A TATTOO. I have no idea what I would get, but it would sure shock the hell out of my friends to know Grandma Megan was rocking a tramp stamp.
6. GO TO THE ELLEN SHOW. This is a must. She is my idol. No explanation needed.
7. VOLUNTEER MORE. There must be at least one old folk’s home around the greater Chicago area looking for new volunteers. Heck, I would probably like playing Backgammon on a Sunday afternoon while drinking tea.
8. GO TO NYC FOR NEW YEARS EVE. Who wouldn’t want to do this? This is my favorite holiday of the year! I am dying to meet Regis Philbin. I wonder if he would be there…
9. LEARN MY FAMILY GENEALOGY. I have no idea where my family came from. Are we European? Are we South American? Are we from the Soviet Union? No one tells me anything. What the hell am I? I must find this out.
10. SEE MY FAVORITE BAND. Do the Backstreet Boys even perform anymore?
I put down my pen and glance at my impressive list. See, who needs Ben or Jessica when they have a remarkable to-do list like this? Why didn’t I put this plan into action before? I feel way better about my life and current state of affairs now that I have some perspective on what I want. I technically have less than two weeks to do it all before the big 2-5. But who says I can’t make this list of things I plan to do in my twenty-fifth year…
****
Once I get home from spending my whole afternoon with Emily, I continue to work diligently on closing deals and filing legal paperwork. Then I start to work on my Megan Daniels Plan of Action for her 25 Year, by attempting to get into crazy nasty shape. I throw in my P90X DVD Yoga Workout and drink a protein shake. I even make myself a spinach salad with apples, grilled chicken and walnuts for dinner in an attempt at healthy living. After I tidy up a bit, I work meticulously on my laptop, making work related phone calls, and setting up house showings for my new clients. I feel productive for the first time today, and I haven’t once thought about Ben or Jessica.
But when eight o’clock hits, everything changes. As much as I tried to avoid it, I knew Ben was patiently waiting for me at the Green Mill Pub. Then at quarter after eight, my phone vibrates on the coffee table. I nervously pick it up to see Ben has sent me a text:
You coming?
I feel a boulder form in my throat and my stomach twist in knots. Why does Ben have such a hold on me? Oh God. What should I write back? I can’t avoid him forever.
A few moments pass before the television distracts me. It flickers that the Bachelor will be coming up next (mine and Jessica’s favorite show). My heart sinks as I realize how much I truly miss Jessica. I wish I could call her and ask her what I should do as I run my fingers over my cell and debate my response to Ben. Should I just go and meet him, or should I avoid him until I am ready? She would know the answer, especially when it came to Ben.
It pangs me with such sadness to think she is probably all cozied up, watching the Bachelor without me on her comfy leather sofa on her 62” flat screen in her family room. We always watched every episode together, and if we couldn’t be together, we would Skype during the commercial breaks so we could intensely discuss the drama that insured. My phone vibrates again, distracting me with another text from Ben:
Please Megan. We really need to talk.
I stare at my phone analyzing his text over and over again in my mind. I quickly text him back:
About what?
I sit on my couch, nervously bouncing my foot on the floor and chewing my fingernails. Those seconds last forever before I hear my phone vibrate. I glance down at his dreaded response:
I would really prefer to speak to you in person.
Arghh! Ben can be so difficult! Doesn’t he just want to spare me the humiliation of his inevitable rejection by taking the easy way out through technology? So I text him back:
Well, I’m not coming.
There. Take that Ben.
I place my phone face down on the coffee table and know I made the right decision not to see him