Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 36478 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 182(@200wpm)___ 146(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36478 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 182(@200wpm)___ 146(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
“You boys are going to make me blush.”
Jackson smirked through an eye roll from across the table, and I got the feeling that the lady actually loved the fuss, and that she would rarely blush over anything.
I took a seat next to Sterling, and before Charlotte sat down, she filled her son’s plate to the brim of salad and pasta. I didn’t think for a moment that she did it because she found him incapable; she was simply being a doting mother. I’d guess that she would fill his plate no matter the circumstance, and until her last breath.
The rest of us passed the dishes around, commenting on how great it looked as we piled our plates high.
“So Beckett, Sterling tells us that you two met at Evanston.”
“We did,” I answered after I swallowed a bite of salad. “I saw him sitting on a bench and wanted to talk to him, and luckily he didn’t tell me to get lost.”
Charlotte chuckled and said, “Jackson and I met at Evanston as well. I was walking to class, and Jackson was passing a football with some of his friends on the quad. He ended up slamming into me, making me drop my books to the ground.”
Jackson chimed in, “I turned around to apologize, but I was so struck by her beauty that I couldn’t speak. I just looked at her with my mouth hanging open.” He smiled at his wife and asked, “Do you remember the first words you said to me?”
“Hmm, I don’t recall,” she answered, stabbing at a bite of spaghetti.
He snorted and looked at me to finish, “She said, ‘Well, are you going to pick up my books or just stare at me all day’?” Sterling and I laughed at the story, while Charlotte tried to hide her smile. “I think I knew at that very moment that I was going to marry her, and we have been inseparable ever since.”
“That’s amazing,” I sighed. And it was amazing that their story began at the very same place where I met Sterling.
“You teach English at Evanston, correct?” Jackson asked, and I nodded.
“Yes, sir, I teach English Literature. I’ve been at Evanston for the past six years, and before that I taught for fifteen years in Pennsylvania. Sterling mentioned that you are an oral surgeon?”
“Yes, I am an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, and Charlotte works with me as a perioperative nurse.”
“That’s great that you two can work alongside each other,” I offered, and Charlotte nodded.
“Most days,” she teased, making me chuckle again. “So does your family live around here or are they back in Pennsylvania?”
“My parents are both departed,” I replied, and Sterling put his hand on my thigh beneath the table. He knew from our past conversations that they had passed, but I still appreciated his concern and support.
“I’m so sorry,” Charlotte offered.
“Thank you. They passed away a few years ago. They had me later in life; I am the baby of four children. My brothers and sisters live all across the country, but we try to get together each year for the holidays.”
“I’m glad to hear it. And please know that you are always welcome here with us.”
I thanked her from the bottom of my heart. I couldn’t believe how welcoming they were towards me. Even though we’d just met, it felt as if I’d known them for much longer. I was comfortable in their company, and I hoped to spend lots of time with them in the future.
We chatted as we ate until there was nothing left on our plates or the serving dishes. I should have stopped myself long before, but the food was just too damn delicious to turn down. By the time I took my last bite, all I felt like doing was lying down on the floor and unbuttoning my pants, but I thought that might not be great form at a first meeting.
“I hope everyone saved room for dessert,” Charlotte said as she rose from the table. I planned on politely declining until I saw the dessert that she carried back into the dining room; a cheesecake which was covered in chocolate chips and chocolate sauce. Then I decided that I’d risk blowing the zipper off of my pants for a piece.
And boy, was it the right decision; the cheesecake was creamy and light, and the chocolate added the perfect amount of sweetness. It was easy to see why it was Sterling’s favorite. If I weren’t literally losing circulation to my feet because of my full stomach, I would have asked for a second piece.
Sterling excused himself to the restroom, and rose from the table to expertly navigate down the hallway. This was his childhood home where he spent many years, and was as comfortable in and familiar with it as he was his own house.