Chapter 2

"Hey Michael," Debbie said when I called. "Thanks for calling."

Thanks? "Hey. What's up?"

"Well... I kind of had a tough day," she said.

"Really? Why?"

"Well..." I heard a sniffle.

"Debbie?"

"Shit." She hung up.

I sat and looked at the phone. What the hell? I waited a couple of minutes but she didn't call back. I tried to call her, but there was no answer.

Shit.

I got up, found my keys and stuck my head into the office. "Mom? I'm going to run over to Debbie's. Something's up..."

Mom smiled. "She has a boyfriend."

"I know..."

It took about five minutes to get there and another five to gather my courage. Why was I here? We were friends. Close friends even. But were we cry-on-the-shoulder-close friends? I didn't know. Probably not. Shit.

I rang the bell.

Nothing.

I rang it again.

I heard movement and the door cracked open.

Debbie is still beautiful when she's been crying... but she looked so sad and so lost. "Hey," I said.

She just looked at me.

"Can I come in?"

She stepped back. "Why are you here?" she asked.

Good question. "Because you're upset," I said.

She wiped a glob of snot and some tears across her cheek.

"Hold on," I said. I went to the kitchen, wet a paper towel and brought it out. "Hold still." I wiped the snot and tears from her face. "Better."

She just looked at me.

"Want to tell me?"

She shook her head.

I sighed. I took the paper towel to her kitchen and tossed it. "Can I help?"

She shook her head.

"Where's your mom?" I asked. Did something happen to Barb? I wondered.

"At her office." That was a relief.

I walked to the wall phone in the kitchen. "What's her number?"

I was obviously confusing her, but she told me. I dialed and Barb answered.

"Hi Mrs. Alexander," I said. "This is Michael Wilson?" I hadn't seen her too many times since registration.

"Hi Michael! It's good to hear from you. Debbie talks about you all the time!"

Does she? "Well, yeah. We're pretty good friends... Um. Speaking of Debbie?"

"Yes?"

"Well. Something happened today..." I didn't know what to say.

"What happened, Michael?" Barb's voice was a bit sharp.

"I... I don't know. Um. I'm at your house and she's... well she's been crying and she won't tell me why."

Debbie was looking at me like I'd grown horns.

"Then it's her boyfriend," Barb said. "Can I talk to her?"

"I'll see." I handed the phone to Debbie. "It's your mom."

She took the phone. "Hi mom." "Uh huh." "Uh huh." "Well..." "Thanks mom." "Here he is." She handed the phone back.

"Hello?" I said.

"Michael. Thank you for calling. I'm going to leave now and be there in fifteen or twenty minutes. Can you stay till I get there?"

"Sure." She hung up and so did I.

"Why did you call my mom?" Debbie asked.

"You need to talk to somebody," I said. "If that isn't me, you still need someone. Who else do I know that knows you?"

She sat down on the sofa, curled up and started crying again. I got a warm face cloth from the bathroom for her and then waited with her for her mom to get home.

I didn't see or talk to Debbie until the next Tuesday.

I was eating lunch again when she sat down. She looked so serious.

"Hey!" I said.

"Sorry."

"For what?" I asked.

"For falling apart on you..."

I laughed. "Hey... no worries, okay? That's what friends are for."

"I broke up with my boyfriend."

"I figured," I said.

"I thought he loved me."

"I'm sorry he hurt you," I said. That was true.

"Thanks Michael."

I put my hand on hers and squeezed. "It's okay Debbie." I picked up a French fry and offered it to her. "Hungry?"

"Do you know how much saturated fat is in that thing?" she asked.

I considered. "No. Do you?"

She giggled. "No! But it's a lot."

"Does that mean you don't want it?" I asked.

She didn't... and we were still friends.

Dad called on Thanksgiving. He said he missed us. He didn't mention coming and visiting however. I told him I missed Boston.

"Do you have a girlfriend out there?" he asked.

"I don't know," I answered. "Maybe."

"You either do or you don't," he told me with certainty.

"Then I guess I don't. Not yet."

"Play the field, son, you're only young once!" dad said. "Once you're married, it's all shit."

"Okay, dad. Gotta go. Bye!"

"Happy Thanksgiving, Mikey"

"Michael."

"Bye."

The turkey was good. Mom and I watched some football.

About four thirty the phone rang.

Probably dad again...

"Hello?" I said.

"Michael? It's Barb Alexander."

"Hi Mrs. Alexander," I said.

"Hi. Um. Is your mom available?"

My mom? "Uh. Sure." I took the phone to mom. "It's Barb Alexander," I said.

Mom raised her left eyebrow but took the phone. "Hello?"

I went for another drink and missed their conversation, or at least mom's side of it.

"Michael?" Mom called.

"Yeah?" I said, putting the ice tea back into the refrigerator.

"Do you want to go watch some football over at the Alexander's?"

Does a bear shit in the woods? "Um. Sure. I guess."

Mom laughed. I can never fool her. "Get your coat. You're driving."

Debbie looked even better than I could have imagined. And I can assure you I can imagine a lot.

Mom looked at Debbie three or four times in the next half hour. I could tell what she was thinking. I was too. "That girl is out of his league."

On Thanksgiving, my favorite pro team is whoever is playing against Dallas. It was a good game and by half-time there was virtually no chance that Dallas could come back and win. I could relax.

Barb and mom were talking about school and Debbie and I were not. We were talking though, about everything but school. It was nice.

"Um," Debbie said during a TV timeout in the third period, "there's a party next Friday at a friend of mine's house. Would you like to, um, go?"

Fourth and inches, my team had the ball, Dallas trying to come back. I turned from the game and looked at Debbie's beautiful green eyes. "Are you asking me out?"

She blushed. "Well. Um. If you don't want to go..."

"Oh, I want to go," I said. "I'm just wondering about dessert."

Her blush deepened. Mom and Barb had stopped talking and were watching, though I don't think they had heard us.

"I might like a small dessert," Debbie allowed.

It was my turn to blush. I nodded and turned back to the game.

We didn't say anything to each other for a few minutes. I was barely able to contain my excitement, but wanted to seem "cool." God she's beautiful.

End of the third quarter and I got up to use the restroom. When I came back Debbie was in the kitchen refreshing drinks. I joined her.

"Hey," I said. "I was thinking..."

"That may be a first," she teased.

"Nice." I paused. "Anyway. I was thinking that it's a shame to waste a whole week waiting for next Friday... what are you doing tomorrow?"