MEETING DOLORES FLOYD

         Faith stretched and yawned and felt she was lying down on the hard floor. She tried to sit up, but that pounding headache was present, that feeling of nausea and that cold sweat and her stomach burned. 

     "Oh, it hurts so much," she muttered and held her stomach while sitting up. 

  Someone's hand was draped across her chest and she shoved it off her. The person muttered. It was Nora that was lying beside her. She opened her eyes narrowly and saw a blurry vision of a woman standing hands akimbo in front of her. 

       "Who are yo…?"

       "I should be asking you that question!" the woman screamed. 

      Faith's eyes flared open, she and Nora jerked up from the floor and stared at the strange woman in confusion. They were in the living room. A door swung open and closed. 

         "Mom!" someone called. 

      Faith and Nora turned toward the voice and saw Ethan coming out of his room. 

         "Mom?" they chorused. 

     The woman glared at them, Ethan ran to her and started taking her away. 

        "Mom, what are you doing?" he asked. 

      His mom broke away from his grip.  "Leave me alone!" 

     Nora turned to Faith and smiled.  "Bestie, I think it's time to take my leave," she whispered. 

       "What?" Faith asked in a whisper.   "Are you going to leave me here all alone?" 

       Nora glanced at Mrs Floyd.   "She is scary." She looked at her phone, Danny had called her twelve times that morning.  "Oh, my God! Danny has called me so many times!" She stood up, grabbed her coat, her handbag and her shoes and started tiptoeing towards the door. 

       "Didn't you remember what happened last night?!" Dolores yelled. 

      Nora halted and turned.  "Last night?" 

     Faith searched her brain and recalled all that happened. She and Nora had drunk themselves to a stupor and they had gone up to the karaoke stand and did a sorry version of Ed Sheeran's 'Visiting Hours'. She remembered the waiters escorting them outside the bar and locking up while they wailed. 

       They had walked on the road wailing and uttering incoherent words until some cops found them. He had tried to ask them some questions but they hadn't helped. Nora had pointed to her car. 

       "Could you be kind enough to drive us home? I can't cry and drive!" Nora had yelled. 

      The policeman that they were talking to had taken a few steps back.  "You are drunk not crying," he had muttered.  "Where am I taking you to?" 

      Nora had started giving her address but Faith had cut her off. They had had a little argument about where the cop would take them. 

     Faith had fixed Nora a drunken gaze when Nora had turned to the cops and had said. "This is my car, take me to wherever I ask." 

       "Wherever you ask?" Faith had asked.  "You want Danny to see you like this?!" 

      Nora's eyes had run around in their sockets as she seem to have realized that Faith was making sense. 

      Faith had sighed.  "Whatever, you can take her back to her house, I can find my way back to mine. My place is even closer!" She had started to move and had crashed to the ground. 

     The cops had helped her up and had shoved both of them into Nora's car. There were three of them and they drove them home. 

      Ethan and his mother had been seated staring at each other in the living room. His mother had been all smiles while he had been confused and helpless at the same time. 

        "Are you going to stare at me like that like you have not seen me before?" his mom had asked. 

       Ethan had stood up in exasperation. He knew that his mom had pried out his location from Tyler, his assistant. "Tyler, that crazy jerk..." he had cursed and had taken out his phone and had dialled his assistant. Tyler had answered as if he had known that Ethan was going to call him. 

       "Hello, sir," he had said once he answered. 

       "You are fired!" 

       "I know, that is why I have parked up my belongings already. I will go and carry them away from the company tomorrow." 

       Ethan had moved into his room.  "Now, listen. If I come back and don't see you in that office, you are dead!" 

       "Thank you for changing your mind sir," Tyler had said, but Ethan had hung up on him and had moved to the living room. 

       "Ethan, don't tell me you fired that lad, where are your manners?" 

        "Mom, what are you doing here?!" 

       "That's no way to welcome your mom. I am so tired from my journey, the least you could do is welcome me warmly." She had looked around.  "And why do you choose to live on average? Look at this house you live in." 

       "Mom, that's my strategy for finding a woman alright and I live here with..." his words had been cut off when the door flung open and Nora had barged in and had staggered towards them, her arms spread. They stood.

       "Home sweet home!" she had yelled.  "I can't believe I can come back to my best friend's house!" 

      Mrs Floyd had stared at her in wonder. "Who is she?" Mrs Floyd had inquired. 

     Ethan had gone over and had held Nora to a place.  "Nora are you okay?" 

