Part 2<\/p>\n
\u201cSeriously?\u201d<\/p>\n
She tipped her head to one side.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid it end badly?\u201d<\/p>\n
She had no idea how deeply the question struck.<\/p>\n
I lowered my eyes to the kitchen towel clenched between my fingers.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt just\u2026\u201d I searched for the right word. \u201c\u2026ended.\u201d<\/p>\n
She clearly wanted the rest of the story.<\/p>\n
Instead, I redirected the conversation.<\/p>\n
\u201cHave you learned anything else about him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA little.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does he study?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cArchitecture.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard had once planned to become an architect. Later, he changed his major to engineering because, as he had said, \u201cBuildings don\u2019t care about student loans.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s 20.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo he\u2019s a year older than you.\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded.<\/p>\n
Not Boston.<\/p>\n
That single fact answered one question while producing several new ones.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis mom teaches elementary school.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd his dad?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
She laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve known each other for one afternoon.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was reasonable.<\/p>\n
She slipped her phone back into her pocket.<\/p>\n
\u201cActually\u2026\u201d Her smile appeared again. \u201cI kind of already invited him over.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis Friday.\u201d<\/p>\n
My eyes moved to the calendar beside the refrigerator.<\/p>\n
Friday was only three days away.<\/p>\n
She appeared slightly uneasy now.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just thought\u2026\u201d She lifted one shoulder. \u201c\u2026I\u2019d like you to meet him.\u201d<\/p>\n
I smiled because that was what a mother was supposed to do.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d love to.\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer came without hesitation.<\/p>\n
The following three days seemed endless.<\/p>\n
Whenever I convinced myself that I had invented the resemblance, Richard returned to my thoughts.<\/p>\n
Riding the Green Line.<\/p>\n
Eating cheap lunches near the harbor.<\/p>\n
Stealing fries from my plate because he insisted calories did not count when they belonged to someone else.<\/p>\n
For years, I had refused to think about him.<\/p>\n
Not because my feelings had disappeared.<\/p>\n
Because I had never discovered why he had.<\/p>\n
We had discussed engagement rings and debated whether we would eventually live in the suburbs or remain in Boston.<\/p>\n
Then, one morning, he called.<\/p>\n
Something in his voice was wrong.<\/p>\n
He did not sound cold or angry.<\/p>\n
He sounded afraid.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t do this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLeave where?\u201d<\/p>\n
Part 2 \u201cWhen I was your age, I dated someone who looked very much like Jordan.\u201d \u201cSeriously?\u201d She tipped her head to one side. \u201cDid it end badly?\u201d She had no idea how deeply...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2806","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n