhh, you're being a bit modest."

"No, I mean it. That lady at the karaoke place may've accosted us, but at least she, eh, 'e'scuse'd herself. That's more than a lot of folks in the grocery store seem to be able to do. It's like once they set foot inside, the words 'excuse me' just disappear from their vocabulary!"

"Well...I know that's frustrating, but at the same time, you've gotta think about the motivation in a lot of shoppers' minds. They wanna get what they need, pay for it, and get out. So they can get it home, be done with it, and it's one less thing to worry about. Most of 'em are in a hurry. They don't take the time to really wander around, explore, and stake out the place, and find stuff they've never seen before. 'Course, I know they've got other stuff to do. I work there. In and around my duties, I can do all the wandering I want."

"You're right...I guess...I dunno, I guess I'm just a real sucker for good manners."

"Well, that would explain why that burp embarrassed you. But yeah, I agree; rude jerks are discouraging. A lot of 'em treat us like crap in the store, and, well...'customer's always friggin' right,' so there's not a whole helluva lot we can do about it."

"I guess. But seriously, though, as a shopper who does like to shop, honest to Saint Pete, how much energy does it take to work up the tiniest little 'excuse me'? Or 'thank you'? They're only words, for heaven's sake; they cost nothing! They're free, in limitless stock, and so's every form of punctuation! Like, hello, people! We are not experiencing a shortage of exclamation points here! You can afford to use them! Here, take a whole handful! Fill up your purse! We've got zillions! They're free!!

"Oh—oh my gosh, I'm sorry, did...did I just make Coke come out of your nose?"

"Um...almost. Just a bit of bad timing. Or good timing, depending on your sense of humor. I think you have a great one, Dora."

"Aw, thanks, Savanna! You're really sweet! Hey, you got the shrimp over there?"

"You have a helluvan appetite too. Enjoy."

"Mm! Arigatou, ba—er, uh, buddy. I know that's Japanese, but I don't know how to say it in Chinese."

"And you were about to call me babe again, weren't you?"

"Maybe I was, maybe I wasn't. But I'll tell you this: I'm a very affectionate person, especially in verbal terms. I call everyone cute little pet names and stuff like that. They don't mean anything they don't necessarily have to."

"Then why'd you stop yourself that time?"

"...No reason."

"Mm-hm...I'll take your word for it."

...

"Gosh, Savvy, thank you so much, that was an awesome din-din."

"Yeah. And look at that: the sun's down-down."

"Hee! Yup, we're just about all done-done. All we got left now's the fortune cookies. ...

"Mmph...Sav? What's yours say?"

"'Ssee...'You will open lots of doors with charm and patience.' Cool! Your turn. ...

"...Dora?...What is it?"

"...'A stranger will soon enter your life...with many wonderful blessings to share.'" ...

"Heh! Well, speak of the devil.

"...Dora? Everything okay?"

"Oh, yeah, just...I-I just suddenly got wistful for a second there. I was thinking about my old roommate and B.F.F. She moved away a couple weeks ago and got a job in Wisconsin. It's what she really wants, and I really am happy for her, I just...really miss her."

"What's her name?"

"Susanna...yeah. I know. Trust me, I noticed.

"Y'know what? I've made my decision. You, eh, can probably see where this is going, but, please, don't get ahead of me here, just humor me. I've spent more time with you than anyone else who's applied with me, and you're certainly the first one I've had supper with. And as good as I felt about it before...and not that I put a lot of stock in fortune cookies...I can't help it, it-it just feels meant to be.

"Savvy, my friend...I would be honored to open my door—and my arms—to you, and have you share my home."

"Aw, Dora...I thought you'd never ask!"

*****

PSSSLQs: Spoiler Alert

Saturday, September 10th, 2016, 6:30 p.m.

When the fateful Saturday was concluded, Dora set up a second appointment with Savanna to take her to the rental office and sign a lease. She showed her to the door with a giddy, "Omigosh, this is so cool and exciting; we're gonna be roomies!"

Savvy was able to come back Wednesday morning, so the clam-happy Dora took her to meet the landlord, and they successfully shacked up on legal terms. Dora had to return to work at 2:00, so making sure Savanna was given her own key—and it worked—she encouraged her to start bringing her things anytime she wished. Her new roommate transported a few items each of the following days, before the weekend arrived and most of the work was done. The girls bought a stack of boxes, adjourned to Mr. and Mrs. Carlen's house, and proceeded to relieve it of anything and everything of Savanna's she wanted. They did so on both Saturday and Sunday, making several trips back and forth, and filling up the gas tank more than once. But it would be well worth it when all done.

On the night on Sunday, August the 21st, Dora's—and Savanna's—apartment was again much more full, with numerous random spots, and especially Savvy's new room stuffed in boxes. Savanna was in no huge hurry to unpack them, and Dora couldn't blame her. They were both exhausted. They'd hired movers and a truck for the bigger furniture, and the dozens of boxes were quite enough for their own arms. They knew it was wise to pace themselves, but at the same time, as Dora'd said, they were exhilarated.

