The Romantic Misadventures of a Modern Woman Read Online Free PDF Page A

close. At the end of the tour, Nita asked if she could come garden with her sometime and a friendship was born. Nita would stop by a few times each month to pull weeds, make flower arrangements or harvest vegetables. Often Mrs. Foster would send her home with everything she picked.
     
    When Henry and Nita started dating, he picked her up from the Foster house so she could keep her real address private. When Henry brought her back, Mrs. Foster would put on some tea and they would chat about her evening before Nita walked up the block to her apartment. Of course, this arrangement lasted only until Nita and Henry became serious and their dates lasted into the night, ending at her apartment or his. After the last time she saw Henry, Mrs. Foster didn't see her as often. Intuitively, she knew something had happened and that Nita's boyfriend was no longer in the picture.
     
    Mrs. Foster noticed Nita walking slowly past her fence, appreciating her mums and marigolds. She called out to her. "Hi, sweetie!"
    "Hi, Mrs. Foster. What are you doing today?"
    "Spring bulbs have to go in! Wanna get your hands dirty?" Mrs. Foster kept a spare pair of gardening gloves for whenever Nita helped her in the garden.
    "Sure!" Nita felt a bit guilty that she hadn't visited Mrs. Foster as much as she used to, but she also missed working in the garden with her.
    "You remember what to do, don't you?" Mrs. Foster asked as she handed her a basked of tulip bulbs
    "Yes, but I am going to watch you to make sure I don't mess up."
     
    The two women buried their bulbs, one-by-one, carefully placing each at the prescribed depth, spacing them the correct distance apart. Mrs. Foster was hands-off as a supervisor. She trusted Nita.
    "I have missed you, dear." Mrs. Foster offered. "How have you been?"
    "OK" Nita was not uncomfortable with her questions; she knew they were coming, but wanted to avoid talking about Henry. "I've been spending time with some great women friends. We've been going to singles events around town."
    Nita told her neighbor about her speed-dating experience and the hilarious, sexy work-out debacle. Their conversation, as they planted, carried them across the front of the house and almost down one side before they ran out of bulbs.
    "I knew I didn't have enough. The nursery has the rest on back-order. I should receive everything before next weekend. How about we clean up here and go inside? Would you like some hot apple cider?"
     
    Street lamps began to glow as the last bits of daylight slipped below the edge of the horizon. As the apple cider warmed on Mrs. Foster's modern stove, she placed a tray with honey and cinnamon sticks in the center the kitchen table and sat down. "Thanks for helping me today. I really enjoyed your company."
    "Oh, you're welcome, Mrs. Foster. I am sorry I haven't been around in a while."
    "That's OK. We can't always do things the way we've always done them. I understand. Are you alright?"
    "Yes, I think so." Nita took a quiet deep breath. "You know, Mrs. Foster, Henry and I are not together anymore."
    "Yes, sweetie, I thought so. Do you wanna talk about it?"
    "I don't think I am ready yet." Nita explained. "What I can tell you is that I just discovered that I have to forgive him."
    "What did he do?" Mrs. Foster got up to cut off the burner and remove the apple cider.
    "All I know is he had someone else." Nita felt a little better for sharing what had been at the root of her private pain for so long.
     
    The older woman poured steaming cider into cups and slid one in front of Nita. "Infidelity. That's serious."
    "It's a deal-breaker, as far as I'm concerned." Nita replied.
    "It often is. But, I know a thing or two about infidelity."
    "What? Mr. Foster cheated on you?" Nita was astonished.
    "No. I was the one who was unfaithful."
    Nita's jaw dropped. The Fosters seemed to have a wonderful relationship. They were always in their yard or when out shopping, or on their date nights, looking so happy together. They seemed