Page 28 of Real Forever
“Hi, I’m Angela Chartier, and this is my husband, Adam.” The woman on the left scanned the list on her clipboard while the woman on the right searched through the rows of name tags.
“Oh, yes. Here you are, Angela. We’re so glad you could both come. Welcome. So head on inside and grab a seat anywhere you like. It’s not assigned seating this year. There’s a bar inside, so you folks grab yourselves a cocktail.”
The other woman chimed in, “We’re in luck. Tammy herself will be giving the speech tonight. We were expecting Mark to give the keynote but Tammy ended up being closer to town than expected tonight and it all worked out.”
Madison shot Jake a side-eye. “Fabulous. We can’t wait.”
“Okay, you enjoy yourselves, huns.”
Madison peeled the backing off her name tag and stuck it on her left shoulder. Jake peeled the backing off his as well but complained, “These tags are so tacky.”
“Oh, Adam. Please, let’s not have one of our signature old-married-couple-fights tonight.”
Jake chuckled, “Of course, dear. My apologies.”
“Where should we sit?”
“How about over here?” Jake placed his hand on Madison’s lower back to lead her through the crowd. The warmth of his skin was electric. Madison’s breath caught in her chest and her posture shot up as if a string had pulled her up through the top of her head.
She cleared her throat. “Sure, this table’s fine.”
“I’ll grab our drinks. What would you like?”
“Adam, we’ve been married for twelve years and you still don’t know what I drink?” She winked, “White wine, please.” Madison watched Jake walk away. The fact he wasn’t wearing a jacket allowed her an unobstructed view of Jake’s ass and she relished the opportunity to admire every curve. She was so busy staring she didn’t notice the tall, enthusiastic woman sitting down beside her.
“Hey, I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Tiffany.”
“Hi, I’m Angela.” Madison extended her hand, “This is my first one of these events.”
“Oh honey, you are going to love it. I cannot believe Tammy herself is going to be here tonight. It’s going to be full on ah-mah-zing.”
Madison swallowed the bile rising in her throat at the use of the term ‘ah-mah-zing’.
“So, what do we do? Sit and listen to a bunch of speeches, or what?”
“Oh no, babes. You are in for such a treat.” Tiffany’s hands flailed as she explained, flourishing in her role as tour guide. “So, first we’ll have dinner and then Tammy will come out and she’s going to get everyone so pumped up. You will not believe how the vibe in here changes. It’s going to blow your mind. She’s going to get everyone so pumped up. And then we’ll all have a few drinks and then a DJ will play and it’s, like, an enormous party. You’re going to love it. It’s like prom night, but better. You’ll be best friends with everyone in the room by midnight—I promise.”
“How long have you been doing NorAsana?” Madison pried.
“Umm, I guess six months now. Wow, it’s gone by so fast. I’m still in the growth phase, but I’m so excited. I’ve got a couple of recruits now underneath me and I’m hoping to build from there.” She forced a brave smile, “I just have to keep up the hustle, hustle, hustle.”
“Here you go, darling.” Madison glanced up to see Jake had returned with her wine.Darling.She melted.
“And who is this?” Tiffany asked.
“Tiffany, this is my husband, Adam.”
Tiffany’s eyebrows raised as she evaluated Jake from head to toe. Madison secretly loved how it felt to be on the receiving end of Tiffany’s very obvious jealousy. She basked in it like it were sun rays and she was lounging poolside with an icy piña colada.
There was a minor commotion toward the stage area and all three turned their heads to see. Suddenly, the overhead lights darkened, a spotlight lit up the stage and the bass filled sound of “I Gotta Feeling” by The Black-Eyed Peas boomed through the huge speakers flanking the stage.Barf.
“Oooh, It’s starting,” Tiffany whisper-shrieked. “I’ve got to grab my seat. So nice meeting you both.”
A handsome older man wearing a tuxedo walked out, pulled a few index cards from his breast pocket, and adjusted the microphone, struggling to loosen the tension enough to lower the height.
“Good evening folks and welcome to your NorAsana 2022 North-West District Convention!”
The crowd went bananas. Everyone was on their feet, shouting, dancing, whooping. It was like Tuxedo Man had just scored a Super Bowl game-winning touchdown. Madison and Jake stared at each other in a mixture of horror, amusement, and wide eyed amazement.
