Eve's Boutique - Epilogue

Lessons in Letting Go

“I call this meeting of the Bestie’s Brunch to order.”  Mackenzie tapped her wine glass in a reverent manner.  “As our first order of business, I propose an open discussion.  What the hell happened last night?”

“I was a bartender!” Elijah said cheerily.  “At least I pretended to be.  Then some people chased me, and I think me and Abby are dating?”

Abigail nudged him with her shoulder.  “We totally are.  But I don’t think that’s what Mackenzie meant.  What do you remember about meeting some, you know.  Very tall people?”

“Kayla’s tall.  But we’d already met.”

“Got it, Elijah’s a blank slate.”

“So was Victoria,” Dylan put in.  “I mean, she remembered the six of us… doing stuff.  On that big hill?  She says hi by the way.  Or no, it was.  ‘Hiiiii,’ and I was supposed to wink at you.  But as far as how big we were when it happened?  She didn’t remember a thing.”

Kayla grinned at him.  “Wait wait, you already talked to Tori this morning?  You must’ve got her number.”

“Actually, she made me pancakes.”

There was a general uproar at this.  Mackenzie had to call for order.  Chloe put forward a motion for Elijah to give Dylan a noogie, since she couldn’t reach from across the table.  The motion carried.

“Then is it safe to say that the five of us are the only ones who remember?” Chloe said.  “About being… giants?”

Mackenzie looked at her blankly.  “Giants.  What exactly are you talking about, Chloe dear?  Like from story books?”

The members of the A-Team shared a long, worried look.

But Mackenzie’s poker face was already cracking.  She laughed.  “I’m just teasing.  The upper atmosphere was really cold last night.  I’m glad someone was there to bring me back to earth.”

Abigail winked, and mimed a spanking motion with a flick of her wrist.  “Any time.”

Mackenzie smiled dreamily, and tried to take a sip of her wine.  It took her three attempts to find the glass with her mouth.

“Then that’s it?” Dylan said.  “We had this crazy adventure, and now everything’s completely back to the way it was before?”

“I guess so,” Chloe replied.  “We walked by Eve’s shop on the way here.  It was abandoned.  Looked like it had been for years.”

“Yeah,” Abigail said.  “I’m going to check her apartment after this, but I’m not getting my hopes up.”

“Do you think she’s okay?” Chloe asked in a small voice.  “I mean, Lilith was going to… do you think she–”

“No,” Abigail interrupted.  “Lilith didn’t go through with her plans.  At least, not the way she was threatening.”

“Okay?”  Kayla leaned back in her seat.  “And you know that because…?”

Abby shrugged.  “No idea.  I just know this feels like a happy ending, and that means Eve is happy, too.  Though exactly what she needed for that?  Is anyone’s guess.”

Abigail knew exactly what Eve needed to be happy.  The thought had arrived before she’d even finished speaking.  In her mind she saw the witch, standing on stage the night before.  Her impossibly complex expression, when Abigail asked her to take the magic back.  Suddenly, Abigail understood what her beloved had been feeling.

“Hey, I don’t suppose you heard from Lilith this morning?”  She was proud she’d managed to make the question sound casual.

Mackenzie shook her head.  “I’m sure we’ll see them again.”

No one said anything to this. 

Abigail sipped her mimosa.  It was funny.  Even after everything that happened last night, she still had a sense memory of the last time Eve had kissed her.  She swore she could still feel the magic.  But Eve had told her a little touch of magic was all anyone had ever received from her before.

That touch was over.  Eve had let go.

She understood now.  This was what always had to happen, once the magic faded away.  This really was the best of all possible endings between them.  If it was what Eve needed, then Abigail could let go, too.  It would be the hardest thing she’d ever done.  She knew she was strong enough.

Wordlessly, Chloe took her hand, and squeezed.  Abby squeezed back.

“But yes,” Mackenzie was saying.  “Everything’s back to normal.  The plazas are gone, civic corruption is once again a major problem….”

“I still don’t have a sea turtle,” Elijah said sadly.

“I mean not everything is normal,” Abigail said.  “Like.  There’s the little matter of… my height?”

Her friends stared at her blankly.

“Okay, it’s not funny the second time.  Tell me you know what I’m talking about, you guys.”

Chloe put her hand on her shoulder.  “You used to be four-foot-seven.  Right?”

“Yes!  Thank you, Klo!”

“There’s no way,” Mackenzie argued.  “I will swear on a stack of bibles that she’s always been five-one.”

“No, Chloe’s right.”  Abigail scowled.  “At least, I remember always being four-seven.  Who knows what’s even real anymore.  The nice thing was, all the clothes in my closet still fit.  I thought I’d have to wear that green dress from now on, which wouldn’t have been the worst?  But at least that saves me a shopping trip, since we don’t have Eve’s spray anymore.”

