breathing a sigh of relief. It felt good to shed her corporate facade here in her little realm where she didn't have to be the tough witch.
Kelly watched her chick flick and ate an entire bowl of popcorn, alone again.
Her life didn't match her four-point plan
1. College at eighteen - check
2. Career at twenty-two - check
3. Marriage at twenty-four - failed
4. Kids at twenty-six - failed
Everything in its right order.
She had thought numbers one and two would be the hard part, but now it looked like the last two would be impossible.
There had been plenty of men who were more than willing to help her achieve number four. But she didn't want any of them for number three, and they weren't at all interested in number three to begin with.
The phone rang, jarring her pity party. She looked at caller ID. It was her Aunt Shirley, checking up. Not really feeling like talking, she considered letting the call go to voice mail. But Kelly could never tell her sweet aunt no.
"Hello, Auntie, how's it going?" She thought she did a pretty good job of sounding happy.
"Hello, Kelly, it goes well." The aging voice washed love over Kelly's desiccated soul, and Kelly put her feet up, relaxing into the cushions. "How's my favorite niece?"
Kelly, being her only niece, chuckled. "It’s going okay."
"No date tonight, huh?"
Kelly wrinkled her nose. "How do you do that?"
"You may be the big corporate honcho, but I can read you easy enough."
"I'm going to have to work on that," Kelly teased.
“Besides, if you’re home and answer the phone, you don’t have a date.”
“Oh, yeah, good point.”
"So, how's Mark?"
The name sent a shiver through Kelly's gut and she cringed. This was a subject she really didn't want to talk about.
"I thought I told you we broke up." Kelly knew she told her aunt because Kelly had cried for fifteen minutes into the phone before she could get anything coherent out of her mouth.
"You did, but since you haven't mentioned anyone else for what ... the last year? I thought maybe you and Mark might get back together."
"It’s been a year and a half. Sorry to disappoint you, but Mark got married last year." She had to take a deep breath to steady her voice.
"No, really?"
"Yep." The word scraped on Kelly’s lips.
Mark had been one of her mistakes. The problem was she wasn't sure which mistake she'd made.
"I'm sorry, honey."
"Don't be. Mark's happy and I'm doing just fine.” Kelly wasn't really fine but got by. "He married Lucy from accounting."
Aunt Shirley tsk'd. "I hadn't wanted to pry at the time, since you were so upset. You know, you never explained why you broke it off in the first place."
"I wasn't upset." Really, I wasn't, Kelly rationalized.
"Yes, you were."
"No, I wasn't."
"Obviously I know you better than you know yourself. Now quit arguing and tell me why you broke it off."
Kelly chuckled away from the receiver. "I don't argue. I discuss." Kelly thought she might be able to distract her.
"Well, quit discussing and tell me."
Nope, Aunt Shirley knew Kelly too well. "Okay, okay. Mark, as you know, is a really nice guy and I thought he would make a good number three and father but ..." She wasn't sure how to word this.
"But what? Don't leave me hanging!" Aunt Shirley's voice jumped an octave.
"But he wanted his mother to move in with us."
"What? He couldn't be serious!"
Kelly rose and walked across the room to straighten the large chrome lamp that hung like a teardrop at the end of an arching reed. "That's what I thought when he first brought it up. But he was very serious. She's a very good person and we got along great, but the idea of her being in the house while we worked on number four put my feet on ice."
"Number four?"
"Yes, number four is children. You know my four-point plan." Kelly returned to the couch, pulling her knees up to pick at a hole in her sweats.
"You and your numbers,” Aunt Shirley groused. “It’s a baby, not a number four."
"Okay, a baby ... Auntie,
Kelly watched her chick flick and ate an entire bowl of popcorn, alone again.
Her life didn't match her four-point plan
1. College at eighteen - check
2. Career at twenty-two - check
3. Marriage at twenty-four - failed
4. Kids at twenty-six - failed
Everything in its right order.
She had thought numbers one and two would be the hard part, but now it looked like the last two would be impossible.
There had been plenty of men who were more than willing to help her achieve number four. But she didn't want any of them for number three, and they weren't at all interested in number three to begin with.
The phone rang, jarring her pity party. She looked at caller ID. It was her Aunt Shirley, checking up. Not really feeling like talking, she considered letting the call go to voice mail. But Kelly could never tell her sweet aunt no.
"Hello, Auntie, how's it going?" She thought she did a pretty good job of sounding happy.
"Hello, Kelly, it goes well." The aging voice washed love over Kelly's desiccated soul, and Kelly put her feet up, relaxing into the cushions. "How's my favorite niece?"
Kelly, being her only niece, chuckled. "It’s going okay."
"No date tonight, huh?"
Kelly wrinkled her nose. "How do you do that?"
"You may be the big corporate honcho, but I can read you easy enough."
"I'm going to have to work on that," Kelly teased.
“Besides, if you’re home and answer the phone, you don’t have a date.”
“Oh, yeah, good point.”
"So, how's Mark?"
The name sent a shiver through Kelly's gut and she cringed. This was a subject she really didn't want to talk about.
"I thought I told you we broke up." Kelly knew she told her aunt because Kelly had cried for fifteen minutes into the phone before she could get anything coherent out of her mouth.
"You did, but since you haven't mentioned anyone else for what ... the last year? I thought maybe you and Mark might get back together."
"It’s been a year and a half. Sorry to disappoint you, but Mark got married last year." She had to take a deep breath to steady her voice.
"No, really?"
"Yep." The word scraped on Kelly’s lips.
Mark had been one of her mistakes. The problem was she wasn't sure which mistake she'd made.
"I'm sorry, honey."
"Don't be. Mark's happy and I'm doing just fine.” Kelly wasn't really fine but got by. "He married Lucy from accounting."
Aunt Shirley tsk'd. "I hadn't wanted to pry at the time, since you were so upset. You know, you never explained why you broke it off in the first place."
"I wasn't upset." Really, I wasn't, Kelly rationalized.
"Yes, you were."
"No, I wasn't."
"Obviously I know you better than you know yourself. Now quit arguing and tell me why you broke it off."
Kelly chuckled away from the receiver. "I don't argue. I discuss." Kelly thought she might be able to distract her.
"Well, quit discussing and tell me."
Nope, Aunt Shirley knew Kelly too well. "Okay, okay. Mark, as you know, is a really nice guy and I thought he would make a good number three and father but ..." She wasn't sure how to word this.
"But what? Don't leave me hanging!" Aunt Shirley's voice jumped an octave.
"But he wanted his mother to move in with us."
"What? He couldn't be serious!"
Kelly rose and walked across the room to straighten the large chrome lamp that hung like a teardrop at the end of an arching reed. "That's what I thought when he first brought it up. But he was very serious. She's a very good person and we got along great, but the idea of her being in the house while we worked on number four put my feet on ice."
"Number four?"
"Yes, number four is children. You know my four-point plan." Kelly returned to the couch, pulling her knees up to pick at a hole in her sweats.
"You and your numbers,” Aunt Shirley groused. “It’s a baby, not a number four."
"Okay, a baby ... Auntie,
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