Goodbye, Hello, page 12
“Well, we weren’t completely naked, so I’m sure that helped. But topless and making out with another woman certainly had to be a fun bit of paperwork for them to fill out.” Teresa’s cheeks were red.
Kelly grinned. “See, I knew there had to be some fun stories from college. It couldn’t have been just classes and studying.”
“Oh? And what have you been up to at college?”
“Classes and studying. My life is boring. The most excitement I have is going to the school’s LGBT meetup, which is monthly. That has been my primary social activity since I started classes actually. I’ve been focused on getting into the nursing program and now that I’m in, excelling.”
“That’s boring. You need to liven things up.” Teresa took her final bite of the Danish.
Kelly checked the time on her phone. “You’re not wrong. I’ll look into that. Anyway, I need to head back. Mom wanted me home for dinner, since my grandparents are here and everything.”
“She’s cooking after today?” Teresa seemed rather surprised by this.
“No, there’s leftovers from the meal today plus casseroles that she was given. This will help her clean out the fridge, which isn’t a bad thing.” Kelly grinned at her.
“They let her have those leftovers as well?”
“I think it was something that Tim set up. Not sure. I don’t have all those details and to be honest, I didn’t need them.”
“Well, before you go, let’s share numbers. So, we can talk more or if you need anything.”
“That would be great. I’m glad we reconnected.”
“Same here. I’m glad I took the chance and came to the funeral today. I was afraid that you wouldn’t want to see me considering how everything ended between us.”
“It made a rough day easier. So, thank you.” Kelly wiped her eyes to take care of the tears gathering.
Teresa gave her a brief hug. “I’m glad. When are you heading back to school?”
“Likely Monday, but maybe tomorrow evening, since I have classwork to catch up on. My mom wants us to all go to church tomorrow as a family. I could go back after that, but I’m not sure. I’m trying to take it easy and give myself some space to just grieve. Hey, maybe we could do something tomorrow afternoon before I head off. I want to hear more of your school stories because I’m sure there’s more fun in there.”
Teresa smiled. “I’d like that. I usually go for a hike on Sundays so maybe you can join me?”
“That sounds like it could be a lot of fun. It’s a date.”
They exchanged numbers and were both smiling at each other as they were leaving. Kelly grinned when she started her car. Today had been surprising if for no other reason than this, running into Teresa after all these years.
Chapter Eighteen
Teresa watched Kelly go and waved when she turned back. This coffee date had been a lot of fun. She learned a few things about Kelly and wanted to know more. This Kelly seemed a lot different from the one she had known in high school. She wasn’t sure why that was exactly, but it was definitely something she had noticed. This Kelly seemed more content and at home with herself, which Teresa found very alluring.
Plus, she had mentioned the word date in reference to the hike. It wasn’t going to be a very long hike since the nearby state park had a one-and-a-half-mile trail that she liked to walk along, even in colder weather like they had been having. She had liked that particular trail for a while and was glad she’d be able to share it with Kelly. She’d even taken Baxter on the trail a few times but he was far more of a homebody than she was and hadn’t enjoyed the experience as much as Teresa hoped. She had dreams of having an adventure cat to go on trails with her. She had started early with Baxter but he never warmed to the idea of walking on a leash. Maybe if she tried again later, he would enjoy the trip.
What was she going to do to make the hike more of a date-date and less of two people enjoying the outdoors together? Nothing came to mind. It might be best if she followed Alex’s idea to just be friends, because she was sure Kelly was still grieving her father as it hadn’t been that long since he’d passed. She might make it slightly more of a date-date if they had lunch either before or after the hike. That wasn’t much of an addition but could work. It was something to think about.
She drove home with her mind awhirl, trying to think of ways to turn a simple hike into something more. No idea lasted very long as she did agree with Alex’s notion of being friends first before anything else. She hoped for more, because this Kelly appealed to her in several different ways, and not just in looks. However, she didn’t want to chase Kelly away because she was overly impatient. Things took their own time, whether she liked it or not. And right now, some part of her was impatient and wanted things with Kelly to already be there now. Knowing it might drive her away was the only thing keeping Teresa from blurting out that she found Kelly hot and sexy. And the more they talked, the more Kelly seemed to be a better version of the person she had dated all those years ago. She wanted more.
