The Gods of Song and Poetry

Chapter 32 - The Wrong Reasons

"That's how I felt about Kelly!" A cloud passed over Kala's expression. I decided not to mention Kelly again. I shouldn't celebrate my love life when my friend was lamenting theirs.

"Sorry. That was rude."

"No. It wasn't. What kind of friend would I be if you couldn't talk about your relationship with me?"

I still wanted to move away from the subject, at least for now. Truthfully, I was dying to talk to Kala about my love life, but now didn't seem like the right time. "So, we need to find you a girl who's smart, beautiful, and...what else? Is she funny?"

"She can be. Mostly, though, she's honest. Kind, too. She's one of the most genuinely caring people I know. I guess I never realized how much most people protect themselves from their own emotions. She isn't afraid to open herself up and really explore her feelings."

"Sounds like you know this girl pretty well. I thought she was just someone you met at college. Have you been hanging out with her?"

Kala looked like she was shaken out of her own thoughts. "You know what? I don't want to talk about it anymore. I think I just need to get over her and move on...without bed hopping. After all, it's not like I dated her and got dumped. It was just wishful thinking."

"Are you sure? You're always here for me when I need support. It feels good to be your shoulder to lean on for once."

"Yeah, I'm sure. Now," she turned towards me and smiled, "you said you wanted to pick my brain when you called. What can I do for my friend?"

"Don't worry about it, Kala." I was running my fingers through her hair. "I don't want to talk about my relationship when you're feeling down about your love life."

"Please? It makes me feel like I'm important to you. I need that right now."

"Kala! You will always be important to me. I think we need another girls' night. You and me, next weekend. Movie, party, laser tag...you pick."

"Laser tag?" Kala raised her eyebrows.

"Whatever you want," I laughed. "The girls have been wanting to play it for a while now. That's why it popped into my head."

"Why not do that? Bring them, I mean. Make it a group thing."

"Really? You want to hang out with the little ones?"

"Sure, why not? You're my friend, I should be able to hang out with your friends and girlfriend, right?"

"I suppose. It isn't like you're their coach anymore."

"Actually..." I raised my eyebrows waiting for her to finish. "The volleyball coach said some nice things about me to the basketball coach, and he asked if I would be willing to help out with their upcoming season. I think he wants a female around to help with the girls, and since I already know most of them, I'm an easy choice. It would be an actual job as an assistant coach with a paycheck and everything. A very small one, but that doesn't matter. I could put some job experience on my resume."

"That would be awesome! The girls would love it. So, are you going to?"

"Yeah, I think so. It's just for a couple more months. I think I can handle the girls for that long. Now, your questions?"

I sighed and tried to think of where to start. "I always feel so...silly, asking you questions about love and sex."

"Just ask. I consider it practice in case I ever have a daughter."

"Great. Thanks, Mom. I feel so much less infantile now." I decided to just go for it. If Kala enjoyed giving me advice, then I would certainly accept. "So, yesterday we went to the corn maze, and-"