eyes. “Do I really need to tell you?” she asked.
“Please, Em. Before he moves his furniture and all the rest of his stuff over and I add his name to the lease, I need to know this, okay?”
Emily gave another barely perceptible nod and told her friend what had happened, her voice sounding dull and unnatural to her as she did so. Sally sat quietly for a long moment afterward, a tiredness weakening her eyes and mouth. The waitress came back with their coffee, and after she left, Sally asked whether Mitch had lied to her about Emily propositioning him weeks earlier.
“Of course he lied about that,” Emily said, her cheeks reddening. “Even if I had any interest in him, I never would’ve done something like that to you.”
“I never believed that was what happened,” Sally said. “I thought maybe you might’ve innocently flirted with him, and he misread it. The whole thing made me incredibly uncomfortable, but I never believed you made a play for him.” She paused, then asked, “He propositioned you, didn’t he?”
“Yes.”
“Was it possible he was only joking around and you misinterpreted what he meant?”
“No, I didn’t misinterpret anything. He made it clear that he wanted us to have sex whenever you were out of the apartment. I’m sorry, Sally. I wanted to tell you, but he beat me to the punch when he lied to you the way he did and I didn’t think you’d believe me. And then I started thinking if I moved out of the apartment he’d settle down and act more like a decent person.”
“That asshole,” Sally whispered, anger tightening her mouth.
“Sally, I’m so sorry.”
Sally shook her head. “Nothing for you to apologize for, Em. I’m the one who needs to be apologizing for subjecting you to him all these months.” She gave Emily a sad smile and added, “I guess love is blind sometimes, huh?”
“Sometimes it is.”
“I couldn’t ignore the way Winston acted the other day. When the asshole formerly known as Mitch tried to find out your new address, I had to face facts and couldn’t hide in denial any longer.”
“You didn’t tell him where I’m living, did you?” Emily asked, alarmed.
“No, of course not. But you should’ve heard his excuses for wanting to know it. I can’t believe I wasted six months with him. And I can’t believe I lost you as a roommate because of him. But I’m glad you found the place you did. Em, darling, it sounds wonderful.” She gave Emily another sad smile and commented how she didn’t have much of an appetite anymore, and that it would be better for her to head back to work. “How about we do lunch another time?”
“Sure. And I’ll have you over soon. I promise.”
Sally nodded weakly and fumbled around in her purse for money to pay for what she had ordered. As she got up to leave, she patted Emily on the shoulder. “The next guy I end up with isn’t going to be an asshole, I promise you that.”
That night Sally called Emily to tell her that she threw Mitch out. “The asshole was actually crying about how he had given up his apartment months ago and had no place to go. He makes three times what you and I make combined, and he was just freeloading off of us, not once offering to pay any rent. I guess the nights he wasn’t here, he must’ve been hooking up with other girls for the night. What an asshole.”
Sally’s speech sounded slurred, and Emily asked her if she’d been drinking.
“Only a few celebratory shots of tequila. Don Pilar Blanco. The good stuff.”
“Well don’t overdo it, okay?”
“Don’t worry, I won’t. But it’s not every day you get to remove a two hundred pound asshole from your apartment.”
Emily had earlier summoned Jack, and he must’ve been able to hear the full conversation, for when Emily got off the phone, he asked her again about whether she’d like to see Mitch turned into an insect or rodent of some sort. “Miss Mignon, it would be for the best,” he told her.
She shook her
“Please, Em. Before he moves his furniture and all the rest of his stuff over and I add his name to the lease, I need to know this, okay?”
Emily gave another barely perceptible nod and told her friend what had happened, her voice sounding dull and unnatural to her as she did so. Sally sat quietly for a long moment afterward, a tiredness weakening her eyes and mouth. The waitress came back with their coffee, and after she left, Sally asked whether Mitch had lied to her about Emily propositioning him weeks earlier.
“Of course he lied about that,” Emily said, her cheeks reddening. “Even if I had any interest in him, I never would’ve done something like that to you.”
“I never believed that was what happened,” Sally said. “I thought maybe you might’ve innocently flirted with him, and he misread it. The whole thing made me incredibly uncomfortable, but I never believed you made a play for him.” She paused, then asked, “He propositioned you, didn’t he?”
“Yes.”
“Was it possible he was only joking around and you misinterpreted what he meant?”
“No, I didn’t misinterpret anything. He made it clear that he wanted us to have sex whenever you were out of the apartment. I’m sorry, Sally. I wanted to tell you, but he beat me to the punch when he lied to you the way he did and I didn’t think you’d believe me. And then I started thinking if I moved out of the apartment he’d settle down and act more like a decent person.”
“That asshole,” Sally whispered, anger tightening her mouth.
“Sally, I’m so sorry.”
Sally shook her head. “Nothing for you to apologize for, Em. I’m the one who needs to be apologizing for subjecting you to him all these months.” She gave Emily a sad smile and added, “I guess love is blind sometimes, huh?”
“Sometimes it is.”
“I couldn’t ignore the way Winston acted the other day. When the asshole formerly known as Mitch tried to find out your new address, I had to face facts and couldn’t hide in denial any longer.”
“You didn’t tell him where I’m living, did you?” Emily asked, alarmed.
“No, of course not. But you should’ve heard his excuses for wanting to know it. I can’t believe I wasted six months with him. And I can’t believe I lost you as a roommate because of him. But I’m glad you found the place you did. Em, darling, it sounds wonderful.” She gave Emily another sad smile and commented how she didn’t have much of an appetite anymore, and that it would be better for her to head back to work. “How about we do lunch another time?”
“Sure. And I’ll have you over soon. I promise.”
Sally nodded weakly and fumbled around in her purse for money to pay for what she had ordered. As she got up to leave, she patted Emily on the shoulder. “The next guy I end up with isn’t going to be an asshole, I promise you that.”
That night Sally called Emily to tell her that she threw Mitch out. “The asshole was actually crying about how he had given up his apartment months ago and had no place to go. He makes three times what you and I make combined, and he was just freeloading off of us, not once offering to pay any rent. I guess the nights he wasn’t here, he must’ve been hooking up with other girls for the night. What an asshole.”
Sally’s speech sounded slurred, and Emily asked her if she’d been drinking.
“Only a few celebratory shots of tequila. Don Pilar Blanco. The good stuff.”
“Well don’t overdo it, okay?”
“Don’t worry, I won’t. But it’s not every day you get to remove a two hundred pound asshole from your apartment.”
Emily had earlier summoned Jack, and he must’ve been able to hear the full conversation, for when Emily got off the phone, he asked her again about whether she’d like to see Mitch turned into an insect or rodent of some sort. “Miss Mignon, it would be for the best,” he told her.
She shook her
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