She sighed and rubbed her eyes, focusing on the road. Why did she have to deal with this particular dilemma? She was good at her job and was a nice person. Her thoughts stalled at this, a nice person. Nice was not what she’d been going for. Nice was shallow and more about her wants and desires than the other person’s. She’d been trying to become kinder. So much for her own sense of self-development.
Alex’s suggestion was the kind approach. Just being Kelly’s friend right now was far more important than revisiting their dating. Maybe what would be best would be to forget about the possibility of dating Kelly and concentrate on simply being a friend to someone who had lost a parent. Thinking about it that way, she felt shitty for how she’d been thinking before. If she were lucky, Kelly wouldn’t have noticed anything even remotely connected to dating or flirting while they’d been talking. Maybe if they remained in contact after all of this, it would be possible, but for right now, she needed to stop fixating on dating and just be a good friend. She used to be able to be that person and hopefully she could be again. Besides, if she lost one of her parents, she would be wrecked.
She arrived at home lowered her head to her hands. “I know dating has been slow, Teresa, but for fuck’s sake, be kind, not horny.”
She rolled her eyes at herself. She hadn’t been doing herself any favors. As contrition, she needed to feed Baxter, then maybe call Alex and let her best friend berate her for a little bit. Well, maybe not that because she didn’t want to be berated. It had been a long and exciting day and what she really needed was a bath and then maybe to talk to Alex about the big surprise of the day. It sounded like a much better use of her time and wouldn’t get her yelled at.
Baxter was lying on the couch and looked up at her as she came in. She smiled when she saw him. “Hey there, big man, how was your day?”
He responded with a big yawn and stretch.
“You didn’t throw any wild cat parties, did you?”
Baxter purred at her and then began grooming. She headed into the kitchen to refill Baxter’s food bowl. He came over, nuzzled her leg, and then got to crunching. She petted him some and scratched behind an ear before heading off to take a bath.
As she ran the water, she added bath salts to the mix, enjoying the change in the scent of the bathroom as the lavender essential oils in the salts filled the air and colored the water. They would help her relax from the stresses of the day. She lay back in her tub and let the hot water seep into her muscles, helping them to relax further. Her thoughts drifted and she kept herself from getting too sleepy thinking about what she wanted to do for supper.
As they had been all day, her thoughts returned to Kelly. She had never gotten any inkling that Kelly was trans. What she gathered from Kelly’s stories was that she hadn’t been aware either until after her deployment to Afghanistan. That seemed hard to believe, but then again, she hadn’t figured out that she wanted to kiss girls until her senior year so clearly it was possible. She’d been dating Kelly when the idea surfaced and she followed it, leading to her decision to break up. The workings of the mind were not something she had studied or even thought a lot about. People were just the way they were. But maybe she needed to reassess that since it seemed likely she made that assertion through faulty logic.
Teresa shifted in the tub, bringing warm water up her back. That felt much better. She hated when her body started cooling off before the water did, but all that meant was that she had to move and re-expose those body parts to the water. She yawned and settled back down in the water, using her hands to direct water to parts not covered.
Maybe her infatuation with this new Kelly would fade in the morning. Maybe they would be just friends or maybe become no more than acquaintances. It was possible that her surprise at seeing Kelly made her react outside of her norm. Sure, it was possible, but was it likely? She had no idea since she’d never acted this way before. It felt like she’d been driven to distraction by Kelly and there were other things she would have preferred to be driven to distraction by. Okay, to be fair, nothing came to mind as her dating life was dry at the moment. There had to be other women who loved women here in town, but she hadn’t been able to find them, at least none she hadn’t gone to school with. Maybe she could take out a personal ad.
She scoffed and shook her head. Yeah, she needed to get her head on straight. Talking with Alex would be sure to help. She got out of the tub and changed into her pj’s. She sent Alex a quick text to see if she was available for a chat since this was not the usual day. She hated to interrupt people unless there was a good reason for it, though to be fair some of the revelations of today seemed like a good reason to interrupt.
Alex texted back several minutes later, letting Teresa know she would be available for a chat. Teresa pulled up her chat program. The video connection clicked open quickly, since Alex was expecting it. “Hey there, how was the funeral? Clearly, something happened.”
Teresa rolled her eyes and shook her head. “The funeral was fine, like most funerals. What was different was that Kelly was there.”
