“He’s probably just in the class to pick up the ladies,” Michael offered.
“You think so?” Angela asked him.
“Hey, I know how men’s minds work,” he told her.
Yes, she was sure he did.
He had made a good point, however.
“Well, in that case; he’s not a sissy, he’s a scoundrel,” Dot told them.
“I still think you should still give him a chance. I really do,” Angela told her.
“I’ll think about it.”
“Well, think about it hard. It’s not often that love comes around. You owe it to yourself to see if this guy is it.”
“Oh... looks like we have a hopeless romantic in our midst,” Michael teased.
He was making her quite uncomfortable again. And once again, she quickly changed the subject.
“So who’s the architecture aficionado?” she asked, looking at all the architectural pen and ink drawings on the walls.
“That’s me,” Michael offered. “That’s my obsession.” He leaned back in his chair, staring at the wall. “When I was younger, I debated between careers in architecture and computer science.”
“I believe he made the right choice,” Dot added.
“Most likely.” He smiled at his mother.
“He’s not just a little successful. This house is over 20 000 square feet,” she told Angela matter-of-factly. Michael shifted in his chair, uncomfortable. Dot was obviously very proud of her son.
“So you chose architecture?” Angela asked half joking, half guessing.
“No. I chose Computer Science. I designed sophisticated order processing software for on-line transactions for large companies in the 90’s. I was just out of college.”
“Oh yes. The internet just took off in the early 90’s,” she tried to sound knowledgeable.
“Architecture has remained my passion. There are beautiful architectural details all through this house.”
“Nice crown molding,” she offered, looking up and realizing she had no clue what she was talking about. Well, maybe she didn’t know much about architecture, but she certainly appreciated art.
“I was admiring your collection of artwork of doors the first time I came here,” she told him. “They’re beautiful.”
“Didn’t you come here to read to me?” Dot interrupted.
Oh yes, that.
“You’re absolutely right. What book did you choose?”
“You know she is perfectly capable of reading on her own. You’re just spoiling her,” Michael joked.
“It’s ok. I don’t mind,” she told him. Dot handed her the book.
“Well, I guess I’ll be going.” He grabbed another chocolate before getting up.
Dot had chosenWuthering Heightsby Emily Bronte. Angela was in no way surprised by her choice; a classic with a lot of drama. And she knew Dot loved drama. Dot was as miserly as the character of Heathcliff; she probably related to him. And of course, it was a long book; Angela wouldn’t be getting out of this arrangement any time soon.
Just as they were about to start on Chapter One, Michael came back in. “Angela...” He hesitated. “There are many other collections throughout the house. I could give you a tour later on.” She felt a rush of excitement. She was very much interested in seeing them; tour guide not withstanding.