      "Of course! We drank in memory of Charlotte and we sang Visiting Hours, it had become my favourite song lately." She had snickered. 

      "Alright. How did you get here? Where is Faith?" 

     "Those kind cops brought us here because we can't cry and drive!" 

         "Where is Faith?" 

       "She is floating," Nora had said and had pointed at the door in fits of laughter. 

       Two cops had carried Faith in while she bawled.  "I am floating! Does that mean I am dying?! I can't die of an ulcer right! It's not bleeding yet, why am I floating?!" 

      Mrs Floyd had put her palm over her mouth and had taken a few steps backwards. Ethan had gone and had tried to take Faith from their hands. Faith had jumped on him and had hugged him tight. 

      "I don't want to die!" 

       "You're not gonna die, alright?" Ethan had said and had patted her. He had turned to the cops. 

       "Thank you so much for rendering help, I'm sorry for any inconvenience." 

        "It was better that they seek our help than try driving in this state." one of the cops replied. 

         Nora had moved closer to Dolores without Dolores's notice. She had whispered in her ear.   "Looked at them, their chemistry is undeniable..." 

      Dolores had jumped and had given Nora a light push and had wrinkled her face.  "Stay away." 

      Nora had glared at her.  "Wait! Are you discriminating against me because I'm black?!"

       Dolores had looked alarmed and everyone in the room had turned to them. Dolores had glanced at others and glanced back at Nora, her mouth agape. 

       "What do you mean? What are you talking about?" she had asked. 

       "She is a racist! You just shoved me away and twitched her nose because you feel I smell?!" 

        "That's not true!" Dolores yelled. 

     Ethan had started moving towards them, but Faith had jumped down from his body and had stopped him with both hands. 

       "No, I will handle this.". She had moved to Dolores with a mean stare.  "Hey! Who are you to discriminate my bestie?" 

       "Ethan, who are these?!" Dolores had cried. 

       "Do you have a problem with me being  black?!" Nora had asked. 

       "Nora, Nora, that's enough," Ethan had said and had moved to Nora to hold her. 

       "We need to purge the likes of you away from society!" Faith had screamed and had pounced on Dolores. 

      Dolores screamed in terror as they both crashed on the floor, Ethan left Nora and ran to his mom and his roommate on the floor. 

      Faith closed her eyes in shame, Nora sighed in frustration and moved back to the living room and knelt beside Faith.

       "Oh, my God, we were so stupid last night. I'm sorry, Mrs Floyd." 

        "Be sorry for yourself," Dolores snapped.  "Ethan, you would explain what this is." She started towards the guest room and Ethan followed her. 

       Nora and Faith exchanged glances.  "Is it that bad?" Nora whispered. 

        "I feel like wailing right now," Faith whined. 

       "Oh, my friend, don't cry," Nora said and drew Faith into her arms.  Her phone started ringing and she looked at the screen, it was Danny.  "Oh, my God, it's Danny, he must be very mad at me right now." Nora stood up, cleared her throat and answered the call.  "Hello, honey... I'm so sorry..." she started leaving and waved Faith goodbye.  "I told you I was sleeping over at Faith's, I'm going now. Bye, Faith!" Nora called and left the room. 

      "Bye, Nora!" She sat back on the floor.   "First impression matters," she muttered and stood to go to her room when she heard Ethan's mother's voice. 

       "I don't care! Is this why you ain't married yet? You bring wasteful sluts to the house!" 

        "Mom, please watch your language, they are not slut but decent women..." 

        "Oh, wow! I'm so impressed by their decency, they impressed me with it." 

       Faith was furious. How could she come to her house and call her a slut? She barged into the room and they turned to her. 

        "Slut?" she asked staring from Mrs Dolores to Ethan. 

      Ethan quickly moved to her and started taking her out of the room.  "Faith, please stay off this for now." 

       "Why? I am the one she called the name. What? I don't have the right to defend myself anymore?" 

      Ethan led her out of the door, closed it behind him and looked into her eyes.  "Trying to prove or defend yourself would only escalate the matter. Please let me talk to her."   Faith stared at Ethan and wanted to say something, but he brought his face closer to hers.  "Please." His eyes were pleading. 

       Faith broke away from his gaze and his grip and moved a few steps back.  Ethan smiled at her. 

         "Thank you," he said and went back into the guest room. 

      Faith looked confused.  "What just happened? Did he compel me?" She wondered why she had let it slide just like that. She went closer to the door and listened. 

       Ethan went back to the room and found his mother pacing about. She halted when she saw him. 

