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Harley
Harley sat across the table from Isaac as they ate lunch. They had met up for a quick lunch at their usual sub shop. Her stomach growled for more than just this sub, but she didn’t have a lot of time today between classes. She had to meet with her counselor before her afternoon class.
“So, how was your little getaway? Did you have fun?” Isaac asked as he took a bite of his sandwich.
“Oh, yeah. It was a much-needed break.” Her mind immediately went to Spencer. She did her best to push the thoughts of him away as she spoke with Isaac.
“Did you and Lily order pizza and stay up late watching those wildly unrealistic and sappy romance movies?” Isaac asked with a smirk on his face.
He had a way of making anything sound childish. Or maybe anything that her and her friends liked. Yes, it did annoy her most times, like right now. But she tried to remember that he was older than them and in a different stage of his life. He had a career at a job that he loved, maybe a little too much.
She didn’t encourage his ribbing and moved on to another topic. “Did your meetings go well?”
Isaac began talking all about his meetings over the weekend. She didn’t know any of the people he was talking about and tried to look interested. But her mind was going back to her weekend, specifically having way too much alcohol with Spencer. And then the heated and very awkward moment they shared.
Isaac wrapped up the summary of his work weekend and continued to eat his sandwich. He checked his watch. “You better finish your lunch so you’re not late for your class.”
She considered telling him about the meeting with her counselor, and her plans to continue her education. She would have to tell him sometime, and soon.
The reactions she had gotten from her friends gave her a boost of confidence that she needed. In her heart she knew this was right for her, and they confirmed that. And now she was ready to tell the man in her life.
“I bet you can’t wait until graduation. Finally time to put all this childish nonsense behind you and get out in the real world.”
“Because I am not in the real world right now?” she responded, taken aback by his tone, and re-evaluating her plan to tell him her secret. And for the moment, bypassing his comments about her current life being childish nonsense. Apparently, he doesn’t remember how difficult college can be.
“Well...” he said cynically. “Let’s just say that things are a lot different out in the real world... I mean, in the workforce than it is on a college campus.”
“Please enlighten me,” she said sarcastically. How had she never noticed this condescending side of him before? Taking a breath, she shook it off. Maybe she was just tired and irritable.
“College is like...it’s like a bubble where you think you’re an adult since you’re out there on your own. It’s fun, and carefree, and full of poor nutrition. But, at some point you need to throw away the pizza, buy a couple suits, and jump into the real world with us adults.” Isaac popped the rest of his sandwich in his mouth and grabbed her hand, “Of course, not you. You are the exception to the rule, always.”
“That’s sweet, I think,” she commented, having no idea how she was the exception. She liked pizza, which to Isaac was poor nutrition, and having fun. But that was a discussion for another time. “You know, I think you’re right, I need to get going.”
“Oh, Harley, by the way, I’m not going to be able to make our normal weekly dinner date tomorrow night. So, why don’t you and Lily have a nice meal on me to make up for my absence?” Isaac handed her his credit card.
Staring at his hand, she had no desire to take his credit card. “That’s not necessary.” And she wasn’t surprised he was backing out of their weekly dinner. It wasn’t the first time.
“Please, dinner on me.” He pushed her to take the credit card.
“Really, I don’t need it.” She looked down at the remaining half of her sandwich, no longer hungry. She pushed it away from her and stood up, pulling on her jacket. “I need to go. Can you throw this away please?”
“Sure. Actually, I think I’ll wrap it up and take it with me if you don’t mind,” Isaac said.
“Knock yourself out.” What he needed with half of her sandwich baffled her. The man could afford food, it’s not like he was hurting to feed himself. But it was one of his odd traits—nothing goes to waste– in other words he was cheap.
“Harley, here.” He put the credit card in her hand. “Dinner tomorrow, on me.”
She took his card, tired of arguing, and now she really was going to be late for her meeting. She tucked the card away in her purse. Kissing Isaac on his cheek, she smiled and said, “I’ll talk to you later?”
“Sure. Have a good day, Harley.”
She hurried to her counselor’s office. Waiting in the lobby, her phone buzzed.
Spencer: Hey Har, how are you feeling today?
