Page 49 of Be My Valentine

I’m not a graduate student.

“I invited him,” Emma informed him, “Kate can introduce you to him, I imagine you’ll want to snag him for something book-related.”

“Sort of.” Laughed her husband.

“Damn it. I want to go back to work, give me a skyscraper to build!” Emma complained.

“I can’t even imagine how hard it was to walk away from college with a prospect like that.” Phil told her.

“Actually, I didn’t.” Kate shrugged her shoulders.

Emma opened her mouth and closed it a couple of times.

We got a goldfish at the table.

“You’re telling me he told you when we were together, ranting like a madman?”

“Yeah…”

“Oh, Kate! But why didn’t you tell me anything? We were supposed to be celebrating, getting drunk, I mean, not me, given my condition, but I would have gladly taken you home after a good hangover. What did your mother say? She must be over the moon!”

Kate closed her eyes. Exhausted, she tightened her eyelids, but a traitorous tear escaped between her lashes.

“I want to go home.” She said only, lowering her head.

“Dress first!” Judith smiled “Now we’ll calm down, enjoy trying on some dresses, then you’ll at least taste dessert. Come on Emma, let’s go to your room!”

Kate felt her arm pull, she looked up and met her friend’s bright eyes, yes, she considered her a friend.

“Come with me.” She told her simply.

Chapter 19 / Mark

I love you. You are too important a thought

To be clutched in one hand,

you’re a recurring song in my dreams.

Love is a word of light,

Written by a hand of light

on a page of light.

(Khalil Gibran)

As soon as they were upstairs, Mark cursed.

“Fuck!” He furiously ran a hand through his hair.

His father served him a whiskey in the middle of dinner.

“So,” he began, “when were you planning on telling us?”

Now was not the time to deny or minimize.

“It’s early. We had already decided that she would find another position; I haven’t forgotten your policy on studying.”