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Friday, July 28—London
Jake’s first month in London doesn’t go as smoothly as it could have. My apartment’s a bit cramped with three people living in it. We step on each other’s toes more often than not, and it isn’t exactly the romantic love nest I’d hoped for. But I can tell Amelia’s glad she isn’t alone in her darkest hours. She needs us after her confrontation with Will. She needs us after meeting with the divorce lawyers—I refer her to the best divorce counselor in town. And she needs us when the house she loves so much and has invested in so much emotionally is put on the market.
Lately, Amelia has been more cheerful than one would expect, given the circumstances, and she finally found a nice one-bedroom apartment to rent last week. She seems eager to move out of my apartment and move on with her life. She’s already moved most of her things from her old house—which sold three days after they put it on the market—to the new apartment. Right now, I’m helping her pack her last bag of clothes in my spare room before a black cab comes to pick her up in an hour.
“Are you sure you’re going to be all right on your own?” I ask her.
“Yes, I’m sure, and…”
She mumbles something unintelligible.
“What was that again?”
“I said Dylan might pop over.”
“Dylan the kisser?”
“Mmm-hmm.”
“I didn’t know he was still in the picture.”
“Well, he’s been really nice to me since, you know, I threw a mug at him.”
“Pottery-throwing is a sure way to a man’s heart.”
“Anyway, we had a drink the other night after work. And we might’ve kissed again,” she says with a mischievous smile.
There’s the reason for the positive attitude. Amelia has a crush!
“Is that the night you came home outrageously late?”
“Yep.”
“And here I was worrying they were overworking you at such a stressful time. Instead there you were making out in bars.”
“Guilty as charged. And I may have kissed him at the office a couple more times too. Or a lot more times.”
“Oh, gosh. You’re having an office romance, this is wonderful. Just what you needed after, err…”
“You mean filing for divorce and waving my ex-husband off to New York to live happily ever after with his mistress?”
“I-I, that’s not what…”
“Don’t worry, it’s okay. We can talk about it. I can even say the word divorcee without shivering too much.”
“So this Dylan guy, are we going to meet him?” I steer the conversation away from divorce talk.
“Let me see where this goes. I’m not sure if he’s a rebound fling or something more.”
“You mean you could potentially see it getting serious?”
“I’ve no idea, but he makes me feel as if I’m a teenager again. I’m kissing him all over the office, in the halls, outside the restrooms, in the copy room. It’s like making out in high school when you had to avoid being caught. It’s been so exciting, and he’s a breath of fresh air.”
“Does he have a Facebook profile?”
“Yes, why?”
“I want to see a pic. Put a face to a name.”
“Oh, all right.” She takes her phone from the bed where we’re folding clothes and taps happily into it. “Here, this is him.” She gives me the phone.
“You pulled up David Beckham’s fan page.”
She takes the phone back to check. “No, this is Dylan’s profile picture.”
I snatch the phone from her. “You’re joking!”
“I’m not.”
“Well, well, well… you’re in trouble.”
“I might be.” She blushes.
“You’re making out at the office. That’s so fun. Have you ever been caught?”
“Yeah, definitely.”
“That’s not too bad.”
“It is. We were spotted by the worst office gossips ever. Flotsam and Jetsam.”
“Named after the Sea Witch minions?”
“Yeah, Felicia and Jackie. Two charming ladies, you should meet them. Anyway, it’s not all bad they saw us. They were giving me a hard time about the divorce.”
“Were they?”
“Yeah, it was mortifying.”
“So they’ve stopped now?”
“Yep, they’re too busy spreading the news they caught me having wild sex in the copy room.”
“Did they… I mean, were you?”
“No. Of course, not.”
“And you don’t mind?”
“It’s better than divorce sneers, and,” Amelia smiles a naughty smile, “Dylan might’ve caught them gossiping. He told them off pretty harshly. They’ve been quiet and subdued for a while now. I suspect they both have a crush on him.”
“The more you talk about the kisser, the more I like him.”
“Well, don’t get your hopes up too much. I’m still not sure where it’s all going.”
“But have you slept with him?”
“No, not yet.”
“You plan to?”
“Eventually, if things keep going. I’m a bit scared; Will’s the only guy I’ve slept with in so many years.”
“I’m sure Dylan would be more than happy to tutor you.” I chuckle.
Amelia swats me playfully. “If he sticks.”
I don’t tell her, but from the way she’s radiating happiness I predict Dylan’s going to go a long way.
Amelia closes the zip on her last bag and we walk to the street corner where we wait for the black cab. When it arrives, I hug her and see her off, telling her to call me if she needs anything and to have as much fun as she can tonight, even if somehow I don’t think I need to tell her—Dylan’s taking care of that.
When I get back inside the house, Jake has returned from work and he’s sitting, shoulders hunched forward, on the couch with a miserable air about him.
“Hey you, why the long face?” I ask, shutting the door behind me. “Is it the prospect of being alone with me again?”
He looks up at me and I see he’s white as ash and has a grave expression.
“Jake, what’s going on?” I ask, worried.
“Mew.” A furry black bundle replies from his lap.
“Who’s this little guy?” I do a silly talking-with-babies voice and pick up the black kitty from Jake’s lap, bringing it close to my face. “Hello you, you’re so cute. Oh, you’re so cute.” I lower the kitten onto my lap and scratch it behind the ears. It kneads my jeans for a while, purring, then settles in my lap. “Jake, please talk to me. How come you’ve got a kitty and look so sad? What happened?”
“It’s Sisi.”
“The hospital stray cat?”
“Yes. She-she died today.”
“Oh. How?”
“Hit by a car, but I can’t be sure. She was waiting for me in her usual spot. I knew something was wrong at once because she was standing a bit lopsided and she was holding this little guy in her mouth. I crouched down to pat her, and she collapsed almost immediately. She nudged the kitten toward me with her head and she was gone.”
“Jake, I’m so sorry.”
“I don’t know why I’m so sad. Bad things happen every day at work. But the thought that she waited for me, that she trusted me with the most precious thing she had…” Jake shakes his head.
“Pets have a way of getting under our skin in such a powerful way… We’re going to take care of this little guy the way Sisi wanted.”
“You’re all right with keeping him?”
“Him? You’re a boy?”
“Mew.”
“Can he stay?” Jake repeats.
“Ah! Asking a woman if she wants to keep a kitten is like asking kids if they’d like more toys, or…”
“I get it, I get it. You’re okay with the kitten.” Jake’s furrow relaxes a bit, and he leans on me to pet the tiny cat.
“We should name him,” I say.
“I want to call him Lucky.”
“You want to call a black kitten Lucky?”
“Yes, because he is lucky. He’s going to be the most spoiled cat in the world.”
“That he is. Lucky, you like it?” I ask the kitten.
“Mew.”
“I’ll take that as a yes.” I scratch him again. “We need to do so many things,” I say, turning toward Jake. “We must accessorize the house for kitten needs and we need to find a vet…”
“Come here.” Jake pulls me in a side-hug. He brushes the hair away from my forehead. “I love you, you know?”
“I love you too.”
“Mew.”
“Yes, and we love you too,” I say to Lucky.
A warm fuzz spreads in my chest. The family’s expanding already, my family with Jake.