Call Me! Read Online Free PDF Page A

friend?”
     
    “It’s Roy Burroughs.”
     
    “Who’s that?”
     
    “My college roommate.”
     
    I shake my head. “You guys would have much more fun without me. You can go out drinking, talk dirty, swap lies.”
     
    He frowns. “You think that’s what guys do?”
     
    “When you’re not belching, scratching, or passing gas.”
     
    “Funny.”
     
    “Seriously. You could take him to a titty bar, get a lap dance.”
     
    He nods. “Okay. Forget it.”
     
    Now I feel bad. Ben asks for so little. Dinner with his old friend is the least I can do.
     
    “What time?” I say.
     
    He looks at me with interest. “When could you be back?”
     
    “Six o’clock.”
     
    “Thanks, Dani.”
     
    “Will Roy’s wife be joining us?”
     
    “He’s not married.”
     
    We’re quiet a while. Then I ask, “How come you never talk about this guy?”
     
    “I hate his guts.”
     
    “You’ll note the confused look on my face,” I say.
     
    “All through school he was the biggest jerk,” Ben says. “Whatever I did, he had to top it. He had the money, the car, the grades, the girlfriends.”
     
    “He intimidated you.”
     
    “He was popular. A great athlete.”
     
    “He lives here? In town?”
     
    “Miami. He’s coming in town to close a big real estate deal. Wants to meet us for dinner, so he can rub his success in my face.”
     
    “Why didn’t you say you were busy?”
     
    “Because I’ve got you .”
     
    “Confused look on my face again.”
     
    “When he sees you, he’ll shit his pants!”
     
    “He will? What a charmer! Silly me, willing to settle for a handshake.”
     
    “I’m serious. You’re going to blow him away.”
     
    “Thanks for adding the last word in the sentence.”
     
    “You’re funny tonight.”
     
    “But on Tuesday I’m what, your trophy?”
     
    “In a manner of speaking.”
     
    He looks at me. “Roy doesn’t have to know how things really are between us. It’ll be the first time in my life I actually beat him at something.”
     
    “Can you hear how sad that makes you sound?”
     
    “I’ll give you an extra day next week,” he says.
     
    “Sunday or Wednesday?”
     
    “Your choice.”
     
    “Sunday.”
     
    “Thanks, Dani. I know it sounds perverse, but it would mean a lot to me.”
     
    “I’ll try not to disappoint you.”
     
    After the waiter takes our order we talk about ManChild . Ben says I haven’t spoken about him for a while, and was curious if I was still hunting him. I tell him ManChild frustrates me like Roy frustrates him, but I won’t give up. He says he’s proud of me for sticking with it.
     
    While eating, we talk like married people. He wants to know if I’ll stay home tomorrow so the air conditioner guy can do the six-month maintenance. I can, and remind him the pest control guy is scheduled for Tuesday morning. Ben’s got that covered. We talk about our bills, then he yawns and says he couldn’t sleep last night because his back flared up.
     
    “You should have called me,” I say.
     
    “Why?”
     
    “I would’ve rubbed your back.”
     
    “You were in bed.”
     
    “Next time, call me. If you’re in pain, I want to help.”
     
    “Thanks. That’s sweet of you to say.”
     
    “I mean it. I’ll rub your back tonight, before you go to bed.”
     
    He shows me a weak smile. “I’ll be fine,” he says.
     
    I know what that’s about. He’s told me before. In the early days, the massages were sensual, a romantic prelude to sex. Now, any touching beyond a respectful hug or kiss is painful to him, because it brings back memories of how things used to be, and can never be again.
     
    The first time he tried to explain it, I said, “You’re better off without me.”
     
    “No,” he said. “I need you in my life.”
     
    “Can you explain that?” I said. “Because it sounds like everything I do reminds you I’ve turned into a frigid, uncaring wife.”
     
    He laughed.
     
    Then I said, “Wait.