“If I tell you something, it’s just between us. Right?” Kathy asked into her cell phone.
“Of course. Who would I tell?” Ramona responded.
“Here’s the thing. No one keeps confidences—really keeps confidences. Each and every person will tell one person—even if it’s a spouse and spouses count as telling another person. Will you tell your husband?”
“No. of course not. If you tell me something in confidence it stays in confidence. I’m one person you can rely on for that.”
“This won’t be easy to talk about.”
“Would you like me to come over or meet somewhere?”
“No, if I don’t do it over the phone I may not do it at all. This can get me in a lot of trouble and ruin my marriage and cost me my job and even worse.”
“Oh my god. Have you told your husband about this?”
“Aren’t you listening? If he found out it could cost me my marriage.”
“Well, what is it?”
“I can’t sit still so I’m going to pace as I talk to you. This is so hard. Are you sure you can keep a nuclear secret?
“I’m a major secret keeper. You can trust me.”
“Do you remember the hit and run with the boy in the wheelchair late at night last week?”
“Yes. That was horrible.”
“That was me.”
“You what?”
“I had a fight with Tom and walked out of the house and went and had a couple of drinks. I wasn’t drunk but on the way home I saw a glint of silver come between two parked cars and I was too close to stop and going a bit over the speed limit and I hit the silver things which turned out to be wheelchair wheels. I’m the person they are looking for.”
“Wow. Oh my gosh. I know that boy and in fact I visited him in the hospital this morning and sat with his parents.”
“Damn. I shouldn’t have told you. Can you still keep your promise to me?”
“I can but I’m not sure I want to be around you for a while.”
“I understand and I don’t blame you.”
Kathy hung up the phone and looked around the room at six of her best girlfriends who were sitting quietly with smiles on their faces. The only one from their girls group not here was Ramona.
A cell phone rang and one of group looked at the number and nodded her head. When she didn’t answer a second phone rang and then a third and so on.
