Kelli
Aknock soundedonKelli’sfront door, but she was too sick to get out of bed to go answer it.
Thenshe heard “I’musing my old key and coming in” loudly enough that she was pretty sure any neighbors who were home heardValeria’svoice, too.Amoment later, her friend walked into her room.
“Howare you feeling?”Valasked while setting down various bags and putting things on her nightstand.
Kellipaused theHallmarkChristmasmovie she’d been watching. “Aboutas awful asIlook.”Andthen a coughing fit hit, and she grabbed a tissue to cover her mouth, her brain feeling like it was getting beat up inside her head with every cough.
“Well,Iguess getting the world’s biggest cold is one way to distract yourself from the heartbreak.”
Kellishrugged and dropped the crumpled tissue on her floor with the others.Ithurt her soul to have them all just making a mess of her floor, but she had been too exhausted to get out of bed and move her trash container closer. “IfI’mgoing to feel awful,Imight as well deal with them both at the same time.”
Thiswas the worst cold she had gotten in a whole lot of years.Onsecond thought, she probably wouldn’t have chosen to double it up with anything.
Valeriaplaced the back of her hand onKelli’sforehead. “Nofever still.That’sgood becauseIbrought soup.”Shepulled from a bag two containers of soup, a stack of napkins, and two spoons.Sheglanced once at theHallmarkmovie-watching blanket that was spread acrossKelli, but instead of bringing it up, she asked, “Haveyou heard back fromLizyet?”
Kelliwas gratefulValeriawasn’t bringing upParker.Everythingwas still too bright and painful and fresh.Liz, she could talk about.Liz, she could even smile about. “Idid.Shehadn’t already gone in to look at the ad campaign yet, but she looked and told me not to stress out, that these things happen.It’sall part of the game.Youwin some and you lose some, andIhave a track record for winning more thanIlose, so it’s all good.”
Valeriagrinned as she carried the soup to the other side ofKelli’sbed and put it on the nightstand furthest away, then climbed onto the bed and sat down next to her. “Itold you it would all be fine.Nowpush play.”Shegrabbed both containers of soup and handed one toKelli.
Theywatched and ate soup, commenting only on the movie, for several long minutes beforeValeriasaid, “RememberwhenRhettandIbroke up andIbarely got off the couch for three days?”
“IthinkI’vegot your look beat.Butyeah—you were a mess.”
“Yet, that didn’t stop you from loving me, and it didn’t make you kick me out ofBFFstatus.”
“Ofcourse not!”
“AndIstill love you, too.Yourname is practically tattooed as myBFF.”
Kelligrinned at her, unsure why her friend was getting all sentimental on her but liking it all the same.
“SinceIwas your roommate for two years,I’veseen you be imperfect plenty of times.”
Kellilooked back at her, wary.WhateverturnValeriawas taking this conversation on, she no longer liked it.
“Imean, it wasn’t often.Butyou think your less-than-perfect moments only happen whenParker’saround?Whatabout that time you decided to make scones for the first time and thought the oil needed to come to a boil to show that it was ready?I’msurprised you didn’t burn the kitchen down when you dropped that first one in.AndI’mpretty sure that we could find something in the apartment that still carries the stench ofTheSmokethatPermeatedEverything.”
Heatflamed toKelli’sface just remembering it.Nowit seemed so stupid that she ever thought the oil was supposed to boil, yet at the time, it had made perfect sense.Itstill surprised her how quickly that scone flash-burned to black.
“Andthe time you couldn’t sleep during the night so you got up and rearranged all the furniture in the living room but didn’t tell me.SowhenIwoke up and shuffled toward the kitchen, groggy and still half asleep,Istumbled into the corner of the armchair and fell and nearly sprained my wrist.”
Maybeshe did have a fever because her face was on fire. “Thanks,Val.I’dbeen doing a pretty good job of repressing those things.”
Valeriaput her soup container on the nightstand and turned to face her, sitting with her legs crossed. “Thepoint is,Istill love you.Infact, those things made me love you more becauseIgot to see the real you.Ilike when you’re imperfect.”
Kellismiled.Andmight have gotten a little teary.Butthat might have just been the watery eyes from her cold. “That’swhy you’re the best,Valeria.”
“It’snot just me.”Valeriahuffed out a breath, her eyes aimed at the ceiling, thinking, like she was frustrated that she wasn’t getting her point across and trying to figure out how. “Okay, do you know what?I’mjust going to come right out and say it.”Shetook a deep breath. “Yourmom didn’t leave because you’re imperfect.Shedid becausesheis imperfect.”
Kelligasped as the blow of talking about her mom hit her.
“Yourdad didn’t keep from inviting you to join him, his wife, and his new stepdaughters forChristmasbecauseyou’reimperfect.Theydid becausetheyare imperfect.Weall are.Everysingle one of us.That’swhat makes us human and beautiful and yes, evenlovable.”
Tearswere falling in earnest now.Kelliset her soup on her nightstand.
ThenValeriawhispered, “AndParkerisn’t going to stop loving you because you’re imperfect or because you make a mistake.Andhe isn’t going to stop loving you just becausehe’simperfect, too.”
