Photo credit: Mike_fleming via Foter.com / CC BY-SA
This is the final installment of a four-part series, so if you haven’t done so already, you might want to read Part I, Part II and Part III before continuing.
“Julie! You made it!” Alex took her gin and tonic from the bartender, handed it to Julie, and promptly ordered another one.
“Of course. I would never pass up an opportunity for free drinks.”
“Oh, did you think I was paying for all this? Because I only invited you so you and your filthy rich husband would buy all the drinks.”
“Very funny.”
“Funny? What’s funny? I just got a job, I haven’t been paid yet. Plus I still have mountains of debt to pay off from my failed business venture.”
“Yeah, we’re still paying off the debt we accrued when Mike was between jobs. We almost lost the house.”
Alex’s eyes almost popped out of her face. “Seriously? I had no idea it was that bad.”
“Yeah, we didn’t like to talk about it, especially in front of the kids, but getting those letters from the bank threatening foreclosure is never pleasant.”
“I’m so sorry, Julie.”
“Don’t be. It all worked out for the best. Mike is making stupid amounts of money at his new job, we get to keep the house, and we’re almost done paying off our debt. All’s well that ends well, right?”
“I’ll drink to that.” Alex clinked her glass against Julie’s and the two drank to their newfound fortunes.
“By the way, even though it didn’t work out, I wanted to tell you how much I admire and envy you for trying to forge a new career as your own boss.”
“Really? Not many people envy failures.”
“You’re not a failure. You have loads of talent and skills and it’s completely incomprehensible to me that no one else could see that.”
“Not no one. Just not enough to sustain a business.”
“But the things you did manage to accomplish are so totally beyond me. I felt so helpless when Mike was out of a job. I wanted nothing more than to be able to help out, but there would have been no one to watch the kids while we both looked for work. We didn’t have the money to hire a babysitter, and even if we could have hired one, I don’t have any skills. I got married straight out of high school and I’ve been keeping house for Mike ever since.”
“And doing a marvelous job of it. You have loads of skills and you know it.”
“Fine. I don’t have any marketable skills. And sometimes that makes me feel like I have no independence at all. Don’t get me wrong, I love my family, but I don’t always love the feeling that I’m chained to them. That I can’t ever go anywhere or do anything without them.”
“Hey, you’re here, aren’t you?”
“Would you shut up and take a compliment?”
“Can’t. Don’t know how.” Alex maintained unapologetic eye contact with her friend as she sipped more of her cocktail through a tiny plastic straw.
Julie smiled and said, “The point is, I’m proud of you. I wish you all the luck and happiness in your new job, and if you ever get a chance to break out on your own again, don’t you dare pass it up. For my sake, if not for your own.”
“Deal.” Alex clinked her glass with Julie’s again and the two friends drank to taking chances.
The end.
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