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New Chapter is up!Read The Women of Chestnut Street, a blog novel about four California moms navigating through friendship, marriage, and motherhood.
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Soft blue and white swirly waves gently slipped up the beach’s shore and down again only barely touching Dawn’s toes. She sank into the warm sand.
A waiter wearing a white jacket and Hawaiian shorts appeared.
“Another piña colada, señorita?”
Her answer was interrupted by a strange bellowing noise coming from the horizon. It grew louder and louder.
“Mooooom! Mom! Mom!!”
Dawn’s eyes popped open. It took her a moment to recognize her own bedroom.
She turned to Rick, her peacefully sleeping husband, before flying out of the Egyptian cotton cloud and into the hallway.
“Charlie! Can I help you? It’s not even 9 AM?” Weren’t pre-teens supposed to sleep in?
Charlie was at the bottom of the staircase, completely dressed.
“Robbie’s mom is here to take us to Santa Cruz.”
Dawn felt silly for overreacting.
“Ok, Ok, well come up and give me a proper goodbye,” she said with a smile.
Charlie bounded up the elaborate staircase and hugged his mom like a toddler; generously and freely. “I love you.”
“I love you, too, baby. Have fun. See you tonight.”
Dawn walked her son downstairs and waved to his playmate’s mother as they drove away. She glanced down the street amazed at how busy the city already was. What time was it?
A quick glance at the grandfather clock answered her question. 8:40. She paused. Wasn’t there something she was supposed to…Meeghan!
Within 10 minutes a Dawn was in her black SUV making her way towards the Golden Gate Bridge.
As she swerved into the Milk parking area she could already see Meeghan, wearing an ivory sun dress, sitting on the patio. Dawn glanced at her phone 8:58.
“Hello there, sunshine.” Dawn greeted her friend playfully as she walked up to the table.
“Hello yourself. I know a rushed diva-preneur when I see one. You almost took out a family of four as you pulled in.”
They giggled as Dawn took her seat.
Then quiet.
Dawn studied her girlfriend’s face.
“How are you.”
Meeghan played with the napkin in her lap.
“I’m fine. Ok. I’m not really sure. I’ve just been doing a lot of thinking…wondering…wishing. You know. ‘What ifs.’ ”
Dawn waited, saying nothing.
“Dawn, do you ever get the feeling that you made a gigantic bet and lost without even realizing it?”
Dawn smiled sympathetically.
“I guess that’s why it’s important not to gamble with anything you can’t afford to lose.”
The women stared softly at each other in contemplation, both knowing what Meeghan had lost, both wondering if it was possible to recover it.
“May I start you ladies off with a mimosa?” Dawn turned to the waiter and was slightly dissapointed to see him in khaki slacks rather than Hawaiian shorts.
“You absolutely may.”
Dawn turned back to Meeghan. “So. What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know. I look at your life, your family, your career and what you’ve built for yourself and could just kick myself for being so weak. So passive in creating…joy.”
Dawn took her friend’s hand.
“I mean, what was I thinking?” Meeghan started to breathe faster. “Did I really think that I could make up for my own fears by marrying someone with enough courage and ambition for the both of us? What was a I thinking?”
As Meeghan’s voice grew louder, Dawn’s eyes followed grew. Was she really witnessing the emergence of old Meeghan? Oh to have this on camera…Lisa and River would never believe her.
“This is it. I’m done being backseat driver!”
The waiter set the mimosas on the table.
Dawn listened eagerly holding back the urge to speak although her mind was rushing with ideas and images of Meeghan stepping back into the fashion design world and taking the industry by storm. Maybe they’d even go into business together. A smile curled up the edges of her mouth.
“So,” Dawn said quietly, holding back her excitement, “What are you going to do?”
Meeghan elegantly reached for her chilled champagne flute and took a long sip of the bubbly orange liquid.
“Isn’t it obvious? I’m getting a divorce.”
One would have thought that as Meeghan’s suddenly steely eyes met Dawn’s shocked ones the result would have been sparks.
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christy funk on September 9th, 2009 5:36 am
More please!