         "Ethan, who is this Faith woman?" 

          "Mom, she is my girlfriend, alright?" 

          "The one that is about to die?" 

     Faith's eyes widened in surprise. Who is his girlfriend? How dare he lie like that? 

         "No mom, Charlotte is long gone," Ethan said slowly. 

        "Just what type of girls are you dating? If they are not dying, they are crazy, how can you bring back this woman....?" 

       "It's enough mom, she appeals to me." 

         "What desperation is this? You can't calm down and find a good...?"

          "It's your desperation mom. You keep hassle....?" 

         "Don't ever cut me short again," his mother warned. 

        Faith decided that she has heard enough. If she keeps listening, she would lose her cool and barge in there again and this time, it's going to be a disaster. She left the door.   "His girlfriend? Really?" she muttered as she went into her room. 

         "His girlfriend?! Really?" Charlie asked. 

     They were seated at the hospital's canteen, having lunch. Faith had gone to see Nora at the hospital because of what happened at her house, but Nora was busy in the theatre, so she had met Charlie instead and had dropped Nora a message that she was at the canteen. 

       Faith drank from her can of soda and nodded.  "I don't even know how I'm going to live in that house right now." 

     Charlie started to snicker. Faith stared at him in confusion. 

      "Why are you laughing right now?" 

      "Nora called her a racist, really?" 

    Faith eyed him and sighed.  "Are you going to make this any less bad?" 

      "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Charlie said and held out his hand in front of him.  "But it's hilarious!" 

      "Hahaha," Faith laughed sarcastically.  "It is hilarious indeed." She turned her face away from him. 

       "I'm sorry. But what did the cops do?" 

       "I don't even remember anything about the cops anymore."  Faith stamped her feet on the floor in frustration.  "This is so annoying! How could he not even tell me that his mother was coming? I mean it's our house, shouldn't we make collective decisions?" 

         Charlie dropped his can on the table.  "I think collective decisions apply when you are a couple and share the same room, then he would have to tell you what he wants to do." 

        "We made rules. We agreed that there wasn't going to be any unnecessary visitors."

         "His mother is not unnecessary." 

      Nora came into the canteen and waved at them from the door.  "Hey, people!" she went over to them, sat down opposite them, grabbed Charlie's drink and took a long sip.  "I'm so exhausted, can you imagine entering the theatre with a hangover?" 

        "Racist? Really?" Charlie asked giggling.

    Nora slowly dropped the drink on the table and looked sombre.  "I see Faith has run her wide mouth." 

        "Wide mouth?" Faith asked.

         "It's so mortifying for me." 

         "It's even more mortifying for me, I get to live in the same house with her and do you know what's even more embarrassing? Ethan had to introduce me as his girlfriend." 

         Nora's eyes lit up in excitement.  "Really?!" 

        "Wait, are you happy about that?" Faith asked. 

     Nora stopped smiling.  "No," she denied and slapped her cheeks.  "It's just so surprising that he still introduced you as his girlfriend after the whole situation." 

       "I'm so mad at him right now." 

       "Why are you mad at him, bestie?" Nora asked peering at her with a smile. Faith stared at her. 

        Charlie cleared his throat.  "I see that I have been forgotten here completely. I think it's better I take my leave." 

        "OMG! Are you jealous right now?" Nora asked staring at him. 

         "Jealous? Why would I be?" 

         "Right. You don't have any right to be jealous of two besties who just made up and are catching up. I knew you wanted to use that opportunity to whisk her away." 

         Charlie sighed.  "Don't flatter yourself because if it weren't for me, you won't be here running your mouth." 

      Nora scoffed.  "What do you mean?" 

       "Faith, can you be a gentle lady and tell her how I talked you into making up with her."

    Nora glared at Faith.  "Faith, is he saying the truth?" 

         "Of course, what do you want to hear from her?" 

          "Charlie talked to me about it but I made up my mind to talk to you," Faith said. 

        "You don't wanna give me the credit I deserve." 

         "Back off, Foster, you cannot have my bestie. Her loyalty lies with me," Nora said. 

       "I can't because Faith and I have a deep bond that is stronger than that of besties, right Faith?" 

       "What bond is he talking about?" Nora asked Faith. 

        "She is my younger s ister and that's a greater bond," Charlie snapped. 

      Nora glared at Faith who was only beaming with smiles. 

        "How about you two just get along let's enjoy our friendship?" 

         "Never!" Nora and Charlie chorused.