Free Rescue Breathing by Zoe Norman

faith that I'm going to get anything out of the rest of my
time here. It's so rare that I get to come to these conferences,
never mind present at one, that I guess I was kind of hoping this
would blow my socks off. Oh well. No harm no foul. At least I got
to get out of New York City for a few days.
    And of course I did meet Owen. Huh, Owen. Haven't heard from
him since we got here, although that was a mere twenty-four hours
ago. I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting, but if I'm honest,
it bothers me a little that I haven't heard from him. It amazes me
sometimes what a girl I can be. I guess I'll just chalk that one up
to it was nice being flirted with and I may still have it after
all. That's what Charley would tell me anyway.
    I sit alone in the conference hall for a
moment, leaning back in the uncomfortable chair I've been in for
the last several hours. I don't know what to do with myself. There
is a dinner going on, which I am avoiding like the plague. I have
no interest in being hit on by old psychologists over too dry
chicken marsala and Italian cookie platters; not to mention, it
starts at 5:30. Who the hell under the age of seventy-five eats
dinner at 5:30?
    I decide I should probably go upstairs and
give Charley a call so we can plan our evening. Plus, I haven't really had a chance to
have a real talk with her since I got here, and even though I'm
spending the evening with her, I'm longing for a heart-to-heart
with my best friend. The distance from home is exacerbating my
ever-present loneliness and I'm craving closeness with someone
familiar. I gather my paperwork and notebooks, stuffing them into
my briefcase. After taking the last drink from my cranberry and
seltzer, the one positive from today's conference, I start toward
my room.
     
    * * *
     
    “ He said what?”
    Charley is telling me about her current
boyfriend—if you can call him that. She's been dating this guy for
just a few weeks, but it started intense and has fizzled just as
quickly. Sadly that's Charley's M.O. She's phenomenal at giving
advice to others, but taking her own? Not so much.
    “ He said I' m a bitch . A bitch!
Can you imagine?!” she huffs incredulously. “So I say to him,
'You're one to talk. You fight like a woman.'”
    I laugh. “Oh, Charley, when will you
learn? A pretty face is just that, only that. You put too much
stock in these one-night stands. They can't always end as a
relationship.”
    “ Liv, I'm telling you. You might have
something here. I'm swearing off men. It's official.”
    There is a pause, and then we both start to
laugh hysterically.
    After a few more minutes of boy talk, we
plan our activities for the night. Charley is going to meet me in
the bar. We're going to have some dinner and then go out on the
town, maybe dancing.
    “ I can't wait to hang out, Charley. I've
really missed you,” I choke out, tearing up a bit. It's true. I
have missed her terribly.
    “ Ditto here, girlfriend. Get yourself
prettied up and I'll meet you in the bar downstairs at your hotel
at around 7:00. Does that sound good?”
    We agree on the plans and times and end our
call.
    Knowing I have a little time on my hands
before meeting Charley, I lie on the bed and turn the television
on. As I flip through the channels, my mind wanders a bit. I think
about my brother's upcoming wedding. I'm the maid of honor and I
still have a great deal to do, including planning a bachelorette
party. This gets me thinking about my folks. I haven't talked to
them in a while and I supposed I should call them—or better yet,
visit. Visiting is tough for me, especially since the Jay incident.
When my mother found out what happened, she was very disappointed
in me, which was difficult for me to swallow. I've spent most of my
life trying to please my parents, and having them be disappointed
in me for anything was hard. But this was something I couldn't
control, that even I didn't know about, so that was too much to
bear.
    While time has passed, I find it