Chapter 11: Thank You, Mr. Postman

The time comes for the next support group meeting, in which all five women get some advice from each other... as well as an added surprise.

Before everyone knows it, the second group meeting awaits. In that same dull hotel conference room up in Connecticut, which has only marginally warmed up since last time. Pushing each of their respective lives and problems aside, all five women make their way up there, hoping to get things over with and go back to whatever they're currently dealing with.

Roxanne is the first to enter the room, and the first thing she sees is the refreshment table from last time, littered with platters of mini-quiches, questionably fresh vegetables to dip in hummus, and finger sandwiches held shut via toothpicks. Dry, insipid crackers redeemed only by the cheeses, salamis and spreads on top, as well as a water pitcher with several lemon slices floating in it.

"Good afternoon, Roxy. So glad you could make it," the organizer greets her, looking as chipper as ever.

After grunting in response, Roxanne samples a bit of everything from the table and sits down, knowing she's doing her body a disservice by stress-eating, but at the same time knowing that it'll help keep her mind off her loneliness.

Tequila enters next and briefly acknowledges the others' presence, before grabbing nothing more than a plastic cup of the soured water and sitting down. Due to her recent exposure to the sun's rays, her normally milky complexion has tanned a bit, making the light freckles adorning her skin a bit harder to see. Her leather jacket stops well above her low-rise khakis and the gold zipper is partially lowered, revealing no visible garments underneath. A good three inches of flesh are on display, though her navel remains hidden from view. As she sips her beverage, she glances toward her cohort's lap and takes notice of the heaping plate of refreshments.

"Wow, you must be starving," she comments. "Personally, I just can't bring myself to eat that much unless it's that time of the month... which you'd think I wouldn't have anymore, seeing how I'm past forty. The human body's pretty strange, am I right?"

"Heh heh... yeah, sure is." Roxanne fakes a smile, slightly unnerved by Tequila's outspokenness.

"Phew! Good, I made it on time!"

Everyone else looks up and sees a heavily-breathing Rosemary entering the room. Despite it being close to Summertime, she's still wearing a large coat to hide her pregnancy, and her bloated feet are covered by a pair of her husband's sneakers.

"Er... actually, you're early. So why not grab some refreshments and make yourself at home?" Tequila suggests.

"Ohhh no, just smellin' that food is makin' me full," Rosemary replies, sitting down but keeping her coat on.

Roxanne and Tequila briefly look at each other, taken aback by how close to panicked their comrade seems to be and how strange she's acting.

"Anyway, I'm kinda' bummed that I beat Katrina here, 'cause I have somethin' kinda' important to tell her," Rosemary continues after catching her breath. "...Though now that I think about it, maybe I should just tell her in private instead."

"No problem. If you feel a subject is too personal, then you are totally allowed to not contribute it to the discussion." the organizer nods.

"Contribute what now?"

Everyone else's eyes dart towards Katrina as she struts into the room with a smile, a long, wavy ponytail sticking out through the back of her baseball cap. The top she has on resembles a polo shirt, though it's made of a fitted, moisture-wicking athletic material. All the buttons near the collar are undone, and the top itself is a bit short, revealing about two inches of flesh covered in stretch-marks. Rosemary can't help but adopt a slight grimace at the sight before her, wondering if that's what she'll look like after having Junior's child; her abdominal skin stretched out like saltwater taffy, and her breasts unable to sustain their own weight.

"Willing to bet that's how Jimmy Carter walked into H.W. Bush's funeral," Tequila mumbles to herself.

"Oh, nothing. I was just telling them about how we're going to gather around and discuss our current predicaments, while also giving each other advice on how to solve them," the organizer explains.

"Ah, well that sounds fun," Katrina replies. "Hey there, Rose! Hi, Roxy!"

As she speaks, she sits between her best friend and daughter-in-law and pulls her shirt down, only for it to practically spring back up to where it was a few seconds ago.

"Uh... hey," Rosemary and Roxanne simultaneously respond, without making eye-contact.

The room remains mostly silent for the next ten or so minutes, save for the occasional small-talk, before the organizer clears her throat and stands up to get the group members' attention.

"Alrighty then, so seeing how Danielle is running a bit late today, what say we get this thing started without her?" she suggests.

"Works for me." Tequila shrugs.

"Same here. Let's just get this over with," Roxanne says in quiet ambivalence.

"Well. Seeing how you really want to get out of here, we'll let you go first," the organizer replies.

Roxanne lets out a gulp, freezing as everyone else directs their attention towards her. She feels that if she completely confesses her situation to the group, then she might start to cry her eyes out again, though now that she's armed with a plate of refreshments, she feels that she stands a better chance now than before.

"Uh, well life's been pretty good to me so far, my job's been fine, nothing tragic has happened, and whatnot," she says after a brief hesitation. "But ever since the war started, I've been feeling a bit... isolated. And it's especially hard, considering the history Trevor and I have together. I-I can barely remember a day when he wasn't there, and with him gone, I'm feeling the loneliest I've ever felt since my parents died, and... and..."

"Hey hey, it's alright." Katrina puts a hand on her best friend's shoulder. "I know exactly what you're thinkin', and there's no need to sound so ashamed of it. I'm sure we all feel this way."

"Ain't that the truth," Rosemary chuckles.

"So does anyone have any advice they could give Roxanne here?" the organizer asks.