“You kind of figured that Kelly would be there. So how is that any different?”
“That’s true, I did. I just didn’t expect that Kelly had transitioned in the time since I had last seen her.”
“Come again?” Alex blinked a few times as her thoughts tried to catch up.
“Kelly is now a she.”
“Wouldn’t it be fairer to say she was always a she, just she wasn’t always aware of it? That’s what I’ve heard from a number of my trans friends out here.”
“I suppose that makes more sense.”
“I’m so glad I could help.” She grinned mischievously at Teresa. “So, what seems to be the issue? You wouldn’t have mentioned this if there wasn’t some sort of issue going on.”
“She’s also really cute.” Teresa could feel herself blush when she admitted that.
Alex just stared at her for a long moment. “I see.”
“I’ve been good. I’m just being her friend right now because I figured she needs that more than anything else. Though I have to admit that I’m interested.”
“Well, interested is good. So, this means you’re reconnecting that friendship?”
“I’m certainly trying to do that. Honestly, that part seems to be going all right. It’s just that I keep wanting to push things to be more, but I know this isn’t a good time for it.”
“Didn’t you tell me years ago that your relationship with Kelly was the touchstone you had for new relationships? That everybody you went out with ended up being compared to Kelly in one way or another? If that’s true, then of course you would probably want to reconnect in that particular way.”
“How is it that I can think of a thing that comes across as tawdry, but you say it and it sounds perfectly reasonable?”
Alex just gave her a big grin and said, “I assure you it’s pure skill.”
Teresa snorted so hard it actually hurt her nose a little and she rubbed it. “Like that’s believable.”
“So, what do you need from me if all of this is going well? I assume you wanted something because of the extra call this week.”
“I guess I wanted some reassurance that I was going about things the right way? We’re going for a hike tomorrow and I’m just nervous that I’m going to screw things up somehow by chasing after Kelly too hard.”
Alex chuckled, shaking her head in disbelief. “You know, you’re always this way when you’re at the start of something. I remember when you started dating Debbie Myers. You were so concerned that you were going to screw up her studying for finals that you almost talked yourself out of dating her. If I recall, you two were quite the item into the spring semester. Just stick to what you’re doing and be her friend. If something more is going to happen, why don’t you let her make the decision?”
Now it was Teresa’s time to be quiet a moment as she thought about what Alex had said. “You think that’ll work?”
“I think it’s better than you overthinking yourself into inaction as you often do. Besides, you literally just met her again after something like six or seven years? You need to give yourself time to get to know her before you jump into anything. If you really want something to come of this, take your time.”
“Thanks, Alex. That helps.”
“That’s what friends are for, to listen to you and give you what advice they have. You’ve done the same for me.”
Teresa’s stomach gurgled. Her cheeks heated and she laughed. “I need to get going because my stomach is now providing commentary. I should get something for dinner.”
Alex laughed. “You and that stomach of yours. I swear it’s better than any clock.”
Teresa stuck her tongue out at her and grinned. “Talk to you later, Alex. Love you.”
“Love you as well, Teresa. I hope things go well between you and Kelly. You could use some success in love right now and this almost seems like your best chance.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You haven’t had a lot of luck with dating since you left school. I’m hoping you can find a more stable relationship than anything you’ve had. If it’s with Kelly, then it’s with Kelly. Just don’t rush into things headlong and not think things through. I don’t want to see you get your heart broken again.”
“I’ll try. I mean I have no idea if Kelly is even thinking along those lines. I just want to be happy. I’ve been happy over the years, but it never lasts. Kelly and I were good together and I would like to try that again.”
“I know. You’ve told me. But it’s been seven years, and she may be different than what you remember. Try to get to know this new her before you jump in with both feet, or is it already too late for that?”
Teresa felt herself blush hard enough that it was sure to be visible on the video call. Alex tutted and said, “I see. Well, hopefully, your heart won’t get too broken if this falls apart.”
“You think it will fall apart?”
“I don’t know, and right now it seems as if you’re so enamored by her that you aren’t thinking clearly.”
“That’s why I called you, to try to think this through clearly.”
“Right. Hopefully, you remember that the next time you’re hanging out with her and are more focused on jumping her bones than looking out for any red flags.”
