Monica sat at her desk in her home office, looking at photos of the building that Nate’s friend had sent her. A knock came at the door.
“Come in,” Monica said.
Lewis stepped in, carrying a bouquet of a dozen roses wrapped in paper. He walked around her desk, laid them in her arms, and gave her a kiss on the lips. He stepped back and smiled.
“What’s this?” Monica said.
“Things have been kind of rough for us over the past couple of weeks. It was because I was going through some things, but I’m happy to say that stuff is over, so now I want us to get back to the way we were.”
Monica chuckled a little. “Just like that, huh?”
“Yeah.”
Monica set the roses down. “The last serious conversation I had with you, I remember you saying fuck people like me and that you never wanted to go with me to another business function again.”
“I didn’t say fuck people like you. I said fuck the people at those functions and then you said you were one of them people.”
“I see,” Monica said. “That clears it all up. But just so I’m even clearer, I assume you don’t want me to ask you to any other functions?”
“I’m not sure. I have to think about that.”
“Well, you take your time. But while you do that, I want to ask you another question. Where is this really going between us?”
“What?” Lewis said, looking as though he had no idea where such a question had come from.
“The future. When I asked you before what you wanted to do after graduation, you seemed uncertain. So now I’m asking you what you want to do with me.”
Lewis smiled, scratched his head a little. “I mean first we’re gonna get married, right?”
“Right. But after that? The wedding is just the beginning. We’ll have years and years to share our lives together.”
“Then that’s what I guess we’ll do—share our lives.”
“But my life isn’t just sitting on the living room sofa, letting you fall asleep on my shoulder while we watch DVDs. I love Layla to death, but my life also isn’t about just helping you raise her. And although it’s good, my life isn’t just having sex and taking nasty pictures with you, either.”
“Where is all this coming from?” Lewis said, stepping closer to Monica, before she held out her hand to stop him.
“Right now,” Monica said, turning her computer monitor toward Lewis so he could see, “I’m looking at a building I’m thinking about buying to expand my business. Do you think it’s a good idea? Or will you not be cool with that, because you think it’s going to take me away from the house more?”
“I don’t know.”
“I’m asking you, Lewis. I need to know. One of the reasons why I always ask you to go to those functions with me is because I want you to know what I’m doing, know the people I’m doing it with. But you flat out told me that you want no part of that. And then when I get some of the most exciting news this year about my business and try and share it with you at dinner, you tell me you don’t want to hear it.”
“I’m sorry,” Lewis said.
“Just tell me something. You don’t want to be around the people I do business with. You don’t want to be around me or them when I talk about it. What do you think is going to happen once we get married? You think I’ll quit?”
“No. I never—”
“I won’t stop talking about it. I won’t stop doing it. As a matter of fact, if the business becomes more successful, I’ll probably talk about it more.” Monica stood from her chair. “Is that the kind of future you want? Have you thought about that?”
Lewis took a moment to think, stepped right up to Monica, placed his hands on her shoulders, and said, “I’m sorry for all of those things I said. I was going through something, but it’s over now. About me not appreciating what you do and you wanting me to be a part of it—you never put it to me like this before. But baby, I love you. Do you hear me? I love you. And that’s every part. You want me to go to your functions, I’ll go. You want me to work for you, washing the windows at your store, sweeping and mopping, so I can learn what you do from the ground up, I’m right there. All I know is, I want to marry you. I want us to be a family and enjoy each and every day together until we get no more. How is that to answer your question about what the future holds for us?”
Monica smiled a little and said, “It definitely gives me something to think about.”