Love Lessons

“What do you suppose they would think about you seeing me? I mean, I bet they expect you to hook up with another scientist or a doctor or a professor.”

“Don’t start that again.”

“I’m just asking what they would think.”

She gave the question serious consideration before replying. How would her parents react if they learned that she was sleeping with a twenty-eight-year-old college freshman maintenance worker?

“Mother would probably warn me not to let myself be too distracted from my work,” she said after a moment. “Dad would respect your decision to return to school, and he would try to talk you into declaring a math major. I think they would both like you, and both be rather surprised that we have enough in common to want to spend time together.”

Mike grimaced. “I did ask,” he muttered. “And you always give an honest answer, don’t you?”

“I assume you wouldn’t ask if you didn’t want an honest reply.”

His smile was a little crooked, but he seemed more bemused than perturbed by her innate frankness. “Something tells me you’re very much like your parents in a lot of ways.”

“I’m afraid so,” she said, looking down at her plate.

Mike reached out to cover her hand with his own. “I wasn’t saying that’s a bad thing. Your folks sound like very interesting people.”

She thought suddenly of their agreement the night before to ignore the outside world and concentrate on each other. She decided she would like to continue that policy for a little longer. She changed the subject rather abruptly. “Have you thought yet about what classes you’re going to take next semester? Or whether you are going to take any more?”

He drew his hand back to his side. “Yeah, I’m going to take a few hours. I haven’t really decided what yet, but I’ve got to make a decision pretty soon. Any recommendations?”

“I suppose you’ll want to take more general education classes that are required for an eventual degree.”

He nodded. “I’m sure it would be easier to choose classes if I’d declare a major.”

“You have plenty of time for that.”

“Do I?” Though he spoke lightly, his expression was somber. “I’m not getting any younger, you know.”

“There’s a graduate student in our doctoral program who’s just turned fifty. She didn’t receive her undergraduate degree until she was forty-five, after raising two children and working as a lab technician for almost twenty years. This was something she always wanted to do, and now she’s making that dream come true.”

“Good for her. How much longer does she have?”

“If all goes well, she should graduate in the spring.”

“At least she had a good reason to take so long. Raising her kids, I mean. And she knew what she wanted to do.”

“Surely you’ve thought about why you’re taking classes. Do you plan to earn a degree?”

He nodded and pushed his empty dessert plate away. “I’d like to. I mean, I know I signed up for this semester on an impulse because I was still steamed about the reunion. But now that I’m back in school and doing pretty well, I’d like to make it count, you know?”

“I see no reason why you shouldn’t earn a degree if you want.”

“It’s going to take forever if I only take two classes a semester. I suppose I should look into student loans so I can take more hours and cut back to part-time maintenance work. That way I could have a degree in four years—maybe a little sooner if I go summers.”

“That sounds like a workable solution. Do you have some idea of the direction you want your studies to take? A liberal arts degree? Or something more specific, aimed toward a certain career?”

He hesitated for a long moment, then shrugged. “I haven’t really thought about it.”

She nodded and reached for their empty plates. If Mike didn’t want to talk about his future plans, she certainly wasn’t going to push him. “Would you like coffee or anything?”

“No, thanks. I’m so full now I couldn’t even hold coffee.” He helped her carry the dishes to the dishwasher. When the kitchen was spotless again, he reached out to wrap his arms loosely around her. “Getting tired of me yet?”

Resting her hands on his chest, she smiled up at him. “Hardly.”

“Want to hang out?”