Chapter Four
"Boxing Day"
�So what is Boxing Day, exactly?� Kelly asked into the phone pressed to her cheek as she lay in bed.
�What?� was the only reply she received from Jo, her friend on the end of the line.
�Boxing Day. I mean, I sit here, staring at the calendar, and in today�s square it says �Boxing Day � UK.� All my life I�ve wanted to know what it was! Why wouldn�t the British give it an understandable name? Or do you think it really has to do with boxes? Or boxing?� Kelly�s gesticulating free hand was dangerously close to being inextricably entangled in the phone cord, but she was completely oblivious to it.
�Well, Kel,� answered Jo, �I don�t know what to tell you. I always kind of ignored it, I guess. I mean, I�m sure we have holidays they don�t understand.�
�I was thinking about that, but I couldn�t come up with any. Besides Columbus Day, which I don�t even understand seeing as good ol� Cristobal never set foot in America, but that�s not really the point.�
�Forgive me, but what is the point?� asked Jo lightheartedly.
�The point, my dear Josephina Maria Ramirez, is that it bugs me that I don�t know what this holiday is, and I�ve always wanted to know. I could always look it up, but I am just waaaaay too lazy,� she sighed
.
�Awww, the world�s tiniest violin is playing for you,� joked Jo. �Gee Kelly, if only there was some nice British guy you knew that you could ask. Now who could that be?� she asked sarcastically.
Kelly laughed. �Shut up, Jo, I know where this is going.�
But Jo continued. �...And it would be great if he had gorgeous brown eyes, impossibly chiseled cheekbones, and a thousand-watt smile. Oh, and if he were an internationally revered superstar, I guess that would be OK too.�
�And what would I say, Jo? �Hi Orlando Bloom: Megastar. This is Kelly O�Shaughnessy�we chatted a few times in Jersey, remember? Anyway, I was just wondering if you could take a little time out of your insanely busy schedule to explain Boxing Day to me. Thanks.� I mean, what is that? It�s preposterous.�
�Well, first of all, unless you�re a pathological liar�which, I�ll add, isn�t out of the question�you�ve done a little more than �chat.� And I don�t have a �second of all,� but you should call him regardless.�
�Sounds good, except for one small thing.�
�Don�t have his number?� Jo asked.
�Don�t have his number,� Kelly replied.
�Welp, you�re pretty much hosed then. Unless you want to get it from Kate�� Jo offered.
�Um yeah, sure, right after I marry Adam.�
�Oh yeah! How�s that going?�
�Actually, Captain Obsequious is starting to grow on me, Jo. At least our dates have progressed from Operation: Watch Paint Dry��
�Well, it�s a step in the right direction, my dear. And from the picture you showed me, I don�t think watching Paint Dry with that man would be too bad. I mean, he�s no Orlando Bloom, but few of us are lucky enough to know that guy��
�Jo, you�re a goofball. I mean, I agree, but is it really too much to ask for some lively conversation to go with those Baby Blues?� Kelly sighed, thinking of Adam. The relationship, though still nascent, was progressing nicely. They had gone on a few more dates before she left for home, and thankfully he hadn�t asked her to spend Christmas with his parents or anything weird like that. And the semester had ended, so there wouldn�t be the potential awkwardness of having a class with him anymore. All things considered, Kelly was pretty lucky, but she couldn�t shake the feeling that something wasn�t quite right, and it wasn�t Adam�s fault�
�Kel? Kelly? Kelly Marie? OK, it�s reverie time. Jo�s gonna go now, ok babe?� Kelly heard Jo�s voice waft gradually into her conscious.
�Yeah, sorry �bout that. I�ll call you later, JoJo.�
�Sounds good. But, if Orlando happens to call, you are calling me as soon as the phone sex is over.�
�You dirty girl. Look out your window, and if pigs start flying, your phone will start ringing. Until then, I can�t quite feel a monkey flapping out of my ass, so I�m gonna go. I love you, and I�ll talk to you later,� Kelly giggled as she hung up the phone and rolled over in bed. But as soon as the receiver clicked, the relative peace brought about by Jo�s phone call was shattered. It seemed that returning home to Wyoming for Christmas break didn�t keep Orlando out of her head, as Kelly had hoped. Their last encounter kept repeating itself in her mind. Two hours in a cab for ten minutes of conversation. It just didn�t seem worth it. In fact, it almost scared Kelly. Not that she regretted the conversation, but what did it mean? Did it in any way change the relationship she and Orlando shared?
Kelly grumbled as the phone rang again. She grabbed the phone and answered in a groggy voice, only to be greeted with Kate�s cheery one. Try as she might, Kelly could not remain in her mood. She hadn�t seen Kate in weeks, and missed the counsel of her friend, though one particular matter certainly wasn�t up for discussion.
