Busted
Mary rolled to her side, staring at the treadmill sitting in her bedroom. She really needed to do something about those additional ten pounds she gained this year. There just seemed so little time to exercise, what between work and family, she had little opportunity for anything else.
The treadmill was an anniversary gift from her husband. Certainly not the most romantic gift he could have given her. It was their twentieth anniversary and she had hoped for something more personal, a bracelet or maybe a romantic trip away. She assumed he was thinking of her health.
John, her husband, never seemed to have time for romance these days, or for that matter, time for her. This new company he worked for seemed to require more overnight trips and several weekend trips as well. It left her alone to handle Rose, their rebellious fifteen-year old.
At least today Rose was not stomping around adding to the overall darkness of the weather. It was amazing how Rose could fill the room with tension and anger. Rose loved to bait her mother, particularly when her father was not around. With little effort, she could have her mother screaming like a mad woman. Once Rose succeeded, she would slam away into her own room, or out the door, leaving Mary to seethe alone.
Carefully averting her eyes away from the treadmill, Mary gets out of bed. With both John and Rose gone for the weekend she will be enjoying some quiet time for herself. No one will be asking or demanding her time. Drinking her morning coffee and eating a cinnamon sweet roll, she wonders how best to use her day. Moving into the den, she puts on her recorded soap operas, and then sits down at the desk to quickly check her email.
The browser displays an advertisement for Online Chat – friends who will always be there with you. There was a time when she felt surrounded by friends. That seems a long time ago. She had lots of friends before her marriage, and many before motherhood, and during Rose's early years. Since moving to Kansas, she has felt isolated.
Even at work she has seen most of her friends leave as the department shrinks down to meet the smaller budget. More workers are now part time these days, meaning more work for her, and less time for socializing. She has not had a lunch partner since Jean was let go two years ago.
With a click she selects the site.
Online Chat – The Meeting place for New Friendships.
Join the online community of friendships, information, and learning. Get all member benefits, including your own blog, access to other members’ blogs, chat rooms, and member profiles with a cost structure to fit your lifestyle.
What an interesting idea, an online community of friends.
Deciding she might just take a look around, Mary joins the site. There are several types of membership. Mary decides to join as a ‘pay as you go’ member since she plans to be on just long enough to see what it is. Pondering over her user name for twenty minutes, she is quite proud to come up with Lamb-at-Heart; a twist from Mary had a little lamb. She then turns to create her on line user profile.
Not one to lie, but not averse to fudging, she knocks off five years from her age, and 15 pounds from her weight. As she sees it, this is her chance to start with a clean slate, a fresh start without preconceived ideas about her. It will be a chance for people to get to know her, not pigeonhole her as that fat old woman.
She skips the more personal information and doesn’t upload a picture. She can always come back later if she decides to stay on. For now, she has enough information in to get started. With the soap operas playing in the background, Mary enters into the member portion of the website.
Taking the online tour offered by the service, Mary is impressed with the number and variety of options. There are member blogs to follow and offer comments, a bulletin board to post questions, items for sale, general information and ways to communicate directly with other online members.
Quite a lot of interesting discussion groups to choose from. There are groups to improve your health, your body and your mind. There is a weight lose support group; a discussion group on the merits of Bush Supreme Court Nominee, and even a group for parents with troubled teenagers. Or you can choose a political book group, an opera discussion group, a group to discuss Judea-Muslim issues; a group for alternative lifestyles, or a group called – New Friends.
Mary decides to check out the New Friends group. As she enters the chat room, she is hailed and welcomed. It really does feel nice. The group is discussing feelings of alienation, lack of contact. Mary listens for a while, and then pipes in.
‘It is so easy to feel alone, that you are different. Thank you for showing me I am not alone, but part of a community that is out there.’
Lots of nods and agreements come in from the group.
Mary feels more confident, and starts to be part of the discussion. It seems so many feel the same way, left out, too busy to reach out, and not appreciated by those closest to you. Mary receives an aside note from one of the group Jack-o-Lantern.
