Robin Merle Interviews Tina from A Dangerous Friendship

A DANGEROUS FRIENDSHIP

Desperate to redefine herself after a failed marriage, Tina feels herself come alive when she’s around Spike, a beautiful, seemingly invulnerable woman.  It’s the 1980s in New York City, and Tina latches on to Spike as someone who can save her from mediocrity and show her how to be the kind of woman who can have power over men. Chasing adventure and the writing life, they rent a summer cabin in the mountains.  What begins as a darkly humorous journey fueled by stories that may or may not be true, dive bars, and all-night dancing quickly spirals into a complex, all-consuming friendship that leads to a shattering reckoning.  

One year later, Robin Merle catches up with Tina in one of the low-slung rural towns across the river from the cabin they rented.

Robin Merle Interviews Tina
(Tina is wearing dark glasses, a bucket hat like L.L. Cool J, and a long black shawl.)

Robin: Thanks, Tina, for agreeing to talk to me. But why are we meeting at a picnic table behind a closed canoe rental joint that smells like wet socks and poor life choices?

Tina (whispering) : This is one place Spike would never go. I think. I’m not sure. Wait. That may be her.

Robin: You seem a bit jumpy. Does this have anything to do with the fact that you and Spike had a violent ending to what was an all-consuming friendship?

Tina: Look, it wasn’t so bad. Once you get used to stories about rifles, dead rabbits, and strange men that all seem to be the same person, a few shot-up tires are nothing. After all, I probably drove her to it.

Robin: Why are you sticking up for her and blaming yourself?

Tina: Let’s be clear. I was in a bad way when I met her.  Lost.  No sense of self.  When that happens, I glom on to people who can dress me up in their selves. Speaking of dress-up, this is her famous black shawl. Did I steal it? Maybe. You know how slippery the truth can be in an expert’s hands.  I adored that woman. She was a pro at making you think…. What was the question?

Robin: I believe I was asking why you blame yourself for Spike’s bad behavior?

Tina: I don’t blame myself for anything. People make their own choices.  Besides, do I care what you think? Do I care what I think? So what if I like to follow people?  Maybe I’d be a good candidate for a cult. Is there a form I can submit?  Just kidding.

Robin: You really don’t know how to organize your life, do you?

Tina: Of course I do. I listen to podcasts. 

Robin: What about your own behavior? You went out of your way to dupe poor Chuck Peels, a local boy, into falling in love with you. You duped Spike into being your soulmate.

Tina: (lowers her dark glasses and whispers) “I’m not that powerful.  Or am I?”

Robin: I interviewed Spike before I met with you today.

Tina:  (fidgeting, chewing her nails): Ummm… what did she say?

Robin (taps her phone to play the recording): Spike, how would you describe your relationship with Tina?

Spike: Twisted. The woman looks like cotton candy, but she’s more of a sticky, messy artificial ingredient of a human replica.

Robin: Then how do you explain spending an entire summer with her, chasing men and raising hell like you had no one else to care about?

Spike: I don’t explain. I just act. Listen, pal, when your life’s at the bottom of a sinkhole and you see a hand reaching down that’s not a perv or a needy boy, you think, should I give this a chance? Then I reflect on my ruined childhood and write about it over and over again. My plan is to be a famous author.

Robin: Spike, do you miss Tina?

Spike: Sure. The way you miss a plantar wart that makes you walk funny and lose your balance. I wish I’d never met her. But then we wouldn’t be having this conversation, which I hope launches me into bestseller status. That was the point—to become famous. And rich.

Robin: (taps her phone to stop playing the recording) So, Tina… do you miss Spike?

Tina: Like a car misses an accident. Actually, I do miss her. Life has gone from sparkly chaos to knowing what day it is.  I’m married. He knows nothing about my other life. I hide everything. Just like I hid everything from Spike. Just like I’m hiding this interview from him right now.

Robin: Do you have a truth problem?

Tina: A tooth problem? No, but I do dream about losing teeth, or my purse, or my keys all the time. I think that’s about not knowing who I really am.  Sometimes I feel like someone’s going to turn me into a woman wearing dark glasses, a bucket hat, and a black shawl.

Robin: I’m staring at that woman right now.

Tina: (suddenly alert): Who, me? Look, I had nothing and everything to do with Spike’s choices. And right now, I choose to end this interview because—OMG! It’s her. I can smell her. I see her. 

Robin turns to look.  When she turns back, Tina is gone.

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Robin Merle is the author of the novel A Dangerous Friendship and the award-winning non-fiction book Involuntary Exit: A Woman’s Guide to Thriving After Being Fired. She has published short fiction in The Chouteau Review, South Carolina Review, Kalliope, and Real Fiction. She holds a master’s degree from The Johns Hopkins Writing Seminars, where she earned a fellowship. In her other professional life as a nonprofit executive, she has raised over a half-billion dollars in philanthropic support to improve individuals’ quality of life and access to opportunities. You can follow Robin on Instagram @robinmerletpg.

Tags: featured, women writers

Category: Interviews, On Writing