LOVE TO LAST

3. GENEVIEVE

Genevieve

"Come on Genny, it's going to be fun", Paige said spinning in my chair.

"No thank you. I don't want to be surrounded by vaguely familiar people who pretend they like me just to get into my good books. Nope", I replied which earned me a scowl from her.

In case you are wondering what's going on. My fun-loving best friend, Paige, wants me to join her at a charity event. I am trying my best to avoid going. This won't be our first event together. She always had means of dragging me along.

I have nothing against this kind of stuff. I throw some myself. It's just the people who attend them. The nosey ones especially. Asking stupid questions which don't concern them, like when are you getting married and when are you having children and boring, unimportant stuff like that. I hate it.

"Genny?", she started, the warning tone very thick in her words. "I am not going to ask again. You are coming with me whether you like it or not. Or else..".

I didn't want to know what 'or else' meant. I've been the recipient of this threat a lot of times. All from her. Just thinking about it gives me the chills.
"Fine, I'll go. But if any of those uppity, nosey, old women try as much to cross my line of questioning, I'm leaving your ass there and going home. Is that clear?"

"Crystal. I'm glad you decided to go through. You never know whom you might meet", she said wriggling her perfectly trimmed eyebrows.

"I think the mission here is to get me to go with you not the opposite right?", I asked her.

"Well, a girl can dream. You're being too hard on yourself Genny, how long has it been huh. The old man is dead. And I know if he was here, he would have been proud of the woman you've become. All I'm asking is for you to live a little. Give love a chance", she said with all seriousness.

This is a conversation I have always dreaded. Love. That four-letter word that has changed my whole life. I didn't want to be weak like my dad said I would be if I allowed that feeling into my life. So I banished it far into the deepest creases of my heart. Even in his grave, I still think if I give it a chance, he wouldn't like it.

"Paige, you know me. I don't believe in that shit. So can we just drop it for now at least. Please?".

"Okay, I see the walls coming up, but I'll put a cork in it for now. So onto more interesting topics, where are we having lunch today? I'm thinking something less five star-ish", she said with her finger on her chin, thinking of possible places we could eat.

"What wrong with 'five star-ish' restaurants. I own quite a lot. We have the best service, best food, and everything", I tried to reason. Whenever she gets like this, it means she wants comfort food.

Like a place where the waitresses know every customer because it's in a small neighborhood or something like that. I sometimes don't understand why she does that. I like it too but the stares get too much, it becomes creepy.

"I know a place", she said, "it has the best burritos and their pork and steak is nothing like you've ever tasted. It comes from the heart. You know the kind that moms like to make for the family. Not the celebrity chef style. You get what I'm saying?".

"I lost you on pork".

She just shook her head smiling at me. What? I love meat. The worst punishment you could give me is to make me a vegetarian. I would die.

"Yeah, of course, you did. Grab your keys and let's go. I'm famished. You're paying by the way", she told me, earning a scowl from me.

"I paid the last time", I said throwing my hands in the air.