We’ll Meet Again Someday

Riana checked out the mini-refrigerator as Blondie, her cream-colored rat, found a comfortable spot on the floor between some boxes in which to curl up and nap. She hoped she wouldn’t feel too claustrophobic in the tiny room, which was barely bigger than a small motel room. At least there was just enough space for the necessities: a small bathroom with a shower stall, a tiny kitchenette, a table, and a small bed and dresser. The room had spacious windows for such a small place—one on each side of the door, one on the side opposite the bed and dresser, and another in the bathroom. The room itself was situated in the back right-hand corner of the backyard, which was approximately sixty feet wide and fifty feet deep and surrounded by a stucco wall. A dirt alley ran along the back wall of the yard and was just wide enough for the garbage trucks to make their way through. The left side of the yard was where the diving pool was. The patio was adorned with a grill and comfortable outdoor furniture. A young date palm stood in the center of the yard, and a scattering of flowers and cacti hugged most of the wall that ran alongside the pool as well as the back. Riana was wondering who had lived in the tiny room before her when there was a knock on the door. “Come on in,” she called out. The door opened barely half a second later, and a tall blond woman stepped into the room. Riana then knew why the name Abbington seemed familiar. Her first thought was to play dumb and hope that Audra wouldn’t recognize her, but it was too late. Audra had seen the look of shock on her face and recognized her as well in the same instant. “Well, well,” said Audra, placing her hands on her slender hips. “Who do we have here?” “My gosh, Audra!” Riana said, not bothering to hide her surprise, since she knew it would be pointless. “When they said it was a small world, I didn’t think that included Phoenix, Arizona.” “Yeah, well, I guess even Phoenix can be too small, Riana.” Riana’s heart fell at the disappointment that dripped from Audra’s voice. Audra obviously hadn’t forgotten the past. Her discomfort grew as Audra eyed her with disdain. Finally, Riana said, “You aged better than I did.” She meant it too, for Audra was dressed very stylishly, still tall and slim with penetrating blue eyes made even more vivid by the blue in her outfit. She didn’t look a day over thirty. She was only a little thicker around the middle, with a little gray streaking the blond hairs that were now an inch past her shoulders rather than just barely brushing them as they had years ago. Otherwise, it was still the same old Audra. To Riana, Audra had always been a blond version of Kate Jackson, her favorite actress. She had her mannerisms, her sophisticated style, even her no-nonsense voice—coarse, harsh at times even, but perfectly audible. Ignoring her compliment, Audra said, “Do you understand how awkward this is for me?” Riana caught a bag of licorice just as it was about to slip off a stack of books and nodded. “But it’s been fifteen years, Audra. I’m sure you and I have both changed a lot since then.” Audra leaned against the doorjamb and continued to glare disapprovingly at her. Her eyes quickly dropped to the perky breasts that strained against the shiny pink fabric of her tank top, then back up again. “I think we both said and did some things we shouldn’t have, but it’s all in the past as far as I’m concerned. I hope we can move on,” said Riana. Audra remained silent and still as her eyes fell upon the sleeping rat. “Why is that thing loose?” “That thing,” Riana said, emphasizing the second word, “won’t live much longer. Secondly, old Blondie here is harmless. He loves people, and rats are like cats and dogs. They need freedom and human interaction. They’re very smart, too.” Audra flashed a smile of sarcasm. Riana sighed and turned back to the rat. “Blondie,” she called. The cream-colored rodent opened its ruby eyes and gazed sleepily up at its owner. “Go home,” Riana said gently. The rat rose to his feet. “Go home, boy.” The furry creature then turned and hopped into his small wire cage that sat in the corner of the room. Not even Audra could hide her surprise at the animal’s intelligence and obedience. But only a moment later, her eyes flicked back to rest upon Riana, and they hadn’t softened a bit. “So, what do we do, Stace? Do we live in the past, or do we move on? I hate apartments, but I’d certainly rather be where I don’t want to be than where I’m not wanted.” A thoughtful expression took over Audra’s features as she continued to gaze at Riana. She was surprised at how little she’d changed in appearance over the years. She was heavier, but fit and healthy-looking just the same, and still had enormous green eyes and long lashes. Her skin was fair and smooth compared to Audra’s tan ruddiness. The dye job was a little extreme, being so dark, but even that looked good. Audra could see a half-inch of new hair growth at the roots. Traces of gray now shot through the warm chestnut-brown color she remembered from years ago. She turned to eye the photo of her with