After Helena left for work, Bette slowly walked to the mailbox.  On her way, she picked up a few pieces of stray trash that had somehow ended up in her yard.  “Oww!” she yelled while bending over.  She was a little sore from her workout a couple of days ago.  “Man, I’ve gotta get myself together” she blurted out as she craved a cigarette.   Fumbling around in her shorts pocket, she was disappointed that she could only find a lighter and a dirty, almost unrecognizable quarter.   She saw a few of her neighbors on their daily run down the street.

“Hey Bette!  When are you going to join us?”  one of the women yelled as the trio approached her house.”

“I’m not!!” Bette yelled back.   “Running is so hmmm, how should I say this.Not Me!”

“C’mon please?  You’ll enjoy it” another one said. 

“I think not” Bette stated firmly.  She glanced at the mail that she had just retrieved and noticed that a letter belonging to someone else was mistakenly placed in her mailbox.  It belonged to one of the women who had just sprinted passed her house.  The rain began falling at a slow, steady rate.  

“Hey  Tina!”  Bette yelled loudly blinking the rain away from her eyes.

“What’s up?” Tina turned around and started running backwards, keeping up with the pace her friends had set.

‘You’ve got some mail here.  Looks like a bill” Bette yelled again & ended up coughing.  “Damn” she mumbled as she cleared her throat.

“Dingy mailman!” Tina replied.  Could you just hang on to it for me and I’ll swing back by sometime to get it.  Unless of course, you’d like to pay it!” she breathlessly replied smiling as the rain continued to pour.  She turned back around and continued running.

Bette nodded in agreement a couple of times.  Her meager attempt to yell ‘Okay’ in response was unheard by Tina.

It was starting to pour now and Bette hurriedly returned to the house and hopped in the shower.  The phone rang and Helena‘s muffled voice could be heard leaving a message on the answering machine.   When Bette dried off, she listened to it.  “Hello Bette, I wanted see if you were interested in meeting me for lunch in a bit.  I realized that I’m hungry and you probably need to eat something as well.  Ring me back when you have a chance, okay?”  Bette speed dialed Helena and agreed to meet her at Whole Foods in an hour.