Feedback: Please!!
Never The Same Again
Part 13
By: Ashley
The car ride home had been long, silent, and pensive. When you’ve known someone since the fifth grade, what do you do when it feels that you no longer know them? Neither Laverne nor Shirley knew how to deal with it, aside from sulking and pretending that it simply hadn’t happened. But it had happened. And somewhere inside both of them was a gaping hole that hurt tremendously.
When the girls got back to the apartment, Shirley immediately noticed something was missing. “Laverne,” she began, “where’s Lenny?”
“Huh? Oh, I dunno. Hey, Shirl, I gotta run to the grocery store. What do you need for the baby?”
Shirley was sitting on the couch, cradling her baby in her arms. “Well, uh, let’s see… I’ll need formula, diapers, diaper rash ointment, baby powder, baby bath, baby wipes…”
“Aww, the baby aisle,” Laverne said wistfully.
“I think that should about do it.”
“Okay. Well, uh, if you need anything, just call my pop, okay?”
“All right,” Shirley said.
Laverne had no sooner gone out the door when the phone rang. Shirley gingerly placed Lily in the cradle that had been set up for her and answered the phone. “Hello?”
“Laverne?” came a familiar voice.
“No, Shirley,” Shirley responded.
“Angel Face?” the voice asked.
Shirley’s eyes widened. “Carmine?”
“What’re ya
doin’ in
“What are you doing calling Laverne?!”
“I wanted to give her the address to my new apartment and my new phone number. You still haven’t answered my question.”
Shirley inhaled deeply. How did she tell him…? “It’s a long, long, story, Carmine.” That was simple enough.
Lucky for her, he didn’t ask questions. “Well, listen, have you got something to write with?”
“Sure
thing, hold on one second, okay?” She
scrambled on the telephone table for a pen and a piece of paper. “Lily, honey, don’t cry! Mommy will be there in just a minute!”
“Shirl, was that a baby?”
“Mmm-hmm. I’ve got a pen and paper right here. What’s the number, Carmine?”
“Not … your baby?”
“Yes, now what’d you say the number was?”
“You had the baby?!”
“Carmine, just give me the number.”
He finally dropped the subject. “Okay, it’s 212-555-5934, and I’m living on the west side in a studio apartment. It’s a pretty nice place and the rent is fair, but I …” he realized that it had gone silent on the other end. “Shirl? Angel Face, you there?”
He couldn’t see her, but if he had, he’d have seen her eyes racing over a piece of paper. She thought it to be scratch and had begun writing his number on it, but when she unfolded it, she realized it was something else – something much more important. “Carmine, I have to go. I’ll get Laverne to call you as soon as she comes in, all right?”
“Oh, okay. Shirley, are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Carmine, really.”
“Well, if you need me, you know you can always call on the Big …” he started to laugh. “Wait, what am I sayin’? You’ve got Walter!”
“Goodbye, Carmine.”