back twice before Cristina answered the phone. "Ali?" She said in greeting.
"How bad was it, after I left?"
Cristina sighed. "Pretty bad. Your mother fainted, your father screamed at Carmac. Bobby turned shades of purple, and then he started asking people to get him a drink. There were reporters calling me all last night."
"Yeah, Karen warned me," Ali said. "I guess I made a mess of things."
She waited for Cristina to agree. She heard a sigh, and then heard some movement as Cristina closed the door to the room she was in and settled down somewhere. "Why did you do it, Ali? Was it because of Alejandro?"
"You remember when you kept asking me what I wanted?"
"Of course."
"I'm still not completely sure. But I know I don't want Bobby. At least, I don't want the life he's going to have. I don't want to live in the public eye, and I don't want to have to spend all day figuring out how to match my hat with my shoes. I want to go to the feed store in my shitkickers and take care of my horse and help some kids. When Bobby and I were going to do that together, I could deal with some of the other stuff. But he's turning into someone I never knew, someone I never wanted to know. And I kept waiting for him to switch back, to become that man that I fell in love with back in college. Only he never did."
"Did you feel differently once the Xanax wore off?"
Ali chucked. "I felt hung over as all shit, that's for sure."
Cristina laughed too. "You weren't supposed to take that many."
"Well, you told me to take my medicine."
They laughed together, light and easy, like they had months ago. Before Alejandro came back to town.
"Do you promise me that this wasn't because of my cousin, mami ?"
There was so much sorrow and worry inside of Cristina’s voice that it plucked at Ali’s heart. “Why does it matter so much that I not be with him, Cristina? I know he lives a rough life, but I feel alive when I’m with him.”
“Because I introduced you,” Cristina cried out. “When he came to our cheerleading practice, I told you who he was. I let you flirt with him, I encouraged you to have a fling with him. And now— If you’re leaving for him, if you’re with him, and something happens to you, that means it’s my fault. That means I killed you, and I can’t live with that.”
Ali heard her friend collapse into harsh sobs, and the sound twisted her heart into bits. She searched for the words she needed. “Oh, sweetie, I promise. I’m making my own choices. I’m not leaving for him—though I’m not gonna lie to you, I am with him, at least, at the moment—but I’m leaving because I need to make my own life. I left Bobby because it was the right thing not to marry him. And being with Alejandro right now— It’s the only thing in my messed up world that feels right.”
She listened while Cristina cried herself out. “No governor’s mansion for me,” she said, finally. She was laughing, but there was a bitter hint in her tone.
“Not unless you get there on your own,” Ali said.
“Wouldn’t that be a sight,” she said, and just like that they were friends again. Not as close as they’d been once, Ali thought, and maybe they never would be again. But closer than they’d been when she picked up the phone.
“Look, I need to ask you one more favor.”
Cristina snorted. “The last favor I did for you ruined your wedding. Your very expensive wedding, as your daddy reminded me repeatedly.”
Ali let it pass for now. “I know. But this is the last matron of honor duty I’ll ask of you. Can you swing by my place in a couple of hours?”
“Sure,” Cristina said. “Happy to. After all, if this is the way things are going to go, Alejandro and I are going to have a few words.”
“Cristina—”
“What do I always tell you, Ali?” They finished it together: “Take your medicine.”
She disconnected the call,
"How bad was it, after I left?"
Cristina sighed. "Pretty bad. Your mother fainted, your father screamed at Carmac. Bobby turned shades of purple, and then he started asking people to get him a drink. There were reporters calling me all last night."
"Yeah, Karen warned me," Ali said. "I guess I made a mess of things."
She waited for Cristina to agree. She heard a sigh, and then heard some movement as Cristina closed the door to the room she was in and settled down somewhere. "Why did you do it, Ali? Was it because of Alejandro?"
"You remember when you kept asking me what I wanted?"
"Of course."
"I'm still not completely sure. But I know I don't want Bobby. At least, I don't want the life he's going to have. I don't want to live in the public eye, and I don't want to have to spend all day figuring out how to match my hat with my shoes. I want to go to the feed store in my shitkickers and take care of my horse and help some kids. When Bobby and I were going to do that together, I could deal with some of the other stuff. But he's turning into someone I never knew, someone I never wanted to know. And I kept waiting for him to switch back, to become that man that I fell in love with back in college. Only he never did."
"Did you feel differently once the Xanax wore off?"
Ali chucked. "I felt hung over as all shit, that's for sure."
Cristina laughed too. "You weren't supposed to take that many."
"Well, you told me to take my medicine."
They laughed together, light and easy, like they had months ago. Before Alejandro came back to town.
"Do you promise me that this wasn't because of my cousin, mami ?"
There was so much sorrow and worry inside of Cristina’s voice that it plucked at Ali’s heart. “Why does it matter so much that I not be with him, Cristina? I know he lives a rough life, but I feel alive when I’m with him.”
“Because I introduced you,” Cristina cried out. “When he came to our cheerleading practice, I told you who he was. I let you flirt with him, I encouraged you to have a fling with him. And now— If you’re leaving for him, if you’re with him, and something happens to you, that means it’s my fault. That means I killed you, and I can’t live with that.”
Ali heard her friend collapse into harsh sobs, and the sound twisted her heart into bits. She searched for the words she needed. “Oh, sweetie, I promise. I’m making my own choices. I’m not leaving for him—though I’m not gonna lie to you, I am with him, at least, at the moment—but I’m leaving because I need to make my own life. I left Bobby because it was the right thing not to marry him. And being with Alejandro right now— It’s the only thing in my messed up world that feels right.”
She listened while Cristina cried herself out. “No governor’s mansion for me,” she said, finally. She was laughing, but there was a bitter hint in her tone.
“Not unless you get there on your own,” Ali said.
“Wouldn’t that be a sight,” she said, and just like that they were friends again. Not as close as they’d been once, Ali thought, and maybe they never would be again. But closer than they’d been when she picked up the phone.
“Look, I need to ask you one more favor.”
Cristina snorted. “The last favor I did for you ruined your wedding. Your very expensive wedding, as your daddy reminded me repeatedly.”
Ali let it pass for now. “I know. But this is the last matron of honor duty I’ll ask of you. Can you swing by my place in a couple of hours?”
“Sure,” Cristina said. “Happy to. After all, if this is the way things are going to go, Alejandro and I are going to have a few words.”
“Cristina—”
“What do I always tell you, Ali?” They finished it together: “Take your medicine.”
She disconnected the call,
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