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Cay waves and smiles at a classmate she recognizes as she heads out for the afternoon. She shivers and shoves her hands in her pockets, wishing she had listened to her wife this morning on her way out.
“ Okay. I’ll see you later. It’s getting pretty cold out there, make sure you wear a coat. ” Cay had rolled her eyes and blown a raspberry in response. “Fine. Be cold. Dummy .”
“ I love you too!” She chuckles to herself, thinking about Vivian’s smirk as she closed the door behind her. She’s just about to trot down the stairs to the subway entrance when she hears her name being called.
“Cay!! Hey! Rivvers! Wait up!” It was Caroline, wearing a pea coat, running up the sidewalk towards her. She smiles and waves at her friend as she finally reaches her and bends over to catch her breath.
“You alright?” Caroline holds up a finger.
“Yeah. I’m okay. Just out of shape, apparently.”
“I’m just heading home now. Did you wanna come with?” She asks, already knowing the answer. Caroline lived on the west side of the city. She usually took a cab home. Her parents were wealthy and paid for her apartment and school. On top of an already plentiful trust fund.
“No. Why would I do that?” Cay snorts.
“I dunno. I was being polite. What do you want, anyway? Why’d you chase me down?”
“Well, I saw you and just figured I’d catch you now, so I wouldn’t have to add you to the never ending list of party goers I need to call.”
“Huh? For what? Your Halloween party? You sent out invites to that weeks ago. Are you like a Doctor’s office now? Is this my courtesy call to remind me about your party? Are you going to inform me of your cancellation fee?” She chuckles as Caroline rolls her eyes.
“You’re hilarious.”
“I know.”
“I was kidding!”
“I know.” Caroline sighs and looks at her with an annoyed expression.
“Are you done? Can I talk now?”
“I don’t know. Can you?” Caroline tips her head to the side and clenches her jaw. “Alright! Jeez. Sorry. What’s up?”
“My building is being fumigated.”
“What…..like right now? Do you need a place to stay? We put a twin bed in my studio last month. Got rid of that little couch. I’m sure Vivian won’t mind.”
“No, no. I’m okay. But I have to cancel the party tomorrow. Stupid idiot landlord decided to ruin everyone’s fun and schedule it last minute on Halloween. I hate that guy. I’m thinking about finding a new place.”
“Aw, man. That sucks. We were looking forward to it. I was gonna be a pilot and Vivian a stewardess. She looks hot in that costume, too. Damn! This really sucks.”
“I know. I’m sorry. There’s nothing I can do about it, though.”
“What about your parents? Can you use their place?” Caroline laughs.
“Cay. My parents are cool. But they aren’t that cool.” Cay nods and shrugs.
“Okay. Well, I’m sorry about the party. But I should get going. My turn to cook tonight. Plus, I gotta pick up a bottle of milk at the store.” Caroline nods and points to the writing on her arm.
“Is that why it says milk in giant letters on your forearm?” Cay laughs.
“Yep. I always forget so the wife took some drastic measures to make sure I remembered this time.”
“Yeah. I can see that. There’s like 5 exclamation points after it.”
“Seven, actually.”
“Ah.”
“Alright. I’m going. Did you wanna meet for lunch on Monday?”
“Sure! The uh….the chicken place again? That was pretty good.”
“Sure, sounds good. Okay. Bye!” She calls out as she barrels down the stairs and into the tunnel.
—————————
“Heyyyyy. I’m home.”
“I’m in the kitchen!” Cay stirs the meat sauce with her spoon and licks the remnants off her finger. Vivian comes around the corner while thumbing through the mail and kisses her cheek.
“Smells good!“
“Thank you.”
“Did you remember the milk?”
“Milk? Shit. I knew I forgot something.” Vivian scoffs and tosses the mail on the table before grabbing her arm, pointing at the large letters in frustration.
“What else do I need to do?! I mean….what the hell?! I can’t write directly on your eyeballs, Cay.” Cay shrugs and pulls her arm back.
“I dunno, baby. I think it’s a losing battle. Hey, can you grab me the open Merlot from the fridge? I’m gonna try something in the sauce that Silver told me about.” Vivian looks at her with her hands on her hips and sighs, reaching for the handle to the refrigerator. Cay grins as she watches her wife’s face fall on the brand new, unopened bottle of milk.
“You know what? Frances is right. You really are a brat.” She hands her the Merlot and smacks Cay’s ass as she heads into the bedroom to change.
“Hey! Don’t walk away from me. Come back here and spank me again! I’ve been naughty!” She hears a quiet giggle somewhere inside their bedroom and smiles to herself.
Vivian emerges ten minutes later with her hair out of her French twist and now up in a messy ponytail, wearing one of Martin’s old college sweaters with pajama pants and fuzzy slippers. She pushes the sleeves of the sweater up and reaches for two wine glasses and two plates to set the table with.
“What did you end up doing with the Merlot? Or was that just so I would open the refrigerator to see the milk.” She smirks at Cay and grabs some silverware from the drawer.
“Silver said if you pour about half an ounce into your sauce, or a whole ounce depending on the amount, it makes it taste like a fancy restaurant.” Vivian chuckles.
“Ooookay. Did you try it?”
“Yeah! It’s really good! Here.” She takes the wooden spoon from the sauce pan and holds her hand underneath it as Vivian leans forward to taste it.
“Mmmm! You’re right, that’s delicious!”
“Does it taste like a fancy restaurant?” Vivian chuckles.
“I don’t know. I’ve never ordered spaghetti at Delmonicos. But….sure. Why not?” She smiles at Cay and rubs her back before plopping down at the table. Cay takes out some cucumbers and tomatoes she had chopped up earlier and places them on the table with Italian dressing.
“Did you want bread?”
“Um…..nah. This is fine.” Cay smiles as she takes Vivian’s empty plate and kisses her forehead. She turns back to the stove to pile on some spaghetti and sauce.
“How was work?”
“Okay. Nothing out of the ordinary. Oh, I had lunch with Martin though.” She places her plate back down in front of her before grabbing her own.
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. He uh…..” she laughs to herself. “He told me about the squirrel. Why didn’t you say anything when you got home?” Cay sighs and looks up at the ceiling before turning to sit next to her wife.
“He had me following that stupid thing all through the damn park with him so he could get a closer look! Because, according to him, it was a “breed you don’t typically see in the city.”” She says in her best Martin voice. “By the end of the afternoon I just wanted to forget the whole thing. I’ll be one happy lady if I never hear a “fun fact” about squirrels ever again. Did you know a squirrel's front teeth never stop growing? No? Of course you don’t. No one knows that crap except Martin. And now me.” Vivian’s eyes cloud over with tears of laughter.
