“Pfffft… as though three years means anything.”
“You two stop fighting,” Tyler said with a shake of his head. “I’m getting a drink. You want something, Momma?”
“I’d love one.”
“What do you want?”
“Surprise me,” she replied. Rita never went out drinking. She didn’t know what was fashionable or even what might be served at a wedding reception in a fancy place like this restaurant. If she were to order alcohol, she preferred either blackberry wine or a whiskey, and she didn’t much like either. She was ready for a change. So much had happened over the past two years that she had decided it was time for a new direction in life. She was going to try new things, be a whole new person. She might even travel, something she’d never done much of since she’d always had children to raise and a café to run. Maybe she’d sell the lake house and buy a condo. That would sure make them all talk.
The meal had been tasty — roast beef, fish, and chicken options, with various sides. Nothing unusual, but that was probably good for a wedding. Of course, it wasn’t as good as having the café cater, but Julie hadn’t wanted Rita to worry about any of it. She was a guest, not an employee. And Rita had to admit she was grateful to be able to relax and enjoy the party.
Tyler returned with her drink, a glass of rosé, he said. She liked it. It was sweet but not too sweet. Then she sat down at a small round table near the dance floor with Cathy.
“I’m dyin' to get out of these shoes and put my feet up. They feel like big ol’ hams at this point. I’ve been on them too long today.”
“TMI, Rita,” Cathy said as she sipped her fruity drink. “That’s what the kids say, you know?”
Rita arched an eyebrow. “I’m not sure they do. Are you one of the kids now, Cathy?”
“No, but I’m talkin’ to a few men on the apps, so I find out about all kinds of things.”
“Talkin’?”
“That’s what they call it now, when you send messages back and forth but you’re not actively datin’. The talkin’ phase.”
“I used to enjoy the talkin’ phase, I guess,” Rita said. “Of course we would actually… you know… talk.”
“You remember when we’d lay on the bed and talk on the phone for hours with the boy we liked?” Cathy asked with a wistful sigh.
“Vaguely,” Rita replied. “It seems like someone else’s lifetime now.”
“Life was good then, and we didn’t know it.”
“Or appreciate it,” Rita added with a nod. “I spend far too many hours lately daydreaming and wishing I could invent some kind of time-traveling device. I’d see my parents, Helen, Paul, my husband — oh Lordy, how I miss Jimmy.” She took another sip of her drink as she watched the dancers gyrating on the dance floor to some kind of blues song.
“I know I shouldn’t, but I miss Gareth too.” Cathy’s tone changed. Her voice sounded empty, flat.
Rita patted her hand. “I’m sure you do. And don’t you worry about should or shouldn’t. At our age, you just do what you feel in your heart and never mind what anyone else thinks. I’m fairly certain no one pays us any mind, anyhow.”
“You’re probably right about that,” Cathy replied, perking up a little. “I care too much, that’s always been my problem, and it’s likely no one even thinks about me at all.”
“Well, I wouldn’t go that far.”
“No, it’s true. My kids love me—I’m not saying they don’t—but they have their own lives to keep ’em busy. And if I chose to pledge a lifelong vow of love to a hedgehog, they’d probably just grunt, ‘Congratulations, Momma,’ and keep going.”
Rita laughed. “Now that would be funny. You make me laugh sometimes, I swear.”
“I aim to please.” Cathy’s eyes sparkled.
“So, are you talkin’ to anyone in particular right now?”
“There’s a man who’s been messaging me all week. We’re probably going to catch up on Monday night. Although, sometimes I think that’s happening and then they never show. They call it ghosting, but I think it’s just plain rude. People these days have lost their manners.”
“That’s real rude.” Rita frowned. “But you don’t need them, you know. You have your family, and you’ve got me. We have fun together, don’t we?”
Cathy smiled at her. “We do, but I’m not ready to give up on love just yet. I want another shot at it.”
“I guess I can understand that.”
