Mella looks over her shoulder at the car, and sighs softly. “Can you believe our girl’s in her second year of college?”
“Nope. Yesterday she was a toddler who wouldn’t let go of my legs the minute I walked in the door.”
Mella laughs softly, turning back to me with a shake of her head. “Time sure flies.”
“Yes, it does.”
We gaze at each other, and for just a second, maybe we both see the people we were all those years ago, when our family was small and new. Before the yelling and the arguing and the finger-pointing started. But it passes quickly, as it always does, and now we’re just two people in our mid-40s, looking at someone we once loved, but who is now as good as a stranger.
Weird feeling.
I clear my throat and nod at the car. “Go on, you’ve got a drive ahead of you.” I raise my eyebrows with a smile. “And someone waiting on you.”
“He’s nice.” Mella seems surprised that she said that, and quickly averts her gaze.
“I’m glad.” And I’m not even lying. I am glad.
Mella mutters a quickBye, and darts to her car, dropping into her seat and gunning the engine. Before she’s left the driveway, music starts to blare from the car’s speakers, and I can’t help but grin when I recognize one of Laurie’s latest K-Pop obsessions. The sound fades into the distance as they drive down my street, and then I’m alone in my drive again.
Yes, I’m glad. And maybe also a little jealous.
The sun is streaming into my kitchen, and I stand barefoot on the hardwood floor as I pour myself a coffee. I look out at the trees that border my yard, and wonder what I should do for the rest of the afternoon. I have papers to grade, and a thesis to work on. And I should really hit the gym. Laurie’s arrival a few daysago completely up-ended my workout routine, and I am way too old to not notice taking a few days off.
Getting older really sucks sometimes.
The doorbell surprises me, and with a laugh I head down the hall. Of course Laurie forgot something. She always does. Like clockwork.
I open the door, ready to chide her with a,You’d forget your head if it wasn’t screwed on, and stop short. Because it’s not Laurie at the door. It’s a pretty young woman with long, coppery-auburn hair and light brown eyes, a big smile on her face.
“Amber, what are you doing here?”
Amber shrugs, her hands tucked away behind her back. “I was kind of hoping to see Laurie if she’s home, too.”
“Sorry, honey, you just missed her.” I gesture down the street. “She’s gone to Connecticut with her mom, to see her grandparents.”
“Oh, shoot.” Amber frowns, puffing out a sigh. “I’ve missed her so much. We’ve only been able to FaceTime a few times since we went back.”
I regard my daughter’s best friend with sympathy. “Oh, that’s too bad, honey. She’ll be back Tuesday though.”
Amber’s face brightens. “Great! Maybe I can see her then.”
“I am sure she will make time for you.” I expect this young woman to say a friendly goodbye, and flounce off down my drive in her short skirt and thigh-high socks. But she doesn’t. She just stands there, smiling at me.
“You doing anything exciting this weekend?” She asks.
I lean against the door frame and shake my head. “Not really, just going to be hanging out at home, maybe heading to the gym. You know, exciting old guy stuff.”
Amber rolls her eyes with a giggle. “You arenotold.”
The compliment sounds nice coming from a woman who just celebrated her 20th birthday, but I laugh and shake my head. “I am disgustingly old compared to you, and do disgustingly boring things accordingly.”
“I have never seen an old man with muscles like yours,” Amber counters, and quickly bites her lip. “Sorry, that probably sounded a little forward.”
Goddamn, this girl is gonna make me blush.You need to get out more, old man. I wave my hand dismissively with an embarrassed chuckle.
“Hey, coming from a pretty girl like you, I’ll take it.” I take a sip of my coffee to stop myself from saying anything else that could be even creepier. “And you? You and your parents doing anything exciting this weekend?”
“My parents are out of town.” Amber tugs on the sleeve of her rusty brown sweater, pulling it down over her wrist. “My brother has some giant football game in Boston, so they’ve all gone down for that.”
