In the Blink of a Decade

The First Bottle of Wine

I was yanked out of the memory of my first kiss by the sound of someone coming down the stairs behind me.

I turned around in my chair to see Hallie smiling at me with a bottle of wine in one hand and an empty glass in another. “It’s wine o’clock!”she pronounced.

I smiled at her, “I already have an open bottle” she said.

“I know but I wasn’t sure you would be in the mood to share” she replied.

I gave Hallie a funny look and said “It’s not like there isn’t a liquor store’s worth of alcohol at the top of those stairs” I said.

Hallie smirked “True. But Fisher told me you saw Casey and immediately came down to the dock with a bottle of wine and I figured you needed that bottle more than I do.”

I sighed, “I am not going to say it was easy…..in fact seeing him only confirms that I still hate his guts….but I am refusing to let his presence ruin my week. So I came down to sit on the dock and enjoy some wine….I wish I could say it has been peaceful, but I can’t stop thinking about the first night we met.”

“Why that night? It was just one of Fisher’s parties” she replied.

“I have never really talked about it with anyone. That night after we played beer pong and I went outside for air he followed me….I was in my awkward there is no way a guy could think I am worthy of attraction phase and was being awkward as he flirted with me. I nearly breathed a sigh of relief when Fisher came outside to smoke a joint and saved me from looking like a bumbling moron.”

Hallie cut me off “I doubt you were a bumbling moron.”

“No, I was. I was drunk and that made my lack of experience shine. But anyways, at the end of the night when you were passed out on the couch I was doing some cleaning and he kissed me goodbye. It was my first kiss. I was so shocked that I didn’t know what to say, so I just watched him leave.”

“Girl he kissed you that night and you didn’t tell me!” Hallie sounded exasperated.

“Seeing him again just brings up so many feelings….mostly feelings about myself I have worked so hard to overcome….why did I spend so many years thinking I wasn’t pretty enough? Why did I think I wasn’t sexy? Why did I fall for the first guy who ever paid attention to me?”

Hallie looked at me “I think all teenage girls think they should be prettier.”

I laughed at her “Yeah, like you ever had that problem. You practically lived in your bikini every summer so you could show yourself off.”

Hallie gave me a sad smile “I only did that because I felt like I wasn’t pretty enough on the inside. I figured if everyone was paying attention to my body no one would notice that I sucked as a person.”

I gave Hallie a shocked look, “why did you ever think you sucked as a person, everyone loves you!”

Hallie didn’t answer for a moment. Then she said “Because girls always seemed to glare at me for how I looked in a bikini and guys seemed to only be interested in how I looked in a bikini. People didn’t try to get to know me the way they get to know you.”

I was stunned. I didn’t know what to say to that. Hallie has been my best friend for half my life and she has never told me how insecure she is.

I looked at her “Is that still how you feel?”

“No, not since I started dating Austin. He got to know me as a friend first, which no one had ever done with me before.”

I gave her a relieved look. “I don’t think you could pay me to go back to my 18 year old self. I don’t miss being awkward and insecure.”

“But man did we have fun” Hallie replied and we both laughed.

I went to take another sip of wine and realized that my glass was empty. I emptied the reminder of the bottle into my glass and looked at Hallie with a smile. “Guess I didn’t want to share after all.”

Hallie laughed “How long have I known you?”

“Yeah, yeah” I said.

Hallie gave me a serious look, “but honesty, are you okay.”

“I will be fine. Casey Steel has gotten enough tears from me, there is not a chance in hell I am letting him screw up this week.”

Hallie studied me a moment and then gave me a relived look. “On a lighter note WERE ON VACATION!!! CHEERS!”

We clinked glasses and Hallie slammed back her glass of wine. “I have some catching up to do” she said.

We heard someone else coming down the stairs behind us and turned around to see Laura coming to join us with her own glass.

“I was told there was 2 bottles of wine down here already” she said as she crouched down to hug Hallie and I.

Hallie laughed, “well there was, now just what’s left of the bottle I have, Shelly was thirsty.”

Laura laughed “Glad to see nothing has changed,” she said.

Laura sat down in front of us dangling her legs off the dock so she could feel that water on her feet as we caught each other up on our lives.

I was enjoying seeing my old friends so much I almost forgot about my glass of wine. One thing is for sure, no matter how long time passes between our visits we all still feel like family.

I zoned out looking out over the lake enjoying the sounds of the girls chatting away in front of me.

I turned around to the sound of several people descending the stairs behind me.

“The boys are cooking dinner and we came for some girl talk” Alinta pronounced as she came down the steps followed by Gloria and Percy.

Laura smiled “Is this what it’s like to have a husband” she asked.

Hallie laughed “No, Austin generally plays with his guitar until I get hungry enough to cook dinner. The bugger always knows I will give in.”

We all laughed “You married him” I said.

“Yes I did” she said with a smile on her face and we all giggled.

The girls were chatting away about the new nail salon they went to, who bought naughty lingerie for vacation and which celebrity was getting married and I zoned out again looking out over the lake. When was the last time I had girl time with anyone other than Hallie and Dalia? Our girl time usually consists of us painting Dalia’s nails before she goes to bed and then me having a glass or 2 of wine with Hallie before sneaking off to bed exhausted. I smiled to myself thinking I can’t remember the last time I had girl time where the dialogue didn’t have to be G rated.

I was basking in the realization that I had an entire week without Paw Patrol when I heard “Ladies” being called from behind me.

We all turned around to see Fisher at the top of the stairs waiting for our attention. “Dinner is ready” he said turning back to the cottage.

Better down the rest of this wine, I thought. I might need a little liquid courage to get through a dinner with Casey at the table.