Family Pieces (11 page)

“Come on.” James, who had once opened her door for her, had jumped out on his side and now stood impatiently at the curb.

“What’s your rush? We have an hour and a half before the Improv’s doors open.” Karsen folded her sweater over her arm and closed the car door. She always felt funny having a sweater at hand, but even in the peak of Arizona’s summer the air conditioning in most restaurants chilled her. She watched as James pushed the button on the black key fob then heard the locks click twice behind her.

The two ate politely but Karsen noticed an awkward disconnect in their conversation. She wondered if they were simply maturing, or if their relationship was growing stale. Their conversation used to be playful, a continual mix of flirting and serendipitous getting-to-know-you banter. No matter how hard she tried this evening, they just couldn’t seem to connect.

“Hanna and I have Chemistry together this term. Our lab instructor gave us a quiz…”

“That’s nice.” He cut her off before she could continue. “Did I tell you about the telecom account I landed? My boss had been trying to close them for over six months. I was able to meet with the director of purchasing today, and he signed the contract right then and there.”

“Wow.” Karsen replied. “That’s great, honey.”

James droned on about his work and finance classes. Karsen tried to seem interested, but being a communications major, net present value and balance sheets really weren’t her thing.

“You want to split a tiramisu?” Karsen asked.

“Really?” James balked at her suggestion for dessert with his ‘you don’t need to be eating that’ tone. Instead, he signaled the waiter for their bill.

“Guess not.” Her spirits dampened, Karsen excused herself and made her way to freshen up in the ladies’ room. A few minutes later, she returned to the table where she once again joined James. She grabbed her purse from beside her chair and then they headed out to the car together.

Cars moved like snails down Mill Avenue. Saturday nights were known to draw a crowd and traffic was always slow. She sensed James’s frustration and wondered whether it was her or the chocked-full street of vehicles and jaywalking pedestrians that was irritating him. They turned down University Boulevard and pulled into the parking lot behind the Improv.

“Are you all right, honey?” Karsen asked. What she really wanted to ask was “are we all right?” but couldn’t. Her insecurity wouldn’t let her.

“Yeah. I’m sorry. I’m just stressed out.”

“Is it work?”

“Yeah, of course. What else would it be?” He grabbed her hand again.

“Hey, there’s Brad’s truck. Let’s park over there,” Karsen suggested, thinking they could all leave together that way. James didn’t argue. He pulled into an open spot in the next row that had enough room so as not to scratch the doors when they opened them. They both got out of the car and headed toward the club.

“Hanna!” Karsen shouted, spotting her friend in front of the entrance. “Wait up!” Hanna turned and allowed James and Karsen to join her.

“Hi, James. Nice ride.” Hanna played into his already pompous ego.

“Thanks. I’d let you drive it, but you know what they say about women drivers?”

Hanna rolled her eyes. “Danica Patrick could run circles around your sorry ass.”

“How about we leave the comedy routine to the comics inside, shall we?” Karsen could see the conversation roller-coastering downhill fast. Hanna loved pushing James’s buttons.

James led the way to will call and they picked up the tickets that Brad had arranged for them. Inside, the lights were dim. The group stopped at the bar for drinks. An usher then led them to a four-top at the front left of the stage. The show appeared to have a full house; the balcony seats were even filled.
Not bad for amateur night,
Karsen thought. She filled with pride knowing Brad had a real shot at pursuing his dream career.

Looking toward the stage, Karsen spotted Brad waiting in the corner wing. She waved and she saw him smile back at her, clearly trying to maintain his concentration. His quirky smile filled Karsen with a welcome familiarity. Karsen grew up at the butt of his jokes. She certainly appreciated that his new material excluded her. His skits were tame compared to those of most comedians, focusing in mostly on childhood mishaps. Clean, relatively curse-word free. Karsen beamed with delight every time she watched him perform. She wondered if their mom could see him, too.

Karsen sipped her apple martini, which was usually her drink of choice. Tonight her stomach felt unsettled and while the others were well into their second drink, her first one sat barely touched.

At eight o’clock, Brad took the stage. Even though she’d heard him rehearse, Karsen’s belly hurt from laughing. She thought about their childhood joke after joke.

“Dad had a phrase, no matter what the injury. Sympathetic, he was not. Stub a toe – ‘It’ll feel better when it quits hurting.’ Break a leg – ‘It’ll feel better when it quits hurting.’ Cut your arm off with a chainsaw – ‘It’ll feel better when it quits hurting.’”

Karsen wiped the inside corner of her eye. She laughed so hard that she was crying. Hanna leaned into her and whispered in her ear, “Hey, K, I think I might have a thing for your brother.” Before she could respond, Hanna’s attention veered back to Brad’s act.

