So Much More

Friends of Joy

As it turned out, sleep didn't come as easy. She ended up being awoken again around two in the morning and had a hard time falling back asleep. The effect of the wine had truly faded and while she contemplated grabbing another glass, or perhaps something stronger, she also knew it would be futile. Getting drunk was not the answer. She let her mind wander as she had a lot on her mind.

She had known that most marriage failed miserably. Look at all the people around her who always knew at least five couples who had divorced. Both her parents had divorced, Jason's parents, Jesse had been divorced for a year now and plenty more she would rather not think about right that moment. She wondered how people should believe in the institution of marriage when all of them seemed to have failed one way or another. In most cases, it was better to be friends than to be married. Prime example of that was her parents, they were now friends, getting along famously and would on many occasion ask each other for advice and had gotten some solid ones from one another. They still remained as a big part in each other's life especially when they shared a daughter together and she knew they were happier apart than when they were together.

At her age which to some culture was considered horrific to not having been married, she didn't know if she ever would be married. What was the point anyway. But a little part of her, a teeny tiny one had always rooted for true love, whatever that meant, which were why the prospect of not getting married had brought sorrow deep inside her. She loved children and would love to have children of her own but she wanted her child to have a loving family and stability when they were growing up and she hadn't found the person she could see herself raising children with.

Well there's one person that you might consider having children with, a thought said inside her hair which she banished straight away. It was true, back when she had been introduced to Jamie's children, she had been impressed by the care and love she had seen in his eyes and the way he behaved around the girls that had filled her with longing so profound she found it hurt physically. She had envisioned having a child with him, how amazing of a father he would be before she remembered that he was married and he had children of his own. Now they were friends and he was suffering, she would never destroy their friendship with her crazy daydreams.

Forcing her mind to go on a different direction, she envisioned herself having Jason's kids. They would have her blue eyes and Jason's thick jet-black hair, as tall as his dad and a mix of both his easy-going attitude and her dry humor. In her mind, she imagined a small little girl with her elder brother, growing up in the mansion Jason's owned in a suburban Chicago neighborhood. She had once asked why he owned a suburban home along with his penthouse and brownstone, he simply told her it was for the family he would hope to have someday. She had melted right there and then. They had never discussed much of their future but she hoped to remedy that in the near future. She fell asleep when the dawn was breaking, falling into a dreamless sleep.

–––

When she awoke again, she felt her head was pounding. The pounding got louder and louder until she finally realized that it was not inside her head but was actually the sound of someone pounding the door loudly. She barely heard a voice between the pounding and was soon followed by Zeppelin's barks. What a wonderful start to a morning, she thought.

Putting on her robe atop her PJs, she rubbed Zeppelin's head as she made her way to her front door. Whoever thought it wise to bang on someone's door when she only had a few hours of sleep was going to receive some intense tongue-lashing. Her frowns deepened when she saw her friend Emily outside her door, two cups of coffee in hand and a bright cheery smile plastered on her face.

Emily Ward, her cheerful and absolutely delightful best friend stood there before pushing her sunnies atop her head. "Good morning, sunshine. I see you look positively radiant."