Pathways

At the intersection, I could go right and head home — but turning left would take me to the nearby quarry where my best friend, Caroline, and I met back in eighth grade. Back then while my mom was working her typical afternoon shifts at the diner, I would stop by Majes Quarry to soak in the remaining sunlight of the day while leaning back on a pine tree. The blue collar employees had typically left for the day once I had arrived so I would sit in silence and scrounge down on the other half of my sandwich I saved from my lunch that day. My mother always advised against me going there because she thought it was too dangerous for a young lady like me, but after many failed attempts of getting me to stop, she accepted that nothing would be able to keep me from my favorite spot in town.

One day, while sitting up against my pine tree enjoying my sandwich, I startled at the sound of someone’s presence. “Hey.” said a girlish voice not 10 feet behind me. My shoulders tense at the sudden appearance of another person and I look around to see a young lady with blonde hair about the same age as me. “Is that an egg salad sandwich?”.

“Yeah, it is.” I responded pointedly. “You know you shouldn’t be creeping up on people in the middle of nowhere like that. You really startled me.”

As if not even hearing a word I said, she replied “Can I have some?” I look down at my sandwich almost halfway finished and think about how to respond. I was really looking forward to finishing it, and my mom made it special for me today. It was packed with extra mayonnaise and a sprinkle of green onion, just how I like it. I look back towards the girl and she looks as thin as a bone, probably more hungry than I am if she is asking for a stranger’s half eaten sandwich. I gave her another look up and down and yielded, “Sure. You can have it.”

The girl smiles big and prances down towards my tree, arms swinging not so gracefully. I hand her the sandwich and she grabs it with wide eyes. After her first bite she plops down next to me and introduces herself.

“I’m Caroline by the way.”

“Meena.” I responded.

We smile and strike up our conversation, talking about things I don’t even remember. What I do remember though is that that became the day we became best friends.

I’m brought back to reality as I hear a loud honk. I look in my rear view mirror to see a car waiting behind me. The light has turned green and I have to make a decision. I decide to turn left and head to the quarry.

I don’t know what I am thinking going there. It is already 9:00 PM on a Thursday evening and it’s freezing rain outside. My hair is still drying from the short run I made from the office into my car as I forgot to bring my umbrella that day. My jacket did no good protecting me when I hung it over my head and sprinted towards the vehicle.

As soon as I got settled into my car, clothes soaked, I received a call from Caroline’s mother. A million thoughts flooded my mind as I saw that phone buzz with her name on it. Her mother doesn’t ever call me so this could only be for something important. I pick up the phone to answer, trying to keep my voice from shaking.

“Hello?”

“Meena, it’s Caroline’s mother, do you know where Caroline is?” I shake my head in confusion trying to understand.

“No, I don’t. Why? What’s going on?” I don’t expect that anything bad has happened to her but I am unsettled by the question. By the fact that Caroline’s mom felt the need to call me in lieu of a simple text. By the uneasiness that laced her voice though I could tell she was not trying to worry too hard yet.

“Oh, nothing.” A sigh follows with a moment of silence.

“Is… something wrong?” I ask, my tone now more concerned than before.

“Well, you know Caroline. Something happens and she freaks out and takes a while to cool down before she comes back down to earth.”

She goes on to explain that she and Caroline got into an argument that morning and Caroline had stormed off and has since refused to pick up her phone. Her mother was very vague over the contents of the conversation but I had an idea on what went down. They would have small passive conversations like this every so often and there was never much resolve. These conversations had impacted the strength of their relationship greatly, but maybe this time there had been enough.

Her mother continues to ramble and I decided to cut the conversation short not needing to hear more. “I will let you know if I hear anything from her.”

Her mother sighs again, this time with a bit of relief. “Thank you, Meena. You know you’ve always been one of her best friends.”

One side of my lip curls, “I know.”

I begin my drive home, feeling more relieved about the contents of her conversation. She had just left to cool off. I think to myself. Nothing else.