What neither of them knew at the time, however, was that their shared exhilaration was divided from two sources. Dora was secretly elated inside to have what she hoped would be a new friend, with whom she could hang out indefinitely, and do all—most sorts of things together. As intriguing as the...remaining sorts of things struck her, it was too out of bounds to even consider right now. Savanna, on the other hand, was ecstatic to move out of her parents' house. Just as with Dora's, they enjoyed having her around, and the conditions and accommodations were nice enough. But Savvy considered herself now ready to fly the nest and hold her own reins. Unlike Dora, she'd no experience living on her own, and couldn't wait to enjoy her newfound freedom.

Well, "freedom" was relative. Savanna's parents watched her turn into a young woman and decided in agreement to let her start living as she pleased once she hit her 20s. They'd still offer guidance and advice, when solicited and sometimes not, but their daughter was an adult now. They knew and accepted it. They weren't wild about her party-girl lifestyle, but as long as she wasn't harming herself or her future, they had little worry. Savvy, as her nickname suggested, was a smart girl. She knew when to have fun and when to curb it.

Smart though she was, Savanna wasn't academically gifted. She let her college career lapse several semesters in when it became just too much bother. Trying even her best produced only average grades. And she took note that graduating college today didn't necessarily ensure the same success it might've done years ago. At the time, the country was in a giant recession, and the economy was crumbling around it. Actual college graduates, she saw, were teaching English to non-Anglos just to scrape out a living. Savanna was unsure what she was to do, except to be glad her folks had held on to their careers to support them.

At 26, her Angels opportunity appeared. The stores were sparsely scattered around America, but thus offered a novelty for customers who liked to try different places. In 2014, the store underwent a renovation and expanded, needing an additional fleet of trusty workers. Savanna found the job through an old college acquaintance. They applied together, and Savanna was taken onboard. Her friend was not, but later found successful employment elsewhere.

So began her lucrative career in the grocery industry. She scrimped, saved and put away her pennies, watching them grow in the adult version of the piggy bank. There was nothing wrong with staying with her Mom and Dad, but with the arrival of each May and another ring in her trunk, Savvy felt she was outgrowing her childhood home. The benefits of continuing to milk the cow were clear, but she was more than halfway through her 20s now. It was time to take on some responsibility, and reap the fruits of her individual labor.

She found Dora's roommate ad through a Google search and some strategic link navigation. As she'd explained to her in their interview, Savanna wanted to live somewhere preferably close to Angels. But a short and easy commute was just a nice bonus for her. What really mattered to Savvy was the challenge and zeal of being on her own, learning to look after herself and her own affairs. Another aspect to which she looked forward was the additional leeway she'd be granted to stay out at night. Content as her parents were to let her be an adult, making her own decisions, they worried still because they cared and loved her. They were parents, after all; it was what they did.

During their first weeks together, Dora could hardly have been happier. She really enjoyed Savvy's company, and it was nice having a second heartbeat around. What was yet nicer was that Savanna offered $800 for her split of August's rent, though she didn't even live there for the first half of it. And it meant Dora needn't give up her beloved home. Not that this possibility weighed heavily on her mind, but she felt relieved nonetheless. And just as Dora'd been happy for Susie embarking to her new job, Susie was delighted for her.

But as August rolled to its limit and September took over, Dora began to notice something was amiss—well, on her end of things. On Savvy's days off, she normally stayed home while Dora was at work. On days when their schedules were more synced, Dora came home most often to deduce her roomie was out for the evening. Which was nothing of a disconcertment at first. Savanna was her own person, she had her own lifestyle, and Dora intended not to interfere. She just wanted a little companionship, that was all. After all the time she and Susie spent palling around, she guessed she was more accustomed to hanging out with her roomie.

Savvy didn't go out every night. Some afternoons she came home from the market, very tired from the night(s) before, and took a nap. Again, doing so was perfectly within her rights, and Dora couldn't fuss at her for it, so, oh well. She supposed she could call some other chums, but they were always so busy. Perhaps she could ask Savanna to take her out, but she wasn't the partying sort, and didn't know how agreeable Savvy'd be to this anyway. She liked to think she should be able to get a little time with the person she lived with. She had really enjoyed herself so much on their interview, and now she understood why. She'd made a true connection with Savanna, the sort of connection that didn't come along every day. Savanna's presence filled her void. The interview, it would seem in a way, had spoiled her. Now that her galpal had a steady, reliable place to live, she was free to spend her nights in the eye of the partystorm.

They were both off on Labor Day, but this was the day Savanna was visiting her folks. Had Dora been a bit more desperate to spend some time with her, she might've tried to invite herself along. She'd like to meet the girl's family at some point anyway, have them meet the dear lass who'd given their daughter a roof over her head. Well, she supposed it would happen eventually.

Much like she'd...also assumed...other things would happen...eventually...

Then she got a wonderful idea. She came home one day to find Savvy relaxing on the sofa, channel-flipping.

"Heeeeeyyy, roomie!" she greeted. "I've got a wonderful idea!"

"Oh, yeah?" Savanna put down the remote and sat up. "What?"

