Page 115 of Salute, To Bravery
The conversation flowed so nicely; it was as if we all had been friends for years. Well, I’m sure some of them had been friends for years, but I didn’t feel left out. I was an avid participant inthe conversations. I asked questions and responded. It felt balanced, and I hadn’t found that in a group of strangers in a long time.
Soon enough, everyone was done eating. We were laughing and having a ball when the waitress told us it was time to leave because the restaurant was closing.
“Really?” I asked.
It didn’t feel like we had been there for six hours; it felt like we were there for, like, an hour at the most.
“Yes, it was lovely serving you ladies, but it is time to go,” the waitress said again. “I will ring you up at the front.”
Quickly, we all left a tip, packed up our things, and headed downstairs. Sarah told us to leave her behind because she was walking slowly. But who could blame her? She was eight months pregnant.
We all said our goodbyes and got into the cars. We waited for Sarah to pay as the car started to cool down. The minivan wasgone, along with the rest of the girls. Without delay, Sarah came waddling out and sat next to me again.
Instead of listening to music on the way back, we talked about baby names that Sarah and her husband, Nick, thought about naming their baby.
About twenty minutes later, we were at the therapy center. It was crazy how little traffic there was. I got out of the vehicle and said goodnight to everyone.
“Hey,” Ophelia interjected before I could reach my car, “I was wondering if you wanted to hang out later this week?”
“Yes! That sounds amazing,” I responded with a big smile on my face.
“Sounds like a plan.”
Chapter Two.
Ophelia
Idrove home quickly, longing to text Violet and ask her what she thought of the group. I didn’t know why, but it felt important.
I finally parked my car in the parking garage and went up to my apartment. My black cat, Midnight, was waiting at the door and nearly got out—again. Thankfully, I stopped him before he could escape. Midnight loved to explore. Whenever I took him on walks, he would sniff around and be adventurous. The sad thing was, I could only keep him if Midnight stayed inside. Landlord’s rules.
I placed my purse on the kitchen counter and went to look for my phone when I felt a buzzing in my back pocket. I went to see who it was, and it was from Arlet, my best friend. I’ve known her since middle school.
Hey, just wanted to see how therapy went. Miss you tons <33
I replied.
Hey, it went well. Is right now a good time to call, I want to tell you about a girl I met
That’s when I heard a simple jazz start to go off. I looked down at my phone and saw Arlet calling me.
“Yes.”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Tell me everything,” she yelled in my ear.
“So, there was this new person. Nothing new, you know, we always get new people, and they disappear after a few months. I thought nothing of it, but as soon as she walked through those doors, I gravitated towards her, like she was the sun and I was the planets. I had to be near her, and something was pulling us together. She could be a model. She’s so kind and intentional about her words—”
“Sounds like someone has a crush,” Arlet teased.
“I do not, I’m just”—I couldn’t think of the word—“intrigued.”
“Sure,” Arlet continued to tease. “Well, I have work tomorrow, and I need to get to sleep.”
“Grandma,” I teased her back.
“This grandma needs her beauty sleep,” she chortled. “Plus, I have a long day tomorrow.”