�Kate, my darling, how are you?� Kelly asked. �Wait. Better question: where are you?�
�Well, I�m in London. Still working on Beyond the Sea. Oh my gosh. You have to meet Kevin Spacey. I�ll fly him to Wyoming. He is amazing.�
�I can only imagine. I don�t surmise he�d like his production disturbed with a sojourn to good ol� Jackson Hole. Are you having fun, though?�
�Yes. It�s amazing. There are so many talented people here. I feel really inadequate.�
�Kate, that�s silly. You�re better than all of them. Well, maybe not Spacey. He pretty much kicks everyone�s ass,� said Kelly with a smile. �Don�t misbehave or he�ll go all Keyser Soze on your ass!�
Kate giggled on the other end. She seemed so happy. Kelly was dying to ask if Orlando was with her in London, but even that harmless question still seemed a little taboo� �Kelly, it�s so great. I wish you were here. You would absolutely eat up London. It�s so quaint and� well, British is the only way to describe it. We even have the day off because it�s Boxing Day!�
�Kate! Boxing Day! Jo and I were just talking about it! What is it? Did they tell you?� Kelly smiled at the coincidence.
�No, I didn�t think to ask! I�m such a ditz. I guess I can ask Orli tonight, right? How lucky is that?!�
�Very lucky,� Kelly managed to choke out. Well, I guess that answers the question, she thought. Orlando was with Kate. She gave a slight laugh at the irony of the situation. Strange that her very plan�albeit fantasy plan�had been to ask Orlando. The reality of the situation was staggering. She had to pull herself out of dreamland and back into real life where Kate was with Orlando and Kelly was merely a bystander. That was it. �How is he, by the way?� she queried, straining to feign detached interest.
There was a pause on the other end. Kelly heard Kate take a deep breath. �He�s good. Yeah, he�s good. We haven�t seen each other in a few days, even though we�re in the same city, but I guess we�re just pretty busy. You know, he still has to finish up the Lord of the Rings stuff. And I�ve been filming and all. But yeah. Yeah, we�re good, I guess.�
Kelly couldn�t help but notice the hesitation in the previously perky voice. Her heart skipped a beat at the very prospect of trouble in the relationship. You asshole, came Kelly�s conscious immediately. How can you be excited right now? Your friend needs to talk to you, and you�re stuck in your fucking dream� Kelly shook off the entire train of thought and instead asked, �No trouble in the Barbie and Ken Dream House, I hope?� Kelly grimaced as soon as the words were out of her mouth. Well, that could have been handled more tactfully.
To her relief, Kate just laughed. �No. No trouble, at least not on my end. It�s just been really hard to coordinate schedules lately. And I know it�ll just get worse in the future, but we�ve got to plan better. That�s all.�
Kelly once again was torn between happiness and sorrow. It�s good, Kelly, she thought. Kate is happy. YOU are happy. That�s all that matters. Of course, though, the subject wasn�t closed.
�Kelly?� Kate�s voice continued. �While we�re on the subject, I have a question.�
�Go ahead,� Kelly said, hoping Kate wouldn�t notice its quavering tone. She braced herself for the worst. Did Kate suspect her feelings for Orlando? Well, that would be impossible to detect, seeing as you don�t even know your own feelings�
�Well, before you left for Christmas break, did Orlando come see you?�
Kelly paused. The question had blindsided her. Should she tell the truth? Did Kate already know? �Umm� Yes, yes he did. For, like, ten minutes. It was kinda weird, actually.� She tensed up and crossed her fingers, hoping for a benign answer.
Thankfully, she was rewarded. Kate laughed again. �Oh good. I hoped he�d come and say goodbye.�
What?!?! �But he was in New York. You wanted him to come all the way back to Princeton?� Kelly�s confusion was unfathomable.
�Well, that�s the weird thing. He called me from Trenton. Apparently, his plane got diverted there. Trenton, of all places!�
�Trenton? That�s like 20 minutes from Princeton!�
�I know! From what I gleaned from the conversation, it was some sort of mechanical failure, but he had a bit of a layover, so I told him he should go visit you! I hope you didn�t mind!�
�Oh no, it was fine! I had some down time, so it was no big deal.�
�Good. Oh Kelly, you have no idea how happy it makes me that you two are friends. I know I had that little spat a few weeks ago, and I�m really sorry. I have no idea what got into me. You and Orlando were just hanging out, and I think I was frustrated because I never got to see him. I�m so sorry.�
�Kate, I accept your apology, even though there�s no need for it. It must be really hard to keep the relationship going with all your jobs. Everyone gets to flip out once or twice.�
�Has anyone told you you�re the best friend ever? I knew you�d understand. I actually have to go now. I have to meet Orli for lunch in a little while. Oh! I also gave him your number because he said he had a few questions for you. Who knows what about. That man asks more questions than I care to imagine. But he might call, ok?�
�Yeah, that�s fine. Hey Kate, have fun. And Happy Boxing Day!�
�You too! I�ll talk to you soon.�
Kelly once again hung up the phone, and once again rolled over, hoping to sort through the multitude of thoughts running around in her head. She was tempted to grab paper and write them all down� First was Kate�s �best friend ever� comment. Though it had been hyperbole, Kelly felt dishonest even by the offhand remark. If she truly were being the �best friend ever� she wouldn�t feel so ashamed. Or torn. Or confused in general. Second was Orlando�s little trip to Princeton. Why had he lied and told her he�d come all the way from New York? Was that supposed to make her feel special or guilty? Strange how it could go either way. Third, and perhaps most puzzling of all, was Kate�s complete endorsement of her friendship with Orlando. Encouragement, even. It seemed the spat had indeed been temporary, and Kelly was free to hang out with Orlando as much as she pleased. But what did that mean? Did Kate have a different picture of the relationship than Kelly did? Did Orlando?
