trying not to drown in self-pity. There were sea lions barking outside. Sea lions. Which, of course, they had in San Francisco, but somehow they were better in Monterey. And some of the best food in the world being served around them. Again, they had that in San Francisco, but Monterey also had the aquarium, which, as far as he could see, hadn’t gotten less fun since he’d been there in high school. And the ocean, which, well, he saw every day, but it was better when it was out another window.
“Wait.” Leah backed up. “I didn’t know you asked him?”
Work was still a little nuts from the move. They had actually not had time to do more than establish a time for when they’d meet to get the rental car before work had been out and they’d both been hurrying home to pack.
“Yeah. Well. It was this morning. He….” Zach smiled in memory. “He rode the elevator up to meet me.”
“So the fuck what?” Jenn asked, and Leah smacked her in the arm.
“So! That’s huge. That’s… that’s… that’s… breaking outside the code of elevators! Oh, Zach! I’m so happy for you!”
Zach beamed at her, because she understood. “I… well, he’s starting school next week, and it’s a new job, and he’s so excited. I just really… I don’t know.” He sighed. “I need a gesture.”
Leah grinned. “A romantic gesture?”
Zach smiled quietly back. “Yeah!”
Jenn rolled her eyes. “I would be more impressed if you showed up at his place with a condom and said, ‘I’m sick of this shit with the elevators already.’”
Leah shook her head. “No. Jenn, hon, he wants something that lasts longer than it takes for the jizz to cool.”
Zach backed away, cheeks flaming. “You guys…. God. Unpack. Dress. Jesus, let’s go eat.”
Jenn looked the three of them up and down—they were all wearing jeans and sweatshirts and tennis shoes—and she shook her head. “Baby, I love that you think we’re the kind of girls who dress for dinner, but after that drive? Maybe you should just take us to a bar.”
The Crown and Anchor sat in downtown Monterey, and they didn’t mind jeans.
“This is swank,” Jenn said, “but not intimidating. I approve.”
“I like the big brass plates everywhere,” Leah said. “And the dark beams with the white walls. It’s a lot like the pubs in England.”
Zach looked at her, surprised. Hawaii seemed far enough away. “You’ve been to England?”
“Yeah, summer trip to Europe, you?”
“Same.” He lost himself in his menu then, thinking about travelling with Sean, because he’d probably memorize all of the facts on the menu for his students, and he’d probably be looking for costumes and….
And he’d probably be just as wonderful in a restaurant as he was thirty seconds a day on the elevator.
He was probably even better.
“Zach? Hello, Zach —aren’t you going to order?”
Zach looked up from his menu and said, “Sean. I want one of those.”
Jenn and Leah groaned. “He’ll have the bangers and mash,” Leah told the bemused waiter. “And we’ll have a beer!”
But that right then was when Zach knew—knew for sure— that he was going to have to step outside of the box for good.
M ONDAY MORNING , he got up early enough to brew coffee into the new thermos he’d bought. Hopelessly dorky, it sported “World’s Greatest Teacher” written on the front, and a cartoon featuring a freckled, woebegone guy with a briefcase, a stack of papers, and, of course, a thermos of coffee. They’d stopped in Gilroy and picked up some cherries and melons on the way home from the beach, and he chopped up some of that and put it in a plastic cup, and added a fork and a little bit of packaged biscotti.
And then he made a sandwich and added carrots and a small bag of chips, all of which he’d picked up on the way home the night before.
When it was all assembled (and the coffee was still brewing) he got dressed, grabbed his briefcase, and put the whole works
“Wait.” Leah backed up. “I didn’t know you asked him?”
Work was still a little nuts from the move. They had actually not had time to do more than establish a time for when they’d meet to get the rental car before work had been out and they’d both been hurrying home to pack.
“Yeah. Well. It was this morning. He….” Zach smiled in memory. “He rode the elevator up to meet me.”
“So the fuck what?” Jenn asked, and Leah smacked her in the arm.
“So! That’s huge. That’s… that’s… that’s… breaking outside the code of elevators! Oh, Zach! I’m so happy for you!”
Zach beamed at her, because she understood. “I… well, he’s starting school next week, and it’s a new job, and he’s so excited. I just really… I don’t know.” He sighed. “I need a gesture.”
Leah grinned. “A romantic gesture?”
Zach smiled quietly back. “Yeah!”
Jenn rolled her eyes. “I would be more impressed if you showed up at his place with a condom and said, ‘I’m sick of this shit with the elevators already.’”
Leah shook her head. “No. Jenn, hon, he wants something that lasts longer than it takes for the jizz to cool.”
Zach backed away, cheeks flaming. “You guys…. God. Unpack. Dress. Jesus, let’s go eat.”
Jenn looked the three of them up and down—they were all wearing jeans and sweatshirts and tennis shoes—and she shook her head. “Baby, I love that you think we’re the kind of girls who dress for dinner, but after that drive? Maybe you should just take us to a bar.”
The Crown and Anchor sat in downtown Monterey, and they didn’t mind jeans.
“This is swank,” Jenn said, “but not intimidating. I approve.”
“I like the big brass plates everywhere,” Leah said. “And the dark beams with the white walls. It’s a lot like the pubs in England.”
Zach looked at her, surprised. Hawaii seemed far enough away. “You’ve been to England?”
“Yeah, summer trip to Europe, you?”
“Same.” He lost himself in his menu then, thinking about travelling with Sean, because he’d probably memorize all of the facts on the menu for his students, and he’d probably be looking for costumes and….
And he’d probably be just as wonderful in a restaurant as he was thirty seconds a day on the elevator.
He was probably even better.
“Zach? Hello, Zach —aren’t you going to order?”
Zach looked up from his menu and said, “Sean. I want one of those.”
Jenn and Leah groaned. “He’ll have the bangers and mash,” Leah told the bemused waiter. “And we’ll have a beer!”
But that right then was when Zach knew—knew for sure— that he was going to have to step outside of the box for good.
M ONDAY MORNING , he got up early enough to brew coffee into the new thermos he’d bought. Hopelessly dorky, it sported “World’s Greatest Teacher” written on the front, and a cartoon featuring a freckled, woebegone guy with a briefcase, a stack of papers, and, of course, a thermos of coffee. They’d stopped in Gilroy and picked up some cherries and melons on the way home from the beach, and he chopped up some of that and put it in a plastic cup, and added a fork and a little bit of packaged biscotti.
And then he made a sandwich and added carrots and a small bag of chips, all of which he’d picked up on the way home the night before.
When it was all assembled (and the coffee was still brewing) he got dressed, grabbed his briefcase, and put the whole works
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