The big day had arrived. The day of Louise's "date" with Rudy. She kept telling herself it was not a date, and they were not going to be in a relationship. It would basically be the same thing she had going with Benj. Just without the occasionally having casual sex part. Just friends not even friends with benefits. She knew it was just a friend date, but it had been two years since she had gone on anything even resembling a date. Benj had been gone for three and her last "date" was a setup with a girl from the creative writing class Tina taught at the community college between book deals. In a way it was pathetic being bi and still not being able to have a relationship. She had learned the terms Asexual and Demisexual and guessed that may apply to her as well. Then again maybe she was just lazy. Maybe she was married to her job. Yeah, that was it. She was married to keeping her father's dream alive. God that sounded so stupid.
Anyway, the night of the "date" arrived and even though she was ecstatic to see Rudy again and for it not to involve his daughter and her God daughter or his father. For it just to be them for the first time since high school. She was still praying for something to stop the "date." She knew that watching too much news was atrocious for her mental health, but she had been watching constantly for three days now. Still hoping for some sort of disturbance that would cancel the date.
Customers complained about the constant playing of the news. Specifically, the parents who brought their kids in to watch Kuchi Kopi, but Louise tuned them out. Giving whatever bullshit answer she could think of. Until the one person who always managed to see through her lies entered.
"Hi Louise" Tina greeted.
"Hey Tina." Louise replied.
"Wait are you watching CNN?" Tina gasped.
"Yeah, I like to keep up with current events." Louise scoffed.
"I know but it's six thirty and that has been your TV time forever." Tina reminded.
"I just want to stay informed." Louise sighed.
"OK but remember the rule mom and dad made after your little meltdown in the seventh grade?" Tina reminded.
"Tina! I am twenty-nine years old! I don't need to follow mom and dad's two hours a day rule!" Louise snapped.
"Testy" Tina sang.
"Sorry it's just I really need to keep the news on. I am waiting for a major story." Louise whispered.
"What did you set on fire?" Tina teased.
"Mouths with the Hot Tamale Triple Dog Dare Burger but that's beside the point." Louise sighed.
"OK you cleaned up your act and I am now only slightly worried you will commit a major crime but what story are you waiting for?" Tina questioned.
"Nothing specific a rat epidemic, a massive storm that is predicted to hit in the next hour and a half, the president banning people with S and B last names from eating out after eight on a Thursday night." Louise explained.
"That's oddly specific." Tina commented.
"Well, the Raticane is going to cause a major threat to public safety and dictating who can eat out is one way to…" Louise rambled.
"Louise there is no Raticane, and the president is not going to ban people from eating out. Also, I am not Gene and know exactly what is going on. So just let go and tell me the truth." Tina insisted.
"Rudy's dad is paying for us to eat out I guess to pay us back for touring the hospice with him. I know it's not a date, but I am still nervous." Louise sighed.
"Oh" Tina whispered.
"So, what sisterly advice do you have?" Lousie wondered.
"Just have fun." Tina replied.
"That's it? I am having dinner with the one true love of my life. Who can I never have and you the queen of that sub-genre of YA lit can't give me anything better than "have fun?" What a rip-off!" Louise cried.
"Look Louise this is real life. You are not a human in love with a zombie and fighting oppression. You are a human girl who let the one get away." Tina explained.
"OK I am not your allegory for Civil Rights that has won you awards and tours of the White House. I am just your baby sister. Whom helping won't get you anything." Louise scoffed.
"You are not just my baby sister, and I would love to solve this for you. I really would but I am not writing your story. You are." Tina explained.
"Wow" Louise laughed.
"Laugh all you want but it's true." Tina sighed.
"There is really nothing you can tell me?" Louise asked.
"There is one thing. It's time you told Rudy the truth." Tina insisted.
"No way Jose. If I do that, I will lose him again." Lousie sighed.
"How do you know?' Tina questioned.
"Because he wants a big family, and he can't have that with Miss. Infertile." Louise whispered.
"Louise if he loves you. He will love your infertility and all." Tina assured.
Rudy paced nervously around the living room. Suddenly he was having major doubts. Of course, he still wanted to do this, but what if Louise found out? He had cash so he didn't have to worry about Louise accidentally seeing that it was his card and so he didn't have to worry about Sylvester accidentally seeing his bank statement and wondering why Louise had stuck him with the bill. Since he had told Sylvester that Louise was the one taking him out. He hated lying but he couldn't risk anybody finding out this actually was a date. He knew he should have waited for the divorce to go through, but he just wanted Louise. He wanted to be with her so much.
"Nervous?" Sylvester asked weakly.
"Yeah" Rudy sighed.
"Don't worry Louise knows you aren't ready. Like you said she just wants to treat you. Because she knows you are going through a lot." Sylvester assured.
"Yeah" Rudy sighed.
