My heart was in my throat. Standing behind my mom out on the front step was Rebecca. Rebecca Davis. After years of not talking or seeing one another, she was back in my life, or at least in Tulsa. I didn't know whether to run up to her and embrace her, never letting go, or chuck the empty bottle of laundry detergent I was holding at her. As it turned out, all I could do was stare.
"Isaac?" Becca tried to bring me out of the trance I was in.
"Come in, Rebecca," my mother said. Becca entered and the front door was shut behind her. "You know what? I'm just gonna go in the kitchen and let you two catch up. Good to see you again, Rebecca," Mom said, retreating to the kitchen.
She smiled weakly. "You, too."
Becca and I just stood there, staring at one another. Finally, she broke the silence. "Ike, please, say something."
"Um... how are you?"
"Okay. And you?"
"Not bad." More silence. "What are you doing here? I mean, I don't live here anymore. How did you know to find me here?" I asked.
"I didn't. I was actually looking for Zac."
"Oh." I broke the gaze we held and looked at the floor.
"Oh. Oh, no. No, that came out wrong. You see... I... uh... can we sit down, or something?"
I shrugged. "Sure." I led her to the living room and we sat down on the couch.
Becca closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them, she began to speak. "You see, I'm gonna be in Tulsa for quite some time, the semester actually, and I thought maybe Zac could help prepare you for, you know, seeing me again."
I shook my head. "I don't think anything could've prepared me for seeing you again. In fact, I think maybe it's better this way." I looked down at my hands folded in my lap before I spoke again. "So, you said you're gonna be in Tulsa for the semester. Did you transfer to ORU, or something?"
"No. Well, I... you see... I... I work for you now, Ike."
"YOU work for ME? Doing what? I don't understand."
"Your business, the record label, hired an accountant. I'm her assistant."
I held up a hand, like I was stopping traffic or something. "Wait. Let me get this straight. You're here in Tulsa for the semester because you're the assistant of one of our accountants?"
"That's right."
I smiled. "So, you decided to change your major, huh?"
"Yeah. I was just unhappy where I was, so I did something about it." Becca returned the smile.
"How'd your dad take it?"
"Better than expected. Then again, I didn't tell him until AFTER I did it, so..." She shrugged.
"You sneak, you."
"Yup, that's me."
I smiled again, shaking my head in disbelief. "You're gonna have to excuse me. I can't get over the fact that you're here. I'm trying to digest it all."
"I didn't think you'd want to see me," Becca said, her voice low.
"Why?"
"You know why."
"Yeah, I do," I said softly.
"Ike... Ike, I'm really-"
"Don't apologize, Becca," I said, cutting her off. "I understand. I didn't necessarily agree with you, but I know you were just trying to do what you felt was right at the time. And I... I respect that." My gaze once again fell on the folded hands in my lap.
"I still don't know if it was right," she whispered. She placed her hands over mine. "I... I don't want to upset you. But if my being here does, I'll go back to LA."
I looked up and our eyes met. "No, you're not upsetting me. Please, stay."
Becca nodded her head. "Okay." She paused. "Ike, do you think that... that maybe... we can start over? Wipe the slate clean?"
I shook my head. "No. Becca, we were best friends, and it took years to get there. I don't want to start over. Let's just kinda pick up where we left off, if you know what I mean."
"Yeah, I do." She looked at her watch. "I gotta get going. We have a dinner meeting in an hour and a half. So, I'll see you later?"
I smiled. "You can count on it."