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“Eds, I’m telling you! It’s weird that she shows up here after three months and now she’s got something to say to you?” Richie followed his friend all around his apartment. It annoyed Eddie, but who cares? Richie noticed that he put on some nice clothes to meet with his ex-wife.
“I can’t ignore her, Richie. She’s my ex-wife. We were married for 15 years,” Eddie told him, putting his wallet in his pocket.
“Tell me how you survived that again?” Richie joked though he was being serious.
Eddie groaned, craning his neck to the stained ceilings of his small apartment. Of all the apartments, Richie still had no idea why Eddie chose this one. “It’s important for us to communicate. I can’t just drop all communication and ignore her forever.”
“Remind me what you have to talk about?”
“Would you stop being an asshole?” Eddie spat, turning a little too fast to meet his eyes. He briefly held his chest, wincing. Alert, Richie put a comforting hand on his shoulder and handed Eddie his pain medication. Those stitches have to be on for another three months. Beyond that, Eddie had a further recovery to meet.
Although they all lived together, Richie didn’t see why Eddie chose this apartment for himself. He was adamant when it came down to picking. The hospital told him that he needed a lot of care and shouldn’t be alone. The other Losers probably knew more than he did about his feelings, but Richie knew rooming with Eddie was a dead giveaway.
“You know I’m going to say ‘I told you so’ if she’s going to hurt you,” Richie shrugged his shoulders once Eddie downed the pills.
“Don’t be surprised if you’re going to eat your own words, Trashmouth,” Eddie remarked in a sing-song voice. His face was so close to Richie’s. Was everyone’s breath as warm as Eddie’s? Richie felt his face heating up. What were they arguing about again?
Eddie walked down the apartment stairs (as carefully as he could) and made his way to the Losers’ favorite hangout spot. They always crowded the big couch in the corner of the place. It was just like the old days. Now they were making up for lost time.
Myra was sitting outside at one of the tables. From the looks of her sad expression, Eddie wondered if he should have listened to Richie.
“Hi Myra,” Eddie greeted, sitting down with her. It’s odd how they’d been doing this for fifteen years. However, Eddie tried to make a quick exit in the morning so he wouldn’t have to listen to Myra’s nagging.
“Eddie, I need to tell you something,” she began, not looking into his eyes.
“What is it? Are you sick? Or did you lose the house? I know I should have talked to the bank about...”
“No, it’s not that. I’m okay and... I’m selling the house.”
Eddie blinked. “Selling? Are you moving?”
“Yes,” she cleared her throat. “I’m moving in with someone.”
“Oh? Is it your friend Annie? You mentioned she was trying to find a roommate.”
Myra paused and then said. “I’m moving in with Gerald.”
“Gerald?” Upon thinking for a moment, Eddie slowly had a realization. “From work?”
“You see, our divorce came at a good time, and I wasn’t expecting you to intricate it,” Myra explained, looking guilty into his eyes. “Gerald and I have been seeing each other for the last two years. I didn’t want to, Eddie, but he’s different. When I am with him I am not so...”
“Controlling?” Eddie stared hard into the table.
Myra scowled. “I was going to say anxious. It’s nothing against you, Eddie, but your anxiety was a lot for me to handle. And your mother, too. I felt like I became this person who was always berating her son because I had no idea how you’d react to a situation. One minute you’re worried about hydroplaning and then when I remind you, it doesn’t bother you anymore!”
If he stared hard enough into the table, maybe Eddie could burn a hole. People passed by during their conversation, going about in their own happy lives. Eddie felt guilty about the divorce, but no, there was nothing worse than this.
Just then, a car drove up close to the cafe. By the nervous look on Gerald’s face, he knew Myra told Eddie the news.
“Well, we’d better be going,” Myra stood up. She walked closer to Eddie, quickly putting her hand on his shoulder in comfort. The feeling was not mutual. “Goodbye.”
Eddie heard the car door slam and then it drove away.
Don’t start crying. Don’t start crying.
His hands shaking, Eddie hastily stood up from his seat, almost tipping it over. He ran straight into Richie.
“Eds,” Richie started, reaching out to touch his shoulder.
Eddie took a deep breath, though his countenance was breaking. “Richie, don’t you fucking tell me ‘you told me so.’ This is not the right time...” His voice crumbled from there.
“No, no, Eddie. Aw, come here, buddy.” Richie pulled Eddie into his arms. Just feeling Richie’s warm embrace made him feel safe. A small tear trickled down his cheek. His chest felt so heavy. Eddie didn’t realize his whole body was trembling. “My best friend needs me. Who says I’m going to give you a hard time?” He wanted to kiss Eddie’s forehead, but he refrained. Oh, it was so hard not to.
Eddie sniffled, burying his face in Richie’s shoulder. They were hugging in the middle of the sidewalk. He noticed a small boy look at them and whisper something to his mother. It didn’t matter.
“I just can’t believe she’d do that...”
“Don’t think about it. I know it hurts. But Eddie...” Richie pulled away, staring at him with those warm sincere eyes that made Eddie feel like he belonged. And loved. “You don’t need her. You’ll find someone else. And you got us.”
Eddie smiled a bit, removing a fallen tear. “Thanks, Richie.”
Richie giggled, mischievously. Before he could tap his cheek, Eddie stopped his wrist. “Don’t even try it, Tozier!”
“Your reflexes have improved, I see!” Richie laughed. They almost started wrestling with each other and laughed again. More people looked at them strangely. Oh, it was nothing new. Just as long as Eddie wa laughing and smiling.
“Come on, I’ll buy you a marshmallow latte,” Richie guided him into the cafe.
“That’s your favorite drink!”
“You like it too!”