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A Little Confrontation
"Hello?"
"Amy, hi." It was Trish, and I could instantly tell from the tone of her voice that she wasn't happy. "I really need to talk to you."
"Well, hey, go ahead," I told her. "I'm listening." I tore my eyes off of my Dell laptop's screen, where my latest piece of work for the magazine lay.
"I'm really mad at Candice," she blurted. "I mean, really mad - still! She had no right to be so negative about my engagement!"
I sighed and picked up my mug of coffee. For some strange reason, I'd thought she had already called or seen our friend to work this thing out. It wasn't fun being stuck in the middle. Well, at least Candice hadn't contributed to putting me there.
"Sweetie," I said, "you have to talk to her! If this is really bothering you that much, call her or pay her a visit and tell her."
Trish sighed as well.
"I know, Amy... I know, you're right. And you know what? I'm gonna do that. You'll be there for me if things don't go well and I need to vent... right?"
I held my breath for a beat. I really didn't like this. I had no doubt in my mind that if things became ugly between the two of them, Candice would want the same thing from me - to be there to listen to her vent. And the truth was I didn't know if I could just sit by and listen to my friend rant on about one another. I wanted to be there for both of them - but would it really be fair on their part to do that to me?
"Sure," I replied. "Of course I will."
"Thanks, Amy. Okay, I'm going to do it now," Trish declared.
"Good luck. Bye, Trish."
"Bye."
*
Candice was busy going over some papers for a client's case as she nibbled her breakfast in her living room. She pushed her glasses farther up her nose, as they'd begun to slip, dropping her pencil on the coffee table as she heard the buzzer ringing.
It was still quite early at barely eight-thirty in the morning. The brunette wondered who was coming to see her as she reached the intercom.
"Who is it?
"It's Trish!" came the response.
Candice arched a brow in wonder and pressed the button that would allow the blonde into the building. Normally, her co-op had a doorman, but his shift didn't start until nine.
Minutes later, she actually heard the blonde in the hallway, as her heels clacked noisily on the marble floor. And then, sure enough, she knew she was just outside her door. She went to open it before Trish could even ring the bell, the little blonde startled by the suddenness of it.
"Good morning."
"Oh, don't 'good morning' me, Candice Michelle Beckman!" she snapped. Without waiting for a response, the short blonde pushed her way past the taller woman and turned back to glare at her as Candice calmly shut the door. "You had no right... no right to speak to me that way!"
"Excuse me? Trish, I don't know what your problem is, but it's a little too early in the day for me to get in a fight with you. And, unlike you, I have work to do today."
"Don't you dare try to dismiss me!" the blonde shouted. That drew Candice's full attention on her, and the brunette stared at her in shock. "And you know damn well why I'm mad! How dare you get all self-righteous and judgmental about my relationship!"
"You're kidding, right?" The lawyer eyed Trish strangely, as though disbelieving she was actually still upset about her candor the day she'd made her big announcement. "I cannot believe you're standing here in my apartment at eight-thirty in the morning yelling at me over this!"
Trish pursed her lips together so that they were nearly invisible as she stared at Candice.
"You know, Candice, I thought you might get it," she replied. "I thought you, as my friend, might actually understand."
"What's that supposed to mean?" came the reply. Candice crossed her arms and stared at her friend. "Oh, wait... So, because I'm actually concerned for you, that means I'm 'not understanding?' Trish, you've known the guy two months! And he didn't even propose to you!"
"That's not the polint!" the blonde exclaimed. "You're supposed to be my friend!"
"That's just it, Trish - I am your friend. I'm such a good friend that I think you deserve better. Aren't you the one who always yearns for romance?" the brunette pointed out. "Excuse me for thinking you deserve that and that a man should propose to you rather than simply agreeing with you and calling it an engagment!"
Trish opened her mouth, fully ready to shoot back again but stopped. Everything Candice had just said absorbed in her, and she suddenly felt really stupid. Sure, the brunette had sounded pretty sarcastic and not at all supportive, but now she understood. She was only thinking of her. She was a truly good friend. She felt tears coming to her eyes and blinked against them.
"Oh, Candice... I... I'm sorry!" she moaned. "I never thought about it that way."
Instantly, the brunette's defensive mood melted away, and she moved closer to hug her friend.
"Oh, sweetie, it's okay. I understand." She patted Trish on the back gently. "And next time, I'll try to be a little more sensitive to your feelings, okay?"
The blonde nodded.
"Okay. Thank you." She let out a soft laugh.
"What?" Candice asked as she gazed into her face.
"You will be a bridesmaid at my wedding, won't you?"
The brunette's face brightened into a full grin.
"Of course I will, Trish."