She was always a force to be reckoned with, even more ambitious and dedicated than I was, which was probably why we got along so well. There was no one else I could think of who I wanted to tell more about what was going on.
We’d found the Black Friar almost by accident. Despite living in or around Seattle all our lives, we’d had yet to venture downtown. Discovering this common fact about each other, we’d made a pact to give it a try. We took the bus to the downtown core and just walked about to see what we could see. It was all part of our fairly tame college experience.
And now it was where we met when we had important things to talk about, such as on nights like tonight.
Once I arrived, she was already there, going over one of the free newspapers. If she’d had a nickname, it likely would have been Stopwatch, such was her punctuality, often to the exclusion of most other things.
“Hey!”
She sprang from her chair, taking me in a big bear hug. A coo from beside her brought my attention to Melinda. Her second child in as many years, she was still in the squirming and cooing stage.
“I ended up bringing her along so that Theo could get her big sister to sleep in peace. Otherwise, she might end up crying and waking her up just as she’s going down. You want to hold her?” Becca asked.
“Uh, sure.”
Picking the infant up like a pro, Becca moved her over to me like she was passing a rugby ball. Doing my best not to do something stupid, I sat down, just in case.
I looked at the cute little baby who smiled back at me from where I was holding her on my nip now that I was safely seated.
I mostly just felt glad I hadn’t dropped her. But she did make the corners of my own mouth turn up a bit. I didn’t think I was one for wanting kids, but this one sure was adorable.
“So, what’s the big news?” Becca asked me.
“Do you know of the band Dante Street Massacre?”
“Of course, they record with Suspicious Activity,” Becca said. Her husband Theo had a one-man act called Mad Alchemy that recorded with the label as well and sometimes toured with some of the label’s other bands as their opening act. “I’ve seen them at launch parties and concerts.”
“Oh, okay. Well, I’ve joined them.”
“You what now?” she said, her mouth dropping over.
“I saw an ad for a cellist, and I answered it. There was an audition process, of course, but they invited me to join.”
“With voting rights and everything?”
“That’s what Thom said.”
“Ah yes, Thom Aaronsen. He’s a good guy. Stick by him and you’ll do fine.”
I’d figured that but it was nice to have my suspicions confirmed. She also didn’t tell me to run or be careful, which I took generally as a good sign. Becca could be a bit odd but was nothing if not honest. She also had an insight into things, at least those she noticed, that sometimes bordered on the spooky.
“That’s so cool,” she said. “Congrats!”
“Thanks,” I told her. “Now let’s celebrate by eating. I’m starving!”
“Me too.”
I passed the baby back to her and she settled her in her car seat on the booth beside her while I looked over the menu even though I practically knew it by heart by now.
The Black Friar wasn’t just a name, but it was also more of a philosophy. The best of Scottish deep-fried everything was listed on the menu from top to bottom. Only the beverages were spared. At least we assumed.
Once we had a deep-fried pizza on a stand between us, we celebrated our good fortune. We even had deep-fried mars bars for dessert.
It wasn’t long until the baby was drifting off to sleep and making slight cooing noises that I just had to smile at.
“It’s so cute that you like babies now,” Becca said. “I remember back in school you said you didn’t want any.”
“I don’t!” I protested. “I only like yours.”
“Well, that’s nice,” she said, but she still looked a bit sad for me. I hated the bit of pity I saw in her eyes. “You know, when you first called all excited, I was thinking maybe you’d met someone. But I know you don’t want to be in a relationship. And I’m happy that your musical career is taking off. It really was the best news. I just jumped to the Hallmark version of life, I guess.”
I nodded, understanding that she only wanted the best for me.
“One day I’ll find Prince Charming,” I told her, shrugging.
I saw the waiter and nodded at him so that he’d bring the bill over. I didn’t want to overstay our night out, since Becca was a busy mom.