After Olivia

20

Bill lounged on Emily's bed with his back flat against the headboard and his legs laying straight out in front of him. He smiled as he gazed at his idle cellphone, studying her name in the caller-id until the screen went blank, then let it come to rest on the bed beside him. He let a content chuckle rumble up from his belly then watched Emily.

"Was that Matilda?" Emily asked while she collected books from the floor.

"Yeah. Can you believe it, she called me a slacker," Bill said as he interlaced his fingers behind his head. "Why are you unpacking the books? I thought you were only moving in for a month or two."

Emily sneered and replied, "I knew I liked her. So, you were saying you met her at the mall to help her buy a cell phone. What happened, were you too lazy to pick her up?"

"No, I offered but she wanted to meet me there."

Bill continued to describe the matinee movie date while Emily stacked the books on a shelf. His voice became hesitant as he said, "Thing is, she's nineteen. Do you think that's, maybe too young?"

"I figure she was nineteen or twenty. And what do you mean? Too young for what? Cataracts? Menopause? Yeah, probably. Too young for you to date? Since when did you start to care about stuff like that?"

"People talk. People judge."

"You were a university student dating a high school freshman. Wait, let me correct that, engaged to a high school freshman. Olivia asked you to marry her when she was fifteen and you said yes. Not, 'you're only fifteen maybe we should wait until you're older' no... you said yes. You didn't care what people might think."

"This is different."

"No, it isn't. Not really. Mom is seven years younger than Patrick and she was almost ten years younger than my dad. And they started dating when she was in her senior year of high school. The happiest marriages I know. And these people, the ones that will be talking and judging, are they going to hang out with you on a Friday night, make you feel better when you're down, make you sloppy joes for your birthday?"

"No..."

"Screw them! They don't care about you or if you're happy. Are you happy? Were you happy while you were out with her?"

"Yes. Yes, I was... am."

"You haven't stopped smiling since you got here, even when I hit your head with the lamp. I haven't seen you this happy since... since the..."

"Normally, you're the last person I should talk to for relationship advice, but you make a good point."

"Darn right! So, no more of this doubting crap, or I'll... smack you on the other side of your head with this book," she said as she waved a hard cover novel in her hand.

"Since when have you become so violent?"

"Since I went back to Roger's to pick up the rest of my stuff," Emily said as she dropped onto the bed.

"Alright, enough of this, 'letting Roger make you feel like crap,' kind of crap. Let's go to Arnold's for ribs."

****

A bright cloudless baby blue sky hung over the park. Vibrant colours painted the surroundings with life. Ducks and lily pads floated on the pond steps away from the white gazebo that was host to a small band playing soft music. Leaves rustled in the gentle breeze. People mingled throughout the park.

"Have you been waiting long?" Olivia asked.

Bill chuckled and looked up from his reclined position on the hillside then smiled. He watched her take her place beside him then replied, "I just got here."