Tracy had currently been having some issues with her boyfriend. He was struggling to understand the limitations that Tracy had, when for the first few years of their relationship, she’d been able to do everything with him.
Hey, Trace. You around?
Amelia went to the kitchen and pulled out a can of her favorite flavored water, then settled on her overstuffed couch. Her apartment faced the street, but she hadn’t opened the curtains covering the sliding door that led to the balcony, so she couldn’t see the view.
Tracy:You betcha! Didn’t feel up to going to church today?
They knew each other’s schedules fairly well. Plus, Tracy was also a Christian who understood that sometimes even the energy needed to get ready for church was too much.
Tracy:Want to call?
Rather than text her back, Amelia tapped the screen to place a call to her.
“So, what’s up?” Tracy asked when she answered. “Are you okay?”
Amelia sighed. “I’m fine. Just had something happen that… shocked me.”
“What happened?”
“Do you remember me telling you about Benji? My high school boyfriend?”
“Yes,” Tracy said. “I got the feeling he was the one who got away.”
“He didn’t get away,” Amelia told her. “I sent him away. He was at college, and I had a lot going on in my life then. I felt that our relationship would be a distraction as we each tried to reach certain goals in our lives. He wasn’t happy about the breakup, but he accepted it, and that was the last time I saw or talked to him… until this morning.”
“You saw him?”
“Yeah.” Amelia stretched out on the couch, setting the phone on her chest. “He came to the church café when I was serving coffee.”
“And was that a bad thing?”
“He didn’t recognize me.” The memory of the lack of recognition in Benji’s gaze caused another pang of hurt in her heart.
“How long has it been since he’s seen you?”
“Ten years.”
“It’s understandable that he didn’t recognize you,” Tracy said. “Right?”
“I suppose,” Amelia said. “But it was more likely the fact that I’ve gained a bunch of weight since he last saw me. I used to bevery athletic and trained a lot, so I was slim and fit when we used to date. After I started having health problems, I wasn’t able to exercise or train. That, plus some of the medications I was first prescribed caused weight gain.”
“I’ve had that too,” Tracy said. It was one of the things they’d commiserated about over the months of their friendship. “I’ve struggled with accepting it because it seems no matter what I do, I can’t lose the weight.”
“I know. It’s the same for me,” Amelia said. “Having Benji not recognize me reinforced just how much the weight gain has changed me.”
“Did you say anything to him?”
“No. I let the girl working with me take care of serving him, then I left the church as soon as I’d finished closing up the café.”
“So you’re hoping you just don’t run into him again?”
“I don’t know how long he’ll be in town,” Amelia said. “None of my family told me that he was even here.”
“And they would have known?”
“Yes. My family and his are related. His sister is married to my uncle.”
“And you’ve managed to avoid him for ten years?”