Harley: I’m fine.
Spencer: Good, glad to hear it. Maybe we can meet up for a coffee date this week?
Harley: I’d like that, but I have an even better offer.
Spencer: I’m intrigued.
Harley: You and Zane come over for dinner tomorrow night. My treat.
Spencer: You don’t have to ask me twice! Sounds like a plan!
The school counselor opened her office door and waved Harley in. “Hope you’re having a good Monday, Harley. Are you excited about starting your new course in the fall?” She smiled.
“Extremely,” Harley answered with her own grin.
Her gut ached at her words. She wished she could be sharing this wonderful news about her future with Isaac instead of keeping it to herself. But Isaac wouldn’t understand, and that was not a fight she wanted to have right now.
Her counselor smiled and opened her laptop. “Great. Let’s talk about your classes.”
“SO, HARLEY, WHAT’S the occasion?” Lily said as she set all the take-out containers on the kitchen counter, opening each one, and setting plates on the counter for each of them. “Not that I ever mind free food.”
Harley had ordered a full barbecue dinner for her and her friends. Chicken, ribs, biscuits, sides and dessert. It wasn’t fancy, like Isaac implied, but it was what they liked. He should be thrilled that it wasn’t pizza.
“No pizza?” Spencer asked as if on cue.
“No.” She shot him a sarcastic look. “Not today.”
“Barbecue is okay with me! Especially since we’re getting pizza this weekend,” Lily interjected.
“I guess so,” Spencer teased as he filled his plate with food.
“So have you talked to Isaac yet about next semester?” Lily asked.
“Dinner was actually on Isaac,” Harley revealed nonchalantly as she shoved a forkful of food in her mouth.
Spencer stopped eating for a second and stared at her.
She wasn’t sure if he was waiting for her to elaborate, but that’s why she ensured to have a mouth full of food. She just shrugged as he stared at her.
“Why would Isaac feed us?” Spencer asked.
“Well, he doesn’t know he is feeding all of us,” she said as she took her time chewing her food. Once she was done with her large bite of food, which was probably too big if she was being honest with herself, she spoke. “He had to back out of our weekly dinner date, so he offered to buy Lily and I a nice meal. I didn’t want to take his money, but he insisted. So I decided a delicious meal and a fun gathering was better than any expensive meal for two.”
Spencer simply shrugged and continued to eat. “Works for me.”
“Is he working again?” Lily asked as she sat down next to Zane.
“Yeah. I think he said he had a meeting or something.”
“He works a lot,” Zane commented.
Zane was right. Isaac does work a lot. She was busy with her own things, so most of the time she didn’t notice. But tonight, it dawned on her that she seemed to spend more time with her friends, this awesome little clique, then she did with Isaac. And the worrisome part was, it didn’t even bother her.
She hadn’t even given it a thought until right now. Looking around at this motley crew, she still wasn’t fazed by it. The time she spent with Lily, Zane, and even Spencer, she enjoyed, and looked forward to.
“Hello? Harley? You in there?” Lily waved her hand in front of Harley’s face as she spoke.
“Oh, yeah. Of course.”
“Where did you go?” Spencer asked with a laugh.
“Oh, I was just thinking.”
“Must’ve been some heavy thoughts the way you were daydreaming,” Spencer commented.
She simply chuckled and took another bite of food.
“I’m just going to assume that the no answer you provided me meant that you in fact did not talk to Isaac yet about your decision to go back to school?” Lily asked matter-of-factly, really driving her point home with a judgy head tilt at the end.
“You’re right,” Harley said simply.
“Har, you have to tell him. He has all those plans made,” Lily scolded.
“And he’s going to have to change all those plans regardless of when I tell him.”
“Har, you need to do what makes you happy. And I’m proud of you for that,” Spencer said.
She thought back to lunch, and how he called her current life being childish nonsense. She looked around at her apartment, and her friends—Lily was sitting on the couch next to Zane, they were smiling and in love, and Spencer was sitting not far from her. Spencer was smiling at something inappropriate that he said while Zane and Lily sneered at him. They were all happy and laughing.
It didn’t matter if Isaac understood, but this was her life, and she loved every second of it.
