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longer mine.
    I guess that answered that.
    This day most certainly could get worse.

4

    Talie
    We met at an outdoor restaurant, one of the nicest in Raleigh. Over the smooth concrete patio was a huge white gazebo dripping in spring flowers in the color of lilac. The tables were all pristine white and the white chairs were adorned with apple-green and strawberry-colored cushions. It wasn’t hot, partially because it was only eleven a.m. but also because there were ultra-quiet, discreet fans tucked around the eatery to ensure a cooling breeze.
    The servers were all dressed in white with the men wearing bright -green ties and the females wearing strawberry-colored ones. All of them walked with grace and many carried large glass pitchers of lemonade and ice water.
    My steps faltered when I saw Jack sitting at the table with Joanna. I rarely saw him, except for holidays and special occasions. In fact, I didn’t think I’d ever seen him this early in the day on a workday.
    As I made my way to the table , I couldn’t help but notice what a beautiful couple they made. Joanna with her thick, luxurious hair that was always sleek, even sitting outside in the southern humidity. She was wearing a lemon-yellow cardigan with a necklace made of white metal flowers. Her figure was thin and tight despite giving birth to twins. Jack was sitting to her left and he was dressed in a dove-gray suit, white dress shirt, and peacock-blue silk tie. His face was shaven and smooth, and his hair was the color of caramel. In all honesty, I’d always thought he looked a little like a young version of the late John F. Kennedy.
    Neither of them spoke . In fact, they looked off in opposite directions, and it struck me that while they looked beautiful together, they didn’t look like they were connected at all. Of course, I knew better. Joanna’s life was perfect, right down to her marriage. I knew she and Jack were close. She just thought showing too much affection in public was inappropriate.
    They looked up when I appr oached the table. Joanna smiled and Jack stood up like the southern gentleman he was. After I was seated across from him, he settled beside my sister again.
    “Thank you for meeting me for lunch,” I said.
    “Of course,” Joanna said, looking me over. I felt the scrutiny of her gaze, but for once I didn’t worry about it. I was too tired to care that I likely didn’t measure up. “You look tired.”
    Being cheated on, fi red from my job, and sleeping on my best friend’s couch (because I was practically homeless) made a girl sort of tired. After getting canned at work yesterday, I went back to Claire’s and had a good cry. Then I cleaned her apartment (I thought maybe cleaning could be my new therapist since I had to fire Dunkin Donuts) before drowning my sorrows in a couple margaritas.
    My life was literally falling apart and I had no idea where to even begin to rebuild it. It was almost too much too soon. I walked around feeling the weight of a thousand pounds. It was hard to breathe, hard to move , and the constant nagging of my worried thoughts threatened to drive me slowly insane.
    This was not how my life was supposed to be.
    I decided not to comment on the fact I looked tired. Instead , I changed the subject. “I’m surprised to see you here,” I said to Jack.
    He smiled and sipped at his ice water. “You ’re family,” he said simply.
    The simple statement eased a little of that pressure in my chest. I might be losing everything , but I did still have my family. I took a moment before I replied, afraid my wobbly voice would betray me.
    “Joanna asked you to draw up divorce papers?”
    She made a little sound of protest, but I ignored her. The waitress approached our table and Joanna waved her away, requesting a few more moments.
    “I have to say, I was surprised by the request ,” Jack said.
    “Well , I was surprised when I found Blake having sex with another woman,” I snapped.
    “Talie!” Joanna scolded.