Mud
By Lorna MegenityThe rage that LeAnn had felt, at the time, toward her neighbor and ex jogging partner, Sue, was still fresh in her mind. It was an argument about nothing that had brought the friendship to an end. Certainly, she didn’t deserve what she had gotten from her. Still, all things must settle or be settled. She did miss the small talk though.
Sue took her jog at exactly 11am every morning rain or shine. She jogged at exactly the same pace and ran the same loop and arrived at home again at 12:11pm every time. LeAnn and Sue had together, run several different loops until the break-up. 35 days of careful observation had proven that Sue had gone back to her old way of getting exercise. For 35 days, LeAnn had run in the opposite direction in the same loop. She had finely tuned her run so that they passed each other in the same spot at the same time.
The friendship seemed to be perfect. They both had three kids each who were in elementary school. They both had husbands who worked all day. LeAnn’s was in construction, and Sue’s owned a barber shop. Sue had often lamented to LeAnn about how her husband had more close friends than she did because of the business his was in. They shared coffee or tea and small gossip in the afternoon until the children got home. Sometimes they had baked cookies together for them.
LeAnn still wondered about the rose bush argument that had ended the friendship. The rose bush was right at the side walk in front where the two properties met. LeAnn had cut it back in the spring, so it could grow bushy and have more flowers. Sue had objected adamantly. She ended up demanding an apology for the slight on the shared rose bush. LeAnn of course, had refused. Therefore, Sue walked away in a huff never to speak to her again. LeAnn had often stared at the rose bush in the afternoon before the kids got home. She wondered if that was the crux of the argument or “Was it that look?” that Sue’s husband had given her that one evening after the barbecue and a few beers. LeAnn would never know, and she was too angry now to forgive.
At 11am that day, LeAnn started her run, as usual, in the opposite direction from Sue. After running a while, LeAnn saw Sue approaching, as she did every day. LeAnn saw herself approaching Sue and that glorious thing that would bring satisfaction to her, at last. LeAnn veered off the path to behind her designated tree that stood behind the puddle remembering the humiliation of having to walk home that way. Having to get into the house with the least mess possible and having to clean up the mess that Sue had made of her. Sue had not seen her duck behind the tree. As Sue ran on the sidewalk in front of the puddle, LeAnn leaped out from behind the tree and jumped in to the muddy hole splashing Sue with moldy, stinking mud, just as she had done to LeAnn some 36 days ago.
