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But when a city has come to know you as one thing for so many years, how can I possibly change the way they see me? Fearless is the last thing I am.
It’s three hours to showtime, and my delivery queue is clear.
I have enough time to bike out to the Dog’s Paw and congratulate Ter-Ter on his heroism. I’m sure that all this silliness will disappear once I lay eyes on my old friend. It’s a phase, because he’s suddenly a community hero. That must have thrown me off, made me see him differently.
But Terence is Terence, and Ter-Ter doesn’t change. He hasn’t changed in these eighteen years of friendship. Isn’t that part of what keeps our friendship alive?
I am who I am, and he is who he is. We don’t mess with what works, and we love each other for it. In the friend way, I mean. I mean… I think that’s what I mean.
What am I even talking about?
The wrought iron gates point into the cloudless blue sky, which I would swear goes on forever, if I didn’t know the little I do about science. A bike ride out of town and the whole world changes aspect. The smell of the evergreens is intoxicating.
I park my bicycle next to a Ferrari, because anyone who owns a Ferrari isn’t going to mess with my bicycle. In any case, this is the Chateau Rose, and people here could buy me a new bike with their pocket change of a few hundred dollar bills.
This place is known all over the country, but what I love about it is that it never feels like a fancy, posh place.
Aside from the multiple Ferraris in the parking lot.
The big glass door to the Dog’s Paw swings open easily, and a woman with a big smile stands from behind the counter.
“Hello!” she sings. “Welcome to the Dog’s Paw Dog Spa, where your canine’s wellness is our delight. Are you picking up a wonder dog this afternoon?”
“In a way.” This reception area is fancier than the Carpaccio’s Italian Gourmet in downtown Hampton Falls. And it’s for dogs. Wow. “I’m looking for Terence Green.”
My voice breaks a little as I say his name, but the woman doesn’t seem to notice.
“I’ll get him for you. Just give me one little second.”
I hear nails scratching at what must be a marble floor. No question who it is.
“Ranger!”
He runs a few circles around me and then rolls so I can scratch the place he loves under his elbows.
“She’s right here,” the woman says.
“Thank you, Rita.” Terence appears. “Alli! This is a surprise. What’s up?”
Oh no. I looked at him. Tummy is flip-flopping. I shouldn’t have looked at him. But what else could I have done?
Turns out this feeling I’ve got… it’s not just from seeing Terence on tv.
This is a whole lotta bad.
My best friend since forever suddenly feels like more. He’s the one who crouched behind the middle school with me and promised that we’d be friends forever. That we’d never let anyone come between us—not boyfriends or girlfriends, not parents or jobs, and definitely not those feelings that get other people in trouble…
We made a promise.
I can’t break that promise now. I’ve counted on that promise for so long, knowing that no matter what, Terence would be there behind me. How many times have I sobbed on that sofa over bad breakups? How many times has he let girls go because he couldn’t connect with them emotionally?
We made a promise. And by golly, I’m going to keep it.
Now I just have to get out of here without him noticing anything. I need a good cover.
Terence’s face clouds over. “Alli, what on earth is the matter with you?”
So much for cover.
