Poppies
By: Deena Thomson
Tags: Fiction Writing, Fiction Series, Fiction, Writing, Novel

It was Summer. Mara- Joy sat across from her old friend Loren. It was their usual Wednesday get together for lunch at their favorite restaurant.

“What is it, Loran?” Mara-Joy said, annoyed with her friend as she picked at her salad. She pushed it aside, disgusted. “We should really eat somewhere else; this place is turning into a dump.”

Nervous Loren laughed lighting a cigarette. She offered one to Mara-Joy who took it willingly, lighting up.

She inhaled from her cigarette, squinting her eyes at Loran. They had somehow managed to stay friends all these years. Despite the fact, Mara-Joy didn’t particularly care for Loran much as a person. She was flighty and tended to get on Mara-Joy’s nerves but somehow Mara-Joy felt obligated to her.

“What’s up? You have been chomping at the bit all afternoon to tell me something. Spill it before you burst,” Mara-Joy demanded taking a deep drag on her cigarette. She shouldn’t be so hard on Loran, but the girl made it so easy to do so.

Loran was jittery. She wanted to tell Mara-Joy she knew about Chad and Joanna. She wanted to hurt the self-righteous bitch, but she couldn’t help but be afraid of her.

“I’ve been hearing things, Mara-Joy,” Loran puffed on her cigarette, trying to hide the fact her hand was shaking.

She steadied herself, not wanting Mara-Joy to notice how frightened she was.

It only proved to amuse Mara-Joy. Could she have actually figured out Mara-Joy was having an affair with Loran’s boyfriend?

No. They were discreet, as she was with all her friends’ husbands and boyfriends.

It was a game with Mara-Joy. She enjoyed taking her friends’ men to bed.

It wasn’t hard. They always went willingly into her arms. Begging her for more.

Once she became tired of them, she dumped them. Knowing it was she they desired when they went back to their wives with their tails between their legs.

Some had been a nuisance, wanting to leave his wife or girlfriend for her. But she wasn’t interested in any of them. She had no intentions of leaving Chad. Chad was the man she married, even if he didn’t perform as he should anymore.

It was a mystery. She had always been able to lure Chad into her bed, but now he would have nothing to do with her. He actually avoided her as much as possible. Everything she did to try and entice him ended up in failure. It had been a long time since they had been together as man and wife and it was beginning to upset her.

“I have heard some things about Chad.” Loran paused, getting herself ready to spill the news about Joanna and Chad. She wanted to hurt Chad for dumping her a year ago when she had been one of Chad’s lovers. That was until Joanna entered the picture. He dumped Loran without a word of explanation and the humility of it enraged her. He walked around town with that girl as though he didn’t care if they were caught. He had never done that with Loran.

Never.

“What are you trying to say, Lore?” Mara-Joy didn’t look impressed as she sucked back on her cigarette.

“He’s been seen with your sister Joanna a lot lately. Actually for some time.”

Loran took a deep breath. The words were out. She shoved a fork-full of salad into her mouth.

Mara-Joy sat rooted, shocked. Joanna and Chad? It couldn’t be true. Or could it?

“Are you trying to say that my husband and sister are sleeping with each other?” Mara-Joy laughed, composing herself. She wouldn’t let Loran know how much her words had affected her.

“Well…” Loran felt embarrassed as she swallowed her lettuce whole. Maybe she was wrong, but it didn’t seem likely. Besides, Loran of all people knew Chad was not faithful to Mara-Joy. If he could cheat on Mara-Joy with her best friend, why couldn’t he do so with her sister too?

“Lore, Joanna is Chad’s sister-in-law. They have a right to see each other.”

Mara-Joy laughing she tossed her hair over her shoulder. “That doesn’t mean they are lovers. They’re family for Christ’s sake.”

“It’s just that people are talking, Mar . . .” Loran looked around eyeing the other occupants of the restaurant.

“Oh . . .” Mara-Joy leaned over the table. Their eyes locked; Mara-Joy’s were ice blue and cold. Corruption lurked behind her orbs. “People talk a lot, don’t they Loran? They talk all the time about all sorts of people. People like . . .”

She shrugged her shoulders.

Loran sat back in her chair blushing. She knew that look in Mara-Joy’s eyes.

“Take for example . . . your parents. Why just the other day, I heard those same people talk about your mother again.”

“Stop it, Mara-Joy.” Loran was aware of what people said about her mother. She didn’t need to hear it from Mara-Joy. “All right, you’re right. Chad is not seeing Joanna.”

“Well, to believe people who talk about my husband, Loran, really! These are the same people who call your mother a — how do I put this kindly? A pussy licker.” Mara-Joy relished making Loran suffer. Loran sat open-mouthed, stunned, and unable to say a word.

“And your father!” Mara-Joy leaned back, admiring her long painted nails. Not carrying if her voice was loud and anyone else in the restaurant could hear. “They say he’s a child molester.”

“My father is not a child molester.” Loran looked at her half-eaten plate of food, ruined. She was a fool. Why had she thought she could somehow knock Mara-Joy off her high horse? Hadn’t she learned after all these years that she was no match for Mara-Joy?

“Well, people say he has been going to Millie’s place, and we all know Millie runs a whorehouse. They say he only wants the sweetest and youngest of the lot. Pays big bucks I hear.”

“Stop it!” Loran erupted, grasping the table hard. “I was trying to be a good friend. Telling you what I heard. I’d think you would want to clear up all the rumors, Mara-Joy.” She lit another cigarette and tried not to look at Mara-Joy’s cold eyes.

“I know, I know you were just trying to be a good friend,” Mara-Joy said the sarcasm dripping. Seeing through Loran took no effort. She was an easy target. Too easy. It wasn’t fun. “Let’s forget we ever had this conversation.” Mara-Joy reached across the table and placed a comforting hand on Loran’s shaking one.

“All right?” Mara-Joy soothed.

Loran nodded, not saying anything.

“Chad adores me, Loran. He would never make love to anyone but me,” Mara-Joy said believing every word of it.

Loran’s face bobbed up to Mara-Joy’s anticipating eyes. Visions of Chad’s naked body covering hers filtered into her mind.

“Of course he wouldn’t,” Loran smiled, looking Mara-Joy straight in the face.