Page 127 of Meant to Be

“She had to quit her job because ofme.”

“Regardless. What in the world is she thinking? It makes absolutely no sense. And beyond the fact that it’s totally crazy, it’s also cruel.”

“Cruel?”

“Yes, Joe. It’s cruel.”

I nodded. Because it suddenly seemed that way to me, too. “Okay. So, if she doesn’t call me by Thursday, it’s over,” I said, getting a little fired up.

“Yes. Over.”

Berry stared at me a long time, and said, “It’s getting late, and I’m drunk. I better go.”

“No!” I said, reaching for her hand, panicking. I didn’t want to be alone. “It’s only eight o’clock. Stay longer. Stay the night. Please, Ber? You can have my bed. I’ll take the couch.”

Berry laughed and said, “That’s all you need. For the paparazzi to catch me leaving here tomorrow morning.”

“I guess,” I said, feeling a wave of pure sorrow.

Berry must have been able to tell because she said, “It’s going to be okay, Joe. Just give her a little more time.”

“But what if she never calls?” I said, staring down at our empty pizza box. “What if I never talk to her again?”

“Well, then…it wasn’t meant to be.”

I stared at her, my head fuzzy from wine. I suddenly recalled one of our first conversations about her parents and how some people had the heartlessness to say that “things happen for a reason.” It was crap, she had said, insisting that the universe was pure, brutal chaos. “I thought you didn’t believe in that stuff,” I finally said.

“What stuff?”

“Fate and destiny type stuff,” I said.

“I didn’t used to,” Berry said, resting her head on my shoulder. “But lately…I’m not so sure….”

“What’s changed?”

“It’s not about what’schanged,” she said, her speech a little slurred. “It’s about whathasn’tchanged.”

“I don’t get it.”

Berry turned and looked up at me, tears in her eyes.

“Oh, shit, Berry,” I said. “Why are you crying?”

“I’m not,” she said, wiping her eyes with two tight fists.

“C’mon. Talk to me. What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know.”

“Yes, you do.”

“I’m just sad.”

“Why? Tell me.”

She took a few deep breaths, then said, “I’m sad because…because I miss my parents. After all these years, I still miss them….”

“I know, Ber—” I said, taking both of her hands in mine.

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