"Oh,
my girlfriend. Sorry, man. I totally forgot. You've been out of town
so long, it slipped my mind."
"We
always go canoeing on your birthday, idiot."
"Is
it my birthday? Shit." He collapsed onto the bed, holding the
phone against his ear. "Tanya's gonna kill me."
"Why?"
"Cause
I didn't tell her."
"Okay,
then let's start this conversation over, my friend. Tell me where you
are?"
Morgan
told him the address.
"Alright.
Can I come over? Do you want me to? Is Tanya an ax murderess, who's
likely to kill me?"
"No,
she won't hurt you. Yeah, come on over. I'll meet you downstairs,
she's sleeping."
"No,
she isn't," Tanya said softly. "Who's that?"
"I'll
tell you in a minute, babe. Yeah, come on over, Hal. I'll make
coffee."
"On
my way."
Morgan
heard the car start. Hal drove a powerful sports car. The engine
roared to life.
"Be
there in a few. Bye."
"So,
it's your birthday?" Tanya mumbled.
"Yeah."
He rolled over to put on his pants.
"Happy
Birthday. We'll have to celebrate."
"Didn't
we already do that?" Morgan chuckled.
"Mm
hm." She rolled over, snuggling under the covers.
It
was not quite noon when Hal drove up to the house. Morgan had a pot
of coffee brewing while Tanya took a shower. They had both worked the
evening before, so it was still early morning to them. Hal tapped at
the door and Morgan answered as Tanya came down the stairs.
The
man at the door was about Morgan's height, brown hair cropped short,
golden brown eyes and a boyish grin. He hugged Morgan
enthusiastically.
"Hey,
buddy! Good to see you!"
Morgan
returned the hug just as enthusiastically. "You're choking me,
Hal."
"Sorry."
He laughed, turning to her. "This must be Tanya." He came
forward, his hand extended. "I'm Hal. Been friends with this
reprobate for just about thirty years. We were in kindergarten
together."
"Amazing
he's actually put up with me all these years."
"You
look very familiar," Tanya said. "Have we met?"
"Probably
at the hospital," Hal answered as he followed them to the
kitchen. "I'm an orthopedic surgeon."
"Oh,
yes! I knew I hadn't lost my mind."
"She
hasn't been around me long enough. Give her a couple more months,
it'll leave her."
Hal
laughed. "The beauty of hanging out with Morgan's family is,
even if you're completely insane, it doesn't matter. You fit right
in. My family is very proper. My mom has written books on etiquette."
"Wow!
Well, pardon my manners. I was raised with two brothers, and my mom
finally gave up on me. I was a confirmed tomboy."
"Nice
house you have here," Hal said. "Good location too. My
apartment is great, but it's nearly a forty minute drive to work."
"This
one is almost thirty."
"Not
if you know the shortcuts," Hal smirked.
"Hal
loves shortcuts," Morgan explained. "He spends hours
looking, plotting them out. No matter how long it takes him, he
figures out back roads and shortcuts everywhere he goes. Ask him
directions to anywhere in the city, he can tell you, and give you an
estimate of how long it will take to get you there."
"Morgan's
jealous," Hal confided to Tanya. "He's really directionally
impaired. He won't admit it, of course."
"Oh,
of course not," Tanya giggled. "He finds his way to the
most important places, don't you?"
"Yeah,"
Morgan grinned, putting his arm around her. "I can find my way
to the bedroom with absolutely no wrong turns." He kissed her
tenderly, his eyes glowing with happiness.
"Oh,
hey," Hal changed the subject suddenly. "Before I forget,
Caden said to tell you something."
"Yeah?
What's that lawyer sell-out got to say for himself?"
"Cut
the guy some slack, Morph," Hal's eyes looked slightly pained.
"He found something that will help your lawsuit."
"How'd
you find out about that? I don't remember telling you."
"Because
my mom is friends with your step-mom. Mom and Julie talk all the
time, so word got out. Were you planning to tell me?"
"Like
I said, you've been out of town quite a while. It slipped my mind.
Not like I could call you in Rwanda, or wherever the hell you were."
"Uruguay."
"Whatever."
©
2020 Dellani Oakes
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