It was raining heavily outside, the kind of rain that even if you went outside with an umbrella, raincoat, and rubber boots you still ended up walking through your front door soaked. Joanne had run across the street to a 24 hour convenience store to pick up some ice cream. She wasn't quite sure what had possessed her to make this daring trip; it wasn't like she desperately needed vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and cherries to make her feel better over her and Maureen's break up. It wasn't that she was contemplating throwing herself an I just broke up with my girlfriend and now I'm depressed party.
Joanne laughed quietly to herself as she took of her raincoat and boots placed them in her bathtub to keep them from getting water on her carpet, and hung her umbrella on the bathroom door handle.
She laughed at the hilarity of her situation. She laughed at her appearance as she walked by the mirror in her bedroom. Her hair was dripping wet, her grey sweatpants more of a dark black from all of the water they had absorbed. But most importantly she laughed to keep from crying. She laughed because she knew if she didn't she would break down and Joanne Jefferson did not break down.
"I'm such a wreck." She muttered to herself as she toweled her hair dry while walking down the hall way from her bedroom to her kitchen. She had changed into a fresh pair of sweatpants and one of her old Harvard t-shirts. It had been over a week since her and Maureen's break up that last argument had been over…hell, she couldn't even remember what their last argument was about.
"Maureen is what makes me a wreck, the constant arguing, lying, and cheating. The coming home let smelling of other women and men." She mumbled to herself as she scooped spoonfuls of ice cream into a large bowl.
"All I ever asked was for her to stop flirting with anything that moved. She couldn't even do that. I gave a mile for her and she didn't move and inch." She said her voice rising in anger as she poured a liberal amount of chocolate syrup over her ice cream.
"But still I can't get over her, I need to get over her but I can't." Joanne sighed; she set the can of whipped cream down on the counter and moved into her living room. Her sundae completely forgotten in her attempts to rationalize her relationship with Maureen.
Joanne lay on the coach her body completely spread out and one arm thrown over her eyes the other hand picking at a loose seam on the coach. This was the main problem with their relationship. Joanne was someone who rationalized, she was logical and she did things most of the time by the book. Maureen on the other hand was well, Maureen she acted first then thought later.
While deep in thought Joanne was distracted by a knock at the door, "Who is crazy enough to be out in this weather." She thought aloud to her self as she rose from her coach to answer the door.
She pulled open the door a look of confusion on her face that quickly changed to concern as she saw who was standing outside her door. It was Maureen; she was soaked to the bone. She didn't have an umbrella, raincoat, or boots. She was standing there shivering wearing only a green t-shirt and black leather pants with boots. Her hair was plastered to her face. Small strands sticking to the streaks in which her mascara had run.
"Can… I come in?" Maureen managed to whisper in between the constant chattering of her teeth.
Joanne stepped aside to allow Maureen in. Maureen walked by her and stood in the middle of the living room not quite sure where to sit since she was soaking wet and Joanne hadn't offered her a towel. Joanne slowly closed the door behind her and turned to face Maureen, her head cocked slightly to the side an inquisitive look on her face.
"Would you like some ice cream?" Joanne asked, not quite sure what to say.
"I would love some." Maureen replied
As Joanne headed towards the kitchen she heard Maureen say, "Jo, I'm sorry."
Joanne didn't reply to Maureen she simply walked into the kitchen picked up her slightly melted bowl of ice cream and gave it to Maureen who was watching her intently.
"Let me get you a towel." Joanne said in an attempt to stem the awkward silence that was filling the air.
Joanne didn't know what Maureen was trying to accomplish by coming to her apartment. She didn't know if she wanted Maureen to try and win her back. She didn't know if she wanted to get back together. But what she did know is that it had stopped raining and she could see a few rays of sunshine breaking through the clouds.