A Second Time Around

Chapter Four

"Diane?" Stacey asked, her face displaying her surprise.

Diane was the first to recover from shock. "Oh my Gosh, it is you!" She shrieked. She pulled Stacey in for a hug, her shopping bags lay forgotten on the ground. "How have you been? I missed you!" She cried.

"I missed you too!" Stacey said, hugging her back. "Well, how's life? Where do you work? You haven't visited since you graduated!" Stacey fired.

"Well you know, being a fresh intern means getting all the hard work. I didn't have the time to visit." She provided apologetically. "But nevermind that. How are you?"

"I'm fine, school's good too." Stacey replied. Then she remembered Jenna and Aunt Meg standing beside her. "Oh by the way, you remember Jenna, my best friend? And this is her mom, Aunt Meg." She introduced Diane to the both of them.

"Hello, nice to meet you. Oh, I hope I met you guys in a much better time than this." Diane said ruefully. "I mean, look at me. I look like someone who hasn't had a decent sleep for the past few days." She joked, but her face displayed a look that shows what she said is actually true.

"I didn't even have the time to freshen up." She added. "I look like a corpse."

"Oh that's not true, you look like a goddess." Stacey stated.

"Uh-huh. I won't fall for that one, Stace. I know you meant I look like Medusa." Diane said, raising a brow. They all laughed.

"Well, probably." Stacey teased. "But you're forgetting Medusa is not a goddess."

Diane grinned. "You're right."

She looked at her watch. "Well, this has been enjoyable, but I really should go. I still got a report to finish back home." She smiled sadly.

"Oh, it's fine. We're sorry for keeping you." Stacey said.

"Shall we help you with your things?" Aunt Meg offered.

"I'll take you up on that offer, ma'am." Diane replied.

Stacey gave her an amused look. Diane, so formal?

"Oh please, what am I, fifty? I'm not a ma'am yet. Call me Aunt Meg. Everybody does." Jenna's mom smiled.

They carried some of Diane's shopping bags and assisted her to her car.

"Thanks again for helping me. I'm quite sure it'd take me forever to reach my car." She smiled gratefully.

"Oh hey, Stacey? I really want to catch up with you, but I'm sure this is not the time. D'you wanna meet up somewhere?" Diane asked.

"Are you kidding me? I'd love to! When?" Stacey replied excitedly.

"Saturday? I mean, if that's okay with you." Diane asked.

"Saturday's good."

"Okay, here's my new phone number if you ever want to contact me." Diane said, scribbling her number on a scrap of paper from her pocket.

She handed it to Stacey.

"Thanks! And I really missed you." Stacey said, hugging Diane again.

"Missed you too, girl. You're like my little sister, as you know already." Diane said.

They said their goodbyes and Stacey, Jenna, and Aunt Meg walked to their own car as well. Aunt Meg and Jenna dropped Stacey back to her dormitory, and then they bade her good night and drove off.

Stacey was so happy about the turn of her day that not even Jessica's insulting smirk did not irk her for once.

After she had taken a shower and slipped on her pyjamas, she went to bed and slept, with a contented smile on her lips.