Chapter 4

The phone woke her up. She reached out for it and answered in a sleepy voice:
“Hello? … Neah, you didn’t wake me. I was just … um … reading. Uh-uh … Yeah, I’m fine … No, I haven’t spoken to them this week … Nope, her either … So, how are you? … Really? You’re not kidding, are you? ‘Couse April Fools Day is in six months, you know … So you’re not kidding … Then congratulations, I guess. I’m happy for you … Of course, I’m coming. Yeah, ok … I’ll see you … Bye!” She hung up and put her head back on the pillow.
“Where are you going?” the guy laying next to her asked.
“What? When?”
“You told someone you were coming”, he continued just for the sake of it as he wasn’t really interested. He was sleeping with her because she was a beautiful young woman and because neither of them had a boyfriend or girlfriend. He liked her, even cared about her, but not to the point of having a relationship with her. He was a rich, smart and handsome guy, he could have dated any girl. And he did. Till he met her. It hadn’t been love at first sight. It hadn’t been love at all. They met at a campus party, talked for a while, drank a lot and ended up in bed, waking up next to each other the next morning. He was busy studying to become a doctor, he didn’t have time for dating. She became his “cover”. As long as girls thought he had a girlfriend he was somewhat safe and could study without being distracted. It was the same with her. She was studying medicine too, as she wanted to be a psychiatrist, and hated dating (or at least she used to say so). Officially they were the most beautiful, well – matched couple in campus. Practically they were only sleeping together.
“I was?”
“Uh-uh”
“Oh, yeah … my sister … she’s getting married … her wedding … that’s were I’m going …“ she finally answered.
“Kind of incoherent for someone who plans to psychoanalyze”, he mocked her.
His words seemed to have drawn her attention. She looked at him in a manner that made him wonder what he had said to upset her. Though they were only together for one thing (or two, if he counted the keeping other girls/boys at a distance), he knew Evelynne – Doreen Winston was not someone to mess with.
“Did I say something wrong? I was only joking …“ he tried.
“Denny, this is not the right time to joke, ok? In fact I should be going home” she said and tried to get out of bed.
“Would you like to (he paused) … talk?”
“We don’t talk. We sleep together” she stated simply trying to find her slippers.
“Of course we talk”, he said “Why don’t you tell me what’s bothering you and you’ll see that we do talk. Under the bed” he continued.
“Excuse me?”
“Your left slipper is under the bed”
“Oh … thanks” she gave him the hint of a smile. “Nothing’s wrong”.
Before she could do anything, he grabbed her by the hand and pulled her back.
“Denny, please”, she tried, but her will was already weakening, “I have to go … “.
He placed her arms around her and whispered: “Five more minutes”.
“What kind of parents would name their child ‘Lynnie – Doe’?”
“What?” he asked trying hard not to laugh.
“I mean they could have named me Annie, Minnie, Beannie … but Lynnie? Is that even a name? And Doe? Are you kidding me? Do I look like a doe?”
Denny had giving up trying and was already laughing like mad.
“Beannie? Beannie? I could call you Beannie … If you say it’s better than Lynnie …”
“I’m serious!” she almost yelled.
“Ok, Lynn”, he said, emphasizing on her name “first of all, they didn’t name you Lynnie – Doe, they named you Evelynne – Doreen, very nice names if you ask me. And second, I think calling you Lynnie – Doe, calling not naming, was very original”.
“Pffff …“ was her answer. And after a pause she continued: “Look at her, she has a nice, classy name and a cute nickname, she attended med school, she had the chance of being a mother offered to her on a silver platter and now she’s getting married to the guy she dreamed of for years, the love of her life!”
“That’s it?”
“That’s what?” she retorted.
“Jealous of your sister?” he asked calmly.
She didn’t answer. Envy? Was it envy? She had never envied her sister, she loved her sister. All her sisters. What was wrong with her?