Thinkin' of you...

No sooner did L. tell me, "don't visit Iowa...ever," [she went there for a college football game and had a miserable time], a phone number with area code 319 shows up on my caller id. I decide not to screen the call.

It's Juliet.

*I met Juliet through my mom 8 years ago. Mom met her at the PX. My mom is famous for taking in Filipinos who just moved to the base, inviting them over for homecooked Filipino food, etc. It took a while for Juliet and I to become friends because I didn't trust her, she was very standoffish towards me, and later on she told me it was because she thought I was stuck up. Now, if you know me, I am not friggen stuck up. I fart, scratch my ass, like the rest of you's. Next thing you know yadda, yadda, yadda, we became good friends. Juliet opened up and told me that her husband abused her physically, and mentally. She hid it well, but I knew something was always a little off about her. She had that empty gaze, she'd be talking to you but she wasn't all there. I know that feeling all to well. The more she had friends to talk to, the more she had courage to do the right thing. DIVORCE HIS ASS. We talked a lot, did girly things together, and I opened up about my childhood, how miserable I was. Things started to get weird for her, when her divorce was going through, her ex went psycho...and she had only us to protect her [she did not want to get him into trouble with the military]. She had me go with her to their house while he was at work to retrieve some of her things [that he would not allow her to have]. I remember walking into their house and I was in awe. They had such beautiful furniture, but she did not want any of it. All she wanted was her clothes [which he wouldn't allow her to have]. So there we were, in 007 mode, packing up as much of her clothes as we could, and we did it, too. I wanted to leave my mark, i.e., peeing on the leather sofa but she wouldn't let me...anyway, to make a long post, even longer, she divorced his ass, and met another NICE, man. They now have a boy and a girl...

"I have been thinkin' about you, Emily." [The funny thing is, she calls me Emily. My name is Emmalyn, she knows my sister's name is Emily. Emmalyn, Emily, I can see where you'd get mixed up...blame it on my grandparents. I don't correct her cause she gets it wrong all the time, it's useless]

"JULIET, I was thinking about you over Thanksgiving, I asked my mom if you guys were okay."

"We're fine, we moved to Iowa! We now live in Iowa!

"What the hell did you guys move there for?"

She explained to me that her husband got a promotion that required him to take a position in Iowa. Friggen Iowa. She proceeds to tell me that she had been trying to get a hold of my mom over Thanksgiving to invite my parents to their new home, but it's hard to get through the phone security system they have. It was nice you know...She called to tell me she was thinkin about me...I had been thinking about her, too.

*****

My cell phone starts vibrating on the kitchen counter, I'm baking brownies.

It's Karen.

*Karen is a lot older than me. Karen is a friend of my mom. They met back in the day through the military. She lives in Boston now which is cool cause it's like having a family member living in the same area. I haven't talked to Karen in a while, especially with the move to the new apartment.

"Hey ninja, I've been thinkin' about you."

"I've been thinkin' about you, too! How's your leg?" [Karen had a weird accident at work, she fell down at work, it made her bones weak, she fell down again, tried to break her fall by putting one leg down to support herself, AND HER FUCKING SHIN BONE RIPPED THROUGH HER SHIN! ISN'T THAT EFFING DISGUSTING? I'm 'bout to faint just typing this. Anyway, she's been laid up in bed, going through physical therapy]

"So what've you been up to?"

"Not much, I'm over at the Y for physical therapy. Went to the pool today, and the jacuzzi...I stayed in the jacuzzi too long though cause some handicapped guy came in and started talking to me, and I felt bad for him cause he had those premature, infant arms, have you ever seen that? You know what I'm talking about? He looked like T-Rex. Anyway, I introduced myself to him, and then he told me his name and then he extended his little arm towards me so I shook his little hand."

I started to laugh. I know, I know, it's not funny.

"He started to tell me about his life and how he has an older sister, and how she was excited when their mom got pregnant with him...but when he finally was born, she was upset...I thought he was gonna tell me that she was upset because he came out lookin' like TRex but he says, 'She was mad cause I got all the attention,' See what an awful person I am?"

I start to laugh again. God forgive me.

"Anyway, I just called cause I was thinkin' about you..."

Sigh. It's so nice to be thought 'bout.