“And, what did you figure out in the end?” Sophie asked.
“I was running from what I thought I was scared of,” I admitted. “I was scared to love like Dad, only to be left behind. But I realized something only recently…”
“What was that?”
“It wasn’t Dad that I was scared to become,” I replied. “It was Mom.”
“Huh?”
“You said it yourself; hell, everyone said it. I took after Mom. I was most like her. I guess I figured that one day I would get married like she did, realize that it wasn’t enough for me, and leave my family. And knowing how much it had hurt when she left us, I knew I did not want to do that to someone else. So, I decided to skip the family and just…travel.”
“That’s why you were so against relationships?” Sophie asked in amazement. “Because you were scared that you’d do what Mom did to us?”
“Yes.” I nodded.
“Wow,” she breathed. “So, what changed?”
“Natalie,” I said. “Natalie changed everything. She made me realize that I was more like Dad than even I realized. I don’t have it in me to do what Mom did. I’m not scared anymore.”
“That’s quite a revelation,” Sophie said. “But I’m glad you finally realized it.”
“Me, too.”
“So, when do I get to meet her?”
I had been expecting the question, and it didn’t bother me anymore. “Soon,” I promised.
Sophie seemed content with that answer. “I’ll hold you to it.”
“I have no doubt you will,” I laughed. “Now I’ve got to get going. Natalie’s meeting me by my car and we’re heading home.”
“Strange…”
“What is?” I asked.
“Just life,” Sophie said simply. “See you soon, little brother.”
I smiled. “See you soon, big sis.”
I hung up and made my way to my car. I had parked just outside the campus, far away from my allocated spot in the faculty parking lot to avoid being seen. On the days that Natalie accompanied me home, I always made sure to park somewhere discrete. It was a longer walk than usual, but I enjoyed walking, especially on cool, crisp days like this one.
I turned the corner where my car was parked and spied Natalie standing on the sidewalk next to the car. I paused immediately, realizing that her face looked a little troubled. I realized in the next second that she was not alone. The man with her shifted his position, and I recognized him as Jason.
They looked to be having a conversation, but it didn’t look as though Natalie wanted to be having one at all. Her body language was stiff, tense, and nervous. Jason, on the other hand, looked much more self-assured than I’d ever seen him before. But he also looked slightly aggressive. I hung back, wanting to see what he wanted with Natalie.
I was annoyed at how persistent the boy had turned out to be. When he had first come to me asking for help with women, I had judged him to be harmless, but now I wasn’t so sure. Natalie had made it clear to him in the past that she wasn’t interested, and it seemed he still hadn’t gotten the message. As they moved a little closer to the car, I could hear them a little better.
“Jason, please… I don’t mean to be rude, and I certainly don’t want to hurt you, but I’m just not interested in you. I’ll never be interested in you, and I don’t know how much plainer to make myself. I just want you to leave me alone.”
“I don’t get it,” he said, shaking his head in frustration. “We would be so good together.”
“Based on what?” she demanded. “You barely know me.”
“I know you,” he said. “I know you better than you think I do.”
He said it in a strange tone. Apparently, Natalie noticed the inflection, too. “What does that mean?”
“I know that you and Missy go for lunch every Thursday between classes. I know you like to visit the library on Mondays for a couple of hours in the night. I know you like to sit on South Lawn under the big oak by the drinking fountain and do your research. I know all that and a hundred other little details that no one else does.”