“What sort of red flags?”
“Any red flags. You just re-met her, Teresa, you don’t really know anything about her.”
“She’s just the same as she once was.”
“Are you sure?”
Teresa paused and thought. She’d been thinking to herself earlier about how Kelly was different, so maybe that assertion was wrong. “No, I’m not. She is different and in some pretty attractive ways. I’ll try to just focus on being friends, but it’s so hard to think about it when she’s near me.”
“Trust me. Let her come to you in this rather than the other way around. You are so focused on making this work that you might miss things. I worry about you sometimes, Teresa.”
“Thanks. I’ll heed your advice and try to let her come to me. I’m interested in seeing where this goes, but I also see your point. That’s why I love talking with you, you help me keep the perspective I need, especially in dating.”
“Not that I am a dating guru because I’m still in the same relationship I was in college.”
“That’s an accomplishment. Tell Greg I said hi.”
“I will. I hope it all works out. Now go get some food before your stomach takes further action.”
The video screen clicked off. Teresa headed into the kitchen to try to figure out something to have for dinner. This call certainly gave her plenty of things to think about.
Chapter Nineteen
Kelly drove back to the house smiling. Catching up with Teresa had helped her day become more positive. She still felt melancholy but had managed to get a little bit of space between the emotions of the day and herself. She’d been worried the day would be all about her grief, so it had been a pleasant surprise. Who would’ve thought that Teresa had gone on to become a journalist? This was a terrible reason to be able to reconnect, but it was better than not reconnecting at all.
She missed her dad. He would have been pleased Teresa showed up to his funeral. He also would have been tickled to know she’d been the one to write his obituary. In one of their last conversations months ago, he had asked her if she knew what had become of Teresa and now, she knew. She didn’t know what to do with this, but she felt like her father had a hand in bringing Teresa back into her life. That made her thank her father for doing such a wonderful thing. Now all she had to do was make sure not to lose touch with Teresa again.
It helped that she had Teresa’s phone number and would be able to get a hold of her fairly easily. She didn’t want to lose track of her again. That brought her up a little short and she sat up straighter in the driver seat. Why did it matter that she not lose touch with Teresa again? Why was it good that she had her phone number? They were just old friends reconnecting, right? Surely there was nothing more to it.
Kelly grinned. “See, I knew there had to be some fun stories from college. It couldn’t have been just classes and studying.”
“Oh? And what have you been up to at college?”
“Classes and studying. My life is boring. The most excitement I have is going to the school’s LGBT meetup, which is monthly. That has been my primary social activity since I started classes actually. I’ve been focused on getting into the nursing program and now that I’m in, excelling.”
“That’s boring. You need to liven things up.” Teresa took her final bite of the Danish.
Kelly checked the time on her phone. “You’re not wrong. I’ll look into that. Anyway, I need to head back. Mom wanted me home for dinner, since my grandparents are here and everything.”
“She’s cooking after today?” Teresa seemed rather surprised by this.
“No, there’s leftovers from the meal today plus casseroles that she was given. This will help her clean out the fridge, which isn’t a bad thing.” Kelly grinned at her.
“They let her have those leftovers as well?”
“I think it was something that Tim set up. Not sure. I don’t have all those details and to be honest, I didn’t need them.”
“Well, before you go, let’s share numbers. So, we can talk more or if you need anything.”
“That would be great. I’m glad we reconnected.”
“Same here. I’m glad I took the chance and came to the funeral today. I was afraid that you wouldn’t want to see me considering how everything ended between us.”
“It made a rough day easier. So, thank you.” Kelly wiped her eyes to take care of the tears gathering.
Teresa gave her a brief hug. “I’m glad. When are you heading back to school?”
“Likely Monday, but maybe tomorrow evening, since I have classwork to catch up on. My mom wants us to all go to church tomorrow as a family. I could go back after that, but I’m not sure. I’m trying to take it easy and give myself some space to just grieve. Hey, maybe we could do something tomorrow afternoon before I head off. I want to hear more of your school stories because I’m sure there’s more fun in there.”
Teresa smiled. “I’d like that. I usually go for a hike on Sundays so maybe you can join me?”
“That sounds like it could be a lot of fun. It’s a date.”
