Phone Calls from the Edge: the Married Friend

I got a call from a married friend last night around 10 pm. This is a different friend from the one I wrote about earlier but I still try to avoid her for reasons I don’t have time to explain. Let’s just say I don’t like baby stepping my way through a conversation and I don’t enjoy talking to someone (on the phone) and hearing kids screaming in the background. It was the first time I had heard from her since October or August or something. She was upset and said she needed to talk.

My friend: I just needed someone to talk to.

Me: What’s going on?

My friend: I just need to get out the house and do something….

At this point, I couldn’t tell what she was saying because she has a tendency to mumble and talk really low and on top of that, her kids are screaming at the top of their lungs to the point where it feels like my ears are going to explode.

Me: What did you say? What’s going on over there?

My friend: Oh, he just wanted some candy. I don’t have very many pieces left.
My friend (to her kids): Go to your rooms and play! You’re too loud.

Okay, I’m no whiz when it comes to kids, but giving sugar to kids at 10 o’clock at night could be the reason why they’re loud and obnoxious, but I could be wrong.

My friend: Anyways, did you want to go do something tonight?

Me: Well this is the Antelope Valley and it’s 10 o’clock. What exactly could we do this late at night? Besides, I’m comfortable and not willing to leave the house. I’m in for the night.

My friend: Yeah, huh. Well what have you been doing lately?

Me: I’m going to school. Getting my MBA.

My friend: I thought about going to school. I was signed up but decided not to. I just started teaching.

Okay, that’s scary. I’m glad I don’t have children in the public school system.

Me: You’re teaching? What happened to social work?

My friend: I got laid off.

She was probably fired.

Me: Oh wow. So you’re teaching? Wow.


THE SUNDAY MORNING

She called me around 9 am to ask if I wanted to get my nails done and then get something to eat. I said I’d go get something to eat but I didn’t have time for much else since I had to catch up on my studies.

We met at Johnny Carino’s for some Italian food. I hadn’t seen her in over a year. She looks nothing like she did in high school. Back then, she had an hour-glass figure and she was (and still is) very, very pretty. But raising five kids can put a toll on anyone’s looks. Yes five-two girls, which are her husband’s kids from a previous marriage and three boys (a set of 4-year-old twins and a 3-year-old).

She didn’t really have much to say other than she wants to become a teacher and that she is planning a few family trips this summer. I can’t compete with that kind of news. My life is as boring as ever. I’m not even dating anyone. There will be no interesting love tales for a while.