Same Old Truths by Delora Dennis

escaping from his backside.
    Well , if that’s how you treat a woman, you don’t deserve a chance.
    With her purse and tote in hand, Kay hurried for the front door, not bothering to say goodbye to anyone. She doubted if anyone even noticed. As she turned the corner to the entry, she almost bumped into Virginia who was standing there counting the money in the donation basket. She had a defeated look on her face but managed to smile when she saw Kay.
    “I’m so glad you were able to come. I’m afraid we didn’t make a very good first impression on you. But I hope you’ll give us another chance. Like I told you on the phone, we need people like you.” It was sad to see the woman so disheartened.
    “It was fine,” Kay said trying to bolster the spirits of the crestfallen woman. “Don’t let the houseboat thing get you down. You know how hard it is to get people to commit to anything. I mean, just look how long it took me to get here.” Kay smiled really big trying to make Virginia feel better.
    “Yes, and now I’m afraid you won’t be coming back,” Virginia said as if reading Kay’s mind.
    Kay kept the big smile on her face, frantically searching her mind for something to say that wouldn’t sound like a lie. “Well, I’m anxious to hear what people’s reaction will be to the email you’re going to send out.”
    “Oh my god!” Virginia said slapping her hand to her cheek. “The email! I’ve got to show Carol Ann how to do the mass mailing. I hope she’s still here. Well, bye Kay. Be careful going home.” She rushed away, leaving Kay standing alone in the entry.
    Kay looked down at the sorry little stack of money laying at the bottom of the donation basket. She dug her wallet out of her purse, pulled out a five and tossed it in.
    My dues for dis-membership.

8
    September Skies
     
    What is it about the blue of September skies that makes it so special from all the rest ?
    Kay sat gazing out the window of her bedroom, mesmerized by the beauty overhead. She was sure there was a scientific explanation having to do with the angle of the sun this time of year, or some other equally-as-boring reason for its uniqueness. But Kay preferred to imagine it like a divine (either small or big “d”) overture playing a sentimental recap of summer which gracefully segued to a seductive preview of the coming autumn.
    But as captivating as this little parenthetical season was, there was an ever-present, low grade sadness preventing Kay from fully relishing this special time of year.
    It must be “cell memory.”
    This was the explanation she gave herself for these feelings sneaking up on her every September. Once reminded by her cells, her full memory took over and she could recall in detail, the pain and anguish that were hers in those last weeks of September, when Dave slowly but deliberately made his exit from their family. It also didn’t help that she was still feeling the sting of the previous night’s social let-down.
    Kay looked at the clock on the nightstand next to her bed. It was almost 1:00 p.m. Dave was nearly an hour late bringing Mariah home. Not that she was one of those ex-wives who insisted on strict adherence to agreed-upon pick up and return times. Far from it. Mariah was Dave’s child too and if he was a little late it was no big deal. She was with her dad. Kay was just anxious to see how the visit went - especially since Mariah had gone without her sister.
    As soon as she saw Dave’s truck pull up to the curb in front of her house, Kay ran downstairs to welcome Mariah and say hello to Dave. She wanted the girls to see she was making an effort to keep things civil. But truth be told, she wanted to talk to Dave - friendly-like, in the spirit of new beginnings.
    It only took her a couple of seconds to reach the front door, but as soon as Kay opened it she saw a cloud of dust left in the wake of Dave’s truck as it zoomed away from its brief parking spot. Mariah stood on the sidewalk where her