Carmen and Madeline cruised over the Walt Whitman Bridge, leaving the Philadelphia skyline in the distance as they traversed the
Delaware River into New Jersey. A not particularly nice summer was
already fading into the twilight of late-August, and they were eager to
drink up the last rays of warm sunshine and carefree hours at the Shore.
Today the sun at last was shining amid white, puffy clouds and a clear
blue sky, though by the time they'd get to Ocean City, it would be too late
for bathing suits and body surfing. Not that Carmen was too concerned;
she was more excited about meeting up with Mary Ellen and the new guys
they were planning to party with in the Atlantic City clubs.
Madeline winced as Carmen sped along the Expressway, occasionally
cutting off other cars and eliciting the ire of fellow drivers, some of whom
would make their displeasure known with distinctive gestures.
"Hey, Carmen, relax! My parents' house is less than an hour away.
We're going to get there in plenty of time. The last thing I need is for you
to get pulled over while driving my car!"
In her typically free-spirited fashion, Carmen just laughed. "Don't
worry, Maddy, I know how to get out of a ticket. Besides, it's been such a
long week, I just want to let loose. Here, let's crank up the radio; that'll
make you feel better!"
She turned up the volume, and Jon Secada's recent hit Just Another
Day blasted through the speakers. "See, your favorite song!" Carmen
teased. "Just sit back and enjoy, and leave the driving to me!"
"You're crazy!" Madeline shot back, laughing. Despite her misgivings,
she knew beyond a doubt if anyone could sweet-talk their way out of
ticket, it was her gal-pal Carmen. A striking woman of Cuban descent,
Carmen stood about 5' 9", with a slim figure, long dark hair and an
angular face, that, while not textbook beautiful, was alluring and exotic.
She stood in stark contrast to Madeline's girl-next-door cuteness; when
Carmen strode confidently into a room men-and women-noticed her.
It was hard to believe they were even close to the same age, with Carmen,
at 27, just two years older.
"How come your family isn't getting here until tomorrow?" Carmen
asked, trying to distract her friend from her highway antics.
"Oh, I don't know, I think Mom and Dad have a barbeque at some
doctor's house in Wayne, and everyone else is busy with wedding plans."
She was referring to her oldest brother Greg, and her sister Lori, who
would be exchanging vows in the near future with their respective
fiancées. "I'm pretty sure they are all coming down tomorrow to at least
enjoy one good beach day out of the weekend. It's been so rainy this year,
everyone wants to take advantage of the good weather, even if it means
driving up and back in one day. Before we know it, we'll be dealing with
winter cold and ice again. God, I wish it stayed hot here all year round. I
dread having to drive around in that crap."
As an outside sales rep for an employment agency, Madeline had had
many close calls on the road, thanks to Old Man Winter's nasty blizzards.
Unfortunately in the real world, there was no such thing as a "snow day";
as nice as her boss was, she didn't take kindly to such excuses as "I'm
afraid to drive on the ice." Maddy's sometimes overprotective Mom
would urge her to stay home anyway, as if employers gave their employees
special dispensations for having anxious mothers.
"Yeah, I know," Carmen agreed. "Sometimes I think about joining
my dad in Miami. Then I remember what a witch he's married to now.
Suddenly, winter doesn't seem so bad by comparison." Madeline laughed.
"I suppose everything's relative. But at least your job doesn't involve
being on the road all day. Once you get there, you can stay put until it's
time to go home. I don't have that luxury."
"I know," Carmen agreed. "But believe me; I miss my retail days in
New York. Macy's was tough, mostly due to a Type-A personality boss,
but I met a lot of cool people. Counseling clients at New You Nutrition
and Weight Loss isn't exactly a dream job."
"Isn't it satisfying to help someone get into shape?" Madeline
pursued.
"Only the people who are really serious about it," Carmen replied.
"But most clients just make up excuses and waste their money so they can
claim to be doing something about their figure. And the company doesn't
mind because they're raking in the dough. Not that the program isn't
good, it is. But not even the best weight loss plan on earth will work for
someone who isn't committed to it."
"You should tell them you owe your skinny frame to New You, and
not an inherited fast metabolism!" Madeline suggested, laughingly.
"Yeah, maybe I should!" Carmen agreed. "You look good, Maddy, by
the way. I can tell you've lost some weight."
"Yes, I'm trying!" Madeline patted her tummy. "All the walking and
swimming I've been doing is paying off. And I'm being really careful
about everything I put in my mouth. Just a few more pounds and I'll be
all set."
"Now, don't go off the deep end," Carmen warned, suddenly
becoming serious. "You are such a pretty girl and you look great. So just
remember that, ok? You are beautiful the way you are right now."
Knowing her good friend was still reeling from a painful break-up a few
months ago, Carmen wanted this to be a fun weekend for all of them.
"Apparently Jake didn't think so," Madeline noted quietly.
"Jake's an ass!" Carmen shot back, her fiery Latin temper flaring.
"Who the hell was he to criticize you? It's obvious you weren't dating him
for his good looks. He should have been grateful to have a cute girl like
you on his arm, instead of acting like a complete jerk and dumping you
over the phone. At least be a man and face things head on. What a wuss!"
Madeline grimaced at the recent memory. Jake had been her first
boyfriend, though they'd met through a mutual family friend when she
was 22. Through her high school and college years, a lack of selfconfidence
brought on by a few extra pounds had hindered her from
enjoying anything resembling a boyfriend, save for the son of another
family friend who thankfully, rescued her from the embarrassment of
missing her Senior Prom. In return, she did the same for him. But
although the boy had been crazy about her, she hadn't returned his
feelings. He was just too serious for her, and at 17, she certainly wasn't
ready to commit to anything.
"Maddy, did you hear me? Don't invest anymore energy into that jerk!
He never deserved you in the first place. But there's someone out there
who does and it's about time you started looking for him!"
"Yes, Mom!" Madeline answered sarcastically.
"Well, while we're on the subject, I have to confess something."
Uh-oh. Knowing Carmen, it wasn't good news.
"What?" Madeline asked defensively, bracing herself for the answer.
"Mary Ellen is trying to get these guys to bring a friend along for
you-"
"Aw, Carmen!" she protested.
"Look, I don't even know if the guy will make it, but you have to start
somewhere. These men are successful in business and they're really cute.
We'll all just go out and have some fun. It'll be great, you'll see!"
"Do you even know anything about them?"
"Well, I know they have some kind of import/export business in
Atlantic City. And I think they're from Iran or someplace in the Middle
East."
Fabulous.
Maddy's type was definitely the masculine, clean-cut all-American guy
either in uniform, or out of the pages of Football Digest or GQ; while she
had an appreciation for other cultures, she had no desire to date someone
from another country-European, Middle Eastern or otherwise. As was
her usual reaction to distressing news, she sat in silence.
"C'mon, Mad, don't hate me," Carmen pleaded after a while. "It's just
a date!"
"Well, just so you know," she finally piped up, "If the guy doesn't
show up, you and Mary Ellen are on your own. I'm not going to be a
fifth-wheel. Ok?"
"Ok." Carmen's tone was acquiescing as they rolled along the Atlantic
City Expressway.