Copyright 1998 by the author

"I'm okay, I guess. You know, same old, same old."     She tried to make it sound casual. It fell flat.     Susan continued: "Dave saw me as he was driving away with the kids. He told me he was leaving you behind to hand out the candy so I thought you might like a bit of company."     "But?! But. What brings you back to the city? Where have you been? Are you okay? Where do you live now?..." The words poured out as if one massive run-on sentence.     Susan cut her off:

"Actually, I've moved back here. Boston didn't work out, then I tried the West Coast. I had a few other choices, but I decided to come back here. I don't know for how long. You know, time to get my bearings?"     She had that youthful habit of finishing her sentences with as a question, betraying her insecurity.     "Well, come in, come in! Let's make some tea and tell me everything you've been up to!"     She forgot about her sister's, nearly jogging down the hallway, turning left at the bathroom on the way to the kitchen. The front door was open wide but it was a warm night. Fresh air is a good thing, even if the house comes with air conditioning.

How could she not have remembered? Susan had been a fixture at the house for so many years; and she was such a natural with kids! While Dave was closing deals, Susan became a good friend. Her best friend maybe. She was younger, but they always had such a good time. They could laugh without stopping for hours. Colleen remembered the tears they cried when Susan's high school sweetheart left her. And then one day came the tears when Susan decided to leave Montreal. So suddenly too.     And then nothing. No calls. No letters. Some days, Colleen missed her so much. She wanted so much to tell her about the kids; the good; the bad; the funny. She wanted to ask Susan about her life. She wanted to talk about Dave.

"Hey!"     Colleen had come to a complete stop and was retracing her steps from the kitchen. She eyed Susan, her expression somewhere between hurt and angry.     "You called me Mrs. Willis! What do you mean calling me Mrs. Willis? I'm not Colleen anymore? You suddenly show up after all these years, no apology, nothing, and then you call me Mrs. Willis?"     "Oh, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I really am! I don't mean anything by it. Really. It's just that, well, I left in such a hurry, you know. And, well, I haven't kept in touch, and I didn't behave really well, so, you know, I thought you might be mad at me if I just assumed we could continue as we left off. You know?"

There was the question at the end of the sentence again. But this time, the end of her sentence trailed off while she stared at the floor in silence. A small tear welled in her eye. Then another rolled down her cheek, past her chin and onto the floor. Then another.     They stood there motionless. Outside, a dog was barking.     Colleen began to cry.     "But, not one phone call. Not even a letter!"     "I know! I know! You don't understand. It's complicated!"     The dog was barking again. A car came to a rapid stop outside, tires squealed.

"And all these years! "     "I know"     Colleen went to Susan, arms open. She didn't know what the problem was but she didn't care. A friend is a friend. There would be time later to explain. They went to hug each other, Colleen instinctively tilting her head to the right as Susan moved to her left. In their haste, they had both tilted their heads to the same side and their lips touched.

Colleen's head jerked back, eyes open wide, and she stared at Susan, who seemed surprised but was surprisingly calm. Colleen stood stiff as a board, frozen, confused. After a moment, Susan's head moved forward ever so slowly. Colleen was shaking as their lips touched again. Susan's big green eyes were looking straight at Colleen as she tenderly kissed Colleen full on the mouth. She placed her hands on either side of Colleen's head, her long fingers running through her hair, holding her, comforting her.     Colleen stopped shaking. She held on to Susan so tight her arms ached. She felt excited. She felt calm. She felt scared. She didn't know what she felt.

"Honey, what's the matter with you? You're over an hour late! I tried calling from your sister's but the phone is out, and you probably forgot..."     Dave stood staring at his wife. Then he saw Susan. They hadn't heard him at first. But after he rounded the corner, there was no way to miss him.     The three of them stood in silence.     "Trick or treat?" Susan asked, for the second time that night.     "I'm not sure" Colleen replied.