The Tea Part II

“You are out here doing the most, Missy! And I am so glad about it! So, how do you feel now?”

“Relieved.”

“I bet! How long have you two been talking?”

“I don’t know. Since a little after Mom died. So like…maybe four months?”

“That’s a long time to be dancing around your feelings!”

“It’s not that though. I feel relieved because I can be myself around him. I’m always conscious of what I say because of how it may be interpreted. I feel like I’m always teetering on a pedestal trying to do the right thing because I don’t have the luxury of falling in private. Everyone is always watching me, and I feel like they’re just waiting for me to trip so they can say ‘I told you so.’ But Nick … He gets me! He knows when I’m being sarcastic. He doesn’t look at me like some freak. He doesn’t take it personally when we disagree. He’s a real friend. I have good friends now, but … I don’t know. It’s different with him.”