“You didn’t have to! You could’ve said no.” Cay tips her head from side to side.
“I know. But…..he was excited. And I felt bad bailing on him.” Vivian chuckles.
“What was that again? You felt….what? Bad? For Martin?” Cay smirks at her with her cheeks turning slightly pink.
“You know he doesn’t get that way a lot. I wanted him to be happy.” Vivian gazes at her wife, adoringly, and gently squeezes her arm.
“Well. He certainly was animated at lunch, that’s for sure. Very happy, indeed. So….thank you. That was very sweet of you to do that.” Cay groans, trying to hide her embarrassment.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’m a big sweetie pie. Oh. I ran into Caroline today. Her party tomorrow is canceled.” Vivian tuts.
“What? Why?”
“Her apartment is being fumigated.” She responds, her mouth full of cucumbers.
“Seriously? Aww. That stinks. I was really looking forward to not being “that drunk girl” this year.” Cay snorts and holds her napkin over her mouth while she laughs. “Stop it! I’m serious. It’s embarrassing.”
“Viv, nobody cares.”
“I care!” Cay rolls her eyes.
“Okay, fine! Whatever. Everyone cares. Happy? So I guess we are free now tomorrow night. What do you wanna do?” She’s quiet for a moment as she thinks about their Saturday night plans.
“Well…..I mean….I suppose we could throw a party here. Instead.” Cay stops chewing and looks at her.
“Are you joking?”
“No! I mean…. why not?” Cay waves her hand around like it’s obvious.
“It’s a small apartment! Where is everyone going to go? Plus, aren’t you afraid that someone will ruin your precious First editions? I’d be worried. I mean….the only reason Caroline does it is because she’s got that uh….open space area thingy.” Vivian chuckles.
“You mean the Great Room?”
“I don’t know if I’d call it great. But it’s big enough for a party. Unlike here.”
“……No, sweetie. The room is called the Great Room. It’s a design term. Martin and I had one.”
“Oh. Why does he still live there, anyway? From what you described that place was too big even for two people, let alone one. Why doesn’t he end the lease and look for something smaller?” Vivian shrugs.
“I don’t know. Memories, I guess? Martin also tends to get claustrophobic in small spaces if he’s forced to stay in them for an extended time.” Cay rolls her eyes and snorts.
“He’s so weird.” Vivian nods as she twirls her fork in her spaghetti.
“Yeah. He’s special. Anyways, he would never give that place up. It’s rent controlled.” Cay gasps, suddenly having an idea. “What? What is it?”
“If we asked nicely, do you think he—“
“No. No, Cay. Uh uh.”
“You didn’t even let me finish!”
“You’re gonna ask if we can throw the party at his place. The answer is NO.”
“Why not? It wouldn’t hurt to just ask him.” Vivian sighs and shakes her head.
“Because! You can’t throw some crazy college party there. Do you even know who else lives in that building?”
“Um…..Dobie Gillis? No, wait. Fred and Wilma.” Vivian tips her head and squints.
“Who? No. No. I don’t even….” She sighs and waves her off. “Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner have a place there. For when they are in town. Also, several prominent politicians. Oh, and Dimitri Mitropolis as well.”
“Okay now you’re just making names up.”
“I am not! He was the conductor for the New York Philharmonic for 7 years!”
“Ohhhhh. Okay. That Dimitri. I’m sorry.”
“So you’ve heard of him?” Cay laughs.
“No! Of course not. Why would I know that? Hmm? And…I mean, who cares? You telling me Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner aren’t throwing wild, late night cocktail parties over there? Please.”
“Well…..there was that one time when a very inebriated Dennis Hopper knocked on our door on his way out. Idiot must’ve pressed 4 instead of lobby. They don’t have a night operator there. It’s to discourage people from using it too late at night.”
“Wow! Dennis Hopper?! What did he want?”
“Martin said he wanted to use the bathroom.”
“Ha! Did he let him in?”
“Oh God no. He said he reeked of booze and….” She leans closer to whisper “marijuana”, with wide eyes. Cay laughs.
“How does Martin even know what reefer smells like?”
“He’s been working at a college campus for years, Cay. Trust me. We both are well familiar with the scent.” They eat in silence for a minute until Vivian clears her throat. “Do um….do any of your friends take marijuana?” Cay snorts.
“Okay. First of all, grandma, you don’t take it. You smoke it. Most of the time, anyway. And no, not that I know of. Why? You lookin to buy?” She grins at her wife’s shocked expression.
“No! Of course not. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t hanging around with delinquents.”
“As far as I know, I’m the only delinquent.”
“You’re not a delinquent.”
“No? Tell that to Reno PD when I was 12. Anyways. I don’t care. I’m calling him. I’m gonna ask.”
“Calling who?”
“Martin!” Vivian sighs.
“Whatever. Do what you want. But he’s gonna say no.”
“So he says no.” She shrugs. “But it won’t hurt to ask.”
——————————
He picks up on the fifth ring.
“Hello?”
“Martin?”
“Uh, yes. Who, may I ask, is calling?” Cay rolls her eyes and stifles a laugh.
“It’s Cay, Martin. Cay Rivvers? This is not the first time I’ve called you. You don’t recognize my voice?” Martin chuckles, sounding embarrassed.
“Yes, yes. Of course I do. Sorry, I’m just a bit distracted at the moment.”
“Everything okay?”
“Yes! Yes. I’m just in the middle of this experiment, you see—“
“Sounds fascinating. Can’t wait to hear more about it. But, um….” She looks over at Vivian sitting at her desk, suddenly not sure what to say.
“Is everything alright with you? Is there something wrong with Vivian?”
“Um….other than the fact she has her earrings and wardrobe categorized by numbers? No. She’s fine.” Vivian turns her head around and smirks. “Um…..Vivian mentioned earlier that you have a Great Room?”
“Yes. That’s correct. What about it?”
“Well, um…..how would you like to…come to a Halloween party?” Martin laughs.
“Where? At…..at The Brannigan?”
“Um….no. Not here. Okay, look. Um. See, my friend Caroline throws a Halloween party every year. Last year was the first time Vivian and I attended, obviously. But she just had to cancel last minute because her apartment is being fumigated.”
“Oh? That’s too bad. So…..I don’t understand. You’re inviting me to a Halloween party that doesn’t exist anymore?” Cay sighs and bites her lip.
