The Better Brother

“Good,” Gwen said. “I went to our favorite place and got you a massive salad. And some soup. With some bread. And some cake.”

“That’s some serious food.”

“It’s a serious celebration,” she said. “And you look like shit. Have you seen yourself in a mirror?”

“The one in my apartment’s broken,” I said.

“Of course, it is. Just like everything else in that damn place. Come on back. We’ll talk.”

I sipped my coffee and followed her into the back room. It was a lot dimmer than outside or the main room of the salon and I was finally able to take my sunglasses off. I sighed with relief while my eyes adjusted back to their preferred state. Then, I tossed my sunglasses onto the table and threw my arms around my best friend.

“I’m so proud of you,” I said.

She hugged me close and I could feel her smiling into my shoulder.

“Me, too. I honestly didn’t think I’d get there. Life threw me so many curveballs this year that I wasn’t sure if I was gonna make it.”

She was right. Life had dealt her a shitty hand this past year. The engine of her car broken down and she had to get another one. Her washing machine blew up. The plumbing in her home went haywire and stuff had to be repiped. She was dipping into her cushion account more than she wanted and she was so scared she’d have to start dipping into her “future business” account for anything else. I’d offered to give her money from my own savings a few times, but not surprisingly she’d turn it down. She wanted to hike the mountain on her own and I was damn proud of her for making it happen.

“But you did it,” I said. “That’s the important thing here.”

We sat down and began to eat but I could feel her eyes on me. I knew I looked tired but did I really look that bad?

“Yes, you do,” Gwen said.

“Do what?” I asked.

“Look that bad. Here.”

She pulled out her purse and dug around in it for a while. Eventually, she presented me with a compact mirror. I looked up at her and she raised her eyebrows, almost daring me to look at a person I didn’t want to acknowledge. I sighed and took it from her before I popped it open, thinking it really wouldn’t be as bad as she thought it was.

But even I was startled by the person staring back at me.

The bags underneath my eyes were heavy, despite the massive amount of time I spent sleeping. I still had imprints on my face from where my blanket smushed into my skin. My cheeks were puffy from all the salty snacks I was eating while my cheekbones protruded a bit with the fact that I wasn’t getting enough calories. My hair was frazzled, there were wisps in my face, and, suddenly, I didn’t recognize the person staring back at me.

Who the hell was this haggard woman?

“Now, I know you came to talk about when I’m going to start shopping around for my new business location but, if we’re gonna talk about that, then we have to talk about you,” Gwen said.

“Oh, come on, it’s not that bad,” I said.

“Don’t you ‘lawyer’ me. This has gone on long enough. You’ve been out of work for a month and the Whitney I know would’ve already had another plan in place. What’s happening? What’s going on?”

“Here’s the deal,” I said. “I’ll talk about me but we talk about you first. I don’t want my shit overshadowing this incredible thing you’ve just done.”

I took a bite of my salad while Gwen held my stare.

“You drive a hard bargain but I accept,” she said, grinning. “And to answer your first question, I’m going to start looking next week.”

“I hate it when you do that.”

“Do what?” she asked. “Know all the things you’re thinking all at once? I’m your best friend. It’s one of my superpowers.”

“Got it,” I said. “So, can I help you look for places?”

“No.”

“Why not?” I asked. “Come on. It’ll be fun! I’ll treat us to lunches and everything.”