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Carly was genuinely upset that NYJedi didn’t turn up. She hoped that he had an excuse—a good excuse, of course. On the other hand, though, she was really enjoying talking to Mick. She could be wrong, but Carly felt as if Mick enjoyed talking to her too. It seemed as if she could talk to him about anything—like he understood her. She’d always had a thing for him, but he always seemed so serious. Plus, he was way too old for her. It was wishful thinking that anything might happen between them. “Hey, isn’t your birthday coming up?” Carly asked Mick.
Mick nodded slowly. “It was two weeks ago. The big five-oh.”
“Oh, wow! That’s a big one!”
“That’s what she said!” Mick grinned.
Carly’s eyes widened, and her mouth hung open. “Mick Myers! You did not just say that! What would your mother say?” Carly covered her mouth as she laughed.
“Oh man,”—Mick laughed—“please don’t tell my mother. She’d probably hit me with a spatula.”
“Well, happy birthday to you,” Carly beamed. “Have you been to see her yet?”
“Mom?” Mick shook his head. “Not yet.” Mick took a sip of coffee. “I came straight here. I needed a strong cup of coffee before seeing any of my family.”
“You make seeing them sound like a punishment.”
“That’s the word I was looking for—punishment!”
Carly narrowed her eyes at him. “Aww, really? Surely it’s not that bad. I love your family!”
“At least one of us loves them.” Mick shrugged. “How are your parents?”
“Still the same lovebirds they’ve always been. I swear they get cheesier with every year that passes.”
Mick ran his finger around the rim of his coffee cup. “That must be nice.”
“What?”
“Being in love.”
“Mmm, yeah.” Carly leaned her chin on her palm. “Tell me about it... I can only hope to be as lucky as they have been with each other.”
Carly’s parents were the epitome of happily ever-after. They met when they were just teenagers and went on to be college sweethearts. Everyone knew that they would eventually get married—and they didn’t disappoint. When her mother turned eighteen, Carly’s father had gallantly asked for her hand in marriage. And of course Carly’s grandfather gave his blessing. The rest, as they say, had been a romantic history in the making. And it’s been going on ever since.
All Carly ever wanted was to be in a love like the one that her parents shared—a love that would last a lifetime. But given the way that her life had turned out, it looked like she was the one who was going to break the happily ever-after gene that her parents had passed on to their children. Her two sisters were both married—with children. And everyone was just waiting for her. But having once stared cancer in the face, a lifetime was something Carly feared she might never have. From where she stood, happily ever-after seemed like an impossibility.
It wasn’t anything new to Carly, though—being the odd one out. Growing up, her sisters were both blessed with brains and beauty. They were the cliché of the great American daughters. She, on the other hand, lacked the academic proficiency that she was expected to exhibit in school. While her sisters brought home awards and gold medals in Science and Mathematics, Carly brought home dirty paintbrushes and stained t-shirts for her mother to wash. It didn’t help that she was the sickly one either, even before cancer reared its ugly head into her life, bringing her family nothing but pain and worry.
While her parents had never said anything—at least not out loud—Carly knew that she was essentially the black sheep of the family.
“What are you thinking?” Mick’s voice broke through her reverie.
Carly refocused her attention to Mick. “Sorry... I was just thinking about what a disappointment I must be to them.”
“You? To your parents, you mean?”
Carly nodded and took a sip of her milkshake. It had gone milky, so she pushed the glass aside.
“Why would you say that?”
Carly shook her head. “I don’t wanna bother you with my troubles.” It was sweet of Mick to ask, but she knew he was just being polite.
“Trust me—you’re not. We all have our troubles,” Mick said.
“Exactly. We all have our own troubles, so there’s no need to bother anyone else about them.”
“You know what they say, right?”
“What’s that?” Carly asked, humoring him.
“A problem shared is a problem halved.”
Carly laughed. “That doesn’t even rhyme!”
Mick cocked his head slightly. “I didn’t know it had to.”
“Sounds better when it does.”
“True, true... can’t argue with that. But come on... give me a shot.”
“One day, if I’m lucky, maybe Oprah will invite me to her show and give me some wonderful advice that will change my life.” Carly studied Mick’s face. She liked the way his stubbles cast a shadow around his mouth. His hair, some silver specks on the sides, made him appear highly intelligent and deserving of respect. “Shouldn’t you be going somewhere?”
“Maybe,” Mick said with a grin.