“Well. No. Not exactly.” Suddenly Vivian is by her side, sighing, all business.
“Gimme the phone.” Cay hands her the receiver. “For Pete’s sake. Between the two of you this is going to take 2 hours!” She holds the phone up to her ear. “Hello? Martin?”
“……Vivian?”
“Yes. Cay is trying to ask you if you would be willing to let us use your apartment to throw a Halloween party. Our place is too small. Obviously you are invited. I told her you’d probably say no, but she—“
“Well, now, wait a minute. I didn’t say no.”
“Yet.”
“No! It’s not like that. I just need more details. Like….how many guests? What are their names? You know how they are downstairs. We would have to give them a list like every other party we’ve thrown here. Plus, I mean…..now that I have you on the line, can you tell me what I’d be getting myself into here?”
“……What do you mean?” Martin sighs.
“Well, for starters. How old are these people? I’m not throwing a party for a bunch of kids, Vivian. Can you imagine the neighbors seeing a….a parade of young women enter my apartment?” Vivian laughs.
“Actually, Martin. That might not be such a bad thing. You could be known as the “wild bachelor in 41B”’
“That’s a good thing?”
“Sure! Might help you meet someone.”
“Huh. Okay. And….and these girls. Women. Um….are they all…you know…like you and Cay?”
“You mean are they all lesbians?” Martin coughs, sounding as if he’s choking. Vivian smiles to herself. “You okay over there?”
“Yes. Yes……” she hears him take a sip of something. “Yes, sorry. Um….so are they?” Vivian is about to say yes when she realizes she actually doesn’t know for sure. “Hold on.” She covers the mouthpiece. “Are all these girls gay?” Cay snorts.
“Why? He looking to hook up?” Vivian grits her teeth and gives her a look of warning. “Okay, okay. Relax. Um……oh! No, actually. I know this girl Brandy in my pottery class who’s friends with Caroline too. She just broke up with her boyfriend. But Caroline has totally made out with her before. A few times, actually. Caroline has a few friends like that, now that I think of it. There are people out there that like both, you know. Hell, look at Silver!” Vivian purses her lips as she thinks, then shrugs and takes her hand off the mouthpiece.
“Cay says some of her friends date both men and women.”
“Hmm. So….do you think I’d be the only man there?” Vivian smiles, now understanding what he’s hinting at.
“Probably. You could have a dozen women dancing with you, Dr. Bell.” She can practically hear his blush through the phone.
“Okay. Let’s do it.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, why not? I need to start being more….adventurous. Um…..you’ll have to get me that list as soon as possible, though.”
“Okay. We can do that. I can drop it off in the morning.”
“Why don’t you two come over for an early dinner tomorrow and we can get started? Is um…. 4 okay?”
“Sure! Sounds good. Thank you, Martin. Really.”
“You’re welcome. My pleasure. See you tomorrow.”
“Bye.” She hangs up the phone and turns to Cay with a grin.
“He’s in.”
——————-
Fortunately, Caroline was able to come by later that night with a list of names and phone numbers. Cay took the list to the living room floor and called everyone on there, giving them Martin’s address and the time it would start.
The next morning, after she arrived back from dropping off the list, Vivian got some work done at her desk while Cay made decorations in her studio. Before she vacated her building, Caroline made sure to box up the decorations she was going to use for her party. She was bringing her colorful party light, her orange twinkle lights, and a few plastic jack o lanterns to fill with chips or candy. All in all it was shaping up to be a great party.
Around lunchtime Vivian shuffled down the hall to the studio and peeked inside.
“Hey. What do you want for lunch?”
“Um…..I dunno. Are you all done?” Vivian shrugs and plops down on the twin bed. When they arrived home in August, they decided to start thinking smarter about their relationship. They were married now, and they couldn’t risk another problem like they had with Dorothy the previous spring. So they had maintenance come and remove the love seat, and Vivian purchased a twin bed in its place. They even decorated the walls to look like it was Cay’s bedroom. Cay no longer kept her pajamas under her pillow on the bed she shared with Vivian. And she tried to keep her nightstand as sparse as possible. They decided it wasn’t hiding. It was just being smart.
The bed in the studio worked out for more than just pretend. There were a few late nights when Vivian found Cay passed out from working too late. Instead of waking her up to move to their bedroom, she would maneuver her so she was under the covers and then she would join her. They had an alarm clock in there for such occasions. On the weekends, sometimes Vivian would relax on the bed with a book while Cay worked. And…..sometimes that would lead to other things. Which was always fun, of course.
“I’m never done. Work is….infinite.”
“Well, that’s because you create all those side projects for yourself.” Vivian snorts and looks around at all the half complete projects in the room.
“And you don’t?”
“I didn’t say that. But those are for fun. I don’t like, add 3 extra hours t o a project because….the lines weren’t straight enough or something.” Vivian laughs.
“Oh really?”
“Yes really.”
“I once watched you crumple up a sketch 4 times because the branches on your tree weren’t….how did you put it? Oh. Right. Because they weren’t behaving themselves properly.”
“That’s different! You write out an entire lecture and then you go and type it up, creating extra work for yourself in the process. Your handwriting is perfect! Are you telling me you can’t read your own writing?” Vivian blinks at her for a minute before responding.
“I’m required to type them out, Cay. For the department. And no, before you suggest it, I don’t want typing to replace my writing. I write it out first for my own records.”
“Well….can’t you get an assistant for that?! And no, I don’t mean me.” Vivian laughs and tosses a stuffed horse at her.
“Hey! I have a razor blade in my hand. Do you really think it’s smart to provoke me right now?”She snorts.
“Ooooh. I’m so scared.” Cay scoffs, dramatically, before tossing her precision blade on her drafting table and jumping onto the bed with Vivian. She straddles her wife and pins her arms up with one hand while the other one tickles her ribs.
“Ahhhh!!! No, no!! Stop!! Okay, okay! You’re scary! Stop!” Cay grins as she climbs off of her and stretches out next to her on the mattress.
“That’s right. And don’t you forget it!”
“I won’t.”
“Hey, um….” She grabs Vivian’s hand and entwines their fingers. “Are you gonna be okay over there tonight?”
“Where? You mean….over at Martin’s? Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” Cay shrugs.
“I dunno. You lived there for a long time. That was your home. And you haven’t been back there since you left him, right? I didn’t even think about it last night but, well. It’s been on my mind all morning.”
“Oh. Well…..I’m sure it’ll be fine. It might be a tiny bit awkward at first. But I’ll get over it.”
