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cheeseburger.
    Mac promised Megan, the waitress, he would call her before he and Hadley headed out into the sticky night air. New York’s weather in June came and went unpredictably. One minute it could be crisp and dry, and the next clouds rolled in, moistening the air and producing thunder and lighting. Judging by the rise in humidity, a storm brewing off shore would hit the city soon. Hadley preferred to be home before it did.
    When they settled into Mac’s Honda, a hint of tension still hounded them. They never discussed the kiss, and Hadley thought it would be best to let it go.
    “Are you going to call Megan?”
    The distinct change in Hadley’s tone when she said the waitresses name amused Mac.
    “Maybe.” He grinned “Why? Are you jealous?”
    “No!” she replied instantly. “But you can’t date her very long. Seriously, Mac and Megan. It sounds like a TV sitcom.”
    Mac laughed, but didn’t reply. After a quiet car ride, they pulled up in front of Hadley’s building. She thanked Mac for a fun night. His hand landed on her knee when she started to get out.
    “Hadley.” Her head turned to face him. “We’re good, right?”
    She smiled and nodded to her friend before getting out of the car. He waited until she closed the door to her building to pull away. She and Mac were perfect.
    As Mac drove home, he reflected on how significantly different his friend behaved from other women he knew who survived similar upbringings. Born in Queens, Mac had seen his fair share of dysfunctional families.
    Thankfully in his mother’s absence, his grandmother took on the role of slapping him upside the head to keep him on the straight and narrow.  Her heavy hand wouldn’t allow him to use his mother’s death as an excuse to fall into trouble or flunk out of school. And, it had been her love that kept him and his father from sinking into depression or succumbing to temptations, such as drugs or alcohol.
    In a borough populated by the poor and unemployed, there were plenty of families living in much the way he imagined Hadley had. In his experiences, a hurt and neglected little girl turned into an attention seeking woman, a woman who left a trail of chaotic drama in her wake, yet, in the aftermath, found glory in the attention she received. Hadley was quite the opposite—withdrawn, introverted, and avoided attention at all cost. Perhaps she feared the opinions of others, but Mac assumed it went much deeper than that with his friend. For Hadley, shunning attention protected what little remained of her heart.
    After showering, Hadley crawled into bed and stared at the ceiling. She’d taken a huge step and allowed Mac a tiny sliver of insight into her life. A small amount of pride surfaced, and for once in her life, she welcomed it. She had someone to call ‘friend’ and actually mean it.

D arkness still loomed outside when Hadley woke up. Thunder boomed in the air. Flashes of lightening lit up the small bedroom. Sideways rain tapped against the window. Like many things, storms frightened Hadley. Another trigger to a memory lost, but not forgotten. To escape her father once, Hadley and her mother walked miles in a thunderstorm to a shelter. They were out of beds. Mother and daughter had to spend the night on a cold concrete floor, huddled together for warmth.
    Hadley strolled into the kitchen. Her morning began with brewing a pot of coffee before she flipped on the television to the early news. She then returned to the kitchen and popped a bagel in the toaster oven. While pouring cream into a cup of coffee, a familiar name screamed at her from the television. She turned her head and listened to the anchor continue.
    “Miller Genetti, President, and CEO of Genetti Industries is being detained indefinitely by a group of government backed militia in Thailand. Our sources tell us that as of this morning the US Embassy is involved.”
    “Shit!” Hadley yelled when the cream overflowed the cup.
    A puddle slid across the