They exchanged numbers and were both smiling at each other as they were leaving. Kelly grinned when she started her car. Today had been surprising if for no other reason than this, running into Teresa after all these years.
Chapter Eighteen
Teresa watched Kelly go and waved when she turned back. This coffee date had been a lot of fun. She learned a few things about Kelly and wanted to know more. This Kelly seemed a lot different from the one she had known in high school. She wasn’t sure why that was exactly, but it was definitely something she had noticed. This Kelly seemed more content and at home with herself, which Teresa found very alluring.
Plus, she had mentioned the word date in reference to the hike. It wasn’t going to be a very long hike since the nearby state park had a one-and-a-half-mile trail that she liked to walk along, even in colder weather like they had been having. She had liked that particular trail for a while and was glad she’d be able to share it with Kelly. She’d even taken Baxter on the trail a few times but he was far more of a homebody than she was and hadn’t enjoyed the experience as much as Teresa hoped. She had dreams of having an adventure cat to go on trails with her. She had started early with Baxter but he never warmed to the idea of walking on a leash. Maybe if she tried again later, he would enjoy the trip.
What was she going to do to make the hike more of a date-date and less of two people enjoying the outdoors together? Nothing came to mind. It might be best if she followed Alex’s idea to just be friends, because she was sure Kelly was still grieving her father as it hadn’t been that long since he’d passed. She might make it slightly more of a date-date if they had lunch either before or after the hike. That wasn’t much of an addition but could work. It was something to think about.
She drove home with her mind awhirl, trying to think of ways to turn a simple hike into something more. No idea lasted very long as she did agree with Alex’s notion of being friends first before anything else. She hoped for more, because this Kelly appealed to her in several different ways, and not just in looks. However, she didn’t want to chase Kelly away because she was overly impatient. Things took their own time, whether she liked it or not. And right now, some part of her was impatient and wanted things with Kelly to already be there now. Knowing it might drive her away was the only thing keeping Teresa from blurting out that she found Kelly hot and sexy. And the more they talked, the more Kelly seemed to be a better version of the person she had dated all those years ago. She wanted more.
She sighed and rubbed her eyes, focusing on the road. Why did she have to deal with this particular dilemma? She was good at her job and was a nice person. Her thoughts stalled at this, a nice person. Nice was not what she’d been going for. Nice was shallow and more about her wants and desires than the other person’s. She’d been trying to become kinder. So much for her own sense of self-development.
Alex’s suggestion was the kind approach. Just being Kelly’s friend right now was far more important than revisiting their dating. Maybe what would be best would be to forget about the possibility of dating Kelly and concentrate on simply being a friend to someone who had lost a parent. Thinking about it that way, she felt shitty for how she’d been thinking before. If she were lucky, Kelly wouldn’t have noticed anything even remotely connected to dating or flirting while they’d been talking. Maybe if they remained in contact after all of this, it would be possible, but for right now, she needed to stop fixating on dating and just be a good friend. She used to be able to be that person and hopefully she could be again. Besides, if she lost one of her parents, she would be wrecked.
She arrived at home lowered her head to her hands. “I know dating has been slow, Teresa, but for fuck’s sake, be kind, not horny.”
She rolled her eyes at herself. She hadn’t been doing herself any favors. As contrition, she needed to feed Baxter, then maybe call Alex and let her best friend berate her for a little bit. Well, maybe not that because she didn’t want to be berated. It had been a long and exciting day and what she really needed was a bath and then maybe to talk to Alex about the big surprise of the day. It sounded like a much better use of her time and wouldn’t get her yelled at.
Baxter was lying on the couch and looked up at her as she came in. She smiled when she saw him. “Hey there, big man, how was your day?”
He responded with a big yawn and stretch.
“You didn’t throw any wild cat parties, did you?”
Baxter purred at her and then began grooming. She headed into the kitchen to refill Baxter’s food bowl. He came over, nuzzled her leg, and then got to crunching. She petted him some and scratched behind an ear before heading off to take a bath.
As she ran the water, she added bath salts to the mix, enjoying the change in the scent of the bathroom as the lavender essential oils in the salts filled the air and colored the water. They would help her relax from the stresses of the day. She lay back in her tub and let the hot water seep into her muscles, helping them to relax further. Her thoughts drifted and she kept herself from getting too sleepy thinking about what she wanted to do for supper.