“You sure?”
“Positive.”
“Okay.” They lay there for a moment, in silence, looking up at the wind chimes and various other things Cay had hung from the ceiling. “So…..you wanna make out?”
“What about lunch? Don’t you want something to eat?” Cay breaks into a wicked grin.
“Really Cay? How old are you? 13?”
“No, of course not. I’m 12.” Vivian kisses her and gets off the bed.
“You can eat me later. I’m hungry. FOR FOOD.”
“Aw, man!”
“I didn’t say no. I said later.”
“……Fiiine.”
———————-
Cay looks around the lobby of Martin’s building in awe. There was a huge, crystal chandelier and suede sofas and chairs arranged around a mahogany coffee table. On the coffee table there was a massive, crystal vase filled with white and pink roses. She catches Vivian smiling at her with amusement.
“Nice, huh?”
“I’ll say. It even smells expensive.” Vivian laughs as the elevator doors open. She nods at the operator as they lug in their costumes, decorations and a box of Cay’s records.
“4 please.” She tells the man. He nods and presses the button and they ride up to Martin’s place in silence.
“How does Martin even afford this place on his salary? I mean, I know he probably makes decent money. But he’s far from the likes of Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner.” Cay asks, trying to keep her voice low as they exit the elevator and walk down the hallway.
“Well. You’ve heard of Alexander Graham Bell?” Cay stops short, her mouth hanging open in shock.
“Are you fucking serious?!!!!”
“Yup. That was his Great Uncle. So, he’s not exactly an heir. But he does have a very large trust fund. He’s 46 and still hasn’t even spent half of it.”
“How is it that you’ve never told me this before? I mean, you’d think at some point you would’ve said “hey, fun fact. I was briefly related to the INVENTOR OF THE FRICKIN TELEPHONE!!!””
“Shhhh!” They arrive at 41B and before Vivian even has a chance to knock, the door swings open.
“Hello! Come on in. Oh wow! Look at all this stuff you brought. Wonderful. Dinner is almost ready. Make yourself comfortable and I will be right back.” Cay follows Vivian through the doorway and looks around the place with wide eyes.
“Wow. You’re really slumming it over at The Brannigan, huh?” Vivian laughs and helps her with her coat.
“No. This place is just bigger is all. Someday I’d like to find a bigger place for us, though. Maybe in a few years, after you graduate.” Cay shrugs and walks over to a framed print on the wall.
“I don’t mind it. I like our place. It’s cozy.” She stares at the picture for a moment. “This is nice, I like it. I don’t recognize the artist, though. Is it local?”
“Um….yes? I think? I just can’t remember. Hey, Martin?”
“Yeah?”
“Where did we get this print from? I can’t recall.” Martin pops his head around the corner to look.
“That was from…..Paris? I think? Yes. Remember we went to that outside market? You couldn’t decide between this one and the one you ended up hanging in your office. So we bought both.”
“Oh that’s right.” Cay’s eyes dart between them.
“You guys have been to Paris?” Vivian smiles at her.
“Mmhm. We did sort of a….European tour thing. Years ago. I gained like 5 pounds from all the food we ate.”
“Well. I guess we can add that to the growing list of things you’ve never told me. Who even are you? Seriously! Next you’re going to tell me you really are Kim Novak. And it’s not just Caroline’s imagination.” Vivian laughs.
“I’m sorry!! Does it really matter?”
“Well…yeah! Kinda.” Vivian pouts and caresses her cheek.
“I wouldn’t worry. You know more about me than anyone else in the entire world, Cay.” She looks confused.
“But that doesn’t even–”
“Okay! Table is set. Who’s hungry?”
“Coming!” She turns back to Vivian “To be continued…” she shakes her finger at her wife as she backs away.
——————
“Wow, Martin! This is really good! I didn’t know you could cook.” Vivian snorts.
“He can’t cook, are you kidding me? Did you order from Powell’s? I do miss that place.” Martin looks embarrassed.
“Um….no, actually.” Vivian stops chewing, stares at him for a moment, and then gasps.
“Martin! No. You didn’t. Did you?” Cay, sitting between them at the table, looks back and forth at them as if she is the kid in the middle of a fight between her parents.
“It’s fine! I paid her double overtime, okay? Calm down.”
“Um…..I don’t understand what’s happening. Can someone fill me in?” Vivian sighs and repositions her napkin on her lap.
“He made Constance, the housekeeper, come in on a Saturday to prepare all this for us.”
“……..Oh.” Cay responds, unclear on the rules of when and when not to use your hired help. “Housekeepers. Can’t live with ‘em, can’t live without ‘em. Am I right?” She laughs awkwardly. “I’ve never had a….housekeeper. So.” She clears her throat and sits up straight. “Um, I wanted to thank you again for doing this, Martin. The party, I mean. Um…see, we don’t really have too many places we can go to….to be out? Ya know? That’s why Caroline does this every year. It’s like a safe space for all of us to….to do things that other couples get to do.” Martin’s face slowly morphs into one of understanding. Finally realizing why this is so important.
“That’s right. I didn’t even think of that part of it.” He looks down at his plate for a moment before peering over at his ex wife. “Well, then. It’s the least I can do. To keep you safe.” He smiles, softly, at Vivian. Who then returns the gesture. “Well!” He says, clearing his throat. “We have a lot to do! Let’s um…let’s finish up and get started, shall we?”
———————-
Martin stands in front of them as they both sit on the couch in his study. He picks up a file folder and takes out three sheets of paper. He then places each of them on individual clip boards and hands two of them to Cay and Vivian, along with a couple of red pens.
“What the hell is this?” Cay asks, holding onto the clipboard as if it was sentient and about to bite her.
“Checklist.” Vivian murmurs, not looking up from her board as she scans the items. Cay looks at both of them like they are nuts.
“It’s just a Halloween party, guys. We aren’t planning for a visit from the Queen.”
“Cay, it’s just how we organize things. Alright? Martin, go ahead.” Martin clears his throat and stands at attention.
“Right. So! Um….we can check off music and decorations…..”
“There are two listed for decorations.” Cay points out. Vivian glances at Cay’s board.
“No. One is for decorations in general. Which we brought, so you can check it off. The other is for actually putting the decorations up.” Cay looks down and rolls her eyes, checking off the one about bringing the decorations.
“You guys really know how to party. This is going to make the night even better, I just know it!”
“That’s the spirit!”
