The Seventh Wheel

I told him that I would forgive him but it would take some time. He said okay, he would give me as much as I needed. I didn't need much I was very low maintainance.

"Make a right, then left."

I changed lanes, I smiled to myself, I had a strong warm feeling I knew where we were heading. I made another right, drove three blocks, and then parked on the corner. My favorite spot.

"We are here." He had a big grin on his face. This wasn't that much of a surprise, I was here all the time. If he was missing me and I wasn't in the backseat, then I was here, but he knew that, we called each other all the time.

"Sabrina!" Nicole was calling me, she was dressed so nice, she was always so happy to see me. I always cried, it made me feel so good to know someone was waiting for me, looking forward to being with me. Even Nikki couldn't wait for me to get on the other side of her gate. Her husband Nick came from the side of the house with Nicklaus, Max gave them the shopping bag full of beer, the box of herbs and plants, and seeds for the kid's garden. I had been keeping them in the car for when we visited.

We moved to the back, I could smell the fire, I could smell lunch. Nicole was dragging me into the backyard, she seemed over-excited, and she was giggling.

I put the rest of the things that Max had in the car onto the table. "Hi, Sabrina."

I spun around, there was a princess, long purple and pink dress, little heels, short dark hair just up to her shoulders. She looked so beautiful, I was so proud of her. We talked all the time but I haven't seen her in a couple of weeks, I cried again as she ran over to me. I got on my knees and hugged her. Maybe I went through a portal, maybe I ended up in a different dimension and she was me when I was young. I was going to tell her everything would be fine, don't get discouraged. I was planning on telling her life gets better, once you meet the right people.

Life was so wonderful for me, right now especially. I still looked around for the portal just in case.

She hugged me tight, she always smelled like strawberries. "Nicole's mom and my mom say I can stay until Halloween on Tuesday."

I looked at her, my eyes wide, she made me very happy. When my heart was broken I thought of her and it healed itself.

*

We were at the picnic table, a table for six. Nicole and Tiffany at the end, I was in a folding chair next to them. We were getting ready to eat.

"Looks like I am the seventh wheel again." I giggled, it's funny how I always considered myself this mythical seventh wheel, almost always, but I never said it out loud before. It sounded crazy, why did I ever think of this, I wouldn't think of it again.

"What? What does that mean?" Nicole looked at me, the whole table was watching me, the whole table was paying attention.

"Um, you know, all of you are the six wheels of a bus or a truck or something." I started to explain, "I'm like the unneeded one." I shrugged my shoulders. I could tell Max was enjoying this, me trying to tell everyone what is inside my crazy, hypothetical imagination.

"Wait," Tiffany, touched my hand. "Like a semi-tractor trailer?"

"Sure I guess," I giggled.

"Well, if you are the seventh wheel then you are the most important, it's the um..." She made a face, she was thinking.

"The spare?" Max said.

"Mmm, the spare. You know in case something happens." She smiled, her beautiful eyes nice and wide, she was surprised she knew something other than princesses and Barbies. I held her hand. "That should be your nickname, I have been trying to find something for you as cool as mine, I think 'The Seventh Wheel' is perfect."

"So we will be four Nickys, Max, Tiff, and the Seventh Wheel?"

"Yup." Everyone laughed or giggled we had decided something as a group. Tiff started to think, "Well, maybe we should go with my first choice."

"And what's that?"

"Bree." And everyone laughed and giggled again.

"Okay, I am so glad that's settled, and we all sound so cool now." I squinted my eyes, and squished my face, I thought I was cute. We laughed some more, we drank, we ate, and I realized I wouldn't mind being seen as the Seventh Wheel sometime in the future. It was pretty important, you know in case something happens, I will be there to take care of it. I can handle that, you wouldn't even know I am here, I'm pretty low maintenance.

"Ha."

And we laughed and we giggled some more, it was going to be a great afternoon and sometimes that's all you need.

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The End

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