Oh how she missed the days when Kiki was the interesting thing in her life. Between angry landlords, murderous tenants, and blushing around men who weren’t her husband, sometimes she longed for the simpler days, where Kiki was her only worry.
“The husband is working,” she gently reminded her. To her friend this was just a day, but for the rest of the world, it was Tuesday, and business was still going. She didn’t notice any annoyance that the other woman had and would have waived it off regardless. Lena was dressed in laundry day gear and Kiki was her usual fabulous self. This was no contest. She welcomed the small weight of the dog in her arms, cooing a soft “Oh hello, sweetheart,” at him and scratched gently under his chin.
She shifted him to one side and looked over at the Kiki’s bags, it quickly dawning on her that it was luggage, and she wanted to bring them up. Annoyance began to prickle at her but it was quickly pushed away. She would have appreciated a call, some warning that this was more than just a little chit chat. But this was a surprise, and she wasn’t about to turn her friend out now. “I can always carry them up,” she started, but a quick silent count and she realized that she couldn’t make it all in one trip. And they couldn’t just leave them, and she didn’t even bother asking Kiki to help carry some.
She gave a little sigh and pulled her phone from her pocket, calling her husband and holding it up to her hear with one shoulder. Finally she heard his voicemail. “Hey honey. It’s me. When you get this can you run down here? Outside, I mean. Kiki’s come to visit! Kiki, my friend from high school.” Lena was sure she told him about her but she couldn’t really elaborate with Kiki standing right by her. “And she’s got a lot of bags that I can’t carry myself. Could you come down for a little bit? You’re supposed to have two fifteen-minute breaks a day and I’m claiming this one. Downstairs! Outside! Hurry, it’s cold and I have no jacket.”
She ended the call and slipped her phone back into her pants. Quincey wiggled again and she shifted him in her arms, gently rubbing his back as she looked over at Kiki. “So how long are you going to be in town?” Or more specifically, staying with them?