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“Melody wasn’t divorced,” Sophie said quietly, looking at Emily. “Her husband died.”
“Oh!” Emily whispered, stunned, and saw Karen’s frown. “Oh, I’m so very sorry to hear that. I didn’t realize…”
“It’s okay,” Melody smiled. “I’ve made my peace and found an incredible friendship and love where I least expected it. That’s why I think this might be a really good idea. Girls, do we want to all meet up for coffee at Dixie’s on Saturday? We can drag Karen’s neighbor and see what she’s like…”
“I love that idea.”
“Me too.”
“Emily? Meredith? Are you coming?”
“I don’t know…” Emily began – only to have Karen glare at her.
“Yes, we are all going.”
“So why is it when you girls get together, there are cupcakes, cookies, or sweets involved – but when the guys want to get together? We have to cook, grill, or settle for beer, pretzels, and chips?”
“Are you mistreated?” Glory pouted playfully at Alpo – who smiled mischievously and lay his head against her shoulder.
“Terribly so…”
“Awww… need me to make it better?”
“Oh boy… here we go,” Thumper muttered aloud, causing everyone to laugh. “Harley, your brother is ridiculous.”
“He’syourwingman, babe…”
“He’syourtwin.”
“Are you mistreated, too?” Harley grinned.
“I’ll tell you in a minute if this stunt works for him,” Thumper replied, smiling tenderly at his wife.
“Haters…” Alpo whispered aloud, laughing softly as he kissed his wife’s ear.
Emily loved seeing the playfulness that reminded her so much of John – and while she felt that keen sense of emptiness, it also helped to remember those moments.
She caught Karen’s eye in that moment, and saw her sister nod silently in understanding.
“I’m glad you came with us.”
“I’ll be there Saturday,” Emily replied.
* * *
That eveningwhen she got home, she realized that it had been good to hang out with people who knew John, lived in the same world that they currently did, and had a tie to her husband. It made her feel not quite so alone… and she shared that with him before going to bed.
* * *
Hey Husband,
My sister and Glory came by – and ended up dragging me and a woman named Meredith to a small get together. It was so nice to have a chance to talk with others, hear how they handled the separation or how they met their spouses, and just have a chance to laugh… you know?
I think that is what I miss the most – laughing with you.
There were so many personalities, so very many people, that it was a little overwhelming, humbling… and admittedly, alarming.
I don’t want to end up like Meredith, and that’s part of the reason I want us to reach out as often as we can. I never want to feel like you picked your job over me… I feel so bad for her, because she’s truly having a rough time and I can’t imagine what is going through her mind.
