Katherine let Frieda stroke her hair a few moments, then came out of the hug.  “Thanks.  I’m really okay.  It’s just every now and then this sadness seems to wash over me.”
     “You’re grieving,” said Frieda with concern on her face, putting a wild strand of hair behind Katherine’s ear.  “Any chance that you might get back together?”
     “Not unless I come in on his development scheme.  And I’m not going to do that.”
     Frieda sat down at the kitchen table.  “What are you going to do?”
     Katherine poured out a couple of glasses of ginger ale. “I’m thinking of trying to stop the development.  Clara Lodge has given me the names of some people and local groups that she thinks might help.  I might try to get involved.  Can’t hurt, can it?”
     “If you’re sure you don’t want to get back together with Rick.”
     “What do you mean?” Katherine brought the glasses to the table.
     “I think if you actively try to stop his development, there’s no way you’ll get back together.”
     “Maybe he’ll change his mind about the development.” Katherine grimaced as Frieda looked at her silently. “I guess that’s never going to happen?”
     Frieda shook her head. “What do you have against the development, anyway? Why wouldn’t you want to build a house and move in with him? He’s made you a significant offer. He wants to live with you.”
     “I know that part is amazing. But he wants to build a subdivision! Here. All around us. Don’t you see how unbelievably awful that is? Destroy the whole countryside, pave roads everywhere, put in street lights, and build these monster homes that all look the same, on tiny pieces of lawn. They have no soul, no character.”
     Frieda tapped the side of her glass. “Do you think my house has no soul or character?”
     “No, you don’t have a monster home. You have a sensible, modest house. You don’t have an atrium lobby, a Scarlett O’Hara staircase, a huge plastic chandelier – plastic! They’re not even glass, which is tacky enough unless you’ve got a castle. Those houses are so pretentious.” Katherine stroked the bare wood of the kitchen table.
     “But I live in a subdivision.”
     “You know I didn’t mean to insult you. Your subdivision is older, so it’s grown over a bit. It doesn’t look raw and awful. Also, it’s in town, not in the middle of agricultural land.”
     “So older subdivisions of small houses near town are all right with you?”
     “They’re not as bad.” Katherine frowned. “Mostly, I don’t see how someone has the right to destroy my way of life so dramatically. I bought some land in the country. Now, the country’s going to be destroyed. How fair is that?”
     “I agree that you have reason to be upset. That is pretty awful for you.” Frieda cradled her glass. “But I would also say that with that attitude, you definitely can’t get back together with Rick, even if you wanted to.”
     “But things were going so incredibly well with him! I really loved having him in my life.”
     “I know. It’s a shame.” Frieda paused. “But you may just have to move on.”
     “Move on to what? Who? Who’s out there?”
     Frieda held the glass up to her lips. “There are plenty of fish in the sea.” She took a drink.
     “Yeah, right. You know I didn’t meet anyone but Rick in a very long time. It’s hard finding someone at our age.” Katherine pulled the cookie tin toward her.
     “I don’t believe that. There are men everywhere.”
     “Where?” Katherine offered the tin to Frieda, who shook her head. Katherine bit into a big oatmeal cookie.
     “All over! Supermarkets. Gas stations. Donut shops –“
     “Totally my kind of men,” Katherine sneered.
     “—Bookstores. Your work –“
     Katherine gave a short, bitter laugh. “The only one at work who’s interested in me is Blaine, the station manager, and he’s impossible. Creepy.”
     “But you’ve just proved my point that men who are interested in you are around. Maybe not everyone’s suitable, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t out there.”
     An image came into her mind of Lawrence giving her a thumbs up from behind the studio glass, but Katherine shook her head. “Getting involved with someone at work is a bad idea. And there’s no way you can meet men in public places.”
     “I often do.” As Katherine stared at her, Frieda added “I often have conversations with men, and they sometimes ask me for coffee. Then I tell them that I’m married, and they move on. Usually. You could do the same. Talk to a man in a bookstore. Ask to join a man at a table in a café.”
     Katherine gasped. “Never! That’s outrageous!” Lying at her feet, Noodle raised his head and pointed his ears at  her.
     Frieda shrugged. “If you’re too frightened to take a chance, don’t complain that you’re not meeting anyone.”
     “It’s different for you,” Katherine argued. “You don’t want to meet men. There’s no pressure, nothing at stake. Being married to Mr. Wonderful puts you in a different category. You were so lucky to find him. He’s a once-in-a-lifetime happening. Just like Rick may be for me.” Tears pricked at the back of her eyes.
     “Yes, Douglas is wonderful, but I don’t believe that we’re all only meant to find one man in our lifetimes. I don’t think that Rick is the only man for you.”
     “I hope not, or I’ll be alone for the rest of my life.” Katherine reached down and fondled Noodle’s head. “But I just don’t think I’ll be meeting many available men. And I still think it’s easier for you to talk to strangers because you’ve got your soulmate.”
     “That’s another myth, that there’s only one person to match our souls. You can have wonderful relationships with many men.”
     “Frieda, how would you know? You met Douglas in university! You don’t know anything about being single, or having relationships end, and trying to meet someone new.”
     “But I do.” Frieda’s voice softened.

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