morning when you were
getting ready,” Tess said with a wave of her hand. “It’s no
big—”
“Hey, I’m offended.” I clicked my tongue and
frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
Tess looked down and shrugged. “I don’t know.
It’s not a big deal,” she said nonchalantly. “I didn’t want to make
you feel any worse than the way I figured you were already
feeling.”
“Tess, do not, I repeat, do not withhold information from me. Number one, I want to live through
you, and two, I’m a big girl. I still have it in me to be happy for
others. Especially you.”
“Okay, okay, I’m sorry.” She winced. “There’s
not much to say though. Other than he’s a really great guy.” Tess
looked down and poked her fork into a pancake on her plate.
A smile spread across my face as I watched
her swish it around the syrup.
She cleared her throat. “It’s just that...”
She paused and placed her fork down.
I raised an eyebrow.
“He kind of has a girlfriend.” She wrinkled
her nose and made a face.
“What do you mean, kind of?” I demanded. “He
either has a girlfriend or he doesn’t. Is it serious?”
“I don’t know. He didn’t say, and I didn’t
ask. He just mentioned he’d been dating someone for a long time,
but it wasn’t really working out.”
“You’d make an awful detective, my dear.
Well...” I tapped my fingers on the table. ”If it was serious,
wouldn’t he be travelling with her?”
Tess shrugged. “I guess. Maybe. Oh, I don’t
know. He just finished business school and has pretty much given
himself a year to do his thing, get a job, and find himself,” she
said.
“Hmph. Aren’t we all?” I stared into my
coffee cup for a moment. “Anyway, maybe the quest to find himself
has a little something to do with his girlfriend.”
“Maybe.” Tess paused. “Whatever,” she added
with a wave of her hand. “I guess it doesn’t really matter, anyway.
I don’t think he likes me like that . ” She shrugged and took
another bite.
I just gave her a look.
“What?” she laughed. “I told you, we’re just
friends. We had a connection and to be honest with you, it was nice
to be myself with someone other than Jack,” she said rolling her
eyes.
“Well, you guys have been together for a long
time.”
“We’ve practically grown up together, Aunt
Lu. We’ve both changed so much we’ve kind of grown apart. I’d like
to think I’ve become more insightful, and he’s become, I don’t
know...” She frowned. “Kind of self-centered. He’s been
unsupportive throughout my whole job-hunting debacle. He seems to
be more concerned with his own success and fixated on things that
don’t really matter in life.”
“Like what?” I said.
“You know, superficial crap,” she said,
shaking her head. “He and his friends always seem to be one-upping
each other, and to be honest, it’s exhausting to listen to
them.”
“Not to mention boring,” I exclaimed. I had
to remind myself we were talking about Tess’s boyfriend and not my
own ex. Cooper had those same tendencies, and his materialistic
ways often got under my skin.
“Sorry. I was engaged to an older version. In
Jack’s defense,” I said, with my index finger in the air, “he is a
classic case of a young kid making too much money, way too
soon.”
“So, what was Cooper’s excuse?’ Tess
prompted, covering her mouth with a hand as she chewed.
I rested my chin on my hand and shook my
head, affixing my gaze on a photo of a windmill that hung on the
wall. “I don’t know. I think who he is stems from his past.”
I turned my attention back to Tess who had
raised a quizzical eyebrow. “He grew up very poor, and I think it
makes him feel good that he had done a complete 180 degree turn
with his life.” I shrugged my shoulders. “All on his own.”
Tess didn’t look convinced, but reluctantly
nodded her head, obviously trying to cut him some slack.
“No, really.” I rushed to defend him.
getting ready,” Tess said with a wave of her hand. “It’s no
big—”
“Hey, I’m offended.” I clicked my tongue and
frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
Tess looked down and shrugged. “I don’t know.
It’s not a big deal,” she said nonchalantly. “I didn’t want to make
you feel any worse than the way I figured you were already
feeling.”
“Tess, do not, I repeat, do not withhold information from me. Number one, I want to live through
you, and two, I’m a big girl. I still have it in me to be happy for
others. Especially you.”
“Okay, okay, I’m sorry.” She winced. “There’s
not much to say though. Other than he’s a really great guy.” Tess
looked down and poked her fork into a pancake on her plate.
A smile spread across my face as I watched
her swish it around the syrup.
She cleared her throat. “It’s just that...”
She paused and placed her fork down.
I raised an eyebrow.
“He kind of has a girlfriend.” She wrinkled
her nose and made a face.
“What do you mean, kind of?” I demanded. “He
either has a girlfriend or he doesn’t. Is it serious?”
“I don’t know. He didn’t say, and I didn’t
ask. He just mentioned he’d been dating someone for a long time,
but it wasn’t really working out.”
“You’d make an awful detective, my dear.
Well...” I tapped my fingers on the table. ”If it was serious,
wouldn’t he be travelling with her?”
Tess shrugged. “I guess. Maybe. Oh, I don’t
know. He just finished business school and has pretty much given
himself a year to do his thing, get a job, and find himself,” she
said.
“Hmph. Aren’t we all?” I stared into my
coffee cup for a moment. “Anyway, maybe the quest to find himself
has a little something to do with his girlfriend.”
“Maybe.” Tess paused. “Whatever,” she added
with a wave of her hand. “I guess it doesn’t really matter, anyway.
I don’t think he likes me like that . ” She shrugged and took
another bite.
I just gave her a look.
“What?” she laughed. “I told you, we’re just
friends. We had a connection and to be honest with you, it was nice
to be myself with someone other than Jack,” she said rolling her
eyes.
“Well, you guys have been together for a long
time.”
“We’ve practically grown up together, Aunt
Lu. We’ve both changed so much we’ve kind of grown apart. I’d like
to think I’ve become more insightful, and he’s become, I don’t
know...” She frowned. “Kind of self-centered. He’s been
unsupportive throughout my whole job-hunting debacle. He seems to
be more concerned with his own success and fixated on things that
don’t really matter in life.”
“Like what?” I said.
“You know, superficial crap,” she said,
shaking her head. “He and his friends always seem to be one-upping
each other, and to be honest, it’s exhausting to listen to
them.”
“Not to mention boring,” I exclaimed. I had
to remind myself we were talking about Tess’s boyfriend and not my
own ex. Cooper had those same tendencies, and his materialistic
ways often got under my skin.
“Sorry. I was engaged to an older version. In
Jack’s defense,” I said, with my index finger in the air, “he is a
classic case of a young kid making too much money, way too
soon.”
“So, what was Cooper’s excuse?’ Tess
prompted, covering her mouth with a hand as she chewed.
I rested my chin on my hand and shook my
head, affixing my gaze on a photo of a windmill that hung on the
wall. “I don’t know. I think who he is stems from his past.”
I turned my attention back to Tess who had
raised a quizzical eyebrow. “He grew up very poor, and I think it
makes him feel good that he had done a complete 180 degree turn
with his life.” I shrugged my shoulders. “All on his own.”
Tess didn’t look convinced, but reluctantly
nodded her head, obviously trying to cut him some slack.
“No, really.” I rushed to defend him.
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