Kintsugi
Part 3
"Artemis, calm down," Zatanna said. "You're just meeting him for a drink."
Artemis shifted her phone to her other ear as she left her closet. "You know what? I'm calling Mitchell to cancel."
"You're doing no such thing," Zatanna said.
"I helped him carry a rug. There's no reason for all this."
She eyed the clothes scattered across her bed. She had been trying on outfits for almost an hour. A skirt seemed too dressy. None of her pants looked right. Did she wear boots? Sneakers?
"Gah! Why is this so hard?" Artemis groaned as she flopped across her bed.
"Maybe because you might like this guy. Just a little."
"It was never this hard with Wally."
Zatanna laughed. "Do I have to remind you of all of the drama that happened before you and Wally became you and Wally?"
"No," Artemis said sourly. She blew a section of hair out of her face. "What am I going to do here, Zee?"
"Boots, jeans, that shirt you wear the last time we went out, leather jacket. Ponytail. Simple make-up. Done."
"Why didn't I call you sooner?"
"No idea. Now get ready and call me later with all the details."
"Bye, Zee."
"Bye, Artemis. And good luck!"
scene change scene change scene change scene change scene change
"So you do drink beer," Mitchell remarked as Artemis placed her order.
Artemis thanked the waitress and handed back the menu. "Among other things."
"Well, thanks for help with the rug."
"You're welcome." She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "And how is that rug working out for you?"
"Pretty good. Moose has already christened it. So it's officially ours now."
"Moose?"
"Oh, my dog." He pulled his phone of his pocket. He scrolled for a minute before passing it over to Artemis. "That's Moose."
An Australian shepherd mix was sprawled across a couch. "He's so cute."
She gave Mitchell his phone back and pulled out hers. She selected a picture and handed her phone to him. "That's Brucely."
"Brucely?"
"Yes. I didn't pick the name but it's grown on me."
"So, who did name him?" Mitchell asked, giving her her phone back.
"Wally did."
An awkward silence fell over the table.
"And that's the guy who died," Mitchell said, finally breaking the silence. Artemis nodded. "What happened?"
"Car accident," Artemis managed. The lie still tasted bitter on her tongue.
"I'm sorry."
"Yeah, me, too."
Their waitress arrived with their drinks. She promised that their food would be out shortly. They thanked her.
As the waitress walked away, Mitchell picked up his drink. "To Wally."
Artemis blinked back tears for a moment. Then she picked up her drink and clinked it with his. "To Wally."
They took a drink.
Mitchell studied her for a moment. "So, why literature?"
Artemis shook her head. "No, it's your turn. Why engineering?"
"Okay, that's fair." He leaned back in his chair. "I guess it started when I was six. I took my grandmother's toaster apart."
"What!"
"It wasn't plugged it," he assured her. "But I wanted to see how it worked. My grandmother was amused. My mother was horrified and had to buy my grandmother a new toaster."
"And you've still taking apart stuff?"
He laughed. "Under controlled circumstances. And I'm much better at putting stuff back together now."
"Stay away from my toaster, Mitchell."
"Noted." He took a drink. "Your turn. So, why literature?"
She toyed with the label on her bottle. "I guess it started with my mom. She would always read to me and my sister when we were little. Alice in Wonderland was a favorite."
She took a drink. "There's just something about stories. Every culture has them. And we keep telling them. Why? What does that say about that about us?"
"Wow. Numbers really are easier."
She laughed. "Not to me."
The waitress arrived with their nachos.
They talked about sports. She liked baseball while he was more of a hockey fan. Neither of them liked football.
They discussed movies. He liked horror while she preferred drama. They could agree on comedy.
They shared similar taste in music. They both liked the beach. And they both liked to cook but hated doing the dishes.
She also learned that he was from Midway City. He was the oldest of the three siblings. His sister was a nurse and his brother was a teacher. His father was no longer in the picture.
She told him about Will and Lian. About moving out and into her apartment. It was surprisingly easy to keep her superhero life out of the narrative.
She was surprised to look at her watch and find that they had been there for hours. "It's getting late."
He glanced at his watch. "Yeah, it is. Thanks for coming out tonight, Artemis."
"Thanks for asking me. I had a great time."
"Will you let me walk you home?"
"Yes. I would like that."