The setting: A bright, sunny day in a rock star's backyard, four close friends sit down for a meal. On account of tension and ignorance, it is taking a bit longer to get started than anybody contemplated.
"It's about time you all shut up so that we can eat. Look at me, I'm wasting away," complained Judy from her place at the picnic table. "I can't stand the yacking."
Daniel rolled his eyes in disgust. "Sorry Judy dear, I seem to have lost all control of my strong resemblance to a doormat because Ben increasingly thinks he can walk all over me whenever he feels the need to have an ego boost!" ,p>"Oh Daniel don't get huffy, you're a strong lad...encourage yourself to stop acting like a fuck-up and realize that just because you aren't married that doesn't mean other people can't be," shouted Ben all too familiarly-frustrated at the ever hot-headed Mr. Johns.
"Look," interjected Kathy, in the midst of the beginnings of a nervous breakdown, "let's all fold our hands and bow our heads like good little Australians are supposed to."
"Thank heavens," breathed Judy.
Kathy continued. "Good food. Good meat."
"Or not," retorted Daniel, never passing up a chance to remind someone of his omnipresent vegan beliefs.
"Good God," rambled on Kathy with a shooting glare at the blonde head across the way, "let's fucking eat already."
Later in Daniel's kitchen...
"It's not going to get cleared up, Kathy...I totally wish it would but you know how Dan is when it comes to Ben's relationships," Judy defended.
Kathy sighed. "I know. I don't think Daniel's trying to corrupt what me and Ben have, but he's not doing a great job of being a nice, supportive friend either. Daniel and I used to be close," she said, drying a plate while studying the way its green stenciled flowers outlined the ceramic circle. "I have no idea what happened."
"It's not like anything drastic happened, you guys just spread apart. You're always with Ben now and Daniel and I are always out and about. It's hard to keep in touch with friends when you're both changing and never around," said Judy. She dropped her dishtowel. Bending over to pick it up, she saw something on Kathy's ankle. "Ew," stated Judy bluntly. "What the hell happened to your ankle?"
Kathy's jaw dropped. "It's a tattoo, fuckwit!"
Judy's eyes rolled up in her head as she laughed a cackle of pure pity. "Why on earth would you get that tattooed on your skin? It's permanent!"
Kathy gave Judy a look of humility. "Piss off, idiot. Do you even know what it means?" In between giggle fits, Judy stopped to decline from that question. "No."
"It means Love. It's Chinese." Judy only laughed harder. Her stomach was starting to hurt and she crossed her arms over her belly to stop the pain from shooting to her head. Kathy shook hers. "Check out Ben's ass, you'll find the exact same one, twit."
Judy shut up. "You guys have matching tattoos?"
Kathy turned back to the sink. "Judy, it's so gay that you and Daniel can't see how much we love each other. It's inevitable that we're going to be married," she said in complete awe of how her friends couldn't detect the strength in her feelings for Ben.
Meanwhile, Judy's glasses were starting to fog as she felt the brims of her lined eyes starting to overflow with salt water in the heat of this emotional moment for her. It shouldn't be so difficult but she wondered what was going to happen once her secret was out.
Kathy looked at her and back at the sink, and back at Judy once again. With a caring and concerned look on her face she begged to know in a motherly tone, "What's the matter, Judy?"
As she inquired, Judy burst into huge tears of confusion and pain and somehow she told Kathy what was wrong, and knew nothing would be okay until she knew how to get out of this mess. Kathy would be her crowbar.
To Be Continued
Previous
Back to Stories
Back to Main Page