June had no idea she could be so happy and feel so complete.To think of all the years, she had wasted away in her house feeling sorry for herself.Not anymore.
She now ran—something she never would have done unless running from hungry zombies—but found she enjoyed it.She had even gone hiking on several occasions.Rosa had begrudgingly joined her once or twice.
June saw an arm waving frantically out of the corner of her left eye.She turned to see Casey standing above the crowd of heads.She had to be on a tabletop or something.Casey was only five foot four.She was the shortest of the group but the loudest, as if she needed to make up for her shorter stature; Karla was the tallest.
June made her way through the crowd to their table.They sat at a high-top round table with the front right chair open for her.
“It’s about time you showed up.”Casey tsked her but didn’t look upset about June’s tardiness.It wasn’t like this was anything out of the norm.
“Sorry, I’m late.My appointment ran over,” June apologized as she slung her purse over the back of the chair.
Karla rolled her eyes.“It’s always work with you.”
“Regardless, you’re here now,” Sue, always the peacekeeper, said.“We already ordered you a drink.It should be here any minute.”
“Thanks.”June smiled appreciatively and slid into the seat.She released a sigh of relief at finally being able to sit after standing all day.
“So how is work?”Sue asked her.
“Good, busy.How about you guys?”They all worked at different offices around the city.
“Same,” they all answered in unison.
“No, we are not talking about work tonight,” Karla stated forcefully.
“Alright, what do you want to talk about then?”June questioned her with a raised eyebrow.
“How you need a man in your life.”
June rolled her eyes.Not this argument again.“I do not need a man in my life.”
“All you ever do is work and sleep,” Casey disputed, as she sipped her scotch and soda.
“It’s not like any of you are dating.”Why was she always the one in the hot seat about having a man?
“We aren’t the issue.We can put work to the side and have fun.You need that too.”
June wasn’t looking for a relationship right now.The only man she had any interest in didn’t even know she existed.His name was Rob, and he came through the clinic every once in a while to talk to Dr.Shane.
June remembered the first time she’d seen him.She’d noticed his height and build first, then his rugged face, and her heart had stuttered.Then he’d walked past her as if she hadn’t been standing there at all.Every once in a while, she saw him again, and sometimes he said hello, but other than that he kept his distance.That was fine, she wanted to focus on herself for a while and just be on her own.There was nothing wrong with that.
None of these women had had the physical setbacks that she had.Casey bragged about losing her virginity at sixteen to Stevie Dade in the back of his van as if it was something to be proud of.Sue was valedictorian of her school.Karla had set up a strike at her school over cafeteria food and how it was detrimental to kids’ health.
The point was, they had all done some living before now and were starting to think about settling down, finding a man, and having kids.June, on the other hand, was just getting started living.She wasn’t ready for a husband and kids, nor did she want to sew some wild oats.
June just wanted to focus on herself for right now.It wasn’t like being a twenty-nine-year-old virgin was the worst thing in the world.
“No, but we aren’t so focused on our careers that we are working ourselves to death either.”
Casey’s eyes roamed over to the bar as she sipped her scotch and soda.“Check out the eye candy over there.”She pointed in the general area with her pinkie.“He could work me to death.”Everyone ignored her.Casey was a horndog.
“What Karla is trying to say, untactfully,” Sue said, looking pointedly at Karla before turning her head to look at June, “is that we are worried that you are going to burn yourself out.I know you are trying to make up for lost time, but making yourself sick isn’t going to help.You’re young; you should be having fun, not so focused on work all the time.”
“I appreciate the concern, guys, really I do.”June felt her throat threaten to close up and tears well in her eyes, but she pushed them back.She loved these women.They were truly the greatest friends she could ever ask for.
They weren’t trying to be mean, but were concerned about her and her health.They didn’t see her disability as a weakness or use it as an excuse to take it easy.They saw her for her.The girls weren’t domineering about it like her brother would be, but simply expressing their concerns.She did push herself, but June didn’t feel like she was close to burning herself out.
“But a man isn’t the answer to my problems.”She already had an overbearing brother; what would a boyfriend be like?Demanding more of her time.Where would her own personal time go?
