Her profile picture was of a newborn baby. The photo was black and white, its edges faded and yellowed, clearly taken decades ago.
“That’s my daughter,” Latonia said quietly when she noticed Catherine staring at the photo. “She passed away right after she was born.”
Catherine’s eyes softened. She set her phone aside and said, “I’m so sorry for your loss.”
“It’s alright. I’ve made peace with it.” Latonia glanced down and tapped on Catherine’s Twitter profile. It was blank, not a single post in sight. “Don’t young people like sharing everything on Twitter these days?”
“I’ve been busy with work. Over time, I just stopped posting,” Catherine replied.
Her Twitter was almost spotless. The only recent post was when Lorinda had her baby and Catherine had called herself a “mom” in celebration. That post, though, was only visible to Lance.
Latonia set her phone down and said, “Your friend must be as impressive as you are.”
Catherine paused, caught off guard by the comment.
Latonia smiled gently. “I just mean, only someone truly amazing could be close friends with someone like you.”
“She’s pretty incredible. Honestly, I think she’s even better than me.”
Catherine and Lorinda balanced each other out. Catherine didn’t have Lorinda’s easy confidence or boldness, and Lorinda didn’t have Catherine’s calm maturity. Sometimes, Catherine wished she could be more like her friend.
“That’s good,” Latonia murmured, almost to herself.
Catherine wasn’t sure if she’d heard right, or if she’d just misunderstood. The words made no sense to her, and for a moment, she wondered if she was imagining things.
At another table, Lance finally looked away from Catherine.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABEL
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Best Revenge It Wasn't Even Your Child