Download wordart here"I'm sorry that I don't have anything new to report. I'm in California now to find a couple of guys that I dated after college, but I haven't contacted them yet."
Linda laughed and said, "Don't worry about it! We have plenty to fill you in on. Do you know who Rod Sharpe is? That guy who does all the funny human interest stories for channel 3 news?"
"I think I know who you're talking about. Isn't he kind of cute?"
There was lots of laughter in the background. "He sure is cute and he's standing right here, right now!" Linda shouted into the phone.
I didn't even try to hide the panic in my voice. "What are you talking about? Why is he there?"
"We're going to be on the news! He's doing a story about you. Isn't that great?"
"No, it's not! Don't tell him anything!" I shouted as loud as I could into the phone.
"Oops! Too late! I'm going to the bathroom now. I'll talk to you later, Ginger." I could hear Linda laughing as she walked away from the phone.
"Linda, don't you walk away from me..."
"Ginger, calm down. It's Gail. I want you to know that I'm on your side this time. I told that Rod guy that I thought it was really unfair of him to come in here and try to exploit you, what with you being all mentally unstable and everything."
"Gail, how many times do I have to tell you that I am not mentally unstable?" I yelled into the phone.
"You can say it as many times as you want. You can even say it as loud as you want. Your actions are speaking louder than your words, though. And your actions are saying that you are one cookie short of a dozen."
I took a deep breath and tried to calm down before I said anything too harsh in return. It didn't work! "Gail, when I get home, you and I are going to sit down and have a long discussion about the future of our friendship."
"Good! Now, why don't you come on home tonight? I'll meet you at the airport with an ambulance and we can talk all the way to the hospital."
"The ambulance is a very good idea, because once I get my hands on you, you are going to need an ambulance!"
"Ginger, threats of physical violence are only going to get you in more trouble." I could hear the smirk in Gail's voice over the phone.
I took another deep breath. "Gail, I don't want to talk to you anymore. Put someone else on the phone or I'm hanging up."
"Fine! Brent is here. Why don't you listen to what he has to say?"
"Hi, Ginger! It's Brent. I've got all kinds of information for you! You aren't going to believe the things I've learned about that Kyle guy and his family."
"Brent, I don't think I want to talk to you any more than I want to talk to Gail! I can't believe that you started a blog about me! How could you do that? You're supposed to be the sensible one in our mismatched gang of friends."
"Ginger, I understand that you're upset right now, but in the long run I think you're going to be very happy with the results of the blog."
"I don't want to know anything about it, Brent! Just close it down, now!"
"I can't do that! It's way too popular right now. Besides, it's because of the blog that I know Kyle's wife is a stripper." Brent said proudly.
"Oh my God, that's not news to me. He told me all about how he met his wife and so it wasn't that hard to figure out what she used to do for a living."
"Not used to do...still does. Apparently, she works in some club in the Bronx while her husband thinks she is ministering to sick people in the hospital.
And, their oldest child has already had run ins with the police for drug possession. His daddy has paid a lot of people a lot of money to make the charges disappear." Brent told me all of this with an urgent sense of pride in his voice.
"How bad is it that I'm happy his life is such a mess? It couldn't be happening to a better, or should I say worse, person? But, Brent, this still doesn't mean I'm happy with the fact that you started a blog about me. You should have talked to me about it first."
"Ginger, if I had talked to you first, you would have said no."
"Exactly!" I said as I stretched out the word for emphasis.
"Yes, exactly! That’s why I didn’t talk to you first. Log on and read everything that's been posted. I think you'll change you mind. People are really on your side. Everyone is pulling for you to find someone that you like.”
“Brent…”
“Here's Bonnie, she wants to talk to you now." Brent quickly handed the phone off before I could say anything else.
"Ginger, how are you? Where's that nice writer guy?"
"Hi, Bonnie, I'm doing alright. Alden is still in New York. He had a story due and needed to work on it."
"Have you talked to him? Will you see him again?"
"I haven't talked to him since I left for California and I doubt that I'll ever see him again. He wanted to write a story about what I'm doing and Brent's blog kind of ruined that for him."
"I think he likes you."
"I think that would make him crazy and he's not the crazy type."
"Just be open to him if he calls you."
"Whatever, I better go now. I'll call again in a few days."
“OK, just remember that we love you and we’ll always be here for you.”
I was really starting to feel homesick and Bonnie’s words almost brought me to tears. “Thanks, Bonnie. I love you guys, too. I’ll talk to you soon.”
