Whatever You Need

The alarm buzzed… I knew I had to get up, but my aching body wouldn’t budge as I rolled over on my back. I quelled a cry as a snap erupted from my back. I heaved a heavy breath, almost regreting having helped my good friend, Eric, move into his new apartment the night before. Hauling up that oak cupboard had truly done my back in. As I lied in bed contemplating a possible excuse to stay home from work, my mobile phone chimed. I looked at the caller’s name flashing on the phone’s face; it was my friend Theo. 
“What’s up, Theo?” I slurred tiredly. 
“I need some advice, Annie. What time will you be in?” 
He spoke faster than a bullet train. Hence, I knew there could only be one thing he needed my advice for. ‘Women Trouble’. 
“I’ll be in soon. Meet ya at the usual spot,” I finally replied. 
After a hot shower and a bowl of Fruit Loops, I was out the door and in my car, joined by fellow commuters racing down the freeway to the city.  
I found Theo on the roof of the building where he and I worked.
“Here,” I said, handing him a grande machioato.
“Thanks,” he answered shakily.
“You gonna jump or what?”
“Don’t tease, Anne. I’m really having problems. Chick I’ve been on like two dates with won’t stop calling,” he growled.
“Who? Mimi? I thought you liked her?”
“Yeah, I did. But she’s just way to boring for me, Anne. I gotta cut her.”
“I can’t believe you. But, honestly. This is so like you.”
Theo nodded, “So what’s the plan, Anne? You always find a way to bail me out.”
“Let me think about it, but you know that all it’s gonna take is for you to call her and break it off.”
Theo nodded again, but he wore an unconvinced smirk.
“So will you help me?”
He uttered every word with a hint of guilt that I couldn’t quite fault him for his predicament of being trapped by a clinging woman. Nevertheless, when it came to my friends, the words that usually sealed the deal for my participation in their hair-brained schemes escaped my mouth, “Whatever you need.”
By lunch we had concocted a brilliant plan to invite Mimi to dinner and if Theo couldn’t break it off by himself, I would pose as his pretend girlfriend and hopefully, Mimi will have to dump Theo on the basis of infidelity. 
I was about to leave work after a hectic day of networking and finishing an editorial I’d been working on, when I received another call. It was Eric. 
“Hey, what are you doing tonight?” 
“Helping out Theo with a break-up.” 
“Awesome. Can I join in?” 
“Shouldn’t you be unpacking in your new space?” 
“Nah. Save that for a weekend when you can help out,” Eric laughed. 
“Har har. In that case I’ll just have to avoid your calls. Anyways, I have to do this thing with Theo, so we’ll have to catch up some other time.” 
“Okay… Gosh, you’re flat today.”
“Yeah, I’m flat out, more like it.”
Eric said a quick goodbye as the doorbell chimed in the distance and hung up. 

A quick shower, my cocktail dress, a light gloss and powder and out the door again. I flagged a cab and was at the restaurant a half-hour early. I waited on a bench outside and watched as Theo and Mimi strolled passed me and into the restaurant. 
“Hi miss, did your date stand you up?”
I looked up from my bench to find a tall gentleman standing beside me. He was a gentle-faced brunette with an adorably charming grin. My heart skipped a beat as I tried to maintain my focus on Theo’s situation. 
“Erm… look, I’m waiting for someone, so if you wouldn’t mind…” my voice trailed off as I craned my neck to spy Theo. 
“Are you a jibbed girlfriend or something? You seem to be eyeballing that guy in the a blue shirt in there? Your ex?” the stranger asked. 
“Look buddy, I’m kinda busy here. So maybe you might want to interrogate someone else,” I replied vacantly. 
The stranger appeared to take the hint at that point and moved off. The scene in the restaurant had suddenly escalated and I noticed Mimi shouting hysterically and Theo staring straight at me to jump in. I rushed in, hoping to calm the situation. The maitre’d and a few puzzled waiters hovered around the scene. 
“He’s dumping me. After the best dates of my life!” Mimi screeched. 
Theo could only brandish his open palms in surrender while coaxing her to control her nerves. 
I pushed past a waiter and right beside Theo.
“Who’s this?” Mimi sniffed. 
Theo gasped for an explanation and looked to me for assistance. 
“Oh, I’m just a friend passing by. What seems to be the problem?” 
I hadn’t taken Mimi for a dense individual but she didn’t ask me any further questions about my odd presence and the offering of help. Instead. she bawled her sorrows of her sudden dumping and before anyone said another word, she was darting out of the restaurant and into the streets wailing. Before the shock had worn off Theo and the restaurant staff alike, I picked up the menu and seated myself. 
“So Theo, you’re off the hook. The least you could do is buy me dinner,” I said. 
“Phew, that was easy enough. And you didn’t even have to kiss me,” Theo finally said as he settled back into his seat. 
“Gross, kissing you would be like kissing my brother, Theo.” 
I decided on ordering a salad as a starter and the poached salmon as a main course. 
“I’m definitely having something chocolate for dessert on your tab.” 
“Hey, I don’t mind. I’m a free man.” 

After a great dinner, Theo decided to hit a new night club for a fresh date, and I ambled down the street to catch a cab home. My back was still killing me.

Note to self: Fix an appointment with a chiropractor.