Emily may have just been being brave when she said that she was relieved that her friendship with Alice wouldn’t be ruined by becoming a Relationship. Or maybe she just hadn’t understood how much she had counted on it. She and Alice are still hanging out and running around. Alice told her that if a prospect came up when they had plans, she would be happy to step aside. But nothing seemed to come up.
I was worried about how we could get the word out that Alice and Emily weren’t a couple. We asked Janet to tell her friends at Epiphany, so it would get around. Emily asked Janet to give the impression that they had really been a couple; she was embarrassed that she had been so wrong. We told Emily not to go to church that day; that would have been awkward. But by Sunday afternoon, the women from Epiphany were calling and asking her to dinner. The problem was that they were all couples who were trying to be supportive. They all but brought over casseroles.
Kate did not have to ask Emily how she felt about it. Emily was only too happy to tell her. I told her how I felt about my matchmaking going wrong. Really crummy.
Then Emily told me that she had been talking to her ex, Michele.
I called Karen and Nikki for an emergency meeting. “Michele is bad news,” I said. “But Emily said that she really needed to talk to someone who knew about breaking up. We’re all married.”
“Can’t she talk to Wendy?”*
“Wendy was never that enthusiastic about Alice. Now she’s mad. She had one of Alice’s books and she burned it in Emily’s honor. When she talks to Emily, she calls Alice 'that bitch.’”
We all agreed that Wendy was a real friend.
“Maybe Emily has lost her faith in love and is taking bitch lessons.”
“Really, Nikki” I said. “Just because you’re married to a European, you don’t have to be sophisticated all the time.”
“I read that Agatha Christie used to say that the worst explanation for something was usually the right one. “
“Should we have an intervention?”
“I don’t think it’s that bad yet. But let’s keep it in mind.”
“When my high school boyfriend broke up with me, I stayed in my room and cried for a whole weekend. My mother refused to let me stay home from school.” Karen reminisced. “But she baked my favorite cookies. I couldn’t eat, so my sister and brother got them, but my mom froze some for me.”
“What kind of cookies?” I asked.
“Oatmeal Scotchies. They have butterscotch chips and you put in a little orange exact. It sounds weird, but it’s good.”
“What happened to the boy?” Nikki wanted to know.
“I ran into him a couple of years ago. He sells insurance and gave me his card. He’s losing his hair.”
“Serves him right.”
“Do you have the recipe?”
“I think my mom still does. I’ll get it for you.”
Now I know what I can make for Girls’ Night.
We decided to wait on the intervention, but I’m going to ask Emily for Wendy’s number. Maybe she can head off Michele.
*To sort out everyone, see “Emily Has a Past”. February 6, 2015.
Karen’s Mom’s Oatmeal Scotchies
o 1/2 Pound(s) (2 sticks) margarine or butter, softened
o 3/4 Cup(s) granulated sugar
o 3/4 Cup(s) firmly packed brown sugar
o 2 Eggs
o 1 Teaspoon(s) vanilla
o 1-1/4 Cup(s) all-purpose flour
o 1 Teaspoon(s) Baking Soda
o 1/2 Teaspoon(s) salt (optional)
o 3 Cup(s) Quaker® Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
o 1 package(s) (11 oz.) butterscotch flavored chips
o Orange extract to equal the peel of one orange
PREPARATION:
Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, beat margarine and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda and salt; mix well. Add oats and butterscotch morsels; mix well. Drop dough by level tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 7 to 8 minutes for a chewy cookie or 9 to 10 minutes for a crisp cookie. Cool 2 minutes on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.
No comments:
Post a Comment