Honey on Your Mind Part 19

"Down it," Andie said to me.

"OK, OK. Thank G.o.d your birthday doesn't come around every day."

We held up our shots, and then threw them back like old times. Despite my best effort to appear poised and dignified, I made a face as the tequila stung my throat. I set my empty gla.s.s on the bar and sucked on a lime. "That was disgusting."

"You're welcome." Andie gestured toward the bar. "Fresh c.o.c.ktails are waiting for you both right there. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to pee."

She took off for the restroom, leaving McKenna and me to observe the scene around us. The place was getting more crowded by the minute.

"Can you believe we're in a club? And in Manhattan?" I reached for the drinks.

"I can't believe I'm up past eleven."

I laughed and handed her a gla.s.s. "I still can't believe I live here. How did that happen?"

Before she could reply, two dorky looking guys approached us. I know that sounds mean, but dorky is by far the most accurate word in the English language to describe them. One had short hair with girl bangs. The other was wearing a yellow turtleneck.

"How are you two doing tonight?" Girl-Bangs Guy said.

I smiled. "Not bad. We're here celebrating a friend's birthday."

"The big twenty-one?" Turtleneck Guy elbowed me, and I flinched.

"Not quite." I shot McKenna an Are you kidding me? look.

"Are you from here?" Girl-Bangs Guy said.

McKenna pointed to herself and then to me. "She lives in Brooklyn, and I'm visiting from San Francisco."

"Frisco? That's so cool! I've never been to Cali," Turtleneck Guy nodded enthusiastically.

I cringed at the double offense of Frisco and Cali in the same sentence. It took all my will power not to kick McKenna.

"We live on Staten Island," Girl-Bangs Guy said. "We were in the city for a conference today."

"A conference?" I wondered what kind of event would attract this pair. Maybe a comic book expo? Video games? Computing hacking?

Turtleneck Guy nodded. "Yeah, it was an all-day thing."

McKenna took a sip of her drink. "What was it for?"

"It was a self-help conference," Girl-Bangs Guy said with a smile.

I nearly spat out my drink. Oh G.o.d, I'm the one who needs help right now.

"It was really good," Turtleneck Guy said. "Look at us now, talking to you two gorgeous women." I couldn't stop staring at his upper lip, which now glistened with beer.

McKenna smiled brightly. "Excellent. Good for you." Then she held up her left hand. "But unfortunately I'm married, so it's probably best if you guys chat with women who are available. Good luck to you both."

Before they could reply, she grabbed my arm and pulled me away.

"Nice escape," I said when we were out of earshot. "That was almost Andie-ish in its execution."

She laughed and finished off her drink. "Let's just say my tolerance for alcohol isn't the only thing that has gone down since I had a baby." I think she might have been slurring her words a bit, or maybe my ears weren't functioning properly. However you wanted to slice it, the wine, the shots, and the mixed drinks had clearly begun to kick in.

And were about to kick our b.u.t.ts.

Just then, Andie reappeared. She held her arms open when she saw us. "Ladies! Ladies! Looks like you could both use another drink. Am I right? Am I right?"

McKenna and I exchanged glances and started giggling.

"Did I miss something?" Andie said.

"Nope. Just glad to see you," I gave her a hug, and McKenna followed.

"Have I told you guys lately how much I mean to you?" McKenna slurred.

Andie laughed. "How much you mean to us?"

I hiccupped. "You know what she means."

"This is going to be ugly," Andie said. "You guys are way out of practice."

I nodded and poked her shoulder with my finger. "Have I told you lately how smart you are?"

a a a "Chop chop, ladies, time to get a move on." Andie stood at the foot of my bed and clapped her hands.

I didn't open my eyes. "What time is it?"

"Eleven."

"What time did we go to sleep?"

"Four."

"Can you come back in three hours?" I cracked open an eye. McKenna was lying comatose next to me. "I'm sure my couch is missing you."

Andie sat on the foot of the bed. "No can do. We have a lot on the agenda today. I'm calling the shots this weekend, remember?"

I finally opened my eyes all the way and looked at the ceiling fan. "Can you please never, ever, say that word again?"

"Oh my G.o.d, I feel disgusting." McKenna pulled a pillow over her head.

"Ditto. Now will you please go away?" I weakly waved an arm in the direction of Andie's voice.

Andie stood up and put her hands on her hips. "OK, fine. I'm taking a shower, and when I get out, you two are getting up. Do you hear me?"

"I hate you right now," McKenna said. "And I hate your stupid birthday powers too."

"You two are embarra.s.sing yourselves." Andie stomped her feet as she walked out of my bedroom.

"I want to die," McKenna said, her head still under the pillow. "I haven't drunk that much since...since way before I was pregnant. Actually, have I ever drunk that much?"

I slowly sat up and held my head in my hands. "I'm dying too. I haven't gone out on the town like that the whole time I've lived here." I turned to look at her. "Did I just dream it, or did we dance on the top of a table at some point last night?"

