Katherine finished her wrap of Thursday’s show and relaxed behind the mike.  When Lawrence was finished inside the booth, he came into the studio.  “Do you believe all that about flowers?” he asked cautiously. 
     “About the Bach flower remedies, you mean?”  She began stacking up her materials.
     “Yeah.  Do you believe that sticking some flower juice under your tongue can make you feel better?”  Lawrence picked up one of  Katherine’s file folders.
     “I don’t know.  It can’t hurt.  And if it makes people feel better, there’s no harm.”  She pulled the folder out of his hand.  “I’ve got to get going.  I’m having lunch with Janine.”
     “Would you take one of those remedies if you could?”
     “I’ve never thought about it.  Why are you so interested?”
     “I’ve noticed that you seem down lately.  If there’s ever anything you’d like to talk about, we can go for a drink after work some time or something.”  He handed her a book.  “You don’t have to be alone with it, you know.”
     “That’s really sweet of you,” she acknowledged, then glanced at her wrist watch.  “Look at the time!  Janine’ll be waiting.”
                                     *                                  *                                    *
     In the Thai restaurant, they took their heaping plates from the buffet and found a table near the front window.   Katherine unwrapped her chopsticks.  “So let’s catch up.  I’ve been a little preoccupied in the last few months, and we haven’t had much chance to talk.”
     “You’ve been so busy with the house,” Janine stated, hooking a spear of broccoli.
     “And other things,” evaded Katherine.  “But how are things with you?  No regrets, I hope, about deciding against being a midwife.”
     Janine finished chewing, then swallowed.  “None at all.  Steve and I keep thinking about all that money we saved by my not going to college full time.  We’re looking around for things I can do part time for extra income.  You know, after work and on weekends.”  Janine stabbed the air with her chopsticks.  “You don’t have to worry about replacing me for a while!”
     “Glad to hear it.”  Katherine dug below her vegetables for a mouthful of pad thai.  “Any ideas so far?”
     “There are all kinds of independent sales positions.  We’re researching them now.  It’s important not to decide too quickly, because you might miss the best opportunity, Steve says.”  Janine sipped at her water.
     “Steve knows a lot about these things?” Katherine asked wickedly, bending her face to her cup of tea.  She was starting to enjoy Janine’s wild schemes.
     “He’s approaching it very carefully.  There are so many options and kinds of reimbursement, and you have to consider the size of your district.  We’re trying to find one where I can rise pretty quickly to district manager.  That way I get a cut of all the saleswomen working below me, too.”  Janine took a big bite of food.
     Katherine nodded, enjoying the flavours of cilantro and peanut.  “So what are you considering?”
     Janine’s chopsticks poked at her plate.  “Danube and Bobby Jo, that’s cosmetics.  Dixon, which is gourmet food and assorted products.  Eyemere and Sudsy, for cleansers, Heavenly Lights for candles and aromatherapy, and Casuals for clothes.  That’s just for starters.  Oh, and Seduction for lingerie.  And we’re looking into the possibility of handling more than one line.  Because I can hardly have a party for the same line every week, can I?  But if I keep offering different products, I can keep my customers more interested,  right?”
     “Right,” agreed Katherine, then wished she had sounded less enthusiastic, or she’d be invited to every party.
     “What kind of products would you be most interested in buying?”
     Too late.  Katherine took a mouthful to give herself time to think.  Janine’s chopsticks chased a water chestnut.  “To tell you the truth, I try not to go to these parties any more,” Katherine said.  “It’s easy to spend way too much, because the products are so wonderful.  It can really blow my budget.  With my house and Noodle and all, I have to be careful.  So I’ve quit house parties cold turkey.”
     Janine set down her glass in disappointment.  “I hope everyone doesn’t feel the way you do.”
     “That’s a real concern, isn’t it?  I’m sure Steve will be thinking about that, too.”
     “Oh yeah.  He’ll look after everything.  He wants to be involved as much as possible.  Behind the scenes, of course.  But he’ll help with the business end of things.  I’m more of a people person.”
     “That’s your real strength,” said Katherine honestly.  She studied Janine over her tea cup.  “So you and Steve are really solid.  A good marriage.”
     Janine brightened.  “The best.  I don’t know where I’d be without him.  I can’t imagine myself single.  Oh, sorry.”
     Katherine waved her hand.  “For what?  She stirred the food on her plate.  “Your marriage is really important to you, isn’t it?”
     “Very.  Most important part of my life.”
     “Everything else is secondary?  Is there anything you wouldn’t do if Steve really wanted you to?”
     Janine looked puzzled.  “There’s a lot about my marriage that isn’t easy.  Moving here when all my family is in Calgary.  And housework.  Who likes that?  But Steve often works late, and his job is the most important thing to us, so I have to take on extra at home.  But I can’t imagine Steve asking me to do something that I really didn’t want to do.”
     “But say he did,” Katherine persisted.  “Say he wanted you to do something that you really didn’t want to do, like move, or give up your friends, or quit working or – I don’t know, something that you love.”
     Janine chewed and thought.  “But nothing is more important than my marriage.  I’d do whatever was necessary to keep my marriage.”
     Katherine thought of giving up her work, her house, Noodle, even her friends, Frieda, Clara, and maybe  Lawrence.  Unimaginable.  “You’re prepared to make sacrifices.”
     “They’re not sacrifices.  The secret to a good marriage is compromise.”
     “So if Steve wants you to quit working for CMIS, say, and you didn’t want to, what would happen?”
     Janine hastily put down her chopsticks.  “Steve has no problem with my working here.”
     “No, no, I know.  It’s just a hypothetical situation.  Or if Steve wanted to move and you didn’t.  What would happen?”
     “We’d move.  And if Steve wanted me to quit working for CMIS, which he doesn’t, I’d quit.”
     “Even if you didn’t want to.”
     Janine thought as she picked up her glass.  “Well, I’d try to change his mind.  We’d discuss it all.  But if he really made up his mind about something, that’s what I’d do.”
     “How’s that a compromise?  What would Steve do to meet you half way?  If he really wanted you to do something and you really didn’t want to, you said you’d give in.”
     “Right.  That’s compromise.”
     No, that’s sacrifice, thought Katherine, but didn’t want to argue the point.  “So being married to Steve really is the most important thing in your life.”  Katherine chewed, wondering at all the things married people put up with.  Janine’s compromises and sacrifices.  Frieda and Douglas’s relationships with other people.  Was it not possible to find a man who valued what you wanted?
     “I want to be married, and it’s not easy to find someone, so when you do, you’ve got to hang on.” 
     Katherine looked over Janine’s head and thought of the kindness of Lawrence.  He always seemed to be there for her.  Easy to take someone like that for granted. 

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