"Is there something you aren't telling me?" Sylvester asked.
"No nothing" Rudy laughed.
Louise closed up the restaurant. She did the critical closing routine but left the rest for after the date. No, it wasn't a date. Why did she keep thinking about it as one? She rushed upstairs, had the world's fastest shower, and changed into the outfit Tina had picked out for her. It was cute but not flirty. It was nice but not too where she would be overdressed in a more casual locale. Rudy pulled up at eight fifteen. Just as she was bounding down the stairs.
"Hey Louise" Rudy greeted.
"Hello Rudes" Louise replied.
"You look pretty." Rudy commented.
"So do you. I mean you look handsome. Not that a man can't be pretty if he wants to be." Louise rambled.
"Thank you." Rudy replied.
Rudy ended up choosing "Greece Two" as the location for his "date" with Louise. It wasn't super out of the way but far enough to where they weren't super likely to run into anyone they knew. Even if they did it wasn't the type of place Chloe's friends would even look at much less eat at. It also wasn't super romantic and hopefully wouldn't give Louise the wrong idea. Plus, he knew Louise liked that place. They had eaten there after that Mud Stains concert she had drug him too. Right before she dumped him.
"This place just doesn't hit the same since the Mud Stains broke up." Louise sighed.
"The worst day ever as you put it." Rudy recalled.
"They were the musical icons of our generation." Louise insisted.
"They were loud." Rudy rebutted.
"What's wrong with loud?" Louise demanded.
"Nothing it's just music should have heart." Rudy clarified.
"The Mud Stains were full of heart." Louise insisted.
"When you could understand them, I suppose." Rudy replied.
"So, how's your dad?" Louise asked to change the subject.
"OK" Rudy replied.
"I guess that's better than bad." Louise commented.
"Yeah. How's your family?" Rudy asked.
"Mom and dad are OK. They are helping Gayle move to Florida next month. Which I guess means that they will be moving to Florida soon." Louise explained.
"Oh?" Rudy commented.
"Yeah, you know how my mom is with Gayle." Louise replied.
"True. Will you be OK with that?" Ruey asked.
"I guess I mean at least they aren't dying or anything. Oh, shit sorry!" Louise gasped.
"It's OK" Rudy assured.
"So how are your mom and Paul?" Louise asked.
"They are doing great." Rudy replied.
"Good and Sylvie?" Lousie questioned.
"She is great. How is the rest of your family?" Rudy asked.
"Tina is having another girl." Louise replied.
"How does Lily feel about that?" Rudy asked.
"She is thrilled. I think she is hoping this one will be girly, and Tina will finally have somebody to do girly stuff with." Louise explained.
"Lily sure takes after you." Rudy commented.
"She does" Rudy agreed.
"How are the other kids?" Rudy asked.
"ZJ and Bobby are really looking forward to high school. ZJ more than Bobby but they are both really excited. Mason has mixed feelings about them leaving. On one hand he is excited about being out of their shadow but on the other he is scared about not having his big brothers to protect him anymore and worried about being the older sibling." Louise explained.
"What about Zeke?" Rudy asked.
"He is still working at Delicate Doily and coaching wrestling." Louise replied.
"How about Gene and his family?" Rudy questioned.
"Gene and Elliot are still nauseatingly in love and annoying first-time parents. Hans is doing great. Mainly because he is too young to know his legal name is Hans Gruber Nakatomi Sampson Belcher." Louise explained.
"Yeah, that is going to be rough." Rudy laughed.
"Seriously what were they thinking?" Louise questioned.
"So, what would you name your babies?" Rudy asked.
"Nothing because I am not having kids." Louise scoffed. It was true she didn't want kids and usually these questions didn't bother her, but it was different with Rudy.
"Sorry about that. I forgot it's not polite to ask people about babies." Rudy apologized.
"It's OK. Oh, I saw the Pesto twins the other day." Louise replied, changing the subject.
"Oh? How are they?" Rudy asked.
"Great! They are working at Jimmy Junior's dance school." Louise replied.
"Really?" Rudy laughed while Jimmy Junior had become an excellent dancer his brothers had about as much grace as an elephant with vertigo.
"Andy is a receptionist and Ollie does maintenance." Louise clarified.
"Ah OK" Rudy replied.
Louise and Rudy enjoyed their meal and the two desserts they ordered in order to keep talking, but eventually the diner was about to close. Not wanting to be those people. They moved to a bar down the street "Bar Sighted" was relatively new compared to other businesses in the area and took full advantage of occupying a former optometrist's office. It seemed strange to Louise them going to a bar. Rudy had to really watch his alcohol intake due to his asthma and Louise wasn't much of a drinker. At least not anymore. She had definitely sewed her wild oats in college. She was relieved her wakeup call was an unfortunate tattoo. Considering people from her friend group ended up getting kicked out of school, arrested, and worse. Rudy ordered a fruity drink and Louise a beer.
