Her Name Was Annie by Beth Rinyu (the little red hen read aloud txt) 📕

Colleen’s shrill voice interrupted the verbal attack I was just about to lay on Julie. Julie’s facial expression morphed from firm and serious to a faux smile as she shifted her gaze to Colleen and Shelly.

My blood was boiling. There was nothing I wanted more than to get up and storm out of there. When we had arrived and Julie had sprung it on me that she invited Colleen and Shelly along, Julie was my only reason for enduring it. Now, she was the main reason I wanted to leave. She had always made her feelings known about Jack, but I didn’t know she felt that strongly. Even so, it was none of her business, and I took offense to her putting him down, and me along the way for that matter. I knew deep in my heart Jack was a good guy. He was an excellent father, and at some point in time, he was a great husband. He made a mistake. So was I supposed to cast him away forever because of it?

The more I thought about it, the more I realized the feelings Julie was having about the whole situation stemmed from a long time ago. When Jack and I first started dating, she was angry because she said he was taking time away from her and me hanging out together, even though I tried to include her in everything. Funny thing was when she met her soon-to-be husband, now ex-husband, in college, he became her priority, and I was just a second thought. I didn’t get angry or jealous over it. I was happy she had found someone. Maybe she really wasn’t much different than the two silicone-filled middle-aged Barbie dolls now sitting on each side of me.

“Oh my God, Stephanie! It’s so nice to see you!” Shelly tried to form her best smile through her newly injected Botox. “It’s been quite a few years.”

Not enough, I wanted to respond, but instead I remarked with, “Yeah, it has.”

“Your daughter must be in college now, right?” Colleen squawked.

“Yes, she’s a senior,” I replied.

“Where is she going and what’s her major?” Colleen continued.

“West Chester University, and she’s majoring in Elementary Education.”

“Oh.” Colleen sucked in a repulsed breath. I wasn’t sure if it was over my daughter’s choice of school or the fact that she decided to major in the same thing as I had.

“That’s a big party school. My Corrine had that on her list, and we wouldn’t even consider it. She actually just got accepted into JMU in Massachusetts.”

“Well, it could be worse. Damon actually wanted to take the easy way out by going to community college,” Shelly chimed in.

I wanted to throw up. I couldn’t believe I was even sitting there getting ready to share a meal with these two pretentious women. I was waiting for Julie to speak up with her opinion that she seemed to be so full of when it came to me and my choices. After all, her son didn’t even go to college. Instead, he decided to dedicate his life to his country. Something I’m sure these two bitches found way beneath them or their privileged children. I watched, hoping she’d jump in and put them in their place, but she just laughed as if she agreed with them.

“Well, first of all, I guess I’m lucky in that sense. My daughter’s not a big partier.” I narrowed my eyes at Colleen. “And as far as community college goes, there’s nothing wrong with it. In fact, it’s the smartest route to go, especially if he’s uncertain of what he wants to major in.” I shifted my glare to Shelly.

Shelly shrugged. “I guess you would know better than me. You’re the teacher after all,” she murmured in a condescending tone. I stared blankly at Julie, who averted my gaze.

“Umm…where’s our mimosas?” Colleen laughed as she scanned the table.

“I know, right? We can use the alcohol after that drive,” Shelly added.

It amazed me how unchanged the two of them were from back in high school. Even their behavior mimicked their seventeen-year-old selves. They married two best friends who were big-time investment bankers. Then ended up moving across the street from one another about an hour away from where we grew up, and much closer to Manhattan where their husbands worked.

Julie would always go on and on about their mini mansions and how beautiful they were. I’d just listen and do an internal eye roll. Thankfully, I was no longer the topic of their interest. Instead, they began to talk about themselves, their husbands, their kids, and all of the engagements in the city they had gone to. I just sat there, hoping my phone would ring, so I could look for an excuse to get out of there. The sad part was it wasn’t even their eternal bragging that was getting to me—it was Julie. The things she had said prior to them getting here and now the phony way she was behaving to impress these foolish women.

“Oh!” Colleen shouted, reaching over and placing her hand on my arm. “I totally forgot! I saw Jack a couple weeks ago.”

My stomach tightened. This was definitely not the way I’d wanted the conversation to shift.

“Oh?” I raised an eyebrow and threw back a sip of my mimosa.

“Yeah, at a coffee shop not too far from my house of all places.”

“Well, his work is up that way, so that’s not surprising.” I forced a smile.

“Somehow I don’t think he was working unless the voluptuous blonde sitting across from him was a coworker.”

Julie shot me a look that was half sympathetic and half I told you so. How I wished I could go back in time and take back my confession to her. After hearing what Colleen had just revealed, I was wishing I could go back in time a little further and change some other things as well. I shrugged it off and took another sip of my drink, hoping I could muster the strength to stomach