The Last One

THE LAST ONE Chapter Five--Meghan

"Or maybe you wish hehad. Jumped you, I mean."

I screwed up my face."What are you talking about? I don't even know him."

"Yeah, but what he saidreally bothers you. Meggie, I've heard people say horrible thingsabout you right to your face. Nothing ever fazes you. You blow itoff, or you laugh. Or both. But for some reason, what this strangerspouted off got under your skin. Don't you wonder why?"

"Are you saying it stungbecause there's truth in it? Is this an intervention? Shouldn'tthere be a sign?"

"Don't be stupid. You'renot an alcoholic. I'm just saying maybe it's not so much what hesaid but that it was Sam saying it."

"Why should it?"

She smiled and raisedone eyebrow. "Maybe he matters. Maybe you had some kind of... instant connection. You know, like with Meg Ryan and Tom Hanksin You've Got Mail. Even though he was obnoxious, she wasdrawn to him."

I shook my head. "Lo,give it up. This is real life, not a movie, and I wasn't drawn tohim. He's the equivalent of a grouchy old man, only he's not old.At least, not that old. And besides ..." I remembered his partingwords to me. "It's not like I'm ever going to see him again. Youcouldn't pay me enough to go back to that dinky little town."

IF I THOUGHT ABOUT SamReynolds at all over the next month, it was only a fleeting memory,some little stab of hurt pride as I fell asleep at night. Laura andI were both busy with finals and end-of-the-term projects, and somedays we hardly saw each other. Sleep became a scarce commodity as Ipulled more than one all-nighter at the studio.

When I did see Laura, Icould tell that she was walking around in a state of nerves andexcitement. Brian was supposed to come back stateside at the end ofMay, and they'd planned for Laura to spend the summer living nearhis new assignment in North Carolina. Brian had to stay in thebarracks on base, but Laura was sharing an apartment with one ofhis buddy's girlfriends who lived there year-around. I knew she wascounting the days until his return, even though she wasnervous.

"We haven't seen eachother in over a year." She was sitting on our living room floor,laying out a chronological drawing project that was due the nextday. "What if I'm not the person he expects to see when he getsback? What if we've both grown too far apart?"

"Lo, get real. You talkto him once a week, you email all the time ... and I've never seenanything like the two of you. No, that's not true." I rolled to myside on the sofa, where I'd collapsed after a particularly gruelingfinal exam. "My mom and dad were like that. When my mom came into aroom, everything stopped for my dad. He only saw her, and it wasthe same for her with him. That's going to be you and Brian.Forever."

She looked up at me, andI saw the understanding shining in her eyes. "Oh, sweetie, that'sabout the most wonderful thing you could say to me. Thank you. Iknow it's going to be okay. I'm just-" She put her hands to hercheeks. "You know, a bundle of nerves. Once I know Brian's backhere, on American soil, I'll feel better. I can't relax untilthen."

"Then we'll just keepthinking about that. Just a few more weeks, right?" I grinned ather and pushed to sit up. "God almighty, I'm exhausted. That testwiped me out." I reached for the coffee table to pick up my tablet."I'm going to check my email real quick and then go to bed. I'mbeat."

"I'll be up for a whilefinishing this. Luckily, I can sleep late tomorrow morning."

I opened up my mailprogram and scanned the inbox. Junk, spam, a picture of my nephewDJ-I opened it fast and smiled at his sweet chubby face. More junk,something from ArtCorps-

"Laura!" I jumped to myfeet. "From ArtCorps! It's my assignment for the summer."

She turned to look up atme. "What did you get? Arizona? New Mexico? Ooooh, SoCal?"