”Wives who lunch” declared Jo taking a sip of her cappuccino. “Boring and cliched. I am not even a wife. 4 Wives and a girlfriend who lunch doesn’t sound the same” retorted S. “Girls who shop how does that sound?” chipped in Mia her eyes still fixed on the dessert display at the cafe. Rows of rows of tarts and pies, cakes and mousses all tempting her taste buds and teasing her sat waiting. She reminded herself that she was on yet another diet and cannot afford to indulge. “I say Gossip girls – after all we do gossip – A LOT” laughed Anna trying to hide the disgust she felt with every sip of green tea. She hated that wile thing. 6-8 glasses a day her dietitian had recommended yesterday and so she was trying to make it a habit.  “Girls? Us? Oh come on Anna. We are no longer girls. Gossip Ladies maybe a better fit.” Said Pia with a weariness that was usually not her style.

“Is everything fine Pia? You sound tired. Are you coming down with something? This weather is driving me bonkers. Do you need a cup of coffee or something? You also missed our German lessons yesterday” asked Jo. Pia was always the cheerful one. The one least cynical of the group. The one who found roses in the middle of the crazy cold winters. “Are you coming down with something? Nothing a good chicken soup cannot fix. I can whip up a batch later today and bring it over to your place tonight” said Mia – ever the chef and nurturer. Mia found her zen in cooking and baking. “I will bring a batch for you too Anna. You look like you need some nourishment”. “Oh stop it Mia. I don’t need extra nourishment. In fact, you should try this – 6 glasses of green tea a day instead of those fat and sugar rich drinks you seem to favor” chided Anna.

The ladies met without fail – twice a week around town. Without husbands in tow. They did socialize with their husbands over the weekends.  But they treasured their time together. As different as they were, they enjoyed good conversation, food, coffee and gossip. They started this custom when they were all new to town, desperate to make friends and figure out who the best hairdresser was. Together they laughed over blotched attempts at hair coloring and horribly shaped eyebrows. They attempted learning German together and fumbled over welches and dankes and bittes.  They found togetherness as they kept vigil when S’s long-term boyfriend Raul collapsed at work. They held S together as Raul went through surgeries and rehabilitation and finally claimed back his old life. They were friends.

“Oh I am fine. Just exhausted” reassured Pia crossing her fingers. “Thanks for the soup offer Mia but I really don’t think we will need it. Another time perhaps?” she said taking another slow sip of her peppermint tea and willing her stomach to stop rolling.  “Whoever named it morning sickness was a fool. I am sick all day” she thought. She was not ready to share her news with her friends – her closest friends in this city. “Next time we meet. Next time I will surely tell them all” she promised herself and raked her mind to find another topic to discuss.

“Let us not get side-tracked. We still need to name our group, our society, our whatever and figure out dialogues. What shall it be?” Pia said. “Hazelnut Truffles” said Mia. “We all love them and we got them when we had our first meeting” Everyone groaned in unison. “I got it. Kaffeeklatsch. After all we meet informally over coffee and we also learn German” declared Jo. “How perfect! I am all for it. Now that we have a name – we just need to figure out what we are going to talk about for our German play”

Team Kaffeeklatsch!

This post is a part of the April A to Z challenge. 26 days, 26 letters and 26 short stories. Come back on Monday for more.