As they had been all day, her thoughts returned to Kelly. She had never gotten any inkling that Kelly was trans. What she gathered from Kelly’s stories was that she hadn’t been aware either until after her deployment to Afghanistan. That seemed hard to believe, but then again, she hadn’t figured out that she wanted to kiss girls until her senior year so clearly it was possible. She’d been dating Kelly when the idea surfaced and she followed it, leading to her decision to break up. The workings of the mind were not something she had studied or even thought a lot about. People were just the way they were. But maybe she needed to reassess that since it seemed likely she made that assertion through faulty logic.
Teresa shifted in the tub, bringing warm water up her back. That felt much better. She hated when her body started cooling off before the water did, but all that meant was that she had to move and re-expose those body parts to the water. She yawned and settled back down in the water, using her hands to direct water to parts not covered.
Maybe her infatuation with this new Kelly would fade in the morning. Maybe they would be just friends or maybe become no more than acquaintances. It was possible that her surprise at seeing Kelly made her react outside of her norm. Sure, it was possible, but was it likely? She had no idea since she’d never acted this way before. It felt like she’d been driven to distraction by Kelly and there were other things she would have preferred to be driven to distraction by. Okay, to be fair, nothing came to mind as her dating life was dry at the moment. There had to be other women who loved women here in town, but she hadn’t been able to find them, at least none she hadn’t gone to school with. Maybe she could take out a personal ad.
She scoffed and shook her head. Yeah, she needed to get her head on straight. Talking with Alex would be sure to help. She got out of the tub and changed into her pj’s. She sent Alex a quick text to see if she was available for a chat since this was not the usual day. She hated to interrupt people unless there was a good reason for it, though to be fair some of the revelations of today seemed like a good reason to interrupt.
Alex texted back several minutes later, letting Teresa know she would be available for a chat. Teresa pulled up her chat program. The video connection clicked open quickly, since Alex was expecting it. “Hey there, how was the funeral? Clearly, something happened.”
Teresa rolled her eyes and shook her head. “The funeral was fine, like most funerals. What was different was that Kelly was there.”
“You kind of figured that Kelly would be there. So how is that any different?”
“That’s true, I did. I just didn’t expect that Kelly had transitioned in the time since I had last seen her.”
“Come again?” Alex blinked a few times as her thoughts tried to catch up.
“Kelly is now a she.”
“Wouldn’t it be fairer to say she was always a she, just she wasn’t always aware of it? That’s what I’ve heard from a number of my trans friends out here.”
“I suppose that makes more sense.”
“I’m so glad I could help.” She grinned mischievously at Teresa. “So, what seems to be the issue? You wouldn’t have mentioned this if there wasn’t some sort of issue going on.”
“She’s also really cute.” Teresa could feel herself blush when she admitted that.
Alex just stared at her for a long moment. “I see.”
“I’ve been good. I’m just being her friend right now because I figured she needs that more than anything else. Though I have to admit that I’m interested.”
“Well, interested is good. So, this means you’re reconnecting that friendship?”
“I’m certainly trying to do that. Honestly, that part seems to be going all right. It’s just that I keep wanting to push things to be more, but I know this isn’t a good time for it.”
“Didn’t you tell me years ago that your relationship with Kelly was the touchstone you had for new relationships? That everybody you went out with ended up being compared to Kelly in one way or another? If that’s true, then of course you would probably want to reconnect in that particular way.”
“How is it that I can think of a thing that comes across as tawdry, but you say it and it sounds perfectly reasonable?”
Alex just gave her a big grin and said, “I assure you it’s pure skill.”
Teresa snorted so hard it actually hurt her nose a little and she rubbed it. “Like that’s believable.”
“So, what do you need from me if all of this is going well? I assume you wanted something because of the extra call this week.”
“I guess I wanted some reassurance that I was going about things the right way? We’re going for a hike tomorrow and I’m just nervous that I’m going to screw things up somehow by chasing after Kelly too hard.”
Alex chuckled, shaking her head in disbelief. “You know, you’re always this way when you’re at the start of something. I remember when you started dating Debbie Myers. You were so concerned that you were going to screw up her studying for finals that you almost talked yourself out of dating her. If I recall, you two were quite the item into the spring semester. Just stick to what you’re doing and be her friend. If something more is going to happen, why don’t you let her make the decision?”
