Rachel Lawrence
“Hurry, Aunt Maeve! Flame looks worse.”
There wasn’t much I wouldn’t do for my eight-year-old niece, Jill, including skipping my own promotion banquet to rush a dying guinea pig to the vet.
“Almost there,” I reassured her with a glance in the rearview mirror as I exited the interstate and spotted the sign with a familiar name listed among the animal care providers. What were the odds he’d be on call tonight? And how awful of an aunt was I for even letting that question cross my mind under the circumstances? I threw the car into park and paused just long enough to shoot a quick message to my sister, who was at home with my colicky nephew.
I’m sure we made quite the pair rushing through the glass doors, me in a dress with my hair and makeup done and Jill in her PJs, cradling a furry rodent in her brother’s bright blue baby blanket.
The receptionist greeted us with concern, but as I launched into an explanation of our predicament, a deep voice called my name. “Maeve?”
Sudden tears threatened as a hundred tiny memories of school rushed in. I knew the exact expression of care he’d wear even before I turned to meet his gaze. “Kamal.” My voice was unnaturally high. I hoped he didn’t notice. “I…”
His eyes shifted to the animal in Jill’s arms, and I remembered where I was. “Her guinea pig ate some coins,” I blurted. “And apparently, he’s been acting weird all day. She said he’s getting worse.”
“Hmm.” Kamal knelt down and carefully took the bundle into his capable hands. “Flame, right? And you’re Jill.”
Jill’s countenance brightened. “You remember me?”
The receptionist interrupted. “You were supposed to leave ten minutes ago. Dr. Sanders can see this little guy.”
Kamal smiled softly and waved her off, then escorted us to the closest exam room. “Of course I remember you. Didn’t I tell you when you brought him last month that he’d make a great show pig? You helped hold him while I checked his teeth.” He placed Flame on the metal table and began to feel his abdomen. “Plus, we figured out your aunt was my old lab partner! How could I forget that?”
I watched his careful movements, the way he focused, giving the problem his full attention, just like he used to when we worked side by side in school. There were so many things I wanted to say, so many questions about how he’d been since we’d grown apart. But deep down, I knew it was my fault, so instead, I opted for, “Is he going to be okay?”
“From what I can tell, he’s not in immediate danger,” he began, making sure to address Jill, too. “He’s fairly inactive at the moment, but if I remember correctly, he’s always been a laid-back guy. We’ll need to get some x-rays to see what we’re dealing with. Then we can decide on our best course of action. Did you see exactly what he ate? And has he gone more than a few hours without eating or drinking?”
I looked at Jill, because I had no idea. I’d just jumped in the car when she asked in a panic. At the moment, she was looking even more distressed than when we’d left.
“Um…” she hedged, then burst into tears. “I’m sorry.”
I reached a hand out to stroke her hair while Kamal reassured, “Accidents happen. It’s not your fault. You did the right thing getting Flame help as quickly as you could.”
Jill hiccuped, shaking her head. “He didn’t…he didn’t eat coins.”
“What do you mean?” I stopped comforting her and took a step back. “Are you saying you made this whole thing up?” Her silence was all the confirmation I needed. “Jill! What were you thinking? A trip to the vet is not cheap, and now we’ve wasted Kam…I mean Dr.—”
“I didn’t know how else to get you here!” She threw up her hands, tears drying on her cheeks. “Ever since Mom told you we saw your friend, it’s all you guys can talk about. And you’re always looking at his pictures online. You look so beautiful tonight, and he was SO nice last time. I didn’t know when another perfect chance would come along!”
My mouth hung open, and my skin burned with mortification. Paralyzed, I heard a low chuckle beside me. Kamal was laughing, and I wanted to melt into the floor.
“Why don’t you take Flame up front and get him a treat?” He entrusted the freshly swaddled rodent back to Jill.
By the time she’d slipped out, I’d gathered myself enough to apologize. “I’m so sorry.” Not to mention, humiliated.
Kamal didn’t miss a beat. “I’m not. I’ve been trying to work up the courage to message you ever since I saw your sister and niece. I just didn’t know if you’d want to hear from me.”
“Of course I did. I hate that we lost touch.” I winced. “I’m mad at myself for dropping the ball on our friendship. I was stupid to ditch you for that other guy. After that, I knew I didn’t deserve—”
He broke my train of thought with a light brush of his fingers against my arm, just like he did in class when I got too chatty during an assignment. “That was a long time ago, Maeve. You’re here now, and I’m glad.” He gestured to my dress. “Where were you supposed to be tonight?”
“Nowhere better than this,” I admitted. “But Jill is still in big trouble.”
“She’s too smart for her own good, just like her aunt. But she was right.” He grinned at me, and I was eighteen again. “You do look beautiful.”
I knew in that moment I’d do whatever it took to hold on to him this time. Even if I had to feed Jill’s guinea pig my entire life savings.
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Spark Flash Fiction 