She removed the pillow from her face and started laughing. "Oh my G.o.d. I think that really happened."

I winced. "I didn't make out with anyone, did I? You know my history of making out with randoms after a few drinks."

"I don't think so, although you were chatting up that guy in the purple vest."

I squinted at her. "Did you just say I was chatting up a guy in a purple vest?"

"You were."

"Why, exactly?"

"G.o.d knows. I remember chatting with some guy for a while too, but then, for some reason, I think I starting talking about breastfeeding. He bolted shortly thereafter."

I laughed. "You brought up breastfeeding at a bar?"

She covered her face with the pillow again. "I'm never drinking again."

I swung my legs to the floor. "Don't tell Andie that. It will just fire her up for tonight."

"I really hate that girl sometimes."

I laughed. "Me too. She's the best."

a a a An hour and a half later, we were finally showered, out of the apartment, and reluctantly accompanying Andie on her quest to eat at the world-famous Katz's Delicatessen on the Lower East Side. Still dragging, McKenna and I were each nursing a huge cup of coffee from Connecticut m.u.f.fin as we emerged from the subway and entered the cavernous restaurant.

After ordering at the counter, we found an empty table and sat down to wait for our food. McKenna put her hand on her forehead and groaned. "I haven't been this hungover since the last time I was in New York."

"You mean when the three of us came here right before your wedding?" I said.

She nodded. "You two are bad news."

"Hey now, it wasn't me." I pointed to Andie. "She's the one who kept buying all those drinks."

Andie pretended to hand me a platter. "Do you want some cheese with that whine? You grandmas really need to suck it up." She unzipped her hoodie to reveal a blue Honey Tee that said BEER GOGGLES ARE THE LONELY GIRL'S CUPID.

"Did you steal that from my living room?" I asked.

She shrugged. "I was just helping reduce the clutter. You have like fifty boxes of Honey c.r.a.p in there."

"Not for long, thanks to Paige. Soon it'll be like a real business." I clapped my hands like a little kid.

McKenna narrowed her eyes at Andie. "How is it possible that you feel so good right now? Were you secretly drinking less than we were?"

She shook her head. "I'm dating Nick Prodromou, remember? My alcohol tolerance is at an all-time high."

I nodded. "Ah, yes, I forgot. Nick can drink like no one's business." I'd gone out for drinks with Nick a few times when we were coworkers at the San Francisco Sun, and I'd always paid dearly for it the next morning. It was a good thing he was such a blast. It was the only thing that made the day-after suffering worth it.

Our number came up, and the workers behind the ancient counter handed us our pastrami sandwiches, which could more accurately be described as towering piles of meat held together by a couple of slices of plain, un-toasted bread.

"Tell me again why we're here?" I stared at my plate.

"This place is legendary. I can't believe you've never eaten here," Andie said. "It's been here for more than a hundred years. Just look around." She gestured toward the walls, which were covered with photos, old and new, of people, famous and not so famous, all tucking into towering piles of meat held together by a couple of slices of plain, un-toasted bread.

I looked back down at my plate. "This is more food than I normally eat in a week."

"I'm going to barf." McKenna put her face in her hands.

"You look terrible," I said to her. "You're really pale."

Andie sat up straight and pushed her hair behind her ears. "Focus on what's in front of you and eat, ladies. I promise it will make you feel better. By the way, did you know this is where they filmed that famous scene from When Harry Met Sally?"

My ears perked up. "You mean the one where Meg Ryan fakes the o.r.g.a.s.m?"

Several people turned around, and McKenna laughed and put her hand over my mouth. "Shhh, Waverly, you're totally yelling."

I lowered my voice. "Oops, sorry. I'm still talking in my drunk voice."

Andie shook her head. "You two are totally JV now. It's really quite disappointing."

a a a After lunch, we debated what to do next as we strolled through the Lower East Side. Given that it was the weekend before Christmas, we'd already decided to avoid the shopping zoos of SoHo and Times Square.

"I don't think my stomach can handle a ferry right now," McKenna said in response to my halfhearted suggestion of a river tour.

"Actually, I have a bit of a stomachache too," Andie said.

I poked her shoulder with my finger. "It's no wonder. Why did you insist on eating your entire sandwich? That thing probably weighed more than you do." McKenna and I had barely made it through half of ours before giving up.

Andie looked at me. "I couldn't just leave it there. That would be like walking off the field in the eighty-fifth minute of the World Cup final, with the score tied."

McKenna laughed. "You're insane."

"I'm a champion," Andie said. "And wasn't I right? Were those sandwiches not totally amazing?"

McKenna and I both nodded.

"You were right," I said. "Very tasty."

"Like amnesia on bread," McKenna said. "For a few moments there, I forgot all about how sick I feel."

Andie put a hand on her heart and took a little bow. "Of course I was right. You don't question the master."

I lifted my arms and one leg in Karate Kid fas.h.i.+on. "Got it, Mr. Miyagi."