“How many today?” the young girl asked as I arrived.
“Five, please,” my mom answered after doing a quick head count.
“Follow me,” the hostess said, grabbing some menus and walking us across the restaurant.
“That was a close one,” my little brother Tommy said, coming up behind me. “You almost had a pretty nasty fall back there.”
“No joke, Tommy.” I gave his small shoulder a gentle push. At thirteen years old he was still shorter than me, but I knew it wouldn't be for long. “How come a stranger had to save me? You were right behind me. You could have tried to help.”
“I don't think I could have helped you in time,” he said with a shrug. “I didn't even see you trip. Plus, that guy was there to save the day anyway, so it worked out. I can't believe how fast he grabbed you. Maybe he's a superhero in his spare time.”
“You think there's a super hero in our middle of nowhere town?” I asked. “What would he be doing? Rescuing stray cows?”
“Clark Kent grew up in a small town. Maybe he's just here to relax.” Tommy grinned at me. “And you know, cows are very grateful when you rescue them.”
“Are you calling me a cow?” I asked, raising my eyebrows and and crossing my arms. Even though we were nine years apart, our sibling rivalry was still strong.
Tommy shot me a cheesy grin. “Not with Mom within earshot.”
I rolled my eyes and kept walking after the hostess toward our table.
The rest of our group, which included my parents and best friend Caroline, were already at a booth on the far end of the restaurant. It took us a moment to get our seats and get comfortable.
“So, you girls are all graduated and done with college,” my mom remarked, setting down her menu and gazing at Caroline and me fondly. “I'm so proud of you both. You two are real adults now, huh?”
“Ugh, I guess so.” Caroline sighed. “I'm not sure how I feel about that.”
“Yup, it’s only downhill from here,” my father said, adjusting his glasses. “You should start picking out your burial plots now. It's the only thing you have to look forward to.”
“Charles!” my mother scolded in a joking manner. The rest of us around the table laughed.
“Oh, they’ll find out sooner or later,” he continued. “The best years of your lives are behind you. Now you have to get a job and pay bills. You guys are picking up dinner, right? That's what being an adult's all about.”
He winked at us both. Dad and Mom had been the ones to invite Caroline and I out to celebrate being home and graduated from college. He had already said he was paying several times and for us to get anything we wanted.
“If only getting a job was easy as paying a bill,” Carolina muttered, and I coughed a sympathetic laugh in agreement.
“Yeah, I think Alicia would agree with you on that one,” my mother said and I looked up to meet her eyes. I had been home for a day and a half and the topic of employment had already been raised by my father. Several times.
My father was the first to pry about my post-college plans, and he didn’t need to wait for graduation as an invitation. He had been on me since last summer, just before the beginning of my senior year. I knew he was just trying to make sure I could take care of myself, but it was a bit much.
I told him what I always did, that my plan was to apply for an internship at ZephTech to work on developing computer apps. He wasn't much of a fan of that plan because it required a hyper-competitive application and intern process, and that was far too much uncertainty for a man who never allowed his gas tank to get less than half full.
“You'll both find your paths,” my mother assured us. “And in twenty years, you’ll look back and laugh at the process.”
“In twenty years, I’ll be a high school English teacher still paying off loans and actively plotting ways to burn the school down,” Caroline replied with a grin. “I can’t wait.”
“And I’ll be somewhere in a cubical waiting for your smoke signal so I can do the same thing,” I replied. We both laughed.
“Well, as long as you don't get caught.” My mother shrugged. “I will be too busy traveling the world on your inheritance money to bail either of you out.”
“It's up to you then, Tommy,” I said, turning to my little brother. “You'll have to come break Caroline and me out of jail. I hope you're up to the task.”
“I think I could plan a jailbreak,” Tommy said thoughtfully. “I could at least bake you file in a cake or something.”
“I've eaten the things you bake,” I replied. “I think I'd rather be in jail.”
“First of all, you wouldn't be eating it. You'd be getting the file out,” Tommy explained. “And secondly, I'll be able to bake better in twenty years. Duh.”