Читать книгу Celia's Shadow - Sandy Levy Kirschenbaum - Страница 31

The text came through Celia’s phone minutes after she arrived in her office. C. can u meet me 2day 4 lunch. E.

Celia responded immediately: c u at 12. did u remember a good story 4 me?

Emma responded: Yup.

At their usual table in the courtyard outside of the cafeteria, Celia waited for Emma to arrive with their lunch.

“Great idea to share a pizza.” Celia opened the box and took out a slice covered with cheese and pepperoni. “It smells amazing.” She put the slice on a paper plate and handed it to Emma. She took another for herself. “Yum!” The cheese was stringy and stretchy, exactly the way she liked it. “This sauce is spicy and sweet. It’s perfect! What’s the lunchtime entertainment today?”

“It’s stupid. After Jillian was diagnosed, I visited with her more than usual and entertained her with these stories. I told her about a dopey drink episode. After this incident, she made me make a promise to her. I promised that whenever I’m put in an uncomfortable situation, I’ll take a deep breath, pause, and respond with a question. Ya know, something like ‘What do you mean?’ or ‘Why do you say that?’ Throws the attention right back at the attacker. It took me awhile, but I practiced a lot and finally got better at controlling my actions. I still try to be prepared, but I don’t always do the right thing for me.”

“What was the drink story?”

“It happened a couple years ago.” Emma took a bite of the pizza. “I told this incident to Jillian right before she passed. Here’s what happened.”