Once and For All

Chapter 4.2

Joey watched as she drove away, not feeling the rain as it beat down on him, soaking his clothes. Carly was leaving. It would be the first time in a couple of years that they wouldn't be within literal shouting distance. They hadn't really been apart since she'd moved back from Biloxi.

He knew she hadn't been happy in a while. She seemed kind of stuck in neutral. Not going forward, and not going backward. Carly, being Carly always put on a happy face, even when she wasn't feeling it. He'd been worried about her, she'd been drinking way too much. Another sign of her general displeasure with life. Where it came from, he wasn't sure. He didn't know if she knew why she was so unhappy. This time away could definitely be a good thing for her, even just for a couple of days. But, for him?

He walked into the house, already it was too quiet. It was like Carly took the very essence of the home with her. He walked through the house, his footsteps loud in the silence. After changing into dry clothes. He poured himself another cup of coffee, and sipped it, leaning against the counter.

Noah came back in then, as if he'd been giving Joey a moment or two alone. "You about ready to go man? That weather is turning nasty quick. The water will be rough until we get"

"Yeah," he poured the cup of coffee into his travel mug and placed the cup in the sink beside Carly's discarded one. "We better get going."

***

From Carly's Journal

"I do have a Mr. Right in my life. His real name is Joey, and he is another one of my best friends. We grew up together too. Ryder is a few years younger than me, while Joey and I are the same age. How did Joey get this nickname? A few weeks ago, we were hanging out together, and he and I were having a big discussion about where my life was going. Did I really want to bartend forever? What did I want to do? Bar work has a shelf life, and no one really wants to be slinging drinks when they're fifty. In the midst of this mid-midlife crisis I seem to be having, I talked with Joey. He gave me some advice, and like always, it was dead on. I needed to figure out what it was that made me happy and go for it. Later that night, I sent him a text message.

Are you right all the time?

My phone rang. It was Joey, and I answered, "Hello." "Yes, I'm always right," he said. He hung up without saying anything else. No hi, no bye, nothing. I giggled a little and texted him again.

Does that make you my Mr. Right?

He did not respond. He doesn't think it's as funny as I do, apparently. Because of this, he's still in my phone as Mr. Right. He's not happy about it. He frequently mentions that I am not to tell anyone that he's my Mr. Right. Why? I don't know. I think it's pretty funny."