"Frances I have been running around creation trying to find you, girl where have you've been?" Abagail is grasping for air because she jogged down the length of Main Street as if a house was on fire. Once she arrived at my office she is sweating profusely as she holds her chest with one hand and her knockoff hand bag in the other. "Abagail what have you seen now that you have run from wherever you come from in heels! Girl, please sit down already! You are sucking out all of the oxygen with all this heavy breathing!" Its not funny but I am just too tickled at the way she is performing trying to give me some unsolicited information. I scatter to the water cooler to offer her a cup of water to help her settle down. "Here, take a deep breath and take a few sips of water and calm down before you have a heart attack." She follows my instructions and sits slightly against the chair that sits in my office. "Ok Gabby, now that you have taken a deep breathe, spill." And before I knew it her mouth was flapping about one hundred miles per minute and all I heard her say that Ramos popped the question to Candance Armstrong, the town mayor. "Wait, you said he did what?!" Abagail swallowed another gulp of water and proceeded to carry on with the latest town information. I am just totally amazed that this transaction happened so quickly, because Ramos and I had only been on a break for 6 months! I know I cannot be hearing her correctly. "Gabby, are you sure it was Ramos that proposed to that shrew of a woman?" Abagail is nodding her head up and down and collapses to the back of the chair showing the bottom of her painted red bottom shoes, she was completely exhausted from hustling don 17 street blocks. But my mind went back to the moment 6 months ago when Ramos and I were at "The Commander's Palace" for our one year of dating celebration, as I thought it would be a celebration. What I thought would have been my engagement dinner turned out to be a temporary disconnect or "let's take a break," because he felt like he needed space. Now mind you we live within the same city walls and even Gabby who is knows all, did not know that this snake in the grass was even dating anyone, but the mayor of our town? That night he forced me to leave my love for him on the table, and the only thing that was picked up was the check and a tear soaked handkerchief that he offered me from his suit jacket. You could have sold me for a penny, I sat there numb as his words fell from his lips, "Fran, I love you more than life itself, and I would do anything to protect you from the evil of this world. But in order for this relationship to progress we need to.... take a break. Just for a little while for me to clear my head and to get all of my ducks in a row. Fran, baby did you hear me? Frances, Frances....oh don't cry baby.." I could heart my heart break in thousand pieces as he spoke to me. I was absolutely just mortified, I put on my sexist dress and had my face beat to the nine, wearing the cologne he had designed just for me. After he offered me his handkerchief, I felt like a rag doll that had been thrown away. So I picked up my clutch, opened it and reached for the small gift box that came from "Things Remembered", and I can see on the gift tag ,"With all my love, Frances." I laid it on the table next to his half drunken champagne glass and I tearfully closed my clutch, pushed my chair back and turned to walk away. From that day on I could not bear to look him in the face when he tried to greet me on Main Street, at church. I would see him and tried to duck off toward another direction or just keep it short before the tears of hurt would build in my eyes. "Fran! Fran, are you alright?" Abagail begins to call my name but I am grateful because I am reliving that painful moment. "Yes, yes Gabby, I hear you, I am fine." I went back to writing my brief for an impending lawsuit as if Gabby did not drop a bomb on me. "Francesica Maria Clarkson did you hear what I just told you! Your man who wanted a break just proposed marriage to your arch enemy since elementary school!' I kept writing, as I am trying to drown her out. "Frances!!!" I lift my head up and calmly placed my pin on my legal pad. As I leaned by in my chair, I take off my readers and extended out my hands to my my lifelong friend. I looked into Abagail's eyes as she placed her hands into mind, as to assure her that even though I am sad that Ramos chose to move on without me, "Gabby, you have been my girl since the sandbox and I appreciate you for looking out of my best interest, but Ramos' decision has been made and when I picked up myself, my pride and my feelings from that dinner table I did not look back. Yes, I was crushed and maybe forever changed in that moment, but I left all my love I had for Ramos behind on the table in that little blue box. I pray that my love will follow and bless him wherever he goes. Gabby, I will be fine. Now let's go run to the drug store and buy up all of the rocky road ice cream and watch some rom-com on Netflix!" "Frances, it could not be me but you are an inspiration, and yes my puppies hurt!! Girl, let's go!"
