Chapter 10

Late Saturday afternoon Topanga received a text from Lucas "Could you and Mr. Matthews meet me for lunch tomorrow afternoon without telling Riley, I would like to talk to you both." Riley and Auggie were both in their rooms so Topanga handed the phone to Cory to read. "What do you think this is about?" Cory asked warily. "Probably to talk about Texas and what to do to cheer Riley up" Topanga answered. At Cory's dubious look she continued. "Come on Cory she's wanted to go to New York University since she was 7, now she gets in and can barely fake a smile? I think we should meet him and see what he has to say." At Cory's half-hearted shrug she responded to Lucas text and they agreed to meet the next day at Keke's Breakfast Café 4 blocks from their apartment.

At 1 pm the next day Cory and Topanga prepared to leave, telling the kids they were going out for lunch and would be back soon. "Wait you aren't taking us?" Auggie asked. "Sorry Bubba", Cory responded, "this time it's just your mom and me, next time I promise we will take you." They arrived at the restaurant to find a nervous Lucas waiting at a table. Lucas shook hands with Cory, but Topanga pulled him in for a hug. After they had been handed their menus and given the waitress their drink orders, Cory leaned in "so what's this all about, Texas right?" Lucas looked very uncomfortable for a minute and looked away. "No sir" he replied softly, it's about me asking Riley to marry me." Cory's jaw dropped in shock and he jumped to his feet. "I knew you were going to be the one to break me" he hissed just before storming out of the restaurant. The waitress came back to take their orders and noticed Cory hurrying through the door. "Is he coming back?" she asked. Topanga laughed a little, "no, he's not, but we will be ordering, go ahead Lucas." After they ordered Lucas leaned over the table with a worried expression. "Should we go after him, I really don't want him to tell Riley." Topanga patted his hand reassuredly. "Relax Lucas, I've known that man for 30 years, he will go walk it off and wait for me to come back in the lobby of our building. Now, you and I need to talk about this announcement, have you really thought this through? I know you and Riley love each other, you'd be a fool not to see it, but you've only been back together a few months, now you are going to Texas and Riley will be in New York. I really think you should wait to ask her until you see how you handle the distance." Lucas stopped her and pulled out a letter. "I'm not going to Texas, I applied to NYU without telling anyone, I received my acceptance letter yesterday." Topanga looked at him confused "but Cory said you committed to Texas on a baseball scholarship, it was announced at the school". Lucas hurried to reassure her "I verbally committed to Texas; I have until June 15th to formally commit." The food arrived at that moment and both took a second to eat a few bites.

After a pause, Topanga tried a different tack. "Lucas, it's great you got into NYU as well, but what about Vet school, and what about your baseball scholarship, you'll lose that money." "NYU has a great Vet school" Lucas replied, "and yes, I know I'll be giving up the scholarship money, but being with Riley is more important. Besides, let's be realistic, I am good at baseball, but I'm not MLB good, and I can live without it, I can't live without her." As Topanga opened her mouth to protest, Lucas jumped in, "Mrs. Matthews, Riley told me you got into Yale University but didn't go, why didn't you". Topanga smiled faintly as she remembered "Mr. Feeny told me I should go to Yale unless I had a really good reason not to, and I did, it was Cory. I know where you are coming from Lucas. But you need to understand what you are asking" She heaved a sigh then took a couple more bites of her omelet. "Eat your food; I'm going to tell you a story."

"My life was always very planned" she began, "except for one thing: Riley. We were seniors in college when we found out I was pregnant, I had been on the pill but a medication I was taking weakened it. That was the hardest time of our lives. She was born just before we graduated, and I had to get right back to studying for finals. Cory's mom came up for a few weeks to take care of Riley while I was in class and Cory was student teaching, but she had Josh at home and couldn't stay long. As soon as I graduated, Amy left and Cory and I had to juggle two part time jobs to pay the bills and pay for daycare all summer. Then when I started law school I continued to work two part time jobs and Cory taught full-time then was a full-time dad while I either worked or studied. I didn't spend the time I wanted to with Riley, and Cory and I barely spent any time at all together, it put a huge strain on our marriage." She paused to look Lucas in the eye. "Riley doesn't know she wasn't intentional, and YOU WILL NOT TELL HER, understood." Lucas hurriedly nodded yes before Topanga continued. "Somehow I made it through law school and the rookie lawyer routine without completely alienating my daughter or destroying my marriage, and things have been good since, but there is a reason there is so much of a gap between Riley and Auggie. Lucas, I know you love her, but why do you want to rush into the next stage of your life, you have your whole lives ahead of you?" Lucas paused and looked down a minute thinking. "I plan to ask Riley at graduation, but I also plan to have a long engagement, probably two years. We both need to focus on school and plan the wedding slowly. And as much as I would love to live with her, I think we should both live with our parents until we get married." Topanga rapidly shook her head yes in agreeance. Lucas looked Topanga firmly in the eye, "I know it's fast, but what can I tell you, she's the one I want to spend the rest of my life with, and I know she feels the same way." Topanga sighed and grabbed the check over Lucas protests. "Whatever you do, don't ask her during the commencement ceremony" Topanga said as they left, leaving a puzzled Lucas to try to understand what she meant.

Topanga arrived at the lobby of their apartment building to find a still frustrated Cory waiting for her, just as she predicted. "Well, did you have a nice lunch?" he asked sarcastically. Topanga gave him a warning look before answering, "yes, and you would have to if you hadn't huffed off and let Lucas talk, Keke's has great food." As Cory rolled his eyes Topanga continued "Cory, Lucas is 18 and Riley will be in a few days, we can't stop this, now calm down and come upstairs, and not a word to Riley." As they headed for the elevator, Cory muttered, "I may not be able to stop it, but I'll be damned if he gets my blessing".