You Know Me Through The Years

Sunset

"I know you said that it was a privilege to be at the Gala, but this dress is very uncomfortable." Lady said, walking out of the guest room of Roe's home. She was wearing a deep blue strapless floor-length dress made of satin. It definitely hugged her figure more than Roe's bright red wrap style dress that she adored so much.

"Look, I needed a friend with me, so that's why you got the invite." Roe said scooping up the hem of her dress as she marched down the hallway. "Need I remind you about the stupid award ceremony that you made me go too three years ago?" She said, walking into her room to grab the pair of knee-high boots on her bed. "Yeah, that was a disaster." Then she stomped over to her vanity to put them on. "There were men hitting on me left and right. And you had the nerve to try and set me up on a date with one of them."

"Well, I was trying to help you." Lady said, sitting down on Roe's bed. The same bed that the red head shared with her husband. "Which was probably a bad idea in hindsight."

"Exactly. So, no setting me up on dates for the foreseeable future." Roe zipped up her boots before putting her hair in a side braid. She sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror. She barely recognized herself anymore as the last five years had taken a told on her. Her red hair now had strands of white mixed in, and she had crows feet on the corners of her eyes. She was only forty-seven, but she felt so much older since Dante left.

"Look, Roe, I'm sorry." Lady sighed from where she sat and then got up before wrapping her arms around her friend's shoulders. "I just want you to be happy again. I've seen you practically waste away between the kids and your job."

"Well, that's life." Roe leaned her head against Lady's. They had been friend's for so long that they had become soul sisters.

"I hate to break up the party, but the limo is here." Trish's voice came from the doorway. As usual, the she-devil was dressed in black with her hair done up in a stylish bun. The slit in her dress was enough to let a little skin show besides the thin straps that held her dress on her.

"I'll go check on Patty and the girls." Roe nodded as Lady let her go, leaving just her and Trish.

"Are you going to be okay?" The she devil leaned against the doorframe with a look of concern. "I know I'm not well versed in human emotions, but it looks like you've been through hell."

"I spent months putting this gala together, and I'm worried it will fail to deliver on the expectations of the committee." As head curator, she had put a lot of time into selecting priceless artifacts to auction off for the benefit of several programs.

"That's not what I mean." Trish walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm talking about Dante. It's your anniversary, isn't it?"

"Yeah. I was hoping the gala would be a distraction from it, but all I can think about is him." She could see Trish nodding in the mirror. The blond squeezed her shoulder to give Roe what comfort she was capable of.

"I don't know what it's like to love someone that deeply, but if it helps, I do miss him too." The honesty in Trish's voice gave Roe some comfort. "He saved me. More than once. I can never be able to repay him for that."

"Thank you, Trish." Roe looked up at her with a smile and put her hand on the demonesses. "I don't know what I'd do if you and Lady had not been around these last few years."

"I prefer not to think about that." She laughed. "Anyway, we should get going. I could use a drink."

"I made sure the limo had a bottle of the good stuff on hand." Roe said as she stood up and grabbed her long coat off the bed. "By the way, are you going to be around for Christmas?"