Nine
My mom called me back a day later when she’d finally gotten in touch with the financial planner who was in charge of disbursing the inheritance. All I needed was a certified copy of the marriage certificate and then there would either be a check with my name on it sent, or a wire transfer to my bank account. I also needed to fill out some paperwork that he was sending me and get my signature notarized. It was all so official and adult and it started hitting me what this money was going to mean.
It was no small amount. For someone who had never grown up with a whole lot, it was probably a lot more than for someone else who had. I knew that I shouldn’t blow it. I wasn’t going to be like those people who won the lottery and burned through the money in a year and ended up bankrupt. I wouldn’t let that be me.
This money was going to change my life, change Cara’s life too. I knew she wasn’t going to want me to give her more than her tuition, but I was definitely plotting how I could give her some extra so that she wouldn’t have to stress so much about paying for everything else. I also wasn’t going to let her pay me back, but she didn’t know that yet.
Oh, and I was going to buy her that bag. That was probably the first thing I was going to do. For myself, I considered getting a better apartment, but I wanted to take care of the immediate needs like my car and groceries and this month’s rent. I could always find a new apartment later. I needed to stop the immediate hemorrhaging and then deal with the rest of the wounds.
I just wanted to be stable for a while. Just go a few months paying my bills on time and not stressing too much if I decided to order sushi. Big dreams, I had.
Cara had set an appointment to go look at the dress she wanted and I was wondering when we were actually going to do the damn thing because days were going by and I just wanted to have this done with. Still, I didn’t want to push her, because I didn’t want her to run for the hills. Or to ruin our friendship. That absolutely could not happen. The money meant nothing compared to losing her. I couldn’t begin to imagine my life without her. I’d give her every single cent to stop that from happening.
The day before Cara’s appointment, I was online scrolling through potential jobs when Lisa knocked on my door. She only did that if there was an emergency, or she needed the rent check, which wasn’t due for a couple of weeks, so I had no idea what it was. My heart started to pound.
I got up and opened the door, but I couldn’t tell what was up from her expression. Lisa was one of those people who always looked a little grim. I didn’t think I’d ever seen her smile.
“Hey, what’s up?” I asked, pretending to be calm and casual. Totally cool. Not freaking out at all.
“So, I’m moving out in three weeks. You can either keep the place and pay the full rent, or find someone else. Up to you.” I blinked at her for a few seconds.
“You’re moving out?” She’d said it so fast that my brain needed a second to catch up.
“I’m subletting in a better neighborhood. I’m going to be packing up most of my stuff, so make sure you return anything you might have borrowed.” I hadn’t borrowed any of her shit and she knew that.
“Oh, okay,” I said. Great, just great. She gave me a tight little smirky smile and went back down the hall to her room and slammed the door.
So much for standing still. Now I had to figure out if I was going to stay or go. The rent was pretty reasonable, so I could stay now that I was getting the inheritance money, so I didn’t have to panic too much. Plus, I could move into the nicer bedroom once Lisa vacated it. Maybe I could turn the spare into an office or something. Or get a dog. That would be nice.
Plus, having the place to myself? Not so bad. I was already thinking about redecorating. This could be great. I could make this work.
And then I remembered Cara. Holy shit, another incredible idea. I called her right away.
“Have you found an apartment yet?” I asked by way of a greeting. I was vibrating with excitement again.
“Uh, no. Not really. I did find a nice box in the basement, though, so I might live there.” I didn’t have time to laugh at her joke.
“You can move in with me. Lisa’s moving out and I can deal with the rent on my own, but you need a place and I have one,” I said all in a rush. I wished she was with me in person so I could hug her and we could jump up and down and celebrate.
“Wait, really?” she said after a few seconds of silence.
“Yes! Then I won’t have to worry about getting along with a roommate because we get along already. It’s totally perfect.” Yet another good idea. I was having all kinds of them lately. And saving not just my own ass, but my best friend’s.
“Are you sure about that?” Was she serious?
“Cara. You’re my best friend. Living with you would literally be the best thing. I mean, I don’t want to pressure you. But if you want to live here, you can move in with me.” I probably should have opened with that instead of throwing the idea at her as if I’d already decided she should do it. That was always one of my issues. I got a little too enthusiastic and started running before I’d even made a plan.
“Oh, wow, yeah. I mean, I’d love to live with you, Lo. I can’t think of anything better. If you’re sure.”
“I couldn’t be more sure if I tried.”
“Holy crap, that is amazing. I don’t have to live in a box.” I laughed.
“Nope. You can have your very own room with walls and everything.”
“How will I handle living in such luxury?”
“Um, don’t hate me, but I’m going to move into the other room, if that’s okay?” I probably should have let her pick, but I was a little selfish.
“No, that’s fine. It’s your place. I’m used to having a small room. You know this.” I did. We talked some more about the rent and when she was going to move in and adding her to the lease and so forth.
“We can get a cat. Or a bunny. Or a dog,” I said and Cara laughed.
“Let’s just see if we can live together without ending our friendship first. Spending the night is one thing, seeing someone every single day is another.” I rolled my eyes.
“Care. You practically lived at my house when we were kids. I think we can handle this. Plus, it’s not like we’re sharing a room. Just the kitchen and bathroom and so forth. It’s going to be fine. We’ve got this.” She sighed.
“You’re right. You’re totally right. I’m just being weird. Okay, so we’re getting married and living together now?” I guess we were.
“Yup. You’re gonna be my live-in wife.” It was the first time I’d referred to her as my wife and the word had never struck me as anything special until now. But pairing that word with Cara was something else. It hit me just as hard as when she’d proposed and put the ring on my finger.
This was fake. We weren’t getting real married. I had to keep reminding myself of that and stop getting all carried away and swept up. I couldn’t let things get out of hand. I had to slow my roll.
“Huh, I guess I am,” she said. “That’s so weird. I haven’t thought of myself as someone’s wife. I mean, even if we’re just doing it for money and getting it annulled. Oh, you’re coming to my appointment, right?”
“Yeah, absolutely.” I still wasn’t sure how I felt about the whole dress thing, but anything to get her excited.
“Great. Listen, I’ve got to go right now, but I’ll see you on Tuesday? You know where the place is, right?” I didn’t but I had GPS in my phone.
“See you then, Care,” I said and hung up. The front door slammed and I realized that Lisa had left, so I could head to the kitchen to make something to eat. I couldn’t believe in a few weeks that she was going to be gone, Cara was taking her place, and all of my money problems were going to be solved.
Life was pretty fucking great right now.