Now it was Teresa’s time to be quiet a moment as she thought about what Alex had said. “You think that’ll work?”
“I think it’s better than you overthinking yourself into inaction as you often do. Besides, you literally just met her again after something like six or seven years? You need to give yourself time to get to know her before you jump into anything. If you really want something to come of this, take your time.”
“Thanks, Alex. That helps.”
“That’s what friends are for, to listen to you and give you what advice they have. You’ve done the same for me.”
Teresa’s stomach gurgled. Her cheeks heated and she laughed. “I need to get going because my stomach is now providing commentary. I should get something for dinner.”
Alex laughed. “You and that stomach of yours. I swear it’s better than any clock.”
Teresa stuck her tongue out at her and grinned. “Talk to you later, Alex. Love you.”
“Love you as well, Teresa. I hope things go well between you and Kelly. You could use some success in love right now and this almost seems like your best chance.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You haven’t had a lot of luck with dating since you left school. I’m hoping you can find a more stable relationship than anything you’ve had. If it’s with Kelly, then it’s with Kelly. Just don’t rush into things headlong and not think things through. I don’t want to see you get your heart broken again.”
“I’ll try. I mean I have no idea if Kelly is even thinking along those lines. I just want to be happy. I’ve been happy over the years, but it never lasts. Kelly and I were good together and I would like to try that again.”
“I know. You’ve told me. But it’s been seven years, and she may be different than what you remember. Try to get to know this new her before you jump in with both feet, or is it already too late for that?”
Teresa felt herself blush hard enough that it was sure to be visible on the video call. Alex tutted and said, “I see. Well, hopefully, your heart won’t get too broken if this falls apart.”
“You think it will fall apart?”
“I don’t know, and right now it seems as if you’re so enamored by her that you aren’t thinking clearly.”
“That’s why I called you, to try to think this through clearly.”
“Right. Hopefully, you remember that the next time you’re hanging out with her and are more focused on jumping her bones than looking out for any red flags.”
“What sort of red flags?”
“Any red flags. You just re-met her, Teresa, you don’t really know anything about her.”
“She’s just the same as she once was.”
“Are you sure?”
Teresa paused and thought. She’d been thinking to herself earlier about how Kelly was different, so maybe that assertion was wrong. “No, I’m not. She is different and in some pretty attractive ways. I’ll try to just focus on being friends, but it’s so hard to think about it when she’s near me.”
“Trust me. Let her come to you in this rather than the other way around. You are so focused on making this work that you might miss things. I worry about you sometimes, Teresa.”
“Thanks. I’ll heed your advice and try to let her come to me. I’m interested in seeing where this goes, but I also see your point. That’s why I love talking with you, you help me keep the perspective I need, especially in dating.”
“Not that I am a dating guru because I’m still in the same relationship I was in college.”
“That’s an accomplishment. Tell Greg I said hi.”
“I will. I hope it all works out. Now go get some food before your stomach takes further action.”
The video screen clicked off. Teresa headed into the kitchen to try to figure out something to have for dinner. This call certainly gave her plenty of things to think about.
Chapter Nineteen
Kelly drove back to the house smiling. Catching up with Teresa had helped her day become more positive. She still felt melancholy but had managed to get a little bit of space between the emotions of the day and herself. She’d been worried the day would be all about her grief, so it had been a pleasant surprise. Who would’ve thought that Teresa had gone on to become a journalist? This was a terrible reason to be able to reconnect, but it was better than not reconnecting at all.
She missed her dad. He would have been pleased Teresa showed up to his funeral. He also would have been tickled to know she’d been the one to write his obituary. In one of their last conversations months ago, he had asked her if she knew what had become of Teresa and now, she knew. She didn’t know what to do with this, but she felt like her father had a hand in bringing Teresa back into her life. That made her thank her father for doing such a wonderful thing. Now all she had to do was make sure not to lose touch with Teresa again.
It helped that she had Teresa’s phone number and would be able to get a hold of her fairly easily. She didn’t want to lose track of her again. That brought her up a little short and she sat up straighter in the driver seat. Why did it matter that she not lose touch with Teresa again? Why was it good that she had her phone number? They were just old friends reconnecting, right? Surely there was nothing more to it.
