A Chilling Friendship
Now that she’s dead, I can write about her without fear of lawsuits or reprisals. We were best friends, almost sisters, until we weren’t. Jealousy overtook her, and as a result she intentionally and maliciously tried to sabotage my career. Revenge is a dish best served cold, they say. But my revenge was hot hot hot.
A TEN-PART FICTION SERIES
with new episodes published on Tuesdays and Thursdays
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10
Part I: A Chilling Friendship
We met when we were in our junior year of high school, both of us misfits among our peers. The bond we formed in our teens continued over the years, taking us through various relationships and marriages, the birth of children, the attempts at a number of different professions. All this is to say, we were fast friends, almost sisters, until we weren’t. The troubles between us began when I left an eight-year marriage and moved back to the States from London.
Part II: A Chilling Friendship
Caroline’s boyfriend, Ronnie, was extremely flirtatious. He pretended to have a “thing” for me, and whenever I passed close to where he was sitting or standing, would feign an attraction so intense that he would practically swoon with fake desire. How must this have affected Caroline? His behavior didn’t seem to impact our friendship … at least, not then.
Part III: A Chilling Friendship
Caroline had often spoken to me about her good friend, Ray Davis, an architect whom she adored and would have had a romantic relationship with if he hadn’t been gay. Her voice, as she rhapsodized about this person, was such a monotone that I didn’t really take in what she said and formed no mental image of the man she was describing. For me, Ray was a cipher and when I finally met him, it was a shock.
Part IV: A Chilling Friendship
The job Ray offered was so far out of my realm of experience that I nearly laughed in his face. For a puny two-hundred-and-fifty dollars a week, he wanted me to travel around Massachusetts, teaching writing and poetry to inmates of all stripes in high security prisons.And with that began a period of dislocation and malaise that colored every action I undertook.
Part V: A Chilling Friendship
No one was in the house that day. Sophie was with her babysitter and I was with Ray, who said: “Let’s go over and see your new place.”My room, which was on the ground floor, right off the kitchen, was tiny and dreary. Ray looked around, unimpressed. “I think we should try the bed,” he said, climbing onto the top bunk. With a flick of his hand, he indicated I should join him, and so, all too happily, I kicked off my shoes and clambered up.
Part VI: A Chilling Friendship
One Sunday, I began hearing a voice in my head that repeated over and over, You’re in danger, you’re in danger. It wasn’t unusual for me to hear warning voices, but I decided to ignore this one – what, after all, could I do about it?
The next day I began bleeding. Heavily.
Part VII: A Chilling Friendship
When Caroline looked at me now, it wasn’t with the kindness and concern of a good friend, but rather with increasing coolness, even dislike. She didn’t ask me a single question about my relationship to Ray. In fact, that was the first sign of her growing displeasure – not talking about him at all. The dinners, get-togethers, conversations of the past stopped. From her end, there was a cold, eerie silence that didn’t bode well.
Part VIII: A Chilling Friendship
I never said anything to Caroline about the botched interview, figuring it was my own damn fault for getting drunk. But in time, I realized that Caroline’s behavior had been intentional, and that she had wanted me to screw up. After that, we drifted apart. Decades would pass before we were suddenly thrown together — two women in their fifties who’d reached the pinnacle of their careers and who didn’t have time for bullshit.
Part IX: A Chilling Friendship
Walking across campus, I was surprised when a woman my age approached and said, “I work in the same department as Caroline. It’s like she’s always about to stick a dagger in your back. Most people are scared of her.”
I thought for a moment, studying her face. Then I said, “Let’s go for coffee. I have a story that might interest you.”
Part X: A Chilling Friendship
I can only guess what happened. The story of Caroline’s impropriety would have traveled. She would have been questioned, perhaps even put on leave. People would have grown to dislike her more and more. Rumors would have flown like a flock of swiftly migrating birds and she would have had to suffer the consequences.
All of this gave me pleasure. Revenge is a dish best served cold.