“Martin….she’s teasing us.” He looks at Cay and she feigns innocence before breaking into a wicked grin. To which he just shakes his head and smiles at her. Cay thinks for a second that she’s actually broken through to the man, but then he continues onto the next item. She sighs and decides it was more important to draw a doodle of him holding a giant checklist. That was trying to eat him.
After their little planning session, it was agreed that Martin would head down to the liquor store to pick up, in Cay’s words, “the cheapest crap you can find. Oh, and beer. And juice.” Vivian rolled her eyes at the obvious ingredients of Party Punch.
“Well. I will be drinking the good stuff. From the bar. Maybe I’ll even have a Martini.” Vivian smiles to herself, overjoyed that she wouldn’t be forced to drink college swill.
”You can still be that drunk girl with a fancy drink in your hand, Princess.” Vivian smirks at her and Cay follows her out to the Great Room to set everything up.
——————-
Cay and Vivian sit on the sofa in the Great Room and begin to sort through the decorations.
“You really made all of this today?!”
“Yup.”
“You’re amazing, you know that?”
“Yes. I do. So…..can we continue our conversation from before?”
“What conversation?” Cay scoffs and rolls her eyes.
“Great. You’ve already forgotten.” Vivian stares at her for a moment before it clicks.
“Ohhhhh. Right.That.”
“Yes. That.” Vivian sighs and runs her fingers through her hair.
“Ok, look. Um….let me show you something.” Vivian stands and walks over to a bookshelf, pulling out three of the books and walking back to sit next to Cay.
“You gonna read to me?”
“No. I told you, I’m gonna show you something.” She opens up the first book and starts flipping through it.
“Oh! It’s a photo album?”
“That it is. Okay…..look at this picture. Right here. What do you see?”
“……Is this a trick question?”
“No. Tell me what you see.” Cay looks at her like she’s crazy but shrugs and looks closer at the photograph.
“It’s you.”
“Okay. What else? What about me?”
“Um….I don’t know. You’re young? Looks like you’re sitting on a bench in a garden. And you’re wearing an ugly hat that looks–”
“Hey! It was the style at the time.”
“Okay. It’s still ugly. Um….your face is fuller. You look…..shy. Maybe a little scared? But happy. Yeah. You look happy, I don’t know.” Vivian grins and pats her back.
“Good! Okay…..” she moves to the next album and flips through to a specific picture. “What about this one?” Cay looks at the photo of Vivian, standing with Martin and a rather unpleasant looking woman.
“Is that your Mom?” Vivian sighs.
“Yup. What gave it away? The scowl?” Cay laughs. “What else?”
“Um…..you’re young. Not as young as before. But still young. And….well. You look miserable.” Vivian boops her on the nose.
“Exactly. Do you know why this picture is even in here? Martin thought it was “lovely.” He said I looked proud.” Cay snorts.
“Yeah that’s definitely not pride on your face.” Vivian nods at her and smiles.
“Okay, one more.” Vivian opens the third album and flips to a photo in the middle. “What do you see?” Cay stares at the photo for a long time, taking the album from her hands and tracing her fingers over Vivian’s sad face. Martin was standing next to her with an arm around her, smiling, in front of a tall Christmas tree. She was very stiff. Thin. There were circles under her eyes and she looked almost….haunted. Cay feels a tear fall down her cheek and she wipes it away. Vivian sits and watches her, patiently.
“You look lost.” She finally says, barely above a whisper. Vivian takes the book from her hands and places it on the table with the others. She grabs Cay’s hands and squeezes them, gently.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Europe. And Martin’s family history. But those are just things, Cay. If it meant anything to me, at all, I would’ve told you. Instead, I told you about me . In here .” She places Cay’s hand over her heart. “Just because you didn’t know about those other things doesn’t mean you don’t know me , Cay. Several people have looked in those albums, over the years. But no one ever asked me why I looked sad. Or upset. Or lost. Only you can see that. Because you know me better than anyone . Do you understand?” Cay wipes away the rest of her tears and hugs her wife.
“Yes. I’m sorry.” Vivian buries her face in her neck and rubs her back.
“Nothing to be sorry about, baby. Nothing at all.” They sit like this for another minute, in each other’s arms, until Vivian pulls away. “Okay. No more tears. We gotta start hanging all this stuff up!”
———————
Martin watches in horror as Cay pours half a bottle of vodka and half a bottle of amaretto over the ice in the punch bowl.
“That’s disgusting.”
“ That’s Party Punch. Weren’t you in a fraternity, Martin?” He doesn’t take his eyes off of the punch bowl.
“Huh? What?” Cay laughs.
“Nevermind. Hand me the rum please?” He groans in disgust before grabbing the bottle and handing it to her.
“Your friends actually drink this stuff?”
“Sure. Actually, Vivian downed two cups of it last year. In less than 10 minutes. She’s like a Party Punch legend.” He laughs. They suddenly hear her high heels heading towards them on the hardwood.
“Speaking of Vivian….” She appears from around the corner and the two of them gasp. She had put her costume on, which consisted of a mini skirt, stockings, a creamy, low cut silk blouse with a soft, grey, silk scarf tied around her neck, fitted blazer, and standard wedged Stewardess hat. She had put her hair up in a French twist but left several strands out and curled them. Her makeup was sexier than usual, and she even brought her sexy black high heels to complete the ensemble.
“Oh. My. Gawd . You look amazing!” Cay tells her, her eyes traveling up and down her body. She hears Martin clearing his throat, awkwardly, behind her.
“Yes. Very nice, Vivian. Cay? Do I add the juice now?”
“Why don’t you two go get ready? I can finish this. Martin? Do you have something you can make a costume out of?” He thinks for a moment.
“I’ll come up with something, I’m sure.”
———————
“Can you tie my tie for me?” Cay asks as she shuffles her way back into the Great Room, her pants a little too long on her without her shoes. Vivian laughs at the sight of her, finding her simply adorable with her shirt still untucked and the tie draped around her neck, jacket hung over her arm.
“Sure.” She expertly ties it into a Windsor knot and helps tuck her shirt into her pants.
“Okay. Now put the hat on.” Cay grins and puts on the bright white pilot’s hat, modeled after the ones worn by the pilots of Pan Am. Vivian smiles and her eyes flicker, taking in the sexy sight before her.
“Permission to board, Miss Rivvers?” Vivian asks in a low, sexy voice. Cay grins back at her.
“Permission granted.” She grabs Cay’s lapels and leans in for a kiss, before pulling away and playfully “slapping” her face.
“Miss Rivvers! How dare you! We work together!” Cay laughs and moves to pull her back into a kiss when they hear Martin heading towards them.
