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Tracy danced in front of the TV and blew a kiss at Chris when his face appeared on the screen.

- 14 -

Acceptance Loading

Maye left some extra time in her morning commute to stop at Tay’s for an espresso tonic, a drink that Tay had been urging her to try for weeks. She wanted to stop sticking her nose up at things that were new and different, and it started with trying an espresso tonic, which sounded refreshing in late-August.

At Tay’s, Tabby greeted Maye as she walked in. “Morning, Maye. Iced Americano?”

“Not today. I’m actually going to try one of those lemon espresso tonics.”

“Ooh, excellent choice. I’ll bring it over when it’s ready.”

Maye saddled up on a stool at the bar top by the window and took out her journal.

Dear journal, we did it. We made it to the final stage of grief: acceptance. This week I am supposed to learn to live in this new normal. Though, there is not much “normal” going on in my life right now. I can’t imagine I will always be on the precipice of a road trip to record a pilot of a new show and visit a movie set with my movie star co-host. This week is about rolling with the emotions and acknowledging my feelings and—

She was startled when an arm reached into her periphery.

“Here you go,” Tabby said as she placed a clear, cold beverage cup on the bar top.

“Wow, that’s beautiful, Tabby,” Maye said. “Is it weird to say that about a drink?”

Tabby smiled. “No, I think it is, too. It’s one of my favorites to make.”

Maye stared closely at the cup. “The espresso just floats there on top of the tonic while condensation forms around the outside. I’m thirsty just looking at it!”

“Well I hope you love it! I’m going to just hang around inconspicuously wiping down this counter while you try it so I can hear the verdict.”

“Should I stir it to mix it together?” Maye asked.

“Some people do. I like it separated so I can drink the espresso first and then finish with the tonic.”

Maye took a sip of the espresso and then pushed the straw down to take a sip of the tonic at the bottom. “Mm…interesting,” she smacked her lips, taking in the flavors.

“You don’t like it, do you?” Tabby cringed.

Maye wasn’t sure yet, but she wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt. “Yeah, it’s very fizzy,” she took another sip. “And I do taste the lemon. Maybe I need to mix it.”

“In my family,” Tabby said, “I know my mom doesn’t like a gift when she holds it up in front of her face and calls it ‘interesting,’ so whenever I hear someone else do that, I always assume the worst.”

“I think it’s just been too long since I’ve expanded my drink palette. I am committed to finishing it and giving it a fair shot,” Maye said as she stirred the drink with her straw.

Okay, I am back. I was just interrupted and, at first, I was kind of annoyed, but I am acknowledging that feeling and I am letting it happen while continuing to move forward. On that note, I need to get to work.

- 15 -

Road Trip Planning

Since Maye told Tracy about the road trip to the movie set, Tracy had been texting her pit stop ideas along the route. But Maye ignored them as she had already planned out their entire trip. Two gas station stops, the first one at hour three, the next during hour six to top off, possibly one extra bio-break in between, depending on how well they can regulate their water intake. Then, drive straight to the hotel. Jayce had booked that, so she wasn’t able to research where to stay, unfortunately. Maye left some wiggle room for a separate lunch stop, as a surprise to Tracy, and found four good restaurant options. All highly rated, all with menus available online so they can look ahead of time, and each with its own local flair. For fun, Maye compiled these details into a presentation she could show Tracy so they were both fully prepared.

Tracy arrived at Maye’s condo, where Maye had her presentation queued up on her TV screen and a bowl of popcorn ready.

“Oooh what are we watchin’?” Tracy asked as she grabbed a handful of popcorn.

“I have put together our…” Maye let the suspense build. “Proposed road trip agenda!” Maye had barely finished getting the words out before Tracy started choking on her popcorn.

“A road trip, what??” Tracy coughed.