Closure

"What?!" I ask. I think I'm in shock, and I try to process what Kolby has just said. 

I'd asked her to lunch to discuss Marie. This time, I'm absolutely sure we should tell her about Liam's affair without a doubt. It's just not fair to keep her in the dark, especially with something that concerns her so much and us not at all. 

However, Kolby had some news of her own and it had completely derailed the conversation I'd had planned in my head. 

"It's pretty simple," she said with a laugh, ready to explain again. "I'm going to be a housewife!"

"Kolby, you aren't married," I splutter, still taken aback 

She shrugs. "So? I saw an opportunity and I took it! I've met the guy and he seems perfectly normal, really." Seeing the look on my face, she continues. "He's an attorney and he works more than sixty hours a week. I'd have my own room and bathroom and we would hardly have to interact. All I'd have to do is clean up and occasionally cook for the guy. And then I get rent free! I don't see why that isn't a great idea."

I stare at her from across the table, my pulled pork sandwich forgotten. "So you found an ad for a housewife on craigslist and decided to meet up with this guy alone? Without telling anyone?" I always knew Kolby was a free spirit and tough cookie, but stupid? I'd never have guessed. "Kolb, you could have been killed," I say in a low voice. "Didn't you think this through at all?"

With a toss of the hair that would make Scarlett O'hara proud, Kolby glares at me. "I didn't expect you to be so mean," she says. 

"I'm not being mean!" I protest. "Just reasonable. And protective. Kolby, Craigslist can be sketchy. And people can lie. Maybe he said he was an attorney in his late twenties but maybe he's actually a sixty year old with a fetish. Or maybe," I realize with horror, "he knows you from your radio show and has been waiting for this to happen."

Kolby rolls her eyes. "Now you're getting paranoid," she says. 

"Better paranoid than stupid," I say firmly. 

"Fine," Kolby retorts, "but like it or not, I'm doing it. I have the extra time, and I kinda even enjoy cleaning. Is that so wrong?"

"Kolby," I say, starting to get frustrated, "it's not that I have a problem with homemakers. I just think this could be a potentially bad situation."

Really, how could I not be worried? One of my best friends is looking for apartments and stumbles upon an ad for free room and board for a homemaker, and I'm not supposed to find it creepy and a little dangerous? 

"I already told him yes. We agreed to the terms: I'd keep the place clean and cool three dinners a week. I have to bring my own furniture and pay for my own grocers, minus what I use to cook dinner for us."  

It sounds absolutely batshit insane, but when I hear this, I give up. "Fine," I say, "but I'm keeping an eye on you. If anything weird happens, let me know."  

"Okay, okay," Kolby concedes. And with that, I come to terms with the fact that one of my best friends is about to move out of her perfectly fine apartment to live with a busy attorney she's never met and wait on him hand and foot. Or at least that's what it sounds like to me. "Lighten up," Kolby says gently, seeing my face. "It'll be an adventure." I sigh. "So what did you really bring me here to talk about?" 

I hesitate and then say, "We need to tell Marie about Liam's cheating." 

Kolby sips her drink. She's quiet for a moment. "I think you're right," she finally says. 

I can't explain how relieved that made me. I was expecting a fight, honestly, and after all of this homemaking and moving business, I wasn't sure if I was ready for more drama. 

"I just feel like we can't play God any longer," I explain. "It's a fucked up situation, but we need to tell her. Maybe it'll help her heal," I add. 

Kolby's nodding. "I've been having nightmares," she admits quietly. I'm a little surprised she says this, since Kolby seems so cheerful most of the time that I never imagine her as anything but happy. "I keep waking up in a cold sweat, thinking we could have saved her so much grief if we just let her know." She shakes her head as if dispelling a bad dream. "You were right all along." 

I wish I could gloat about being right, but not in this situation. I just want Marie to be happy. 

"How do we do it?" I ask. 

We spend the next twenty figuring out a plan. It's decided that the best way would to get everything we know out in the open, in person. We discuss the photo--the one I snapped of Liam and the blonde in line a few weeks ago. I don't want we to see it.

"Let's tell her I saw them together.  I'll delete the photo right now. It's just not worth it, and then she'll have even more questions." I fish my phone out of my purse. 

Kolby nods. "She might get mad if she sees it. I bet she'll be pretty angry at us no matter what, though." She sighs. "I am not looking forward to this."

"Me neither," I admit. "I love Marie," I say as I search for the photo. "She can be a tough customer, but she's the sweetest angel. I don't want to hurt her." I find the photo and hit the trash can icon. "It's gone forever," I announce. 

Kolby sighs with relief. "Good," she says. She gathers her things. "I have to go," she says. "Thanks for being so understanding."

I look up at her in disbelief. "Kolb, I was anything but understanding."

She shrugs. "Yeah, okay. But I'm going to do it anyway and we both knew that. I'm just glad you're the voice of reason so I don't have to be." She grins and I groan. 

"See ya," I say. As soon as she's gone, I reach for my phone to put it away. That's when I see it's lighted up, and with a text... From Cam. 

"I've been thinking a lot about how everything ended and I think we should get together and talk sometime," it reads. That's all. After almost two weeks, this is all I've heard from him. I'm almost in shock. What do I do? 

I'm the kind of person who craves closure, and maybe meeting up with Cam would offer just that. Maybe it would help me get over him. Or maybe it wouldn't. Maybe it would make me miss him more. Maybe I'd grovel. I could never be sure how'd I react til I saw him. 

I want to say yes. It had been a hard two weeks, and I miss him. I miss him so much that my eyes well up for a secnd. Pushing the tears back, I type back, "I don't think that's a good idea." I know it's the right thing to do, but it hurts. Sometimes I don't miss him at all, but other times I get out my phone to text him something and only then realize we're broken up. Meeting up would only hurt me more. 

I sigh and sign my credit card slip, adding up the tip. After a few moments, he hasn't texted back. I don't think he ever will.

Now more than ever, it feels like the end for Cam and I. Maybe this is closure.