“I believe you,” Kayla said.  “I don’t remember it that way, but after everything we’ve seen, Abby growing six inches overnight would rank toward the low end on the weird-shit scale.”

Dylan nodded.  “The important thing is, you’re still the shortest person at the table.”

“Yeah, and next time I get you alone you’re going to find out how little that matters.  You’re still shorter than me on your knees.”

“Yes ma’am, sorry ma’am.”

“And there’s one other thing that’s different,” Abigail said.  “Don’t all look at once.  That cute guy at the bar, with the arm sleeve tattoo and the anime hair?  He’s been checking me out since we got here.  I guess the extra height is good for something.”

Mackenzie chuckled.  “Abby dear, that’s not new.  You have at least one potential suitor every time we come to this restaurant.  Usually more.”

“What?  No way in hell anyone has been checking me out when I’m dressed in librarian-mode like this.  I call reality-manipulation.”

Chloe smirked.  “If it is, I remember it that way too.”

“And um, I always thought it was a cute look,” Dylan said quietly.

“Okay, awesome.  But why did no one tell me?”

Mackenzie shrugged.  “Bestie Bylaw number five: don't contradict a Bestie when they're complaining, especially about their relationships.”

“You should go over there,” Dylan prompted.  “Talk to that guy!”

“I’ll come along if you want,” Elijah said.  “For moral support, and hey, maybe he likes ferrets.”

Kayla shook her head.  “Nah, if he’s into Abby, he probably likes short girls.  I’ll back you up, give you some high-level height contrast.”

“Okay,” Abby said.  “Straw vote, by show of hands.  Is there anyone at this table who is not trying to be my wingman right now?”

No hands were raised.

Abigail smiled.  She lifted her glass, and drained the rest of her mimosa in a single gulp.  “Maybe some other time.  I’ve got a really good book I want to get back to this afternoon.  Besides – this table is full.”

Bestie’s Brunch went off like clockwork, all that long summer.  Sometimes their table was full, and others it was not.  Kayla often had to work, and Dylan went home when the semester ended in May.  But just as often as one of their members was absent, others would join the table.

The most surprising of these, as far as Abigail was concerned, was Lilith.

The witch arrived unannounced one Sunday in June, looking predictably stunning.  She sat down as though she’d always been a member in good standing, and made no mention of the events that had transpired between them.  She did go out of her way to compliment Abigail’s dress.  She was incredibly enthusiastic in her praise, suggesting accessories that might take it to the next level – even offering to let Abby borrow them sometime.  If she wanted.

On a deep level, Abigail understood this was all the apology she would ever get from Lilith.  She decided to accept it.

Lilith joined them more often than not that summer.  By the middle of July, Abigail was convinced she was flirting with her.  It was nothing overt, and never so direct as to make her uncomfortable.  Still, Abigail was sure that if she reciprocated, some sort of romantic relationship might develop between the two of them.

She was tempted.  Lilith was incredibly attractive, and the two of them had an almost electric chemistry that crackled between them at the brunch table.  In the end, Abigail decided to pass.  Because Lilith and Mackenzie were clearly head-over-heels for each other, and Kayla was coming on fast.  She didn’t want to complicate things for her friends.

The good times around the brunch table lasted, for a very long time.  In hindsight, it was inevitable that some of their members would begin to leave the table permanently.

The first of these was Kayla.

It was a hot night in mid-August.  The air conditioning had been on the fritz for days.  Abigail slept fitfully on top of her covers, and came awake around two in the morning to a screaming fight from the next room.  The front door slammed.  And through the wall, she heard Chloe start to cry.

She never did find out what the fight had been about, as she comforted her friend that night.  Even years later, Chloe would only say it had been a stupid argument, and that when you really loved someone, you knew exactly what to say to hurt them.

Afterward, Abigail and Kayla decided it would be best to stop seeing each other.  They parted as friends.  That was the last time Abigail ever saw her.

She thought of her often.

Dylan was next to leave the table.  He didn’t have the means to visit Abigail while he was home for the summer, and so she made the long trek to his parents’ home in upstate Michigan.  His family was a delight.  And there was a taboo sort of fun, messing around with him in the basement after everyone else was in bed.  It was scintillating, like sneaking out for sex back in high school.  It was less fun getting caught.  Abigail could admit it had been her fault – she was pretty loud that night.

The next morning, she couldn’t look any of them in the eye.  She ended up going home early.  When Dylan returned for the fall, the two of them tried to pick up their relationship where they’d left off.  There was something different about it, though – like the magic had died.

They drifted apart, until Dylan finally asked to make their breakup official.  He was still seeing Victoria, and things were getting serious.  He seemed happy.  She was happy for him.

Abigail took it harder than expected, coming right on the heels of losing Kayla.  During this time, she was incredibly grateful for Elijah and Chloe.  Their dates were often simple – watching nature documentaries, or any Disney movie where the animals could sing.  They’d all snuggle together on the couch, even when this became logistically complicated.

