"It's kind of hopeless," Louise admitted.
"You're gonna be okay, Louise." Jo was trying to sound positive. "You'll get through this somehow."
"I'll try."
"Just avoid him as much as you can," Jo suggested. She realized that it would be difficult to avoid Antonio while he was working in the same office, but she wanted Louise to feel encouraged.
"Thanks, guys!" Louise said softly.
"So, did anything GOOD happen while I was away?" Terri asked.
"Walter got a promotion," Louise volunteered with a hint of enthusiasm in her voice.
"Well, that's good!" Terri observed.
Jo smiled but said nothing. She didn't feel comfortable discussing Walter. Their affair had been brief, but it nearly destroyed her friendship with Louise. Somehow, Louise had found the strength to forgive her and even to patch things back up with Walter. But Terri would never forgive Jo. She protected Louise like a sister, and that wound was never going to heal.
"Well, maybe not so good," Louise admitted as she forced a smile.
"Okay?" Terri was confused and wanted to hear more details.
"Well, it's a good promotion," Louise clarified. "But it means that he's going to be traveling a lot more."
"Oh!" Terri reacted. "Maybe that's not so good."
"I mean, it should be okay," Louise continued. "But there's this chick in his office who, well, she kind of has a thing for Walter."
"Really?" Terri was curious. "You never mentioned this before."
"It wasn't an issue before."
"So, you're afraid that they'll fly off to some conference together and..." Terri stopped herself before she said the words.
"I don't know," Louise admitted. She struggled to find the words to express what she was feeling.
Terri wanted to assure her that Walter wouldn't be unfaithful - again - but she decided not to say anything.
"He says that they don't work together," Louise continued, "but I just have a bad feeling."
"Have you met this chick?" Jo asked reluctantly.
"Last summer, at his company picnic," Louise confirmed.
"What did you think?" Terri asked.
"I thought that she was flirting with him," Louise said.
"Even with you there?"
"Well, not really flirting," Louise clarified. "I mean, she wasn't in his face. But she just seemed to be a little too comfortable with him, if you know what I mean."
"Yeah, I hate that!" Terri agreed.
"Oh, and get this - she wore this totally trashy outfit."
"So, you're afraid that they'll fly off to some conference together and..." Terri stopped herself before she said the words.
"I don't know," Louise admitted. She struggled to find the words to express what she was feeling.
Terri wanted to assure her that Walter wouldn't be unfaithful - again - but she decided not to say anything.
"He says that they don't work together," Louise continued, "but I just have a bad feeling."
"Have you met this chick?" Jo asked reluctantly.
"Last summer, at his company picnic," Louise confirmed.
"What did you think?" Terri asked.
"I thought that she was flirting with him," Louise said.
"Even with you there?"
"Well, not really flirting," Louise clarified. "I mean, she wasn't in his face. But she just seemed to be a little too comfortable with him, if you know what I mean."
"Yeah, I hate that!" Terri agreed.
"Oh, and get this - she wore this totally trashy outfit."
"To a company picnic?" Terri asked.
"What did she wear?" Jo asked.
"What did she wear?" Jo asked.
"She came in hot pants!"
"Oh my goodness!" Jo exclaimed. "How tacky!"
"She also had on a blazer - which I guess is nice, but not really something that you wear to a park."
"She also had on a blazer - which I guess is nice, but not really something that you wear to a park."
"Right..." Terri interjected.
"But picture this," Louise continued. "She was wearing ankle boots."
"To a picnic?" Terri asked.
"Yeah," Louise confirmed. "She looked like some chick from one of those websites about nasty schoolgirls."
"So, you've been checking out websites with nasty schoolgirls lately?" Terri asked in jest.
"You know what I mean!" Louise said.
"I'm sorry, Lou. I was just trying to lighten the mood."
"That's okay," Louise assured her. "I'm like Miss Grim today."
"Hey, it's okay!" Terri insisted.
"Yeah!" Jo added. "You've got a lot going on. Don't feel bad."
"Why do I always have to deal with ridiculous people?" Louise asked.
"I don't know, hon, but you're gonna be okay," Terri assured her.
"Oh my God! We have something else to tell you!" Jo blurted out. "And, it really is fun."
Louise gave Jo a puzzled look. Jo replied with some hints: "Yesterday? Lunch?"
"Oh! Yes!" Louise became quite animated. "Oh my goodness! And this is so funny! Seriously!"
"What?" Terri asked with cautious hesitation.
"We saw Francisco yesterday, downtown," Louise said.
"With a blonde," Jo added.
"Yesterday?" Terri confirmed.
"Yeah, at lunch," Louise clarified. "Oh, and here's the best part!"
"Oh, this is so juicy!" Jo exclaimed.
Louise continued the account. "They were going into a hotel!"
Terri felt a jolt run through her chest and face. She struggled to believe what she was hearing. "Francisco, the..."
"The horse farm guy!" Jo said.
"Yeah," Louise reasoned. "Now we totally know what type is."
"No wonder he hit on you, Lou!" Jo observed. "You're a blonde, too!"
"He didn't hit on me," Louise argued. "He had his chance, and, zippo..."
Terri was too stunned to speak. Could it be true? Maybe there was an explanation, but she was too flustered to think of one.
The others kept talking and laughing loudly, but Terri had tuned them out. She was hurting. She felt like a fool for trusting Francisco. She sensed that it was too good to be true. It didn't take long for him to reveal his true colors.
"Oh, how could I be so stupid?" she thought to herself over and over again. "How could I be so stupid?"
"To a picnic?" Terri asked.
"Yeah," Louise confirmed. "She looked like some chick from one of those websites about nasty schoolgirls."
"So, you've been checking out websites with nasty schoolgirls lately?" Terri asked in jest.
"You know what I mean!" Louise said.
"I'm sorry, Lou. I was just trying to lighten the mood."
"That's okay," Louise assured her. "I'm like Miss Grim today."
"Hey, it's okay!" Terri insisted.
"Yeah!" Jo added. "You've got a lot going on. Don't feel bad."
"Why do I always have to deal with ridiculous people?" Louise asked.
"I don't know, hon, but you're gonna be okay," Terri assured her.
"Oh my God! We have something else to tell you!" Jo blurted out. "And, it really is fun."
Louise gave Jo a puzzled look. Jo replied with some hints: "Yesterday? Lunch?"
"Oh! Yes!" Louise became quite animated. "Oh my goodness! And this is so funny! Seriously!"
"What?" Terri asked with cautious hesitation.
"We saw Francisco yesterday, downtown," Louise said.
"With a blonde," Jo added.
"Yesterday?" Terri confirmed.
"Yeah, at lunch," Louise clarified. "Oh, and here's the best part!"
"Oh, this is so juicy!" Jo exclaimed.
Louise continued the account. "They were going into a hotel!"
Terri felt a jolt run through her chest and face. She struggled to believe what she was hearing. "Francisco, the..."
"The horse farm guy!" Jo said.
"Yeah," Louise reasoned. "Now we totally know what type is."
"No wonder he hit on you, Lou!" Jo observed. "You're a blonde, too!"
"He didn't hit on me," Louise argued. "He had his chance, and, zippo..."
Terri was too stunned to speak. Could it be true? Maybe there was an explanation, but she was too flustered to think of one.
The others kept talking and laughing loudly, but Terri had tuned them out. She was hurting. She felt like a fool for trusting Francisco. She sensed that it was too good to be true. It didn't take long for him to reveal his true colors.
"Oh, how could I be so stupid?" she thought to herself over and over again. "How could I be so stupid?"
'The Horse Farm'
Copyright © 2015 Daniel R. South
All Rights Reserved
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