Exposure

EX:10

Chapter 10

Angie's Perspective

"It doesn't get easier. You just get stronger."-Lauren Glesberg

•••••

     BROWN coffee beans moved around in the silver pot behind the cashier as she handed me back my change. I carefully took the silver coins placing them inside my bill folder after thanking the young teenager. Kiki sat sipping her beverage on the phone as I came back to my chair suddenly feeling cooler due to the shade from the umbrella attached to the small table above us. As I placed the bill folder back inside my purse she talked endlessly with the other person on her device. I nearly spit out my toast and jam trying to keep my giggles inside.

      Since it was so sunny outside today we decided to catch brunch together at a cute cafe this morning after work. I wasn't too much of a coffee person but I had been trying a lot of new things lately to step out of my comfort zone. While I cut bites of my sausage links into tiny circles Kiki hung up the phone releasing a huge amount of breath. She then cut into her quiche pie taking a big bite rolling her eyes.

"What was that all about?" I asked chewing slowly.

"Oliva, you know she never stops talking."

That made me chuckle and almost choke on the food in front of me entirely. Oliva worked with us as well, and you could say that she loved conversation.

"Don't get me wrong she's sweet but it's like that girl has a notebook with a never ending list of things to say."

"That she does."

Kiki dropped her fork on her plate startling me.

"You know what we should do this weekend!"

"What?" I continued eating my toast splitting it into two slices.

For some odd reason I liked for my food to be broken down.

"We should go to that car show in Cali it'll be fun we haven't went out in a while."

"I don't know, I was planning on just spending the weekend with my kids."

She gave me a knowing expression, "Angie you've been saying that for the past two weekends. Come on you know you'll like it, plus it'll give us the chance to meet new people and new men." She sent me a suggestive wink making me shake my head.

"Nope I am not going down that road right now."

"Here we go again." She chuckled.

"Kiki, I think you're forgetting that I'm not divorced yet, I'm separated right now until our documents are finalized later on in the year, plus I think I just need to get used to the feeling of being alone for a while and just focusing on my kids."

     Kiki was a great friend, but sometimes she was little forward and that was one thing that did not sit well with me. If I wanted to do something, I was going to do it at my own time and pace. For the first time in a long time I have individual freedom, something that a relationship strips away.

Our conversation was interrupted by my cell phone ringing in my purse. I grabbed my phone seeing that I had a call from Daisy.