Free No Direction Home (Sweet Home Colorado) by Jude Willhoff

believe a word she says. She came by those muscles from teasing hair.” 
    They burst out laughing . Once they started, they couldn’t stop. Grace laughed until there were tears in her eyes. She dabbed at them with a napkin, thinking what a joy it was to laugh with friends. She couldn’t remember the last time she had such fun. The small things in life are so precious.  
      “Enough, ladies.”  Cindy frowned. “This has to stop. We’re making a spectacle of ourselves...and I almost wet my pants.”  The peals of laughter started, again. People from the surrounding tables stared at them.
    Wiping at her eyes, Cindy raised her hands in defeat . “Okay, I don’t lift weights. Jenna, when you're off, come join us in the bar. We’re going to make a night of it.”
    Composing herself, Jenna cleared her throat. “Sounds like fun. I’ll be through around ten. Now, what would you like to drink?”
    “Yes, we’d like a couple of glasses of White Zinfandel. ”  Grace started to protest.
    Cindy waved her hand in the air . “You’re my date tonight. I know what you like.”
    “You don’t have to order for me. ”
    “Hush. ”  She grinned at Grace. “I haven’t been able to treat you to an evening on the town in ages. Anyway, I have a tab and Charlie owes me.”
    “With the drinks out of the way, what would you ladies like to eat ? The special is Surf and Turf and I hear it's really good tonight.”
    “I'm starvi ng. I'll have that. Colorado Prime Rib with Maine lobster. Charlie has them brought in every Friday.”  Cindy rolled her eyes. “It’s another one of his new business ideas.”  She glanced at Jenna. “Make mine rare.”
    “And you? ” Jenna asked Grace.
    “I’ll have the same thing, but make mine well done. ”  Grace passed the menu back to Jenna.
    “At least some things never change. ”  Cindy grinned. “I always like my meat crawling off the plate and you like yours burned to a crisp.”
    When Jenna walked away, Cindy narrowed her eyes and lowered her voice. “Tell me Gracie Bell, how are you really doing?”
    “I told you in the shop . I’m doing fine. I just have to watch myself. And long as I pace myself, I do okay.”
    “Watch yourself...like how? ” 
    “Well, it’s hard to explain, but I’ll try. ”  Grace sighed and glanced at her friend. “The main thing is I have to pace myself. I can’t lift anything over ten pounds and I can't overdo it. I learned a lot of things at the rehabilitation center. Like for instance, I rested this afternoon so I’d be able to stay out late and enjoy myself tonight without having excess pain.”
    “ It must be frustrating.”   “It was at first, but I'm becoming accustomed to it. At least this way I’m in charge.”  She scratched the table with her fingernail, trying to organize her thoughts hoping Cindy would understand. “The main thing is I have to control my thinking. The bottom line is if I get stressed out, I physically hurt more. It’s up to me to control my level of pain. The pain never goes away. It’s always there lurking, waiting for me to screw up.”
    “Oh. ”  Cindy’s brow furrowed. “But I thought with your implant you didn’t feel the pain. Am I wrong?”“Yes and no. The implant helps me feel the stimulation in place of intense pain, but the pain is always there. That’s what chronic pain amounts to...constant pain that never goes away.”  She sighed. “I thank God every day for this technology.”
    “I bet it's hard. ”  Cindy paused when Jenna set two long-stemmed glasses of wine in front of each of them.
    “It’s happy hour, two for one. ”  She smiled and hurried on to the next table.
    Grace shrugged dismissively . “It's not easy, but I’m past the hardest part. Now I just need to recuperate, manage the pain and decide what I want to do with the rest of my life.”  She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear wanting to talk about something else. “Listen, enough about me. What