“How did you find me?” I asked.
I was lying on an old Care Bears blanket from the 80s in a local park, staring up at the stars in the sky. My best friend laid down on the blanket beside me. She turned to look at me.
“I’ve always loved this blanket.”
I said nothing. Didn’t even look at her.
“I haven’t heard from you in two days. What’s up with that?”
“I just needed some time, you know? To think.”
We laid quietly, staring up into the night sky.
“Why didn’t you bring another blanket? It’s cold!” She asked.
I finally turned to face her and she smiled before nudging my arm with her elbow. I felt the small smile curve into the corner of my lips.
“You still haven’t told me how you found me,” I said.
She smiled again, her eyes not leaving mine, searching them for answers. “I know you,” She said. “This is always where you come when you’re overwhelmed.”
I turned back to the stars in the black, night sky.
“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” She asked.
“Do you ever just wish you could stop, that things would just freeze for a bit, just long enough for you to catch your breath?” I asked.
She scooted closer and wrapped her arm around mine, still looking up at that sky.
“I think every woman feels that way from time to time,” She answered.
“I need time to breathe,” I admitted. It came out as a whisper, nearly a gasp.
She turned to face me. “How about right now?”
My eyes moved from the stars to face my best friend.
“I’m serious!” She said. “We can stay here as long as you need. Just relax. Breathe.”
I took a deep breath and turned back to the sky, it looked like silver glitter spilled all over a black piece of construction paper. Its beauty always amazed me.
“I got you,” She reminded me.
We laid in silence, together, staring at the stars. For the first time in days, I felt like I could catch my breath.
