Greg/Alexis: Girl Talk

So I've been kind of depressed this past week, not like Zane is depressed where Clara's body is chemically imbalanced, but sad to the point of not wanting to do anything else but stay in bed and watch TV. I mean, I go to work and everything because I dont want to get fired with 3 months left here and having to figure out how to eat. Fortunately my job allows me to browse reddit all day and people barely noticed I wasn't in a good mood.

I guess its easy not to notice your bosses mood if they barely talk to you during the day, but at home it was a different story. Malinda had been extra nice to me, at least by comparison. There wasnt any coldness and she let me sleep in the master bedroom the whole week. She had read about my forced break up and apparently decided to let me be.

At least until Sunday, when I had just spent most of the weekend in bed eating Pringles and watching VH1 when Malinda came in, sat on top of the covers next to me, and held up a Pringles can to shake the dust out of it.

"Careful with these, you dont want to get that body fat before you give it back"

"I'm more than a few Pringles away from being considered 'fat'" I grumbled

"You'd think so, but women's bodies gain wait differently" she said trying to sound helpful

"I've been a woman for 3 years. Various types of women. This body is by far the most efficient" I said sounding a little proud

"Maybe" she began "But isnt that because you always go to the gym. Don't you normally go to the gym on Sunday's?"

"I did" I said sadly. "With Annabelle"

"Ah, she got the gym in the breakup" she said understandingly "Do you wanna talk about it?"

"Are you just gonna make snide remarks about gay people?" I asked a little meanly

She hung her head a little bit "No, I promise"

So what started with me just talking about all the things I'd have to change to avoid Annabelle evolved into a rant about the difficulties of finding love when your doomed to be living someone elses life. The whole time she was really supportive and understanding.

"I feel really bad for you." she sympathized "Three years away from your friends and family. I've been away from mine for 9 months and I miss them like crazy."

It was then that we both realized that it was Mother's day. So we called our respective body's mothers and told them that we loved them and listened to updates on family members we've never met and gave fake updates on how our lives were going before hanging up and still feeling sad.

"I've got an idea" Malinda said picking up my laptop

She went to a flower delivery website and typed in the Address for a Grace Cunningham of Highland Park Texas.

"Your Mom?" I guessed

"Yep. Im sending her anonymous flowers with a card saying "you are loved" now give me your credit card and I'll do the same.

This was a surprisingly sweet idea so I didnt mind that the bouquets cost about 100 dollars each for rush delivery on Mother's Day, since Ellen Schmidt of Winnetka, Illinois got flowers from her loving son, even if she didn't know they were from him and she thinks he's off being a jerk. Also, it made me feel a whole lot better. Good enough to shower and go downstairs and drink on the patio with Malinda.

"I feel kinda of bad for them" she said referring to the real Sharon and Alex "If we hadn't taken their lives they'd be well on their way to being mom's right now"

"Yeah, and that body would be the one getting fat" I teased.

"No thank you" she said sucking her belly in "Lesbian or not, I'm not having kids for a few more years. What about you, do you want kids?"

I thought about it for a moment "I don't know if I get a say in that. I suppose I could be in the body of a pregnant woman this fall. Besides, technically I had a kid last year. He was like 22 or something. He never called. Not even on Mother's day"

"Well that life is behind you" she said raising her glass "Here's to a better one next year.

We chatted for a little while longer, my spirits lifted and at the end of the night I thanked her for being so nice.

"No problem" she said "Last thing we need is for you to get depressed, lose your job, and we have to make a living selling stuff that I paint.

"We could sell some of the paintings that are already down there"

"Mabye" she said "But I doubt theres much of a market for paintings of you"

"What?" I asked

"Well not you, Alex. There's tons of them down there. She's Sharon's inspiration I guess. Even a few naked ones" she giggled

"Bullshit"

"Nuh-Uh,I'll show you"

She led me to the studio which we've been using for storage mostly and started going through a crate of finished canvasses. She finally found the one she was looking for and held it up.

I instantly burst into laughter. I mean, that's really the only thing you can do when you see yourself painted naked, right? In reality it was a pretty good painting, very good attention to detail and pretty flattering. You can tell Sharon intended to show Alex as she saw her.

"My boobs are bigger than that" I joked

"So's your butt" Malinda taunted

In put my hands on it, knowing she was a little right.

"Aww, dont feel bad, I was just joking" she said trying to salvage my body image issues.

We laughed it off and headed back upstairs and talked a little while longer. Before we went to bed she casually said "There are other gyms you know, if you need someone to go with we can go together"

"I'd like that" I said smiling. "Are we friends again?"

"For now" she said with a smile "Who knows, you might even pick up another girlfriend"

I think she was teasing me with that last part but the fact that there wasn't the usual homophobia attached makes me think she's mellowed out a bit. And if not its only a few more months.

-Greg