Page 9 of Sassy & Sixty

"Are you sure?" Catherine asked. "That's a big decision."

Rosie nodded, feeling more certain with each passing second. "I am. It's time for me to figure out who I am without him. And I have a feeling it's going to be someone pretty amazing."

"That's my girl!" Emma crowed, reaching over to high-five Rosie. "Look out world, Rosie 2.0 is coming!"

As the conversation flowed, moving from ex-husbands to empty nests ("I swear, I can hear my own echo in the house now," Julie lamented), to dreams they'd put on hold ("I always wanted to learn the tango," Catherine admitted shyly), Rosie felt a sense of possibility unfurling within her.

"Ladies," Lisa said suddenly, setting down her coffee with a decisive thunk. "I have a proposition for you."

"Ooh, sounds scandalous," Emma waggled her eyebrows. "Do tell."

Lisa rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Nothing so exciting, I'm afraid. But I was thinking... what if we made this a regular thing? Not just coffee, but... adventures?"

"Adventures?" Catherine echoed, looking both intrigued and terrified.

"Yes, adventures," Lisa nodded enthusiastically. "We're all at a crossroads, aren't we? Kids grown up, marriages ended or ending, careers winding down. But that doesn't mean our lives are over. Far from it. I say it's time we start living again, really living."

"I'm in," Emma said immediately. "God knows I could use some excitement that doesn't involve arguing with the meter reader."

Julie nodded slowly, a smile spreading across her face. "You know what? Why not? My gallery can run itself for a few hours a week."

All eyes turned to Catherine, who was chewing her lip nervously. "I don't know... I'm not very adventurous. What if I make a fool of myself?"

"Then you'll be in good company," Rosie found herself saying. "Because I have a feeling we're all going to make fools of ourselves at some point. But won't it be fun?"

Catherine looked at each of them in turn, then squared her shoulders. "Alright, I'm in. But if we end up skydiving or something, I'm blaming all of you."

As they laughed and began throwing out ideas for their future 'adventures' ("Pottery class!" "Wine tasting!" "Naked life drawing - as the artists, not the models, Emma!"), Rosie felt a bubble of excitement building in her chest.Why should the young have all the fun?

As they gathered their things to leave, Rosie caught sight of their reflection in the coffee shop window. Five women, all in their sixties, all laughing and chattering like schoolgirls. But there was a strength there too, a resilience born of lives fully lived and challenges overcome.

"The Sensational Sixties Squad," she murmured to herself, testing the words out. "You know what? I think I like it."

And with that, Rosie stepped out into the sunshine, ready to embrace whatever adventures lay ahead. After all, sixty was just a number. The real journey was only just beginning.

YOGA CATASTROPHE

Rosie stood in front of her full-length mirror, tugging at the unfamiliar spandex clinging to her body. The yoga pants and tank top ensemble she'd panic-bought the day before left little to the imagination.

"Good lord," she muttered, turning sideways and sucking in her stomach. "I look like a sausage trying to escape its casing."

Her phone buzzed with a message from Emma: "Don't you dare back out, Red. If I'm squeezing into lycra, so are you."

Rosie chuckled, shaking her head. There was no backing out now. The Sensational Sixties Squad's first official adventure was about to begin.

She grabbed her hastily purchased yoga mat and headed out the door, her mind buzzing with thoughts. Yoga. At her age. What could possibly go wrong?

The Zen Garden Yoga Studio looked like it had been plucked straight from a lifestyle magazine. All blonde wood and hanging plants, with a faint scent of lavender in the air. Rosie felt distinctly out of place as she navigated around bendy twenty-somethings in coordinated outfits.

She spotted her friends huddled near the back of the room, looking about as comfortable as cats at a dog show. Emma'shuge smile stood out among the sea of serious faces and sleek ponytails, while Lisa appeared to be attempting to hide behind a potted fern.

"There you are!" Julie waved Rosie over, her artistic nature somehow at odds with the pristine white yoga outfit she'd chosen. Already, a smudge of what looked suspiciously like paint marred the hem of her top.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this," Catherine hissed, trying unsuccessfully to cover her midriff with her arms. "I haven't shown this much skin since 1975."

"Oh, hush," Emma said, though Rosie noticed she was also tugging self-consciously at her top. "We're here to get bendy and zen. Or whatever it is yoga people do."

Before Rosie could respond, a willowy young woman with a serene smile glided to the front of the room. "Namaste, everyone," she said in a voice as smooth as honey. "I'm Serenity, and I'll be guiding your practice today."

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