Lilly didn’t tell Charles about the move, but told the front desk girl in her office who told the front desk girl in his office.
She'd sat in his office after the harsh review from her boss that she was a bad writer, seeking consolation, encouragement and got none.
When she picked Jack up from Mick's that night, Mick was the one who saw the tear streaks on her face, held her.
She settled into Mick's arms, warm, familiar, and Jack squeezed between them and yelled out "Group hug," his small arms reaching up.
Mick texted her after she left and had tucked Jack into bed, that she’d always been great at everything she did.
He said she'd always been a writer, in school, when she was the most published student in the lit mag.
When she dropped Jack off at the weekend, Mick had a copy of a lit magazine on the table.
"Where did this come from," she asked, flipping through the pages of her adolescence, to words she'd forgotten.
He'd bought the books when they were in high school, stored in a bedroom at his mom's.
Lilly thought Mick hadn’t noticed her in high school, when she was quiet, unsure of herself.
As she turned the pages, she turned back to their first date at the coffeeshop.
The one he had picked because it was close to his work, but no.
She saw now he picked it because he remembered she spent time there.
Days later, she returns to pick up Jack, Mick asks her in.
She closes her eyes, envisions the three together in the house.
She can't see them there, but maybe somewhere new, different.
She tells Mick about the job offer weeks later.
He doesn't hesitate, says, "We'll go with you."
Sweet
ReplyDelete