Shane and this woman embrace in a short hug.

            “Wow, you’ve changed,” Shane says stepping back to look at her old friend.

Compared to Shane, this woman was buff. She was the same height as Shane, had medium black spiky hair and her legs, arms and neck were covered in tattoos. She had on huge black steel toe ass-kicking boots, black Dickies shorts that stopped just under her knees and was wearing a matching unbuttoned short-sleeve Dickies button up with a white wife beater underneath. She was also carrying a black messenger bag.

            “Yeah, I know,” Jaycee said smiling. “So how have you been? What have you been up to all these years?”

            “Shit, not much, just been trying to survive. I’ve been cutting hair at this place called WAX.”

            “Wow, you still cut hair? I might just have to come down there then and get a cut.”

            “Yeah, come by anytime. I can always squeeze and old friend in. So where are you off to so late?

            “I’m off to a job.”

            “A job? What do you do?”

“Well I help out mostly, “business people”. If they have a potential client and they’re not seeing eye-o-eye, they send me in to “change” their mind.” Jaycee said, using finger quotes as she spoke.

Shane laughs, “ Well I guess you haven’t changed much at all; you’re still getting into trouble.”

            “Well it pays good, and if I’m not mistaken, you were getting into trouble right along with me.”

The two laugh and fill each other in on what life has been throwing at them over the years until Shane’s taxi arrives.

“Okay, well here’s my ride. I’ll see you around okay?” Shane said getting into the taxi.

“Yeah, definitely.”

They exchange numbers and then part their separate ways.

___________________________________________________

Shane gets home and after paying the taxi driver, she goes strait to the kitchen.

I’m the reason you’re not married right now…

Those words played over and over in her head. Pacing the kitchen, Shane spots a bottle of Jack Daniels on the counter. She picks it up, twisting off the cap and stares at it. Then she remembers her own words from earlier that night.