A/N UPDATED to make a few things make more sense later on.
Rufus sat at his desk with his headphones in his ears typing away at his keyboard. He was engrossed with the beauty of the physics involved with his newest idea. He jumped when Anthony placed a hand on his back. Anthony chucked at his surprise.
"Anthony, man, you need to have some respect for my heart. You're going to feel bad when I have a heart attack one of these days."
"I would if it wasn't so funny watching you jump. Look, it's nearly two o'clock and I know for a fact you haven't had lunch. Why don't you take a break and grab something to eat. The food trucks are still out there. Take Jiya with you, talk to her. You may be surprised."
Rufus tilted his head, trying to figure out what his boss was actually saying. "Yeah, I think I'll just have a nice quiet meal to myself. I have a lot to think about with this new project and all. Thanks anyway Anthony."
Rufus walked into the sunshine blinking tears from his eyes. After the darkness of the building and staring at his computer screen without a break for nearly six hours his eyes were protesting the brightness of the outdoors. His nose led him to the row of food trucks a block away. There were still several people taking advantage of the trucks services, even this late in the day. He ended up behind two people in line at a truck selling pizza by the slice. He placed his order and found a place in the shade to eat. He thought of what Anthony said about Jiya and wondered why he would be surprised to talk to her.
With a belly full of pizza Rufus made his way back to his computer and the problems waiting for him there. Before he could return to his work Jiya walked by his desk to return to her own. He could not make himself stop staring at her. She gave him a small smile and a wiggle of her fingers as she passed. That was all he ever got from her, and it was the best part of his day. He knew that made him rather pathetic in the dating department. He just did not know see a way around it without actually asking her out on a date.
His day ended when Anthony once again startled him.
"Man, there will be a heart attack one day. Just you wait and see."
"The day's done Rufus. I promised Enid I would bring you home with me so she can fuss over you. Besides, the kids love losing to you when they play video games, but when I win I'm just mean old dad," he said with a smile.
He pulled Rufus up and turned him toward the exit. "I think Enid is making chicken parmesan."
"That's my favorite. Are you sure Enid won't adopt me? My mom won't mind too much."
"I'm positive I don't want to adopt you. Let's go."
Rufus followed Anthony's car towards a good home cooked meal. He was actually looking forward to it. He missed his mom and Enid was the San Francisco-next-best-thing. He knew the price of Enid's mothering would be Anthony's teasing but he could handle that. He knew his boss wanted him to be happy, and he thought asking Jiya out would make that happen. The problem with that was that he was terrified to talk to her. He had no idea if she liked him at all, and it would just make things even more awkward if she said no.
He pulled up to a stop on the street in front of the Bruhl home just as Anthony was getting out of his car. He followed the older man though the front door to the divine smells emanating from Enid's kitchen.
"Look who followed me home," Anthony called.
Enid poked her curious head out of the kitchen. She broke out into a huge smile and their two teenage boys, Kenneth and Jakob looked up from the school books in their laps.
"Hey Rufus," the boys called out.
"Oh, look who decides to stop by. I've been telling Anthony to bring you home for a month now, and when do you show up? On the day that I'm making chicken parmesan, that's when," Enid said with a serious expression that she could not quite hold. "I'm glad you could come Rufus," she said.
She gave up on being stern and smiled as she pulled him into a fierce hug. He was struggling to breathe in Enid's firm grip even as he tried to respond to requests to play video games with the teenagers. Their mother released him to tell them their homework must be complete and thorough before any games would be played.
Supper was not quite ready so Rufus followed Anthony into the living room for a drink. The Bruhl sons settled back to their homework at their father's raised eyebrows and a pointed look toward the kitchen. Rufus accepted the tumbler from Anthony and took a sip as he relaxed into the comfort of the chair. The two men talked quietly about the odds and statistics of the 49'ers season until Enid called them all to the table.
"Rufus," Enid asked as she passed him the salad bowl. "When are you going to ask Jiya out? She is such a sweet girl. The two of you would be perfect together."
He served himself a bit of salad and passed the bowl on as he tried to think of an answer.
"I may have to ask her out for him one day," Anthony joked.
Everyone had a good laugh as Rufus ducked his head and took a bite of chicken. From there the conversation moved on to Kenneth's new girlfriend and the boys' schoolwork. Rufus told them about the new Star Wars theories he had read about recently while Enid regaled the table about her kindergarten students' antics. The evening meal was filled with good food, good conversation, and a feeling of family for Rufus. The youngest two Bruhls were charged with clean up duty when a dessert of brownies and ice cream was finished.
Rufus was a little relieved to not be playing video games with the boys since their homework was not finished. He just wanted to rest his eyes to ward off the headache he could feel growing behind his eyes. The three adults talked while boys cleaned the kitchen, their banter a soothing background noise. Not too long after the kitchen had been declared clean Enid sent Rufus home with leftovers and an admonishment to come by more often.
For the rest of the evening Rufus let the NASA channel play in the background as he talked to his mother on the phone. His brother was playing basketball with friends so they were able to have a nice long talk without the brothers getting sidetracked. He laid on his couch and listened as his mother told him all the gossip from her beauty shop. Her voice soothed him and took him back in time. He worked to stay in that feeling even as he told her all the new rumors that were flying around Mason Industries. He told her about his evening with the Bruhls and their teasing about Jiya. When his mother bid him good night he set his alarm and fell asleep on his couch.
"Amy, I'm home," Lucy called from the open front door.
She shut the door and locked it behind her. Walking through the kitchen she dumped her purse and book bag wearily on the island and shed her sweater. It landed on the nearest barstool as she dug through her purse the Snickers bar from under her wallet and various receipts. With the chocolate in her hand she made her way to the downstairs guest room. Amy looked up as she walked in the door.