For a moment, the thought caught Karsen off guard. Hanna’s flawless looks with Brad? Not that he was bad looking; he was related to her so their features were similar. His nose had a slight bump and he wasn’t built like the guys she’d seen Hanna date. Looks aside, though,
this might not be a bad thing
, Karsen thought. At least she knew Hanna liked her, which was more than she could say for Brad’s last girlfriend.

Karsen poked Hanna in the ribs. “You think what?”

“You heard me right. I think I’m interested in Brad.” Hanna’s cheeks turned a pinkish-red.

“You’ve known him for years…what prompted this?”

“I don’t know. He’s funny, amazingly nice and handsome in his own way. What’s not to like?”

“Seriously, Hanna. This is Brad we’re talking about. My brother Brad.” Karsen still was somewhat taken aback by the thought.

“Yes. Seriously. Now, hush. I’m missing the best part.” She gazed back at Brad up on the stage.

Following Brad’s performance, the lights lifted to a soft glow as the intermission began.

“Stupendous!” Hanna, a bit tipsy, threw her arms around Brad’s neck as he joined them at the table.
She certainly goes after what she wants
, Karsen thought. Brad looked startled by Hanna’s sudden affection.

James handed Brad a beer. “Thought you might want this.”

“Thanks,” Brad said, wiping sweat from his brow. “It’s so damn hot up there.” He drew a long swig from the bottle.

The four of them watched, laughed and applauded the remaining three acts. Hanna flirted relentlessly, touching Brad’s arm, smiling coyly, her approach boldly increasing over her third martini. James became more touchy-feely toward Karsen as well. With several beers down, his hand crept up the length of her thigh. She stopped him mid-leg.

“Stop it!” she whispered sternly, giving him a perturbed glance. He persisted. “Stop. I mean it.” Her irritation grew by the moment. She never had been a fan of inappropriate displays of affection in public.

After the show, the crowd poured through the exit like cattle. A tipsy Hanna let out a jestful “Moooo!” Karsen walked in slow, baby steps beside Brad. She nudged him with her elbow. “Hanna needs a ride home. She’s in no shape to drive.”

Brad nodded. “Yeah, I noticed.”

“Can you take her?”

“Sure.”

They encountered no resistance from Hanna at the idea of Brad driving her home. “I can drive you back here tomorrow to pick up your car,” Karsen promised as they loaded Hanna into Brad’s pick-up. Hanna nodded like a bobble-headed doll as her eyes closed and she drifted immediately to sleep.

“Nice date,” James joked. Brad replied with a wry smile as he circled around to the driver’s side.

“Give me the keys,” Karsen demanded, grabbing James’s hand.

“I’m fine,” he said sternly, holding them out of her reach.

“I mean it. Give them here. I’ll drive.” He didn’t budge.

“Unless you want ten days in tent city and a pair of pink boxers, you’d better let her,” Brad shouted, knowing James would be more likely to save face in front of him than give in to Karsen.

“Whatever. Here.” James forcefully pressed the keys into Karsen’s hand and headed toward the passenger side door. Karsen mouthed the words ‘thank you’ to Brad before easing into the driver’s seat. She took her time adjusting the seat and mirrors to fit her. She looked over at James reclining back in his seat with his eyes closed and felt a mix of disappointment and anxiety. She’d looked forward to their date night all day and the evening hadn’t lived up to her expectations.

No one got lucky that night. Brad dropped Hanna off to the guardianship of her sorority sisters. He had never thought of her as more than Karsen’s friend before and certainly would not take advantage of her altered state. Yet a flicker of interest stirred inside him. He wondered whether he had misinterpreted her signals all together. Or perhaps, the alcohol simply made her overly friendly. He wasn’t sure if she would still be interested once she sobered up.

Karsen drove carefully up the Loop 101 to Indian School Road where she signaled to exit. James had moved from Tempe to south Scottsdale to be closer to work. His apartment was older, but clean. It was in walking distance to Oregano’s, Karsen’s favorite pizza joint. Her mouth watered just thinking that a pizza cookie would hit the spot. Unfortunately, James’s inebriated state made him more suited for home than a public venue at the moment.

Entering his apartment, James lay down on the bed. “Come here, babe.”

“In a minute.”

By the time she’d gone to the bathroom, he’d fallen asleep. His arms and legs sprawled out, spanning the width of the bed like the murder victim on a crime show. She removed his shoes and turned him on the bed.

“Come’re, Nik.” He said groggily.

“What?” Karsen questioned, but he had already rolled over and was sound asleep.

She glanced through his closet and pulled out one of his white oxford button down shirts to sleep in. She had seen women in the movies dress this way and rather hoped he’d think she looked sexy when he awoke. After she turned out the light, she crawled under the covers and snuggled in beside him for the night.