And what have you done?

 

It was true, Mona felt she was behind with the times. It was like she woke up one morning and realized it was 2024. It felt as if maybe she was a robot, living with Hoyt, working for Hoyt's mother. God, what had she missed out on?

Yes, she hadn't really kept up with any of her friends. Honestly, it was best not to ask for much. She was going with the flow and it was good at the real estate office, even if most of her work was clerical or on the phone. Hoyt had gotten a lot of business with snow removal. Still, she knew he couldn't be doing this a decade or so from now. He was going to have figure something else. Would he always be in manual labor?

Of course, there were hardly a few with that calling.

She guessed she was like the other women at work, but they were all closer to Hoyt's mom's age. She was hardly the newbie, but it felt like it. Honestly, she only had Jade to confide in these days. And there was still the Nic issue that clung onto her like a bad itch.

"Are Nic and Liv together?" There she said what was on her mind as she brought fresh fruit and bread to Jade on an ice-cold day. Surely, they could talk. Just the two of them.

"No," Jade winced as she went to put on the electric kettle, "Of course not." Jade looked at her as if maybe she needed to watch a few episodes of Dawson's Creek to catch up but those old shows weren't streaming just anywhere these days.

"Can't you be honest with me?" Mona thought it was time to know. Hadn't she spent time to heal her wounds from Nic. "Was..was something going on with Liv and Nic all along?" She squinted trying to figure out just when those two would have seen each other when she was with him. Liv was certainly good at being discreet.

"It's not like that," Jade shook her head and brought her tea. "I told you, Nic works with someone who looks a lot like Liv."

Mona didn't want to believe her. She looked away. Sure it was old news, but she thought this time Jade might be more truthful.

Jade got out her phone and showed her a few pictures of Liv and her boyfriend Woo. Instantly, Mona was full of envy. It just wasn't fair.

"She only went to Seoul because her brother couldn't."

"Oh, he sent her all right," Mona hugged herself hard as she swelled a frown. She couldn't say who she hated more, that guy she thought Nic was in love with all along, or Liv who was as spiteful as they came. Of course, Mona knew everyone (except Hoyt) thought Mona was the spiteful one.