"How did it go?"
"They said they 'would not be opposed to revisiting the topic of my tenure in a couple of years.' I'm telling you Amy, I was so mad I thought I was going to lose it in there. So, I handed in my resignation and told them this would be my last semester. They said there was no need to be hasty and that I was a 'valued member of the staff'. I did not tell them about that job offer from City College." She finished her air quote filled rant and fell toward the door frame, letting the house hold her up for the moment.
Amy broke into a huge smile. "Way to go! They don't deserve you. So I guess this means you decided to take the job at City then?" She asked with a cheeky grin.
"Well, I mean, I wasn't sure until my meeting with the board this afternoon. I know that department is mom's legacy, and I really wanted to stay, but let's face it. Mom's never going to know I quit. She's never going to be disappointed that I-" Lucy stopped as her emotions overwhelmed her.
Amy had tears in her eyes as well as she hugged her sister. They were losing their mother and there was nothing they could do about it. Lucy released her sister and walked to her mother's bed. She placed the Snickers bar in the growing pile on the nightstand and leaned down to kiss her mother's cheek. It was soft and warm and smelled like her childhood. Her eyes began to water again as she bid her mother a good night and told her she would check on her later. Sniffing, she turned to Amy and took her by the arm. Together they made their way to the kitchen for a glass of wine. The rest of their evening was spent making plans for Lucy's upcoming job change.
The next morning Lucy awoke to the sunlight streaming through a crack in her blinds. For once she felt well rested and ready for the day. She looked at her phone and noted that her alarm would go off in another forty-two minutes. That meant she had time to enjoy her morning. It was with a small, but bright, smile that Lucy got out of bed to begin her day. She used the extra time to think of a plan for the day. As she sipped her coffee in the chair by her mother's bed she decided she would call her contact at City College and accept their offer, with the few terms and conditions she and Amy had discussed the evening before as they had enjoyed their wine. She would do that after breakfast.
Her morning had begun so well with bacon and eggs with Amy. City College had agreed to her conditions and there was a position waiting for her when the spring semester was began. She and Amy had done a small celebratory dance together in the kitchen when she finished her phone call. She was surprised to find she was looking forward to it, even as she felt like crying for leaving her mother's department. However, her mood soured a little as soon as she walked toward her office and found her boss waiting for her at her office door. He did not look happy.
"What is this I hear about you handing in your resignation?"
"If I'm not getting tenure, then I'm going to go somewhere that appreciates me and the hard work that I do."
He searched her face as realization hit. "You already have a position lined up don't you?"
Lucy lifted her chin and dared him to argue a point for Stanford as she said, "As a matter of fact I do. I accepted their offer this morning, after I was told I would not be considered for tenure. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an appointment in ten minutes that I need to prepare for."
"I'm sorry it's come to this Lucy. You really are a fantastic teacher. We'll talk more later, okay?"
"Of course. Have a good day."
Lucy sighed as she sat down her desk to begin her day. She had several students who had made appointments with her to go over their upcoming final research papers. They would fill her time for the next two hours before she would teach her first of her classes that day. After four students she discovered she had time for a short break. She took note of the appointment schedule on the door on her way out and noticed that nearly all the spaces were filled, which meant all of her students would have their midterm assignments soon. She nodded to herself in satisfaction as she locked her office and made her way down the hall.
She made good use of the fifteen minute break to get a cup of coffee from the break room and step out into the fresh air and soak in a bit of sunshine. There was a bit of chill in the fall air and she was looking forward to winter and everything that went with it. With one last deep breath of autumn air she took her empty coffee mug back to her office to await the next student.
The day went by quickly for Lucy. Between classes she had worked with many of her students to match the subject of their papers with a piece of history that would interest them. Her last appointment of the day was scheduled to show up soon. Lucy read up on the woman from the file on her desk. She had too many students to know them all personally. This woman was a non-traditional student, divorced, and majoring in social work. She was a part-time student, but her grades said she was committed to her degree. Lucy hoped she stuck with it. She looked up to the knock on the door frame. A pretty, young woman with blonde hair and bright smile walked into the room. Lucy knew her face.
"Dr. Preston? I'm Jessica Logan. I have an appointment to discuss my midterm."
"Yes, of course. Please come in Jessica."
"You can call me Jess. Nearly everyone does," she offered.
"Alright, Jess. Tell me what eras in American history interest you and we'll see what we can come up with for your paper."
As she talked to Jess she could tell that she would like her as a person and not just as a student. Lucy almost regretted that she was leaving Stanford. She would have liked to strike up a friendship with someone near her age that didn't work for the school. It had been a really long time since she had seen any of her friends for a night out, and even longer since she had made any new friends. She was lonely. Lucy shook herself out of her own thoughts and focused on Jess and finding her the subject that would work best for her.
Two hours later she was perusing the produce section at the grocery store when Amy called her crying. She told her to come home quickly. Lucy left her half full cart and rushed home to find the hospice nurse checking her mother while Amy cried at the end of the bed. When she entered the room Amy grasped her in a tight hug.
"She's fading. She may not last the night," Amy cried into her shoulder.
Lucy could feel the tears running down her cheeks as she held onto her sister for dear life. She did not want to lose her mother. She was not ready. The nurse sympathetically patted her shoulder as she left the room. She would stay at the house until she was no longer needed. The evening passed in silence as the sisters sat on either side of the bed and held one of their mother's hands. At 3:32 am Carol Preston passed away holding both her daughters' hands.
A/N There will be updates soon. I haven't actually written any more of it, but I have notes and ideas galore.
