AR - What?

“What?” you say, baffled by her response. “What is your problem?”

“You said Stef’s been to your house?” Carla wheezes, still recovering from **** on liquor.

“Well, yeah. I mean, you’re all friends, right?”

“Yes, of course, yes,” Carla says, waving her hand impatiently. “But we haven’t been close with Mary, you know, that I know of for a while. She kind of has to keep her distance from us, remember? We see each other, we talk, but we don’t go to her house. When is this happening?”

“It’s not like it’s a thing,” you reply, flustered. “I’ve just seen her there, you know? I remember one time she rang the bell and gave me a package for mom. That’s all. It’s not like she’s hanging out, really.”

“A package, huh?” Carla’s eyes glint dangerously. “I see.”

“What the hell?” you ask.

Carla smiles and shakes her head. “Oh my god. Nothing. It’s nothing, Riley. I’m just hoping that Stef is not as colossally fucking stupid and I worry that she is. But that’s not for you to worry about.”

You stare at her. “What? You… you think Stef and my mom? I don’t think so, and besides… uh, Stef and Jessica are a bit, uh, swingerish.”

Now Carla looks baffled. “What?”

“They kind of came onto me and Adella the other night,” you say, embarrassed. “We’re not offended or anything. I shouldn’t have said that. Keep that between us.”

“I’m not telling anybody,” Carla says, sounding dazed. Her eyebrows are raised up so high that they’re going to disappear into her glossy, dark hair. She leans back, eyes wide, fumbling blindly for the bottles on the shelf behind her. She grabs one and brings it to the table, pouring herself another glass. “Jesus fucking Christ,” she says.

“Is that weird? For them to like, uh, try to get friendly with another couple?” you ask.

“Well,” Carla says, still staring blindly, not at you. She pours gin into the glass and gulps it down. It’s obvious that she’s thinking hard and not really engaged with the conversation anymore. It seems like something that you’ve said has blown her mind. “I… kind of get it. I’m just a little surprised. No big deal.” Her eyes flick to you. “You and Adella are an attractive couple. Hey, uh… how long ago would you say that you saw Stef at your house?”

“Gosh, I don’t know. Just a year or two ago.”

“Before or after your dad left?”

“Way after.”

“Right, right.” Carla chews her lips. “And about how many times have you seen her there?”

“Two or three maybe.” You make a face, remembering your mom’s reaction earlier today. Carla is gay, Stef is gay, all the Free Gurls are gay… they’re used to thinking this way, but your mother is not gay. “You cannot seriously think that there’s something between Stef and my mom,” you say. If there was, Mom’s reaction today was all wrong.

“Oh, I know,” Carla says quickly, her eyes suddenly focusing on you. “I know. Trust me, Riley. If there was something like that, I’d know. I don’t see Mary very often, but Stef and I are together every day. I didn’t know that she was giving your mom packages. That’s all. It’s not—it’s not a big deal.”