On days when she was especially big, it was hard for all of them to fit around Abigail.

She had comprehensive charts by then.  Documenting the fluctuations of her height, the way it was different each morning when she woke up.  Chloe had assisted with data collection, and thrown herself deep into the project to help take her mind off the breakup.  To say the study was rigorous was an understatement.  The ninety-fifth percentile of Abigail’s height varied between seven-foot-one, and four-even.  The extreme ends could be inconvenient, but they were fun, too.

As far as they could tell, the daily changes in her size were completely random.  It didn’t track with her diet, or her mood.  She’d ruled out the weather, phases of the moon, astrological occurrences, the desires of other people, and several dozen other factors.   But apart from the need to duck under doors, or get assistance reaching the top shelf, it made very little difference in her life.  Almost no one seemed capable of noticing these changes.  And even the ones who could, didn’t treat her any different.

Of all her lovers, some of them noticed, some of the time.  Only Chloe noticed, all of the time.

Besties Brunch finally came to an end in October, when Mackenzie got her first big-girl job.  She was so busy that it was hard to find time to see her anymore, and then she moved away.

It was another difficult parting, but the friends promised to get together whenever they could.  It was a promise they kept.  Mackenzie knew a nice cabin far out in the wilderness, where they could be as loud as they wanted.  Once every year or two they’d spend a long weekend together, inviting new friends and old.  Heavy flirting was a major feature of these parties, and often quite a bit more than that – especially if Lilith was in attendance.

When she had a moment alone with her, Abigail always made a point to ask the witch how Kayla was doing.

Mackenzie’s personality changed a lot in these years.  She was far smarter than anyone had given her credit for, and each time Abigail saw her, the woman seemed more dedicated to her non-profit work.  The job didn’t pay well – but despite this, Mackenzie always insisted on picking up the tab for their weekends together.  At first Abigail was annoyed by this, until Chloe pointed out that this was just their friend’s way of saying she loved them.

Years passed.  And like her height shifted with the days, many things in Abigail’s life changed.  Lovers came, and lovers went.  So did friends, jobs, hobbies and passions.  Even her name changed.  Though she was always happy to be just Abigail, to those who knew her best.

It was easier to count the things in Abigail’s life that stayed the same.  Her love for Chloe and Elijah.  Her somewhat regrettable love for mid-2000’s, overwrought emo music.  Her less regrettable love for what she saw in the mirror.  No matter how it changed over the years.  And no matter whether she had to bend low to see herself, or stand on her tiptoes as high as she could.

But as for constants.  Always.  Always.  There was Eve.

Most of the time, Abigail didn’t know in advance when she’d see her.  Eve might text a few days, or as much as a week ahead of a visit – but this was rare.  The witch lived a busy life, and besides that, she was poor at planning.

More often, Abigail would simply wake up at a height well outside her ninety-fifth percentile – big enough that she filled the room, much to the annoyance of anyone who happened to be in bed beside her, or so tiny that she had trouble making her way in the world.  But big or small, these were always good days.  It meant before the sun went down, she would be seeing Eve.

Once, Abigail had been at a boring work conference.  It was cocktail hour, and she was considering ordering her fourth drink in an effort to maintain the smallest shard of good will for these people.  She felt a tap on her shoulder.  Eve was there, looking cute in a pair of glasses, and wearing a tag with a name that was not her own.  The witch pretended they’d never met, and Abby went along with the game.  It made their increasingly outrageous flirting all the better, in front of a room full of people she didn’t respect.

That had been a wild night.  Abigail tipped the cleaning staff gratuitously the next morning.  Two women of their size could really tear up a hotel room.  And they were probably just going to have to throw out those sheets.

But as delightful as this was, Abigail had an all-time favorite way to encounter her beloved.

There were times in Abigail’s life when everything was broken, and nothing worked.  When she was scared that she might finally be losing herself.  On days like this, the turmoil in her heart and mind would translate to her feet.  She’d find herself wandering blindly through the city, uncertain if anything would ever be okay again.

She’d look up.

There would be a mysterious little boutique, that she was certain hadn’t been there before.

Abigail would go inside.

Whatever came next would have to wait.  Artemis the Cat would run over to greet one of her favorite people.  And you just didn’t deny Artemis.

But the delay was always appreciated – as it had been in that first long week they spent apart, so many years before.  It gave them time to stare into each other’s eyes, to feel what the other was feeling.  And it gave them time to let go.  To give up everything their relationship had been before, whatever echoes of outdated magic either of them carried, and become ready for something fresh and new.

The days were long past when their relationship was based on something as shallow as Eve granting wishes, and Abigail saving the world.  They had both let go of the need to be needed – and that had allowed their bond to truly grow.

Eve would wait behind the counter.  Not unchanged by the passing years, and their time apart.  But always, immutably, herself.

They would share a smile.  And she’d know she was ready.  To help her find the magic again.