Becky spent the next two weeks attending her sessions, but avoiding Ryan. She purposely arrived late, just to avoid talking beforehand. She also purposely left as soon as the sessions ended.
She was hopeful that she could avoid him, but fate stepped in.
Becky arrived at work and clocked in, then took over tables. She began making drinks at the bar. She noticed a small group of men walk in out of the corner of her eye. "Sit anywhere you want, guys, I'll be right with you."
Becky turned around and saw a familiar face, seated at the table. "Becky?"
Becky sighed, but had to give them menus. She approached the table. "Welcome. Can I get you started with drinks?"
"You work here?"
"Yeah." Becky replied. She took drink orders, "I'll be right back with your drinks."
Ryan got up and went after her. "Becky?"
"What?"
"You've been giving me the cold shoulder lately. Did I do something?"
"Come on, Ryan. You have a real career."
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm a waitress. I'm poor. You're a teacher. We both know you can and will do better than me."
Becky turned around and started to walk away.
"Wait!" Ryan called out. "But what if I don't want to do better?"
"Why would you want to hold yourself and Ava back?"
"Because I don't think I'm holding us back." Ryan replied, "I want to give this a shot, Becky. Can we have dinner tomorrow night?"
"You mean like...a date?"
"If you're okay with calling it that."
"Why would you want to date a waitress?"
"Because I see that waitress has a good heart. And….I'm not gonna lie, that waitress is really easy on the eyes…"
Becky laughed. "It doesn't bother you that I didn't finish college and get a real job?"
"It doesn't bother me if it doesn't bother you. I don't care if you're a waitress, I mean, at least you have a job!"
"Why wouldn't it bother you?"
"You know, you're insecure." Ryan said. "And I don't know why you're so insecure, Becky. I mean I don't know you that well, but just from what little I know, you're a great person. And you're beautiful. I want to get to know you."
Becky sighed.
"Were you this difficult when Mark first asked you out?"
"No. I was more confident back then."
"I don't know why you wouldn't be confident now. From this angle, you have a lot going for you."
"What time tomorrow night?"
"Pick you up at six?"
"Alright." Becky replied.
The next evening….
Ryan pulled out her chair. "Thanks."
They both sat down and reviewed the menu.
"So how has Ava been?" Becky asked.
"She's good. I signed her up for preschool."
"That's good. Is she excited?"
"Yeah, she is. She's very social. She loves people."
"My nephew is only two, but I can already tell he's the same way. His name is also Mark."
"Cute! Two is a fun age. Lots of tantrums."
"He's a pretty good little guy. If he gives me too much trouble I just hand him back to my sister."
"That's the best part when they're not your kids. Giving them back."
"Sometimes I wonder how different my life would be if it had worked out. If Mark and I would've gotten pregnant, our baby would've been four now."
"It's really hard on a child to lose a parent. I know you wanted kids, but it's kind of a blessing in disguise that you didn't have any. I'm not trying to be mean, it's just reality."
"Does she miss her mom?"
"She misses having a mom, she knows all of the other kids have a mom. There are certain things I can't do, like braid her hair. Those are the times when both of us miss her mom the most."
"That's hard."
"Well, we do it day by day and we keep getting through it. Hoping each day gets a little bit better than yesterday was."
"What grade do you teach?"
"Third."
"Wow. That must be fun."
"The kids definitely keep me on my toes. Kids are great. My wife and I were hoping for three or four kids."
"Wow. Three or four, that's a house full of kids."
"I'm okay if I never have another one, though. If it's just me and Ava, at least I have her. What about you? Kids? I know you're good with kids…"
"I'm just worried about my age." Becky replied. "If I were in a relationship, I would be willing to try. I love kids, I would love to experience that…but I know that if I can even get pregnant, the clock is ticking fast."
"I haven't heard about your family."
"They're crazy." Becky laughed. "My mom and dad are very loving and they've been married since before I was born, but they're crazy. My mom is really funny. Her sister, aunt Jackie, is also around. Then there's my brother, DJ, his wife Geena, and they have a baby, Mary."
"Wow. Good sized family."
"My sister, Darlene, also lives in town and has two kids."
"My family is kind of scattered. They come up for holidays, though. I have a sister who lives in Florida with her husband and son. And my brother lives in Virginia. My parents are local, though. They moved up here from New York to help out with Ava."