The Weather
Clare always found it ironic how
the weather could suite her moods. Today, the air was heavy and the skies were
heavy with dark grey clouds threatening to leak into Clare's world. Unusual
weather for summertime. Hoff was the name of her dog that had run away because
he had found a new dame. Anthony, that was her ex-loves name. He tore her
sweet, he tore her good, and now the weather was suiting her mood. Clare was
not happy.
Clare's family name commanded
the attention of hundreds and courted the world's best bank. Her fathers,
fathers father had created this charm, but Clare found that her family charms
could buy was all for naught because they were tasteless, like dust. They did
not bring Clare happiness, only comfort for her misery. Clare sat in self pity
in a room full of things that she did not care for.
Clare got up and left for work.
She did not have to work; her family charms could support her. But she found no
interest in wiling away her family charms in boutiques stuffed to the brim with
overpriced cloths. It was an unconstructive way to spend a day let alone a life
time. Working kept her occupied, and for a few minutes, a few hours, Clare
could forget her pain.
At lunchtime Clare battled the
weather and went down to the café at the end of the road to meet a friend for
lunch. Sophie was very concerned for Clare. A real smile had not touched her
lips since spring.
The lunch for two turned into a
party of four as Sophie had banded together a merry little army of their
closest friends. These four women had been friends for an age, and were as
thick as thieves. There was no leader amongst them because that would break the
unwritten Law of Friendship. They were as diverse a group of people as the
world could compile, all of them being from different countries and different
backgrounds. Sophie was the mother hen who clucked and fussed over the rest of
them, Rhea was the protector of the lot, her sharp wit and cutting tongue
keeping wolves at bay, Gabby was the drama queen, and Clare was the joker. What
joined them all at the hips was their fierce loyalty to each other, and their
love to laugh. Sophie, Rhea and Gabby were deeply concerned, for Clare's humour
had vanished, and she no longer laughed at life's follies. So began their
combined efforts as a united troop to bring Clare's smile back to her face and
the mischievous twinkle back to her eye. And there efforts were rewarded,
though the operation took more than just the one lunch. Nearly every day for
the next two weeks the four friends banded together for lunch or dinner, a
video (maybe two), and slowly the smile came back to Clare's face and the
mischievous twinkle returned to her eye. Clare's humour had been found and this
little group made her content. In their presence the world seemed good and
whole again, and Clare had no unhappy thoughts.
Clare always marvelled at how
the weather could match her mood. The summer sun shone brightly in the sky, not
a cloud in sight.
The
End
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by the author.