"Remember that time we went skiing with the Pesto family?" Rudy commented.
"I remember Jimmy Junior had just come out and decided to further shatter Tina's heart by revealing he had a crush on Gene. Then they both ended up invited to go skiing and my mom managed to score me a pity invitation." Louise recalled.
"Yeah, but remember that one night when Jimmy Junior brought us those peppermint, frozen hot chocolates and told us it was schnapps?" Rudy laughed.
"I remember the forty-five-minute voicemail you left for your mom apologizing for getting drunk." Louise recalled.
"That was the first time we kissed." Rudy commented.
"Right and then you freaked out and Mrs. Pesto or whatever her last name is now found you crying in the hot tub. Thinking that, I was going to think that you had taken advantage of me.
"I mean I did think you were drunk, and I kissed you." Rudy pointed out.
"We both thought we were drunk, and I've seen middle school stage kisses with more passion than that pathetic little peck on my lips." Louise remembered.
"Of course, then my mom drove out to pick us up and we all had a good laugh." Rudy recalled.
"Except for Jimmy Junior. I swear I heard his mom yelling at him a mile away." Louise laughed.
"That was also the trip where you confessed to like-liking me." Rudy recalled.
"Ugh do you have to make me sound so childish?" Louise groaned.
"I mean we were children." Rudy reminded.
"And we did think we were drunk." Louise added.
"God we were stupid." Rudy laughed.
"Jimmy could be convincing." Louise sighed.
"I'm glad he got his life turned around. Andy and Ollie said he was headed down a bad road when we were at Wagstaff. Especially when his dad almost lost the restaurant." Rudy commented.
"Right because of the rat roaches or roach rats. Whatever they were I was hoping they would hit the town tonight." Louise replied.
"Why?" Rudy gasped.
"Because I was worried that you would think that I saw this as a date." Louise confessed.
"Would it bother you if this were a date?" Rudy questioned.
"Not really but you aren't ready." Louise sighed.
"What if I were?" Rudy asked.
"Well, I mean if you're ready…" Louise trailed off.
"Chloe ripped my heart out and I was honestly wondering if I would ever love again, but after reconnecting with you. I realized something. I never stopped loving you." Rudy explained.
"I never stopped loving you either." Louise admitted.
"So again, why did you dump me?" Rudy questioned.
"Like I said it's a long story and I am not ready to share it with you just yet." Louise replied.
"OK but if we are going to date. I need to know." Rudy insisted.
"Of course, just let me have a little more time." Louise relented.
"OK" Rudy replied.
Louise officially had the ultimatum she had been dreading. Tell Rudy the truth or lose him forever. She knew he would have to find out eventually. She just wished it didn't have to be so soon. Part of her was hoping that Tina and Gene would let the cat out of the bag before she had to. Neither of them were very good at keeping secrets and honestly, she was surprised they had stayed silent this long.
"So how did it go?" Tina asked as she entered the restaurant the following morning.
"Great it went great." Louise replied.
"You don't sound so sure." Tina commented.
"If I wanted to talk to mom. I would have called mom." Louise sighed.
"We may be adults, but I am still your big sister and part of being a big sister is looking out for your younger siblings." Tina explained.
"Well, I don't need you to look out for me. Besides you couldn't do anything about it if I wanted you to." Louise explained.
"So, Rudy wants to know your secret?" Tina guessed.
"Yeah" Louise sighed.
"Look he is going to find out eventually and he cares very deeply about you. The best advice I can give is to just tell him the truth. Which is exactly what I told you when you were first sick." Tina reminded.
"I get it! It's my fault Rudy and I spent the past fourteen years completely miserable! I am the reason Sylvie is the product of a broken home! I am the reason Sylvester had to be at death's door to be reunited with his son! I ruined four lives by not telling the truth fourteen years ago! I am the worst! I've always been terrible! I deserve to be miserable!" Louise snapped.
"Louise, yes things would have been easier if you had told the truth, but Rudy did not have to marry Chloe. Yes, Sylvie is the product of a broken home, but Rudy loves her, and she is a great kid and it's good she exists. Rudy could have stood his ground and insisted Chloe come back here more. Nothing that happened has anything to do with you." Tina assured.
"Then why do I feel so lousy?" Louise questioned.
"Because you loved Rudy and you have mourned for him for years." Tina explained.
"How do I tell him?" Louise whimpered.
"The truth plain and simple. Rudy, I can't have kids." Tina explained.
"What if he asks why?" Louise questioned.
"Louise, I know you don't like thinking about it. Because even though I know you don't want to admit it. You were really scared, but it's time to admit it. You had cancer. You had cancer but you beat it and now you have a second chance. A second chance at life and a second chance with Rudy." Tina explained.
"A second chance with Rudy." Louise whispered she never thought she would see the day.