"Well. I wanna order us Chinese food again—my treat this time—and we can have it at the dining room table. Even by candlelight. And we can play Chinese checkers too! We can do absolutely anything we want to. We can get those individual cartons of our favorite ice cream. We can open the windows, we can go out on the balcony and blow bubbles, and we can stay up and talk all night if you want! Just like when we first met, only we can make it like a slumber party! It'll be so much fun!"

Savvy smiled. "Okay, cool."

Yay! "Great! Just tell me what night you're free."

"Well, uh...I think we're both off on Sunday, the, uh...what is it, the 11th, I think? So...the night before should be good."

Dora bounded into the kitchen. "That's...yep, Saturday the 10th. A'righty! Saturday the 10th it is!"

And so Dora counted down the days, listing out more fun activities for them to engage in. She patiently waited it out, until finally, their planned date arrived. Savanna was to finish her shift at Angels today at 6:00, Dora's normal quitting time on weekdays. So she should be home about ten to twenty minutes later, depending on traffic. Still, for a couple reasons, Dora thought it wise to do as they'd done in their meeting last month, and order a wide plethora of Chinese. So she did so.

She spent the next quarter-hour or so sitting at her bedroom desk, looking out the window for either the delivery or Savvy to arrive. While she waited, she retrieved her bubble bottle, slid open the window and started sending out bubble signals.

After she'd used enough fluid to feel the bottle lighten, Dora turned around to check the time. 6:30.

Hm...maybe she got caught in a real traffic jam.

She made sure her phone was on in case Savanna tried to call her. Thirteen minutes later, the food arrived. But Savvy had still not.

Dora was growing concerned. Their dinner was here and ready, and her roommate should've been home twenty minutes ago. Maybe she should try to call Savanna instead. She re-fetched her phone and dialed.

"Your call has been forwarded to an auto—"

Savvy wasn't picking up the phone? She was never without her cell.

Beep. "Savvy? It's me...Dora. It's Saturday night—the 10th—and it's about ten to 7:00 right now. I was, uh, actually kind of expecting you back home from work, like...half an hour ago, and...well, I ordered the Chinese, and it already came. I'm really hoping you'll be back soon; I'm getting a little worried about you. I just hope nothing happened. Please call me when you get this. Thanks. Buh-bye."

She returned to the dining room table, lit the candles and emptied some of the cartons onto her plate. The evening wasn't exactly going as planned thus far, but she'd saved her appetite, and she was starving. And she didn't want this food going to waste. So she dug in.

*****

Sav Tonight

Saturday, September 10th, 2016, 9:39 p.m.

Sometime later during the course of the evening, a deflated Dora put the leftover food away, the candles out, herself on the couch, and the TV on. Savanna had neither come home nor returned her call. Dora was still frightened something happened to her, but moreover, she was disappointed, dejected and hurt. They had expressly planned this evening, together, in no uncertain terms. Savvy should have been here. Dora would like to believe the girl wouldn't agree to spend the evening with her and then deliberately blow it off without even telling her. And she still didn't know what really happened. She tried not to become too irked or upset until she found out.

Shortly after 9:30, she finally heard the key click in the lock. She sat up. The door opened, and in sauntered Savanna.

"What happened to you??" Dora very much wished to know.

"Wha..." Savanna seemed confused. She darted her eyes back and forth a few times.

"I-I was out. What do you mean, what happened to me?"

What do I mean?? "Savanna, I tried to call you like three times! And I left you a message!...Were you drinking?"

"Uh...I don't know..."

Dora shot her a look.

"Wow, you were right; you are a terrible liar."

"...Well, okay, a-a little, but no more than usual. Don't worry, I took a cab. Both ways. You saw my car's still right there."

"Savvy...we were supposed to have dinner. And do some fun things together. I was expecting you, like, three hours ago."

A look of regretful revelation washed over Savanna's face. She gazed in the direction of the dining room, seeing the quenched candles.

"Oh, God...was that tonight?"

"Yes, of course it was tonight! How..." Dora shook her head. "...I don't believe this. You mean you just forgot??"

"Well, I'm...I'm sorry, Dora, I didn't mean to."

Dora sighed. "I was really worried about you! I thought something terrible happened! I...how could you just forget about me?"

"W—Dora, I said I was sorry; I am! I wish I could go back and come home on time so we could have your evening. I...I really am sorry."

"My evening? This...Savvy, this was supposed to be our evening. I..."

Dora's voice cracked. Savanna suddenly realized just how deeply she'd wounded her.

"...I was really looking forward to this! You...you always go out, and...you never spend time with me."

A few seconds of silence dropped. Then Savanna lifted it.

"Dora, for the third time...I'm, sorry. Okay? I'm-I'm so not used to just staying home at night. And, I...guess I didn't realize how much this meant to you. But...I never spend time with you? Dora...I can't owe you my life. I'm your roommate, not your daughter. What..."

She sighed herself, feeling her own exasperation. She sat on the sofa beside her.

"...Dora...asking this as gently as I can...what is it you want from me?"

Dora sniffled, trying to push back a tear.

"...Savvy, if you'd asked me that last month, I would've said I wanted a new roommate and that was it. But..."