Chapter 10
The presentation deadline was looming. Luckily, work and home became very busy places for Kelly. At work there were meetings to attend, presentation work to do, and graphics to design. At home, there were meals to cook, housework to do, and practices and ballgames to attend – Mikey was playing peewee football. One of Mike’s managers had moved away, so Mike had been working more hours than usual. Not that Kelly minded. They were like ships passing in the night anyway, and she had grown used to it. Every once in a while, she thought she should make a move toward Mike, maybe try to bridge the distance. But mostly she nursed her own hurt at his inattention.
The one thing that Kelly looked forward to every week was the new routine some of the Agents had. Every Thursday, several of them would meet at a restaurant and have dinner together. Kelly looked forward to this every week, and Mike didn’t say much about it because he knew she needed time with friends. The colleagues would enjoy a relaxing dinner, and every once in a while several of them would stay a little later, having a couple of drinks and blowing off some steam. Kelly didn’t stay every week, but she occasionally indulged herself.
It was on a Thursday afternoon in late October when Mike came home with an announcement. He was going to attend a special business training class. He was very excited about it. He came home bursting to tell Kelly.
‘That sounds great,” Kelly said after Mike had explained the content of the class. “You should get some really useful information. When does it meet?”
“It meets every Thursday from 6:00 until 9:00.”
Kelly’s smile faded. If he took this class, there would be no more dinner with friends. He knew she went out every Thursday. “Isn’t there some other time the class meets?”
“Well, there is a section that meets on Friday evenings, but I don’t want to have to take a class on a Friday night.”
Kelly’s voice grew pinched. “So what do I do about my weekly dinners?”
“Kelly, I know you enjoy that. But this will really help the business. It will help us.”
“What helps us is me getting out of here every week to relax,” Kelly replied sharply. She bit her lip as soon as she said it. That was a bit much. But she didn’t apologize. She was too mad.
“Kelly, I think we need some perspective. Your dinners are fun, but you also go out sometimes after work. You see these people all day long. This class is a real opportunity. I need to do this.”
“That’s fine,” Kelly said. “I’ll just hire a babysitter every Thursday.”
Mike looked at her and shook his head. “You know we can’t afford that.”
“Oh,” Kelly spat. “But we can afford for you to go to school. How many hundreds of dollars will that be?”
“Kelly, I got a scholarship. That’s why I really need to do this now.”
Kelly walked to the doorway of the den. “I don’t know why you even talk to me about these things. It doesn’t really matter what I think anyway. I’m invisible.” She left the room before Mike could reply. Then she came back in for one parting shot. “Oh, and since this will be my last supper, don’t wait up.”
Kelly was still fuming when she arrived at the restaurant, but she made herself smile broadly as she greeted her friends. When the waitress took their drink orders, Kelly ordered a glass of white zinfandel.
“Hey, we don’t usually start that until after dinner,” Jenny said.
“Well, since this is my last hurrah, I thought I’d make an exception.”
“Your last hurrah? What does that mean?” Rob asked.
“Mike’s taking a business class on Thursday nights, starting next week.”
“How long will that last?” Jenny asked.
“I didn’t ask him. Several weeks I guess.”
“Well,” Megan said, lifting her glass, “This night is Kelly’s. And my dear, I am buying your dinner.”
Kelly shook her head in protest. “You don’t need to do that.”
“Glad to do it, friend,” Megan replied. “But you’re buying your own drinks!”
The evening passed quickly, and soon teachers began to leave. Pretty soon, the only people still at the table were Megan, Kelly, and Andrew. They moved to the bar. Andrew ordered a beer, Megan ordered a margarita, and Kelly ordered her third glass.
“So you two, how’s the big account going? You nervous about the presentation yet?”
“Don’t be mean,” Kelly responded, chuckling. “You know how I get.”
“Is Mike excited about you coming back? I know the extra money has to be a good thing. Extra income is always a good thing.”
“I think so. He’s a little worried about how busy we’ll both be. He asked me to just try it with this account and then we would decide.”
Megan raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything.
Kelly raised her glass and said, “Well, let’s drink to my last big dinner for a while. And to good friends.”
They chatted for a while longer about various things. Kelly noticed that Andrew, however, seemed quieter than usual. As they got up to leave, Andrew motioned for her to stay back.
“Let me take care of your drinks,” he said.
“I’m fine, Andrew. I can pay for my own drinks.”
“I’m sure you are. But I want to do something for you on your last dinner with us. Let me do that.”
“Okay, thanks Andrew.”
“Oh, and one more thing, we’re all glad you’re back, and I personally hope you stay. It makes life at the office a lot more interesting.”