“Is this okay?” He asks them as he enters the room. Vivian clears her throat and moves away from Cay to peer over at him.
“Depends. Who are you supposed to be? Yourself?” He was wearing a suit that Vivian bought him a few years back, but he’d never had the nerve to wear it. It was a newer look. Young. The grey fabric was shiny and the cut was much more modern than his usual suits.
“Cary Grant.” He tells her, as if it’s obvious. He then breaks into his best Cary Grant impression as he walks closer. “Hel-o there dahlings. Always a pleasure.” Cay snorts and covers her face in secondhand embarrassment. Vivian purses her lips to keep from laughing but it’s no use.
“No. No, Martin. This….just, no. Come on.” She takes his hand and pulls him towards the bedroom. “Cay?” She calls out behind her. “Why don’t you organize your records?”
“Alright.”
Martin follows her into his closet and she flips on the light switch. “Okay…..” she runs her fingers over his clothes. “Take off your jacket.”
“Why?”
“Because I said so! Just do it!”
“Alright! Calm down. Here.” He slips out of the jacket and she hangs it up. She removes his trench coat from its hanger and motions for him to turn around so she can help him put it on. “Where am I going?”
“Nowhere.” She takes his grey fedora and places it on his head so it dips slightly. “Now you’re Humphrey Bogart.” He chuckles and squints down at her, attempting his best Bogie impression.
“Here’s lookin at you, kid.” She smiles and smooths out his tie.
“Thank you again, Martin. For doing this.” She kisses his cheek and watches as his ears turn a dark pink. He clears his throat and looks down.
“You’re very welcome. I….I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you, Vivian.”
“I know.”
———————
By the time Martin and Vivian arrive back into the Great Room, Caroline and her date were there. Caroline was dressed as the devil and her date, appropriately enough, was an angel. Cay had quickly let them in before running off with Caroline’s box of decorations. The two young women continue to stand by the door, looking around the apartment in awe.
“Hey! You guys look great! Come on in, it’s okay.” She chuckles at their timid faces. “Don’t worry. We hid all the breakables.” Caroline smiles sheepishly and gestures to her date.
“Um, this is Melissa. Melissa, this is Cay’s wife, Vivian.” Vivian extends her hand out.
“Nice to meet you, Melissa.”
“Thanks. Nice place ya got here.”
“Oh, thank you. It’s actually my ex husband’s place.” Martin shakes their hands.
“Hello. I’m Martin Bell. Welcome.”
“Wow! You’re throwing this? Sure is mighty cool of ya, Marty. Thanks!” He grins at them and then back at Vivian, clearly proud of the fact someone actually called him “cool”.
“Vivian?! What did you do to the punch?!” Cay suddenly shouts.
“Um, excuse me.” She hurries over to the bar. “What’s wrong?”
“What the hell is this?!” She points to the leaves in the bowl.
“Mint sprigs. It’s just a garnish. Gives it a little more zip.” She snaps her fingers and swings her hips, hoping for a smile. But Cay just sighs and stares back at her.
“And the orange slices?”
“People put orange slices in punch all the time, Cay. It’s not that unusual.” Cay smirks.
“What else?” Vivian looks down at her feet.
“Nothing. Just…..a little bit of vanilla. Just a bit. But did you try it? It tastes so much better!” She whines. Cay can’t help but shake her head and smile.
“You’re lucky you’re cute, you know that?” Vivian grins and quickly kisses her cheek as more party guests begin to arrive.
—————————
By 9 the party was in full swing. Everyone who came immediately praised Martin for throwing the party, making him beam like a kid on Christmas morning. Vivian bustled around the place, placing coasters under drinks and picking up candy wrappers and making sure there wasn’t a lull at the record player.
“Will you please stop?” Cay takes the trash from her hands and tosses it in the basket. “I’d like to dance with my wife sometime tonight.” Vivian smiles and takes her hand, just as The Flamingos begin singing I only have eyes for you. Cay wraps an arm around Vivian’s waist, pulling her in close.
“See? Isn’t this more fun than picking up candy wrappers?” Vivian laughs.
“Well, if your friends would stop throwing them on the floor, I wouldn’t have to pick them up!”
“Hey! I don’t even know most of these people. Besides, your friend is here too.”
“Yes, but Robin has manners.” Cay smirks and shakes her head.
“Speaking of people I don’t know. Isn’t that the girl that hit on you last year?” Vivian turns her head to look.
“I don’t really remember. But yeah, maybe. Why? You gonna kick her out?” Cay rolls her eyes.
“No. But I am gonna keep an eye on her. Where’s Martin, by the way?”
“He’s over in the corner, talking to Robin. Leave it to Martin to find the only other adult in the room besides me.”
“Hey! I’m an adult.”
“……In theory. Yes.” Cay feigns shock and insult before smiling and leaning in for a kiss. She captures her lips and nibbles on the bottom one before Vivian opens her mouth to deepen it. When they finally pull apart for air, she notices Martin staring at them in shock before he quickly looks away and turns on his heels and walks down the hallway. “ Shit.”
“What? What’s wrong?” Vivian sighs and points towards the hall.
“Martin.”
“Wha—Martin?” Vivian nods and motions that she will be right back. She hurries down the hallway to find Martin, figuring he went to hide in his office. She knocks briefly and opens the door, not bothering to wait for an invitation. “Martin? Are you okay?” She finds him sitting at his desk with his head down, playing with the buttons on his coat. He finally looks up at her with a sad smile.
“Yeah. I’m okay. Sorry.” She tips her head and walks up to him.
“Why are you sorry?” He shrugs and looks embarrassed.
“I don’t know. But, don’t worry about me. Go. Go back to the party. Have fun. I think, um….I think I’m just gonna hang out in here for….for a while.” She pouts and takes his hat off to see him better.
“Listen. I’m sorry you saw Cay and I….you know.” She clears her throat and looks down at her feet. She hears him sigh and turn in his chair.
“Vivian. You’re allowed to kiss your wife.” He chuckles. “I just…..I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened. I guess…. it’s like one thing to know about it. But a whole other thing to….to see it. I just wasn’t….I don’t know. I….we were married for a long time, Vivian. It’s just a little shocking to see my wife….sorry, ex wife, um….kissing someone else. That’s all. I didn’t think to prepare myself for it.” Vivian nods her head and thinks for a moment.
“So it’s not about Cay being a woman, right?” He laughs.
