She had had a taste of her potential dating life and, though it excited her to think about all the fun she was able to have now, literally the only thing on her mind was that she wanted to see her friends. However, (unlike her) they all had jobs and plans and lives. You can imagine her elation, then, when one of her friends invited her to a small girl’s night two weeks later.
The anticipation of this get together was almost too much to bare. The days leading up to it seemed to drag on. When her mother drove her over to her friend’s place that night, she couldn’t figure out why her mom had been so interested in coming in to say hi, but she had a sneaking suspicion that something was going on. Never in a million years would she have imagined anyone would actually do anything to surprise her, though. However, to her shock and delight, her friends really came through for her – truly above and beyond anything she could have imagined.
She walked in the entrance and was greeted by her friend who was hosting the get-together. She was so happy to see her, and was completely bewildered when she walked up the stairs to an array of balloons tied to the banister that read, “WELCOME BACK!”. As she continued in, she saw the dining table filled with flowers and cards, delicious chocolate treats, as well as appetizers galore. These ladies, thoughtful as they are, even made sure everything was vegan because they knew she was trying to reduce her meat and meat by-product intake, so they took great consideration when planning the food.
And then, like angels from BFF-heaven, there were her friends. All standing in the kitchen waiting to greet her. All smiles and hugs and lots of tears. The tears were more from her, though – let’s be real.
She was speechless. Aside from her amazing, surprise Sweet Sixteen party, no one had ever done something so thoughtful and extravagant for her. She couldn’t even begin to express her gratitude as her friends poured her a drink. It was then that they revealed there was a second surprise. They guided her up the next flight of stairs to unveil all of her friend’s mothers there as well! All of them in the midst of manicures and pedicures. Not only was this a Welcome Home party for her, but her friends had also arranged a Mother/Daughter spa night surprise! No wonder her mom wanted to “come in and say hi”.
Now the tears were just streaming uncontrollably down her cheeks. Unlike the countless tears she’d cried over the last several years, these were out of pure joy and love and gratitude. She knew in that moment that all her worries and insecurities about where her friendships had left off due to her toxic relationship, were no longer justified. Not that they ever were, clearly – but she just knew that there was no longer a reason to fear losing these people. They had never left her. They were always there, just waiting for her to realize her potential and her worth. And now that she had, it was time to celebrate!
They all gathered together in that living room area – some getting their nails done, others standing or sitting close by. All chatting and laughing and having fun. She reveled in the experience of being free to enjoy herself with the people she loved again. Not having to worry about going home to a fight after having seen her friends for whatever brief period of time she could fit in to the short visits she made home while she was with him. She didn’t have to lie about how many drinks she’d had, or why she was home later than she had expected to be. Her life was her own now and she was so thankful to have these women be such a big part of it once again.
If that Welcome Home party wasn’t enough to lift her spirits (which it totally was), the good news just kept on coming. About a week after moving home, she had sent out some resumés and had been looking for employment. Three days after that party, she was offered an amazing job. She would be working at the company’s downtown location, in a position she had always wanted to work in. Additionally, after years and years in her field, she would finally be making a wage suitable to her skills and qualifications. She was over the moon with excitement.
Why had she waited so long to end that difficult chapter of her life? Especially when true happiness was always within arms reach. Her family was happy to have her back, her friends threw a party in her honour to show how much they love and value her, and she was finally working somewhere that she didn’t dread going to every day. She truly could not think of another thing she wanted or needed because, in that moment, she felt like she had everything.
Then one evening a few weeks later, as she listened to a podcast on the train ride home from work, like the cherry on top of her life-sundae, she got an unexpected message from Mr. Divorcé. He was just as funny and charming and flirty over messenger as he had been in person the night they’d met at the Superbowl party. He assured her that he hadn’t forgotten about her but that he’d just been busy with the separation and juggling a new schedule for his kids. The fact that he thought to contact her at all, let alone to reassure her that he was still thinking about her, was more than enough to put him in her good books. He asked her about getting together for a drink when things settled down for him, to which she happily agreed. She tried not to get her hopes up in anticipation of his call. All the while, blown away at the complete one-eighty her life had taken in such a short time. It was late February 2020. A new year, a new life. Things were finally getting back on track for her and she was certain that nothing in the whole, entire world could bring her down…