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Jo’s heart prickled with sympathy for her, knowing how it felt to have so much to share but holding back out of fear. She hoped the woman would be able to get the courage to one day share her pain with others so that she didn’t have to carry the burden by herself.
Andrea reached over and grasped Marg’s hand that was resting on the tabletop and gave it a squeeze of reassurance. “If you ever need to talk, you can talk to us,” she offered. “I promise, we won’t judge. Right guys?” Andrea turned her head to look at her sisters, communicating with her light blue eyes the need for them to jump in and back up.
Cora simply nodded her response, reaching over to place her hand on the one Andrea had over Marg’s.
“She’s right,” Jo agreed as she placed her hand over their connected ones. “We all have our own closets full of skeletons, some more than others, but it pays to have someone in your corner when the going gets tough,” she encouraged.
Marg’s lips curved into a grateful grin. “Thanks, guys. I’m happy for your friendship,” she expressed.
The others gave her another reassuring smile.
“How’s your grandmother, by the way?” Jo asked, remembering the last time they’d spoken about her.
Marg’s expression dulled once more, but she responded. “Grandma is doing much better, but the possibility of her living past the end of this year is …” the woman released a soft breath as her eyes glazed over.
“Mom has ALS.”
Jo looked over at Cora, surprised but pleased that she revealed their mother’s condition to the woman who sat with them, agonizing over her family.
“We don’t know how long we’ll have with her. The doctors say based on their findings it could be anywhere from three months to possibly one year, two tops,” Cora continued to say.
Andrea jumped in, “We know what you’re going through, Marg, and we know it can’t be easy to be around your grandmother day in, day out, knowing that her life is coming to a close.”
“But it helps to have friends, people who know what you’re going through and can offer some support to you,” Jo finished, reaching out to grasp the woman’s hand in hers again.
“I didn’t know Becky was sick. I’m so sorry to hear that,” Marg spoke up, expressing her sympathies. “I can’t imagine how you all must feel, considering how much you’ve lost recently.”
Jo gave the woman a small smile as her mind raced to other memories. Feeling the weight of them, she removed her hand from Marg’s and reached for her beverage. Instead of sipping the liquid, she tipped the glass and took a big gulp.
The others grabbed their own drinks and put them to their lips, each lost in their thoughts.
“All right, no more gloomy talk for the rest of the night. We came here to have fun, to let off some steam… Let’s have fun.” Andrea downed the liquid in the single-shot glass in one go before rising from the table, eyes glinting with mischief. “Let’s dance,” she invited the others.
Jo looked at her sister as if she was crazy. “What?” she asked, voicing her surprise. Even though the bar had music belting from the speakers, it wasn’t music for dancing. In fact, the bar wasn’t necessarily arranged in a way to incorporate the activity. In fact, the establishment was part bar, part diner, distinguished by one area being on a higher platform. Currently, they were sitting in the sunken area that was the diner, and all the booths were occupied. However, that didn’t seem to perturb Andrea, who was already swaying in rhythm with the beat.
“Come on, guys, it’s fun,” she implored her sisters and friend to join her even as they continued to look at her dumbstruck.
Cora slid out of her seat to join her sister, to Jo’s horror. She noticed the two were getting curious looks from the other patrons, but that didn’t deter them.
Jo looked over at Marg, who looked conflicted. Feeling the urge to let loose like her sisters and enjoy herself, Jo downed the rest of her drink for liquid courage before sliding off her seat to join them.
“Yeah. That’s what I’m talking about. Triple H is back!”
The sisters laughed as they basked in the encouragement from Jack. Soon, a few more patrons sidled out of their seats to start swaying to the music.
Jo felt light and free. She hadn’t felt this way in a long time, and she didn’t want it to end. Turning to their table, she beckoned to Marg with her fingers. The woman shook her head, but Jo felt a wave of determination to get the woman up to have some fun.
“Come on. It’s fun,” she mouthed.
Marg chewed her bottom lip as her gaze darted around the establishment nervously. Slowly, she got up from her seat and went to join the trio.
As time went on, more people gained the confidence to move from their seats and join in the festivities. The once quiet bar was now filled with music, laughter, and mingling. The sisters found themselves at the head of the train dancing to the song “Macarena.” By the time they exited the bar, they were tired but still buzzing from how much fun they had.
