Ari

I ran into Ari again at the diner that evening on my way home from the cemetery. And wow, did SHE look different. "Shopping at Judy's again?"

"Come on, Van, you know I wouldn't touch that place with a ten foot pole. Those prices are off the chart. That's YOUR taste."

"I like your hair."

"Oh this old rag? You know we like to have our extensions. Not everybody can have long blond hair like you." She laughed. "Would it kill you to have YOUR hair done?"

"Guess what?" I told her about my visit with Cheesebreath the other day.
"Noooooo!" she exclaimed. "No freakin' way. You finally saw the writing on the wall."
"What writing on what wall?"
"Vanna, it's been SOOO obvious. Andrew has been after you since high school. Did he really have to wear a neon sign on his head saying 'I love you' for you to get it? You know he would treat you like the queen you think you are." She then changed the subject. "Have you heard from Gustave?"
"Not since I came back. And to be quite honest, I haven't really thought about him."
"Really."
"For some reason... I don't know ... I like him but ... I don't know, I mean, it's not like I'm a commitment phobe or anything."
"You sure act like one. You know, Savannah, for someone who professes to want a relationship, the minute something comes along, you're running like a deer."
"Look who's talking!" I shot back. "I'd like to know where your boyfriend is, since you know so much about my life."
"True, but I'm not the one moaning about it." Ari took a deep breath. "That's your MO, right, for someone who says she's so brave and fearless, the minute things get tough, you take off running. You should have been a track star instead of an adventurer."