some other woman and a young boy. “That’s Amberlyn and our little Nicolas,” Riana said softly. Audra said nothing, and she went on. “Nicolas wasn’t biologically hers or mine. He was the child of a friend who was dying of cancer, who asked that I take him upon her death. How can you say no to a dying friend?” She pointed at Amberlyn’s smiling face. “That lady there is the very same person who went to court with me, you, and Andrea.” Audra turned back to Riana, shifting uncomfortably on her feet. She was overwhelmed by a torrent of mixed emotions. She felt bad for Riana’s situation but hated her for reasons only one other person knew about—and that was not her husband. She’d gotten married shortly before meeting Riana, so while James was aware of the problems they’d had, he had no idea of the driving force behind them. It wasn’t that James couldn’t handle the truth if he knew it; it was just something that wasn’t easy for Audra to discuss. “Some of the friends I had back then tossed up a handful of theories to try to explain your wrath toward me. Would you like to hear some of them?” Riana asked as she pulled a piece of licorice from the bag she’d been holding. “No, Riana, I wouldn’t.” “You still managing apartments these days anyway? James didn’t say much about you.” “No, I’m not.” Audra took a deep breath and went on. “Look, Riana, I’m terribly sorry for your loss and your situation. My heart truly goes out to you and the ordeal you went through. Really, it does. But I don’t think this is a very good idea. You may have a point about the past being the past, but even so, this is tough for me.” Riana held the bag of licorice out to Audra, who shrank away as if the bag contained cockroaches. “Would you like a piece of licorice while you’re mulling it over?” “No, thank you, Riana. What about your family in Florida?” Riana blinked with surprise. “My, my, you’ve got a good memory, don’t you? I’m impressed.” “Could you answer the question, please?” Audra folded her arms across her chest and leaned once again against the doorjamb. There was a lot she remembered—no doubt more than Riana could ever imagine. “We keep in touch every now and then.” “Are you still friendly with Mark?” “No. He was getting more and more into drugs, and I didn’t want to get involved with that.” Audra gave a subliminal nod of understanding and approval, then took on that scornful glare once again. Riana placed the licorice bag down and said, “Was it my Jewish maiden name? That was one of our theories. Or do you just hate gays and lesbians?” Audra snorted as she turned to leave and said, “I’m sorry to do this to you, Riana, but you really need to pack your stuff back up. I’ll have my husband drive you wherever you want to go so you won’t have to pay for cab fare.” Now, Riana was pissed as she followed Audra out of the guesthouse. “Oh, how kind of you, Audra.” Audra froze as Riana raised her voice. “For whatever it’s worth, after all these years, I didn’t do half the things you accused me of doing.” Now she shouted. “Two wrongs didn’t make a right, but I only pranked Andrea because she drove me crazy, okay? That’s why I broke my lease. I had to get away from her! I couldn’t stand living next to her anymore. She was spiting the hell out of me every chance she got by slamming doors and banging stuff around for complaining about her having all those noisy kids stay over. Remember, I was dancing then and working nights. I had to sleep during the daytime, and that bitch wouldn’t let me. It was either get out or strangle her!” Emma was now gazing out the kitchen window curiously, and James was out the back door and heading toward them. “What’s going on?” he asked, brows knit in confusion. Riana went on anyway. “And I was not trying to ‘invite tons of people to my place’ or ‘depress’ phone numbers from people, as you once put it! Only two other tenants gave me their numbers, and they did so on their own. That was crazy Ellie Fisher and Tara Tremple. Tara’s roommate, Tonya, was the one who got me the job dancing, and Tara and I were both into drawing, so we hung out together at times.” Audra and her husband eyed Riana. “I also never had a clue as to the vandalism you accused me of, although I do know that was an issue there. There were a couple of occasions when I heard glass breaking somewhere, and firecrackers were set off near my place one night. But that was all I ever knew about it.” Audra towered over her angrily. “Okay, that’s enough! Just get back inside and stay put while I speak with my husband.” Riana glanced at James, then back at Audra. “Now, Riana,” said Audra in a dangerously low tone of voice. Riana turned and stormed back into the guesthouse, closing the door behind her. She sat on the edge of the bed, put her face in her hands, and cried. What was she going to do now? How could she afford a motel until she could get an apartment? Yolanda would let her come back, of course, but she’d hate to put her out like that. She thought of Audra talking to her husband and wondered what she was telling him, though she was sure that most of it wouldn’t be very nice—or even true.