Persuasion is not mine. It belongs to Jane Austen. James Wardhill will be the William Elliot of the story.
The next day, I went to The Inferno Café to meet James Wardhill. I wore a white dress with a blue flower design and a short-sleeved white sweater. I wore half of my dark brown hair up and put on some makeup for once. I knew Molly would ask James how I had looked.
Molly had called me that morning and told me to look for a tall blond man in a light blue button-down shirt and gray slacks. He was waiting for me at an outside table. He stood up when he saw me. "Anne Elliot?" he asked.
"Yes."
He smiled. I had to admit he had a nice smile. "I'm James." He pulled out a chair for me. I sat down and he sat back down in his chair.
"Molly never told me how pretty you were," James said.
I felt myself blushing. "Thank you." I didn't know when was the last time someone had called me pretty.
A waitress came with glasses of water and our menus. "Do either of you want anything else to drink?"
"I'll have a cup of coffee," James answered.
"I'll have a glass of orange juice," I said.
"I'll be back," the waitress said.
"So? Molly said you're an English teacher."
"Yeah, I am. I teach freshmen and sophomores. Next year, I'll start teaching an AP Language class to the juniors."
"Do you like teaching?" James asked.
"I like making a difference even if it's only a few students," I said. "Do you like being an accountant?" I looked at my menu. I thought that waffles sounded good.
James shrugged. "I make good money. Why did you decide to teach?"
"Because I wanted to help people and share my passion for English literature. I might go for my doctorate in a couple of years."
James raised an eyebrow. The waitress came back with our drinks and set them on our table. "Do you know what you want or do either of you need more time?"
"I'll take the waffles with strawberries and a side of sausage," I said.
"I'll have the French toast with a side of bacon," James said. The waitress took our menus and went to wait on another customer.
I sat back in my chair and looked around. It was a sunny, almost cloudless day with a slight breeze. I enjoyed this weather more than the humid heat we start having in late spring. It was early May and summer would be here soon. I knew most of my summer would be spent helping Mary with my nephews and planning for her daughter. Would the rest of life be spent fulfilling my family's wishes?"
"Earth to Anne. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Just thinking."
"About what?"
"What I'm doing this summer." I sipped my orange juice.
"What are you going to do?"
"Spend time with my family."
"I'm going on a business trip to Des Moines at the end of June," James said.
"Sounds like fun." Our food came and our conversation dwindled to the occasional comment.
As we left the café, James kissed me on the cheek and asked for my number. I gave it to him, but I wasn't sure if I would go out with him again. I was sure he liked me, but I couldn't commit to another serious relationship.
I know Molly wanted me to find someone, but I could only be with someone of whom my family approved. They hadn't approved of Rick and I was sure they would like James. Why did my life depend so much on others' opinions?
Molly and I helped Dad and Elizabeth find a new apartment within their budget. They weren't happy about the whole situation, but there wasn't much they could do.
My childhood home was rented out to Admiral Croft and his wife, Sophie. Sophie was a pediatric oncologist and had just been transferred to St. Jude's Hospital. She would start in September after she had her first child. That was Molly told me.
What I didn't tell Molly was that Sophie was Rick's older sister and had just married Admiral Croft when Rick and I announced our engagement at the wedding. I had gone to their wedding and had a lot of fun meeting Rick's extended family.
I didn't go to meet the Crofts with John Shepherd and Molly when they moved in. I wasn't sure what Sophie thought of me. I thought it would be better not to find out. The thought didn't work out.