Thinking about her on the way home, I try to figure out what I should do or if I should do anything at all. Caroline is the type of girl who appreciates her solitude when she gets into dark places and I try to respect that. I concede that I shouldn’t call her because if she needs me, she can reach out. That’s what good friends do, right? Respect the privacy of their friends? During uncertain times?

That doesn’t sit right with me. I had heard the concern in her mother’s voice during that phone call. While I have seen her worried before, the shakiness of her demeanor makes my stomach turn.

Then before I know it, I am at this intersection. My brain is pulling me home at the thought of a warm meal and security from the frigid rain, but my chest pulls me the other way.

I arrive at the quarry, parking my car in the visitor’s lot. I’ll for sure get a ticket for parking there after hours. Perhaps the weather keeps the meter maids at bay though. My teeth begin to chatter not even 15 seconds after I begin my walk. I think back on the umbrella that's sitting in my front entrance that I was too forgetful to grab. That would be nice to have now. I trek the five minute walk through the wooded area surrounding the quarry lake. My arms are folded across my chest to provide the only source of warmth that I can seem to create. Though I am careful of where I step, I slip on a puddle of mud and fall right on my butt, covering my blue jeans and the back of my jacket in slushy dirt.

This was a stupid idea. There is no way she is going to be sitting out here in the pouring rain by herself. What am I doing?

The doubt in my head is loud and overwhelming. My bones are begging me to turn back around into the safety and warmth of my car. I had already made it this far though, and honestly I couldn’t see how it could get much worse. I pick myself up and continue my hike.

I emerge at the top of the hill, balancing myself on the trees I walk by so as to not fall again. The rainfall hasn’t softened but luckily the trees do a very good job of acting as a canopy and I am not being drenched as I was a minute earlier. I look down and squint my eyes. The darkness of the quarry is blinding and the surrounding rain makes it so I can’t hear much. But in my vision, I see movement. A person, I think, sat up against my pine tree, their elbows braced begrudgingly against their knees supporting the weight of their face. My brain calls out to me again warning about the danger of running into a stranger by yourself on a stormy night in the quarry. But my chest again tells me to investigate further.

If this isn’t her, I am really screwed.

I begin my descent down until I am a few feet behind her. “Hey.” I yell out towards the person. The person’s shoulders tense and their head whips around to see the source of the comment. There, we lock eyes, and relief floods my body as I see Caroline sitting on the pine tree, alive and well - minus the frigid temperatures she is bearing during this time.

I expected a smile for someone who just trudged through the pouring rain to find her friend. Instead she has a frown upon her face, her mascara running down as if she had been crying. She tilts her head and presses her face against her hands as she begins a sob even further. I creep down the hill, again so cautious as to not slip on the mud, until I reach her. I kneel down to inspect her circumstances and put a hand on her shoulder. As soon as she feels my hand, she launches to me, embracing me in a strong hug. I’m not sure at this moment if she knows I am covered in mud, not that I think she would care, but I hug her back and rest my head on her shoulder.

After a minute we look up at each other and I burrow my brows of concern. “Why don’t we get you somewhere dry and warm?” Still teary eyed, she nods her head and reaches for my hand. We make the blinded hike back to my car where there is no ticket, thank God. I have to put down towels on the seats before either of us can slide in, but we are finally able to sit in the safety of the car.

The first few minutes of the ride were silent. Though Caroline likes to suffer in solitude, it doesn’t mean she has to do it alone. However she wants to deal with the argument, she could do it and I would be next to her all the way through.

“We got into an argument again.” she murmured.

“I know.” I say under my breath. She picks up her head to look at me. “Did she tell you?”

“She called. She didn’t mention what it was about but I figured it was the usual.” I look over to Caroline with a look of warmth and friendliness, letting her know that I love her and am there for her.

“Can I sleep over tonight?” she asks, voice raspy and body defeated. “Sure.” She looks up at me with a tight-lipped smile. I grab her hand with my right as my left remains on the steering wheel. “Anytime.”