"Well I know we already have those video-chat sessions every Friday, but if you're still feelin' lonely apart from those, then why not spend more time with the other people in your life?" Katrina suggests.

"Like who? My parents are dead, my grandma's either dead too or still pissed at me after all these years, I have no siblings or known relatives, and the few other friends I do have are all busy with their own lives," Roxanne explains.

"What about Trevor's family?" Tequila chimes in.

"Huh... I think you might be onto something," Roxanne says, her face lighting back up. "Wow, I cannot believe I didn't think about that before, especially since they live so close by."

"Glad I could help." Tequila smirks in response.

"So now that that problem's solved, who wants to go next?" the organizer butts in, attempting to keep gaps in the conversation to a minimum.

"I think I'll pass. Nothing major's happened to me so far, and as for the minor things, I'm almost certain I can fix 'em no problem," Tequila says.

"And I already said I didn't wanna talk about my situation right now," Rosemary adds.

"Okay then, well all that leaves for us is Katrina," the organizer concludes. "So. What's on your mind?"

"Oh, quite a lot, actually," Katrina groans and throws her head back, causing her top to ride up until her navel barely peeks out. "Mark's businesses normally run so smoothly, but it's almost as if they intentionally started to go through some s**t as soon as he went overseas just to make my life more difficult."

"Not really sure how we can help you with that." Roxanne c***s an eyebrow.

"It ain't that the workload is difficult per se, but it is a bit too much for just little ol' me," Katrina explains.

"I'll bet," Tequila responds. "Look, I'm not experienced in that type of work, but my best advice for you would be to have some other people help you out."

"Meh, I'll take it. Thanks." Katrina gives her a thumbs up.

By the time the discussion reaches another pause, the doors to the conference room burst open and a seething Danielle walks in, before taking up the last unoccupied chair, not bothering to grab any refreshments or greet anyone.

"Mark my words, that's the last time I ever choose United Airlines," she lets out an embittered groan, before looking up and seeing everyone stare unflinchingly at her. "What's everyone looking at?"

"So glad you could join us, Danielle. Got anything you could use our help with?" the organizer asks.

"Oh, I know. How 'bout learnin' a lesson or two about infidelity?" Katrina grits her teeth, pointing an accusing finger at a poker-faced Danielle.

"Wh-What?" she asks in shock.

"Don't feign innocence with us. We know you're cheating on Blake with that other guy. Ocasio, was it?" Rosemary chimes in.

"Geez, I haven't even been here for two minutes, and you're already drilling me?!" Danielle growls in protest. "Besides, how do you guys even know what I've been up to?"

"Um, because you posted a photo of it on both your Twitter and Instagram?" Tequila holds up her smartphone, showing a photograph of Danielle and Ocasio leaning against each other on a couch. "The program did recommend that we follow each other on social media so we can chat outside of these group meetings."

"Oh, that? Pfft, please, you're all blowing this out of proportion," Danielle scoffs. "I was just catching up with an old friend."

"Sure, that's what they all say." Roxanne rolls her eyes.

"Besides, you're one to talk, Tequila!" Danielle sneers. "What about that man you were hanging out with? Because he looks nothing like the one you kissed goodbye at the beginning of the war!"

"That's my brother, you cheating b***h!" Tequila snaps, her tone derisive. "And if you wanna know why we don't look alike, then blame genetics!"

"Ladies, please! Let's calm down and discuss this professionally!" the organizer chimes in with raised arms.

"I'd be down for that, so long as we all agree to stop getting in each other's business." Danielle snobbishly adjusts her glasses and folds her arms.

"But we are only doing this because we want to help each other out with our problems during this difficult time to be alive," the organizer continues maintaining her calm demeanor.

"Oh, yeah? Well I don't need any help! With that, or anything else in my life!" Danielle snarls. "I'm not having an affair, and I'd appreciate it if you all weren't so quick to jump to conclusions!"

With that, she storms out despite the organizer's protests. The slamming of the door creates a breeze just strong enough to blow through Katrina's athletic miniskirt, prompting her to quickly lower her hands and hold it in place, blushing all the while. Deafening silence immediately follows this, giving the group members a short time to calm down.

"Good riddance," Tequila mutters, eliciting nods from everyone else but Roxanne.

"Well. Moving on, it's now time for everyone to check their mobile devices for incoming emails from their husbands," the organizer explains. "See, these meetings were timed so that way they could match up with the times when our militia get to contact their loved ones back at home. Overseas, they have mediocre service, and their phones are taken away from them except on these days. Soon, you will all be contacted by the men of your lives and be updated on their situations. Danielle will get hers too, whether she's here or not."

"Via emails instead of letters, you say?" Rosemary asks. "Heh, this feels so anachronistic."

Before long, notification alarms on almost all the phones in the room start to go off, eliciting shocked reactions from all four remaining group members, who quickly start to check their emails.

"Ooh, this is so exciting!" Rosemary squeals. "Should we take turns readin' 'em out loud, or should we just keep 'em a secret and take 'em home?"

"I'd prefer the latter, if I'm being honest. These things are just too damn personal," Tequila replies.

"Yeah, besides we can always summarize what they said at the next meeting," Roxanne agrees.

"Bummer. I was hoping we could share them with each other, but oh well. Nothing wrong with ending the meeting early," the organizer interjects.

"Then it's settled. See you all in a few more months!" Katrina announces, being the first person to get up as everyone else follows suit.

"Bye everyone!" the organizer calls after them, only to be ignored. "Heh, women these days."