The phone rang again. �Oh for fuck�s sake! Stop ringing!� she shouted. Completely disregarding her outburst, the phone continued. Kelly reluctantly turned and picked it up, once in her life praying it was a salesperson so she could hang up quickly. It wasn�t.
Kelly recognized his dulcet tones before the first syllable was even completely formed. This is unbelievable. It�s a friggin� soap opera playing itself out in my mind� �Hello, Orlando,� she said, attempting to remain calm.
�Kelly, my dear, it�s been far too long. Happy Boxing Day!�
�Yeah, about that� Oh, screw it. Never mind. How are you?� Random British Holiday Explanations could wait.
�I�m excellent. Look, I only have a few minutes before a meeting, but I just wanted to say �hi.��
�Great. Hi. Um, I have a question, though. And forgive me for its complete randomness and directness. Why did you lie to me about taking the cab from New York to visit me? You could have just told me about your layover in Trenton.� Kelly paused, waiting for Orlando�s response. It came with a laugh.
�Yes, that was quite random and direct. Well, do you recall that conversation clearly?�
�Umm� yeah. I was half-naked and confused, you said you had changed flights and come from New York, and��
He cut her off. �That�s where you�re wrong, love. I never said anything about driving from New York. If memory serves me correctly, you came to the conclusion of the two hour cab ride yourself.�
Really? No� But wait� YES. DAMN IT. Crap. Kelly felt like an idiot. �OK. That�s true. Hi, I�m stupid. NO! No, wait! You said you changed flights! Get out of that one!� Kelly actually shook her finger in the air, as if he could see her half the world away.
�Well, that part is true. I did change flights. My first flight had mechanical problems, so they flew us to squat little Trenton, New Jersey, and made us take a different plane. Kelly, you�re no Sherlock Holmes, but it doesn�t take sleuthing to come to that conclusion.�
Kelly only scoffed playfully at his jab. �Fine. Fine, you win. I still really appreciate the gesture, even though it is much lessened in my mind. Next time, I won�t use my �Jump to Conclusions Mat.��
�What mat?� he asked.
Kelly laughed. �Sorry, it�s from a movie. Office Space. I�m so used to quoting it with my friends. It just slipped out. We�ll have to watch it sometime.�
�I would love that, Kelly. Start making a list of things we can do when we�re together next. Will you do that for me?�
�Sure! Hey, do you have any idea when that time might be, by chance?�
�Not a damn clue. I�m not due back in the States as a whole for a while, much less in New Jersey.�
�Well, I�m actually home in Wyoming right now, so that�s probably even less likely to be on your itinerary.�
�I couldn�t even tell you where Wyoming was. Sorry, Kel.�
�It�s alright. I understand you�re busy. And I am too, you know, with all my sleeping. I have to keep a tight schedule�no time for fun and games!�
�I understand. I wouldn�t want to disrupt your REM cycle. You of all people need your beauty sleep.�
�Oh like you have room to talk. Have you looked in a mirror recently, dear Orlando?� Kelly reveled in these small moments of playful banter.
He chuckled. �You�re more right than you know. I�m in the process of scruffing myself up right now. After I got all nice and clean for Troy. But that�s life, I guess. Oh, look at the time, though. I have to go get ready for the meeting. But if you ever can deviate from your sleep schedule, give me a call, ok? This is my mobile, so you should be able to reach me.�
�Will do, Orlando. Tell Kate �hi� for me, ok?�
�If I see her, I will,� he said quickly.
�If you see her? You�re going to lunch�� Kelly paused. �Never mind. Yeah, if you catch her, tell her. I�ll talk to you later.�
�Alright. Ta-ta, love.�
For the third and final time, Kelly hung up the phone. This time, however, she sat straight up. �Why is everyone being so WEIRD?!?!?� she bellowed to no one in particular. The walls of her room made no response. But nothing seemed right. Kate said she and Orlando were going to lunch, but Orlando seemed to have either forgotten it or was eager to deny it. Kate had seemed hesitant in discussing her relationship with Orlando, yet had encouraged Kelly to have one. Kelly tried, once again, to process things, but decided that it was long past time to stop analyzing the whole situation. What happened was in the past. Thinking about it wouldn�t change a damn thing. No one except Billy Crystal said a man and a woman couldn�t be friends. That�s what she and Orlando were. Friends. Good friends. Nothing more.
Kelly looked at the calendar lying next to the bed. �Oh shit. I forgot to ask about Boxing Day,� she griped out loud. �Stupid fucking holiday.