Kathy raises the red grapefruit to her nose and
inhales the citrus; the smell helps bring her mind back to the
present. She loves her job at Shop N’ Go and looks forward to going
to work every day but she’s been daydreaming since she started her
shift. Her one-week vacation starts today so, even though she is at
work physically, mentally she is already relaxing with her
boyfriend at her apartment.
Kathy peels the grapefruit like an orange.
Juice drips onto the pile of paper towels laying on the table in
front of her, reminding her once again why she is tired of eating
them. She’s been eating them twice a day for the past two weeks
hoping that she’ll soon fit into her favorite jeans again. Still,
they are messy and she’s growing tired of the taste. When she
finishes the fruit, she walks over to the trash bin to toss it out.
The door opens just as the grapefruit hits the bottom of the can
and she turns to see Robyn enter the room.
“ Hey Robyn. Come and sit for a
while. Are you on break?” She points to the table under the window.
“My table’s over there.”
Robyn smiles. “I just need more coffee before
getting started on the shelves. I’m checking expiration dates
today. Sucks to be me right now. What are you doing? Still eating
those grapefruits, huh? You’re gonna turn into one of them one
day.”
Kathy giggles. “I thought I’d eat my
grapefruit before the silver rush.” Each morning at eleven o’clock
the local senior center drops off a busload of participants to do
their grocery shopping. Like clockwork everything slows to a crawl
in order to accommodate them. Kathy smiles while bouncing in her
seat. “I can’t wait to end this day already.”
“ You’re way too happy today girl.
What’s going on? And don’t tell me it’s because of your vacation,
either,” Robyn says.
“ I was just thinking about my date
tonight. Between that and my vacation, I’m ready to go home,” Kathy
replies. She feels as if she is walking on air and hasn’t been able
to stop thinking about her date all week.
“ Oh shit, that’s tonight! I almost
forgot,” Robyn says. “You still didn’t tell me who Mr. Sexy is,
though. When’s the big reveal? And don’t bullshit me, because I’m
not in the mood.”
“ Okay, okay. I’ll let you know
after our date because I don’t want to get you all excited only to
find out he’s an asshole … or that our first date is our last. That
would be horrible. You may need to wait until I get back from
vacation to hear the dirty little details, though. I’m planning on
locking us in a room for the next five days.”
“ I hear that,
girl. Okay, I’ll be patient but not too patient, so you just make sure
to tell me everything first. I’ll be pissed if I see it on Facebook
before hearing it from you.” Robyn sips her coffee and nods to the
clock. “Don’t be late getting back to your register.”
“ I know. I’ve already been written
up once this month for being late. See you later.” Kathy gets up
and walks out of the room.
At five foot five, Kathy is not model
beautiful, but she’s pretty. She doesn’t have much of a nightlife
but, when she does go out on an occasional date, she tells Robyn
all the juicy details. This time she hopes to share the news that
she is in a committed relationship. All she wants is a boyfriend
who loves her and her new boyfriend is the first guy she’s dated
who understands her. When she talks, Clint listens. He remembers
their conversations, no matter how silly they might be. Clint takes
the time to cheer her up when she’s upset and he never look for
ways to end their calls until she’s ready to end them. He is kind
and patient, and she likes that about him. For now, though, they’re
keeping their relationship a secret. It’s not like he’s cheating on
a wife or a girlfriend; she’s asked him those questions already.
No, they agreed to surprise their friends and families with the
news together.
Tonight is
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