2002-02-14 - 6:50 p.m.

I'm still really excited about my new job, and went out last night for drinks with two of the women that work there, one of whom is my friend, Maria. We worked together for four years, along with Deb and Jerry and Shelly, and our boss David. In that four year span, three of us got divorced (Maria was first, and my X was her attorney.) One of us had an affair and got pregnant, had the baby and ran off to Vegas to get married a year later, and two of us had kids. We were like a family there, and because of all the crises, we bonded strongly. Shelly was recapping the stories for our new friend Nicole last night, and she couldn't believe it. "Oh, you guys, that's unbelievable! I can't believe your co-workers were involved in all that personal stuff!"

We gave baby showers, and helped each other move, and went for cigarette and coffee breaks, and brainstormed and cried and laughed, gone to each others weddings and new apartments and christenings and kids birthdays. It was awesome.

When I first split up with my X, he would call me all the time at work, and I'd have to close my office door so noone would hear me crying. And I'd hang up, and blow my nose, and open the door to find the girls, holding tissues and cigarettes, taking me out to the fire escape to pull it together. David called me into his office, and told me that he'd do whatever he could do. If I needed money, time off, a lawyer - he'd take care of it. And he did end up getting me that lawyer, that wonderful woman who made such a difference to me.

Anyway, we had a great time last night - Shelly had about 9 glasses of wine and was telling the same story over and over, causing Maria to roll her eyes and me to verbally prod her, until Nicole finally said, "Shelly, I'm really interested in this but LAND THE PLANE ALREADY." Heh. Maria also had more than her usual share of margaritas, so Jerry and I ended up secretly calling her a car service and making her take it back to NJ. They're good friends.

And now, some of us will be back together, in that same company, with a different line. I have to pinch myself to believe it. I'm still totally excited about this job, I'm full of energy and I'm trying hard not to worry about the other shoe dropping.

I got up early today, got some flowers from the boyfriend, ran some errands, and then went to drop off a jacket to be repaired. He told me to come back in half an hour, so I wandered up Bleecker Street. I stopped and got coffee at Rocco's, and then bought a half pound of the most amazing almond cookies I have ever seen. Which I don't need. Then I went on a mini shopping spree, which I haven't done in forever. So now I have two dozen tulips (my favorite) a ton of new clothes, a new job, and lots of time off. It's almost sickening.

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