Page 120 of Flirtasaurus
“You’re welcome. So I take that to mean you can see the photos that are behind me clearly now?”
“Hm?” What is she getting at?
“I noticed you squinting at them the first day you came into my office.”
Damn, nothing gets past her.
“Oh.”
“So, go on. Take a closer look now. What do you see?”
“I see you and your dog and who I’m assuming are your husband and son?”
“Look closer. Do you recognize the husband and son?”
I stand and peer closer, and I think my brain short-circuits.
“Fuck a duck! Is that Lionel?! And Damon?!”
“Interesting turn of phrase…” she murmurs.
“Language! Sorry about that!”
“But yes, Lionel is my husband. And Damon is our son.”
“Wow. I had… I had no idea.”
“We keep things professional while we’re at work. I don’t feel a need to hide them by any means. Anyone who is paying attention can see that we have lunch together nearly every day, but we do keep things professional.”
“This is just… wow.”
“Calliope, when I was younger, I worried that I couldn’t have a powerful career and also have the family I knew in my heart was meant for me and my future. I thought I had to make a choice. But thankfully, that thinking was a load of bunk.”
Bunk. Dr. Knowles just said the word bunk. The surprises just keep coming.
“I thought perhaps you might benefit from hearing that.”
“Yes, that’s… good to hear, thank you.”
It’s also a bit devastating to hear since I just let the one person I could envision having a future with walk right out of my life.
“You think Lionel and I didn’t do crazy things when we were young?” she asks.
Whaaat? What is happening here?
“Gosh, I-I don’t—”
“You think we don’tstilldo crazy things?” she continues with a twinkle in her eye that I’ve never seen from her before.
“Really? Lionel?”
“Yes, Lionel!” she says with what I think is mock outrage.
“No offense to you or Lionel! I’m sure your sex life is off the chain! I’ve just never thought about him in that way. Nor should I, right? But I think that’s awesome that you two are—”
“Easy, Miss FitzGerald, we don’t have to continue down this particular path.”
“Oh, thank God,” I say. I can feel my cheeks reddening by the second.
