Unrequited Love

55

"You've been spending an awfully long time with your girlfriend." Dana said, her mouth stuffed with popcorn, and her eyes glued to the tv screen.

Gena's eyes twitched at the sight, typical of Dana to harrass her on her way out. "Any reason why I should spend my days here with you, and she's not my girlfriend."

"Oh no. I wouldn't have guessed, I also didn't know we were terrible to be around. I'll pass that message over to Faridah once she comes down."

"You need to get laid. Faridah and I aren't going to be your gossip buddies forever."

"Is that a direct or indirect way of telling me you're about to be chained down?"

"Chained down?" Gena plucked her jacket off the hanger by the door.

"Involved with another human being. Have no time for nobody else but her. Have eyes for only one woman."

"Everything you listed sounds melodramatic." Gena said, picking her car keys from the bowl, where everyone kept their keys. "As much as I'd love to stand here and chat with you, I have to-"

"Go meet up with your girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend, do people still call it that these days?"

"I think the woke communities use the term 'partner'."

"We've only known each other a couple of months, 'partner' sounds too intimate." Gena shook her head.

"Then she's your girlfriend." Dana repeated.

"She's not my- I can't with you right now. I'll see you tonight."

"I thought you lesbians move fast." Dana raised her voice so she could be heard, Gena was already halfway out the door.

"It's different with her; all this is new for her, I won't rush her through the chaotic feelings I know come with a lesbian relationship."

"You need to put a label on it though, so she knows you're interested." Dana packed an unhealthy amount of popcorn into her mouth.

"Since when did you become an expert in lesbian relationships?"

"Since my two best friends were gay."

Gena responded with a wave, letting the door swing shut behind her. Dana kept her eyes on the screen but her mind was so far away.

It was Friday, the last day before the weekend. David's parents had called her earlier, crying and pleading over their son's behalf; the over exaggerated sniffles from David's mother irritated her more than the fact that they thought it wise to wake her up five a.m.

The children wouldn't miss their father, there wasn't much she could do about it but she wouldn't be the reason why they hated him. No- David would go through that process on his own, and he was so good at fucking things up, Dana gave him two months to fuck up his chances with his children.

She'd reluctantly agreed for him to meet them in the park close to Gena's house; Faridah had grudgingly accepted to follow her when she woke her up minutes after; her stomach churned thinking back to the last time she'd seen her ex-husband. The urge to knock back a few shots itched the back of her throat, her hands shook as she threw the popcorn into her mouth.

Faridah and Gena didn't know but she'd started therapy, she needed to get well for her kids, they were her only motivation; she'd already failed them once with her choice of a husband and their father, she couldn't fail them by being a raging alcoholic.

Her entire childhood memories were filled with the strong stench of alcohol, and cold detachment her mother gave any living, breathing thing in her orbit. It was like she didn't see anything else other than the next bottle of booze or wine. Her whole being lit up at the sight of a bottle and Dana grew up loathing the woman who didn't care enough to shower and show up for all her high school achievements, in a sense she was also relieved she never did.