“No, no. Not at all. Surprisingly. I like Cay, Vivian. I like her a lot. And I like that you’re with her. I want to make that clear. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“And I don’t want you to think that I’m…you know. Still hung up on you. Because I’m not. I’m ready to move on. I have been for a while now. But, well….if I’m being honest, I think….a part of me will always love you.” He shrugs and smiles, embarrassed, and looks away. Vivian swallows a lump in her throat and puts her hand on his shoulder.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t love you in the way you wanted me to. I truly am, Martin.” A tear finally escapes her eye and falls down her cheek, slowly. He tuts and stands up to pull her into a hug.
“It’s not your fault. You’re just not that person. And that’s okay. This is who you are. And….as much as it hurts sometimes….I wouldn’t change a thing. Honest. I like who you are.” They stand like this for a while before Vivian pulls away with watery eyes and sniffles.
“You’re a good man, Martin Bell.” He blushes and looks down at his feet. “Come on. Let’s go back to the party.”
“Oh. No. That’s….I’m okay in here. You go ahead.” She pulls him towards the door. “Vivian—“
“No. You’re coming with me. I wanna dance with you. And I’m not taking no for an answer!”
“You know I can’t dance!”
————————-
The rest of the party went without any bumps. Cay put on her Chubby Checker album and they all did the twist. Including Martin, who Cay finally convinced to get on the dance floor by making him drink a shot of Party Punch. Which he refused to do unless Vivian drank some too. So she downed a whole cup of it. And then another soon after that. This, combined with the martini she had earlier, created a whole new life of the party.
By 1am the last guest had left, and Cay had a non stop giggling Vivian hanging off of her side.
“Um…..I’m sorry, Martin.” He laughs.
“For what? You think this is the first time I’ve seen her like this? Don’t worry about it.” He chuckles and helps her to get Vivian to stand up better. Vivian smiles and pulls on Martin’s tie.
“Somebody got a phone number….boop!” She teases him in a sing song voice and playfully boops his nose.
“What?! Seriously?!” Martin’s ears turn pink and he looks down at his hand with a smile.
“Yeah. Somebody named…..Beth? Betty? Bec…Becca? Anyway, she grabbed my hand earlier and wrote this on it.” He holds it up for Cay to read. Cay tips her head and squints, trying to read the half smudged print.
“Hey sexy.” Cay stops and laughs, cutting herself off when she sees the hurt look in Martin’s eyes. “I’m sorry.” His face immediately morphs into one of understanding.
“It’s okay. It was dark in here anyways.” Cay chuckles and continues.
“Call me. Be….th? I think it’s Beth. Yeah. And look! You can still read her phone number.” Martin snorts and shoves his hands into his pockets. “What? You’re not gonna call her?” She shifts her body as Vivian’s head falls on her shoulder. “Vivian. Vivian!” Cay snaps her fingers in front of her wife’s sleepy face.
“Ow! What?” She whines.
“Ow? Really? Just….stay awake. Drunk girl. I can’t carry you to the cab.” Vivian giggles with her eyes closed.
“You guys can stay over. If you want. I turned Vivian’s office into a guest room.” Cay smiles, appreciatively, but shakes her head.
“Thank you. But…that’s alright. I should get her home. She’s going to be a hot mess tomorrow morning, I’m sure. Sorry about the mess, though. We will come back first thing in the morning to help you clean up.” Martin shrugs and smiles at her.
“Don’t worry about it. Just get her home safe.”
“Alrighty. Wait….you didn’t answer my question.”
“Hmm?”
“Are you gonna call Beth?” He laughs and opens the door for them.
“I don’t think so.”
“Why not?”
“Because! I’m 46, Cay. I’m not gonna….ask some young college girl out. That I met at a college party. I might as well go full on mid life crisis and buy a…a Corvette!” Vivian suddenly lifts her head back up.
“Oh my God yes. Do it. ” Cay rolls her eyes and snorts.
“I don’t like being the responsible one in this marriage. It’s not as fun. Okay. Let’s go drunky. Bye Martin.” Cay stands on her tippy toes to kiss his cheek. “Thank you. Again. For everything.” He smiles and pats her shoulder.
“My pleasure. Honestly I….I had a really good time. So thank you.” She smiles back at him in the doorway and nods.
“You’re welcome.”
—————————-
Cay shoves Vivian into the cab and gets in next to her, giving the driver their address. Vivian’s head lands on Cay’s shoulder and she giggles. She starts to play with the buttons on Cay’s shirt, allowing her fingers to caress the soft skin underneath. Cay laughs, awkwardly and gently takes her hand to stop her.
“Baby. Be cool!” She hisses at her. Vivian pouts, dramatically.
“But I wub you.” The driver glances at them in the rear view and Cay smiles, sheepishly.
“She…..drank too much. You know. Halloween.”
“Oh it’s Halloween? You don’t say. I thought youse two were gonna whisk me away on a free trip to Aruba.” He rolls his eyes and laughs as he puffs on his cigar.
“Ha! Yeah. Funny.” She jumps, slightly, as Vivian takes this time to pass out completely, her face landing against Cay’s with a smack! “Ow! Seriously?” She rubs her cheek but can’t help but laugh as she moves over, allowing her wife’s head to fit into the crook of her neck. “What am I gonna do with you? Hmm?”
They all rode in silence for the next 10 minutes as they headed towards The Brannigan. Cay paid the man and forced Vivian to wake up again so she could help her into the building. It took them double the time it normally takes to get back into their apartment, with Vivian giggling the whole way and dragging her feet. Which were shoeless, for some reason.
“Baby, where are your shoes?” She laughs, trying to remember if she had them on in the cab. She knows they left Martin’s with them on her feet. So she can’t imagine where they would be.
“I dunno. They left.” She strips off her costume as she walks into their bedroom and collapses on the bed in her bra, panties, stockings, and garter belt. Immediately falling asleep. Cay snorts as she watches the events unfold from the door.
“Ladies and gentlemen…..my wife.” She shakes her head and laughs as she heads into the bedroom herself, stripping her own costume off before getting a glass of water for Vivian, washing up, and crawling into bed with her.
——————-
She wakes to the sound of Vivian groaning next to her.
“Oh my God. My head! What the hell?” Cay chuckles and reaches out to rub her back.
“Good morning! And how are we feeling today? Would you like me to make you some breakfast? How bout some sausage and onions?” Vivian practically falls out of bed and turns to glare at her.
“Keep it up. I’ll puke on you.” Cay laughs and watches Vivian stumble into the bathroom. She comes out ten minutes later, minus the bra and stockings. She had washed her face and teeth and brushed her hair out.
