Kate arrived at the restaurant early, so she took a seat at the bar and ordered a glass of white wine, while she waited for her best friend, Angie. Thursday nights had become their girl’s night out for several years now. Both women looked forward to them.
Kate kept one eye peeled on the door in case Angie walked in and didn’t see her at the bar. She grimaced outwardly at a couple that walked into the restaurant. What rotten luck. She dialed Angie’s cell phone. Angie answered and immediately hurled several expletives about the traffic she was stuck in only one mile away.
Kate laughed. “Well, don’t lose it, girl, I was calling because I don’t want to eat here. Let’s meet at that little Italian place across the street. You know the one we always say we’re going to go to one day.”
Kate paid her tab and left. She and Angie met in front of the Italian restaurant. There was no waiting for a table. They ordered their meal and caught up on each other’s week. Angie asked Kate why she wanted to change restaurants at the last minute.
“Everything was fine until Scott walked in…with her.“
Angie made a face, “Ewwwww… killed my appetite!”
She managed to put a smile on Kate’s face. And then she promptly took that smile away when she reminded Kate that she needed to move on and not be intimidated by her ex-husband and his new wife.
Up to the point of Scott walking out, Kate would have said that she and Scott had an idyllic marriage. It was a classic case of his falling for his much younger secretary, Venus. Scott left Kate, Venus quit her job, they got married, and had a couple of toddlers running round. Kate managed to get through the really hard days of this, but every once in a while, they seemed to run into each other at restaurants, parties, or movie theatres. Venus always greeted Kate with a smirk on her face, and it took all of Kate’s willpower not to wipe that smirk off of her face.
“Time to move on, dear. In fact, I met this wonderful man at that benefit dinner last week, and I just know…”
“Whoa, hold your horses, dear friend. I am not on the market! And if I were on the market, what would that have to do with running into Scott and his… wife?”
“Well, it wouldn’t be so bad if you had a significant other when you crossed paths with them, especially with that mean-spirited Venus glaring holes into you every time she sees you.”
“No thanks, Angie. It isn’t going to happen.”
Several days later, Kate was watching a movie when her phone rang. She decided to let her answering machine pick it up. She was shocked to hear the voice on the other end of the line. It was Venus. She left her phone number and asked that Kate please call her back.
“Not going to do it,” she said to no one in particular. She went back to her movie. Twenty minutes later, Venus was knocking at her front door. Kate took a deep breath and opened the door.
“I need to talk to you right away.”
Kate could hardly believe her ears. This was Venus standing in her foyer, the same Venus who cost Kate her marriage, the same Venus who tried to intimidate Kate every time she saw her.
“Venus, I don’t think…”
“I have to leave.” Venus said. I apologize for the things I did to you. None of them were right or fair. This life just isn’t for me. I can’t be Scott’s wife any longer…it just isn’t working. I don’t want to be a soccer mom. I have to leave and I am not taking the twins with me.”
“What?” Kate couldn’t think of anything else to say.
“It is time for me to go; to go back to the life that I had before I met Scott. But I need to know that you will take care of Scott and the children when I leave.” Venus hesitated at the look of puzzlement on Kate’s face.”
“I don’t want to make this any harder on you than it already is… I’m… not human Kate. I wanted to be human, but it just isn’t working. Scott doesn’t know.”
Venus had tears in her eyes as she turned to Kate. “Goodbye Kate and thank you.”
She threw back her head and howled. It nearly chilled Kate’s blood, as Venus turned into a wolf and ran out of the door and across the street into the woods. She had no idea what she would say to Scott.
After a moment, Kate was able to compose herself enough to call Angie and briefly tell her that Venus had come to her house. Angie announced she was coming over and would be there in a few minutes.
When Angie arrived, Kate filled her in on the details. Angie shook her head in disbelief and then she said, “And she just took off into the woods?”
Kate nodded. When Angie asked Kate if she really wanted Scott back in her life, Kate adamantly declared that she did not.
Angie smiled and said,” then you don’t have to say anything to him.” Come-on, let’s get some exercise and get this out of your system.”
Angie threw back her head and howled. Kate joined in and they howled together. And as soon as they both changed into wolves, they went running out of the door and into the woods.
