Suzette rushes over and kisses his cheek. She smells like spring—like breeziness and a hint of flowers. The sweetest woman. When she hugs him, there is a genuine force to her body—as if she means it. When Damon introduced her to Ahmed a few years ago, after his brutal breakup with Amanda, Ahmed remembers how nervous she seemed. Her hair longer then, her wide eyes as she giggled at everything Ahmed said. She ordered a beer—the same as them. “You fucker,” Ahmed whispered when she got up to use the bathroom. “You miserable fucker, getting her.”
“Hey, Suzie,” he says now. “This guy treating you right?”
She laughs. “You have to come over more. Damon said you’d be living above our garage after a couple months, so naturally I’m disappointed.”
Ahmed shakes his head. “Sounds like him.” Ginger stands politely at the counter and their eyes meet. She smiles and waves. He remembers the fake fur cape she wore at the wedding. He remembers her at the hospital entrance, how she shook when she said, “Okay, thanks,” and walked slowly inside. How he stayed there at the curb for a minute and watched her. How she looked around helplessly for a sign to point her in the right direction, and then disappeared. He sat and waited. He didn’t know why. He remembers the sound of the engine running, the blasting heat that wouldn’t seem to get warm. He remembers even feeling sorry for this guy, whoever he was, whom Ginger was running toward. And he felt jealous, too. Jealous of the dead or almost-dead guy who had broken her heart. He let the radio play for a bit, mostly commercials, and when she didn’t come back, he slowly drove away.
“Hey, Doc,” he says now to Ginger.
“Great to see you!” She hesitates, and then comes out from behind the counter and approaches him. His heart flickers. He is not breathing, is he? No, he can’t be. When she hugs him, he doesn’t want to be creepy and hold her too long. He keeps his hands around her lightly and then pats her shoulder blades like she’s one of his buddies. Damon or Richie or Topher. What? Why did he do this? She pulls back and smiles. “How’s life?” she says.
“Oh, you know. Livin’ the dream. Job’s a hoot, women won’t leave me alone.” He winks, and there is something in her eyes then, some recognition of their time together that night of the wedding. Isn’t there? “You still down South?” he says. He knows she isn’t. Damon told him a month or so ago that she had broken up with the guy in Georgia. That she had sold her practice and was taking over for a retiring veterinarian in Naugatuck.
“Nope,” she says, and tells him everything he already knows. Damon watches as Ahmed pretends to receive the information like it’s new. Suzette probably thinks since they’re guys, they don’t talk about this stuff. But they do. He used to be sly about asking for Ginger updates, but lately Damon supplies them willingly. “Man, she’s top drawer,” Damon said once. “But I don’t know how you’re going to get through the double hurdle of the dead ex-boyfriend and the recent breakup. She might be out to sea.” Ahmed had pictured her in a small boat then, floating away toward a pink and blue horizon.
Ahmed watches her as she speaks. Her eyes are so kind. But they look tired. Her face is thinner. She speaks in a polite voice, a voice that means every word she says. He thinks of her that night. How she was running to the guy she really loved. How devastated and broken she was as he drove to the hospital as quickly as he could on the cold, empty streets, patches of black ice every so often. He remembers how he felt he loved her already, and how he lost her before they could even try. “So once I unpack the last of the boxes,” she says now, “I’ll be settled here.”
“How’s the cat?” Ahmed says.
“You remembered Martin.” She smiles. He sees gratitude in her eyes. God, she is the most lovely, real woman he has ever met. He cannot imagine she has one cruel or shallow thought. “He’s great. I had to sedate him for the drive up here. He hates the car.” She walks over to the kitchen and picks up her glass of wine. Suzette brings Ahmed one.
“Cheers, guys,” she says, and the four of them clink glasses. Ahmed looks into Ginger’s eyes as their glasses touch, and then he quickly looks away.
“To health and happiness,” Damon says.
“To Damon’s good looks,” Ahmed says. His default mode is to tease. He sees that Ginger is laughing, and he can’t get enough of a woman laughing at his jokes. “To Martin the traveling cat,” he adds, and everyone laughs. His back is sweating, but he feels looser now.