“Aw, man. I kinda liked the raccoon eyes. It was cute.” Vivian groans in response and collapses back in bed. “I put a glass of water on your nightstand……”
“Oh, thank you.” She sits back up and downs half the glass in one gulp, letting out a satisfied sigh afterwards. She finally turns to face Cay and looks embarrassed. “Was I the drunk girl again?” Cay chuckles and brushes the hair from her eyes.
“Yeah. But hey, it’s not like you were the only drunk person at the party.” She lays back down and cuddles up to her wife.
“Ugh. I’m getting too old for this, I think.”
“For what? Fun?” She smirks at her and plays with the frayed sleeves of Cay’s pajama top.
“ No. Drinking too much. I’m not a kid anymore. Every time I do this it takes me days to recover.”
“Well, I mean….you didn’t have to drink that second cup of punch. What happened?” Cay laughs at the memory.
“I don’t know! I guess….I was trying to get Martin to loosen up. I know he had the one shot. But I thought maybe if he saw me letting go a bit then he would follow suit.” She shrugs. Cay thinks over her words for a beat.
“What happened last night? With him?”
“Huh?”
“When you ran off to check on him.”
“Oh. Right. Well…..” she turns so she’s laying on her back again. “He saw us kiss for the first time. I mean like really kiss. And he just….had an unexpected reaction to it. I guess.” Cay raises her brows.
“Was he mad?” She shakes her head no and winces at the accompanying pain.
“No, not at all. He just wasn’t prepared for it. He wasn’t expecting that reaction. He….he told me there’s a part of him that will always love me.” Cay sits up with a jolt.
“He said what?!” Vivian tries to push her back down but Cay swats her hand away.
“Relax! It’s not like that.”
“Do I have to go back to worrying about him again? I mean, in terms of you?” Vivian rolls her eyes.
“No! Will you just…..calm down? Come on.” Cay finally falls back on her pillow with a thump.
“Explain it to me, then. Explain to me why this isn’t a problem.” Vivian sighs.
“It’s not a problem because he’s not actively pursuing me, Cay. He likes you! He likes you very much. He told me so last night. And he likes that I’m with you. He’s over me, Cay. He’s ready to move on. But…..you can’t just stop loving someone. Not when you were married for 12 years. I told him…..I said I was sorry I couldn’t love him the way he wanted me to.” Cay is silent for a moment before speaking up in a low whisper.
“Do you wish things were different?” Vivian turns to her and narrows her eyes.
“Different how?” Cay finally turns to face her.
“Do you wish you were straight? For Martin?” Vivian blinks back at her in surprise.
“No! Of course not. I….okay, look.” She licks her lips and turns to face her. “I can’t help but feel guilty about what I did to him. I just can’t help it. I know it’s not my fault. But….sometimes I think maybe….it kind of was.”
“How so?”
“I feel like I should’ve known. Like….if I had just been stronger. If I hadn’t constantly distracted myself with books and school. Maybe….I don’t know. Maybe I would’ve figured things out a lot sooner. And Martin would’ve met someone else. Someone that loved him in the way he should be loved. So, in that sense, I guess sometimes I do wish that things were different. So I wouldn’t have to hurt him.”
“……Oh.”
“But….it’s not like I wish I was straight. Not at all, are you kidding me?” She snorts. “I love you, you know that. And I love being with you. I wouldn’t change that for the world.” Cay smiles, softly, and cuddles closer. She moves her hand down her back, slowly, and slides them under her panties. Feeling the soft, warm flesh under her fingertips with a sigh.
“Good.” Vivian kisses her lips, softly, before remembering something else Martin had said.
“You know what else? He told me that even though it hurts sometimes, he wouldn’t change a thing either. He said he likes who I am. So, you see? You have nothing to worry about. I promise.” Cay nods and rests her forehead against Vivians. They lay like this in silence for what feels like forever, listening to the sounds of traffic outside. They both jump when the phone rings, making Vivian wince in pain again.
“Ow! Who the hell is calling this early on a Sunday?” She picks up the receiver on her nightstand. “Hello? Oh. Hi.” Cay whispers to her, asking her who it is. Vivian mouths back that it’s Martin.
“Yeah. We’re fine. A little out of sorts, but fine.” She sits and looks confused as she listens to whatever Martin was telling her. “Oh. Um….I don’t know. Hold on.” She covers the phone and turns to Cay. “Did I have shoes on when I got home?” Cay grins.
“No. You did not. Why? Did he find them?” She holds up a finger to indicate one second.
“Yeah. Those are probably mine.” She listens for a minute, Cay watching as her brows shoot up in surprise. She covers her face in embarrassment. “Oh, God.” She sighs and nods her head. “Alright. Thank you. Tell them I’m sorry and I’ll pay for the fish.” She chuckles. “Yeah, I know. Okay. Bye.” She hangs up and scoots back under the covers.
“He found them? Where were they? Because I know for a fact you had them on when we left his place.” Vivian looks embarrassed. “What?”
“You’re just gonna laugh at me.” Cay smiles and pushes her hair from her eyes again.
“I won’t. I promise. Where were they?” Vivian licks her lips and sighs.
“The fish tank. In the lobby.” Cay squints, trying to remember what she’s referring to.
“There was a fish tank? I didn’t see a fish tank. Wait, where was I when–ohhhhh.” She chuckles. “Okay.”
“What?”
“I kept complaining about the stupid shoes because you were stumbling over them all the way to the elevator. Then I had to sit you down on one of the sofas to go ask the doorman to hail a cab for us. I was only gone for like 30 seconds, though. I guess that’s when you….what did you do? Exactly?” She was trying so hard not to laugh. Vivian looks down and blushes.
“I have no idea.” She suddenly starts to laugh, covering her face. Clearly embarrassed. “Martin said he got a call from Gerald, the guy that works the desk on the weekends? He said he found a pair of shiny, black high heels in the fish tank. And….apparently, one of the fish was dead.” Cay just stares back at her, silently.
“How the hell did you manage to kill–” she holds up a hand and closes her eyes, laughing at the whole situation.
“I have no idea! Oh my God. I’m so embarrassed. That poor fish. Maybe....maybe it wasn't me. Maybe I didn't murder it. Maybe it was already dead. Oh, God.” She laughs more and winces at the pain, but continues to laugh anyway. "I'm a fish killer." Cay finally lets herself join her, laughing so hard now that tears were falling down her cheeks.
“The Party Punch legend strikes again!” Vivian pushes her wife, playfully.
“Shut up!”