‘Lamb-at-heart, you are expressing my thoughts. I feel no one in my house understands, or even wants to take the time to see that I am hurting. Thanks for the confirmation that my feelings are not in my head.’
‘Yes’, Mary types, ‘those around us often discount how we feel so they don’t have to deal with us or with our feelings.’
This begins several back and forth comments between Lamb-at-heart and Jack-o-Lantern. After an hour or so, Jack-o-Lantern asks Mary to join him in a private chat room so they can continue their discussion. Mary, being a novice, has no idea how to enter a private room, so Jack-o guides her to the Lantern on the Lamb room. Mary is able to be online without interruptions since her family is gone, but Jack-o has to jump on and off during the weekend.
‘No problem,’ Mary types, ‘I can wait. My time is open this weekend.’
Jack-o clearly appreciates this. ‘Thank you so much Lamb’, he has shortened her name. ‘You’re helping me to understand so much. I will come back as long as you stay in the chat room.’
While waiting in their private chat room, Mary gets another aside, this time from Tom Thumb. Before long, Mary has entered another private chat room with Tom. It turns out that Tom’s wife had left him the week before, and he needs a shoulder to cry on. Mary, the Lamb, speaks encouragingly to Tom Thumb, assuring him life is not over for him.
During the next few hours, Mary continues in her discussions with the group as new members come in and out of the room. As her confidence grows, she sends her own aside to Mr. Big.
‘Hey there, Mr. Big. Are you a fan of Sex and the City?’
Mr. Big has a good sense of humour, and the two of them have a wonderful back and forth, deciding to enter their own private chat room.
Hours later, Mary is still in the discussion group, as well as carrying on the three private chats. She is having so much fun, she hasn’t even noticed that the recorded soap operas have completed. Except for a few food and bathroom breaks, Mary has sat at the computer all day and into the evening.
When Mr. Big says good night, she first looks at the clock and realizes that she has been there over twelve hours. With a sense of satisfaction and happiness that she has made so many new friends, she too signs off for the night. Smiling, she finishes a piece of chocolate cake that she finds in the refrigerator, and climbs into bed.
Next morning, she logs back into the computer, first checking into the private chat rooms. Finding no one has checked in yet, she leaves notes for her new found friends.
'To my new friend, Stopped by to see u to let u know you were in my thoughts. Your friend, Lamb
- no longer a stranger in a strange land. :>
She felt very 21st century, adding the little smiley symbol at the end. Mr. Big had taught her how to do that. She also learned how to type the letter u for you, btw for by the way, and LOL for laugh out loud. The latter, laughing out loud, was definitely useful last night.
Mary then logs into the New Friends discussion group and finds that she is welcomed warmly back by several of her friends from last night and a few new ones. The day is filled with interesting discussions and wonderful times in her private chat rooms with her new friends. Jack-o even sends her a poem.
To my Lamb, my soul mate, my muse
Your compatriot, your friend Jack-o
Once just strangers meeting on line
Two lost souls looking for salvation
Not knowing what they would find
Lost, not knowing they were missing
Entering their safe space to meet
Withering buds beginning to flower
Nurturing souls learning to live
Finding a new friend filling a void
Mary continues on line during the day. Ordering a large pizza with everything on it, and bread rolls to be delivered for lunch, she eats while typing and listening to her friends. The weekend had been such a success. She is proud of herself for stepping out and trying something new.
The phone rings. Mary looks up and sees it is already 6 PM, as she picks up the receiver.
“Hello.”
“Mary,” she hears John say, “Is Rose at home yet?”
“No, she is to be dropped off around 8 PM tonight. Remember she went out with Susie and her family to their cabin. Is something up?”
“I would say so. I got a call from the credit card company and she must have gotten our number and is using the card.”
“Oh John, that can’t be true. I know Rose has been a handful lately, but she has never stolen from us.”
“So you think! She has run up a $350 dollar bill on some internet site during the last two days.”
posted by Karen @ 8:03 PM
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