Page 7 of The Odds of Happily Ever After
Tala
Thanks again for making this trip with Luna possible. We really needed that.
Gabe
Don’t mention it. Regards to Jason.
Tala
He said he’s still waiting for the Brazilian soccer team to win the World Cup.
Gabe
Remind him it’s not for another two years. Also, it’s football.
My screen wentblank as my client ended the video call. I finished typing my notes and confirmed that Felix’s investment portfolio was up to date. The next thing I knew, a notificationappeared on my screen—a calendar reminder simply titledsanity check.
I froze, staring at the words that Tala had coined.
I’d had weeks to process the news of her departure, yet the reality hadn’t sunken in until now.
If it had been a regular third Tuesday of the month, I would be preparing to meet her for our catch-up dinner. It had been our tradition these past three years and the closest thing I’d had to a social life. I seldom dated and avoided socializing unless work demanded it.
The only exception was Tala.
Now she was living on a different continent and I had no one else to remind me to maintain some semblance of work-life balance. Not that I could blame her for moving back to the Philippines when her work visa hadn’t been extended. She’d missed her home for so long too.
Anyway, people leaving was nothing new. Ma left when I was fourteen to start a new family with her American doctor. Two years after, my father returned to Brazil, leaving me to live with our neighbor. Then there was Inez, my first and last girlfriend.
All things considered, I was a pro at being left behind. Tala was just another person to add to the list.
Saving my work, I got up and headed to my kitchen. I wasn’t hungry, but I needed a distraction. A brief scan of my refrigerator revealed that I only had enough ingredients for a couple of sandwiches while a six-pack of beer remained. My food to drinks ratio was off, which meant I’d need to make a grocery run soon.
Sandwich and beer it would be.
As I prepared my meal, it occurred to me how much it resembled my college diet. I might have graduated to higher quality ingredients and more expensive alcohol, but my cookingrepertoire hadn’t really improved since undergrad. Some might argue, neither had my routine.
Which was fine by me. Routine meant stability and security—two things I’d lacked growing up. I would choose routine over the unknown any day of the week, never mind if other people called that boring.
People like Luna.
Her hurt expression when I told her we weren’t friends flashed in my head.
Guilt tugged at me. Had I been too abrupt with her? I’d already told her my stance on professor-student interactions in the past. The last thing she needed was to be involved in matters that would put her scholarship on the line—not to mention, tarnish the career and reputation I’d worked so hard to build.
When Tala told me her younger sister was moving here a year ago, I immediately went on guard. She made Luna sound like a sweet, sheltered child, but it seemed Luna had been content to be the pampered princess while Tala hustled to send money home. No wonder Luna was all rainbows and sunshine. She could afford to be, with Tala taking on the responsibilities.
I hated freeloaders—particularly those who thought they could skate by on their charm alone. They reminded me of Ma, who got tired of waiting for my father to strike gold and found another husband for herself.
They also reminded me of my ex.
Tala and I rarely had serious disagreements, but Luna was one topic we didn’t see eye to eye on.
“You’re spoiling her,” I told Tala a few weeks after Luna moved in and took up the only bedroom in her apartment.
“I’m not,” Tala said. “She cooks and helps with the chores.”
“You’re working two jobs and funding her existence. At least let her get a part-time job so she learns the value of money and independence.”
