Read Online Between Dreams by Cynthia Austin - Free Book Online Page A

laughed as we imagined me, bald and ailing, on the arm of a handsome doctor. Ray had a gift of brightening my day.
    “I’m glad you called tonight.”
    It had actually felt like the old days. He really had just called to talk. Knowing how busy he had been the past few weeks, it warmed my heart to know he had set aside some time for this conversation.
    “I’ll always call you on your birthday, Sid, no matter where I am. I’d pay my last dollar to hear your voice.”
    That was the Ray I had always known. That was the Ray I had fallen in love with. So genuine and caring.
    “By the way, I saw that article about you in A.P. ”
    He sounded a bit surprised. “Those journalists don’t know what they’re talking about. I guess it’s the price I pay for always writing about my feelings.”
    Another long pause while I thought of the words I wanted to carefully construct. “Do you still feel that way, the way you felt when you wrote that song?” I whispered as I closed my eyes, afraid to hear the answer.
    “If I did, would I be on the phone with you right now?” he countered.
    A smile the size of Texas slowly spread across my face.
    “It’s just a song, Sid, about a specific way I was feeling at one moment in time. It didn’t sum up my feelings for you—no one song ever could.”
    I heard some shuffling noises in the background as voices began shouting at Ray to get off the phone. The drums began playing loudly and for one second I thought I heard a woman’s voice in the background asking if he was ready to go. I pulled the phone away from my ear and stared into the screen in disbelief. I wished he had called me on Skype. I put the phone back to my ear and questioned him in an accusatory manner; “Are you with Lilly?”
    “No,” he shouted back. “You’ve really gotta stop this, Sid. I’m with the roadies backstage trying to get the instruments tuned and ready for the sound check. Remember the show I told you about two seconds ago?” He explained.
    I wanted to believe him but something in the pit of my stomach was screaming at me not to.
    “Look, Sid. I’m really busy here. I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday.”
    In the blink of an eye, Ray had reverted back to his old callous self. Again I heard a woman’s voice echoing in the background, this time giggling.
    “I know she’s there with you. I think it’s time for me to go out and have some fun.”
    “What in the hell does that mean, Sid?”
    “Two can play this game.”
    “I called you because I missed you on your birthd—”
    “Yeah, thanks for ruining it. Goodbye, Ray!”
    I slammed my thumb against the end button, disconnecting our call as I threw the phone across the room. Luckily the phone had a pretty sturdy case and survived my brutal attack.
    I sat there seething in silence. Had it really only been one month since that fateful visit to Ray’s mansion? A mere thirty days and he’s already yelling at me to get over his affair with the beautiful redhead.
    I rose from the chair in Granny’s room and went to retrieve my hapless phone. I didn’t know if Ray had honestly ended things with Lilly but tonight was my birthday and I refused to allow him the power to ruin it.
    Instead of pouting, I texted Chrissy.
     
    Are you ready ?
     
    Stuffing the phone in my back pocket, I quickly kissed Granny goodnight before heading upstairs to get ready for the evening.
    I opened my closet, searching through the bunched up hangers as I scrambled for something to wear. It was virtually impossible to sort through the cluster of clothes in that tiny, dark closet. No wonder Granny always used it to store boxes. Hanging clothes in there proved to be a very cruel joke. The space was no bigger than a coat closet.
    I had just gotten done running a five-mile trek and didn’t feel like changing out of my running clothes. I was wearing my gray and pink sweatpants and a black spaghetti strapped tank top. I looked outside my bedroom window for a quick weather