Read The Weight of Small Things for Free Online

which had caused a minor scandal in the dorm. After graduation, Bryn had settled in Middlebrook to be near Paul, and for ten years they had been arguing and making up. Currently, they were sharing Paul’s apartment. But they had tried that before, and it never seemed to work out.
    Corrie and Bryn walked the four blocks to the restaurant in near silence, enjoying the sun on their backs. As they sat down in a corner booth, however, Bryn blurted out, “I can’t stand it. Aren’t you even going to ask?”
    Corrie didn’t pretend ignorance. They’d been friends a long time. Bryn knew her too well. She looked down at the table, arranged her silverware, smoothed her skirt. “Are you going to tell me?”
    “Not until you ask.”
    “Witch!” Corrie shook her head and laughed. “Okay, was he there?”
    “Who?” Bryn asked, removing her dark glasses to stare in wide-eyed innocence.
    Corrie didn’t laugh this time, only stared back at her friend.
    “Oh, all right,” Bryn sighed. She laid her glasses on the table. “He was there. He asked about you.”
    Corrie sat quietly, not looking at Bryn. She felt her cheeks redden, felt hot and awkward. She picked up the napkin in front of her, disarranging the silverware, and began tearing the paper into small pieces. What should she ask next? What could she?
    “Can I take your order?” The waitress hovered over their table, pad in hand.
    “Umm, Caesar salad, please,” Corrie mumbled. “And a glass of your house blush.”
    Bryn looked up, surprised, then smiled and looked back down at her menu. “I’ll have a falafel,” she said. She paused. “And a large glass of milk.”
    “Milk?” Corrie asked, grinning, glad of a diversion.
    “What?” Bryn replied, reddening. “Why shouldn’t I have a glass of milk now and then?”
    “It’s just so healthy, so . . . not you,” Corrie said.
    “No more than you having wine on a workday. Which brings us back to the subject,” Bryn responded. “Do you want to know what he said? What he wore? How he looked?”
    Corrie nodded. She looked up, cleared her throat, and said clearly, “Tell me.”
    “He looks pretty much the same, maybe better groomed. He definitely has a better haircut, although I suppose that could’ve been just for the reunion.” Bryn was in her element now, dishing.
    “He came late, spent a lot of time hanging out by the door, just looking around. He always was antisocial. Finally, he sort of sauntered over to me, real casually, you know? And he asked how I was doing, what I had been up to. He never was good at small talk. Fits him like a bad suit.” She paused and eyed Corrie carefully. “I never did understand the attraction.”
    “You wouldn’t.” Corrie smiled. “What did he say then?”
    “Well.” Bryn leaned across the table. “He asked if I had seen you around. I told him we were still friends, had lunch most days. Then he said, like he didn’t already know, ‘Oh, so she still lives in town?’ ”
    Bryn laughed. “Like he didn’t know you live here. Bob talks to him all the time. Anyway, I told him, yes, you did. So he asked if you were coming to the reunion, and I told him you were out of town for the weekend. I didn’t say why. Was that okay?”
    Corrie nodded silently.
    Bryn continued. “So he hung around a little while longer, maybe half an hour, making chitchat. He’s in Los Angeles now, working for a social services agency in Pasadena. I said I didn’t realize Pasadena needed social services, since it had the Rose Bowl, and he got on his soapbox just like always, started telling me about gangs and drugs and homelessness. He never could take a joke. Anyway, he’s still trying to save the world. But at least he wore a suit. So that’s something, I guess.”
    Bryn paused, then added, “He’s just as charming as ever. Anyway, he said he’d be staying at Bob’s for a couple days, and if I saw you, would I tell you that.”
    Bryn paused and studied Corrie’s face. “Are you