of obvious?” Timothy asked.
“I guess not. I’m not sure.”
“What do you like?” Timothy said finding a strategy. It was a great strategy too because it led to a bunch of information he didn’t have.
“Stuff?” she said with a shrug and laughed since she knew it was a terrible answer.
“Seriously, what do you like? You can use that to start to figure out if he likes the same things. Right?” Before she answered, Timothy heard himself pray she would ask his advice.
“Friends,” she started. “Uh, chick flicks, jogging, strawberry ice cream, Harry Potter , horses, reading, and playing with my sister’s kids. Yeah, I know, I’m kind of girly like that.” A glance in her direction and he saw she was wearing her favorite sweatshirt again. He tried not to smile when he spotted the insignia.
“Nothing wrong with your answer,” Timothy said. He dropped his voice, a dramatic whisper that wasn’t that much lower when he said, “I’ll let you in on a little secret. Sometimes I watch chick flicks too.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Don’t tell anyone. I’m pretty sure I’d have to say we never met and that I have no idea who you are. Or I’d have to say you’re some kind of addict trying to get money.” She smiled, but then she got quiet and sad again, probably flying back to thoughts about her boyfriend. Timothy tried to hide his disgust at the world’s luckiest and dumbest bastard in the universe all because he got to be with her and somehow managed to mess it up. Hoping to make her feel safe, Timothy asked, “So I’ve got to wonder, why your sister’s kids?”
“They’re fun and I love how they see the world,” Jenny said.
“How?”
“They see it with fresh eyes. Like adults go around and we think we know all of the answers when we really don’t. But they don’t have that baggage. They see it without assuming they know everything. That’s fun.”
“Makes sense.”
“That’s why I love my job so much,” she said, then answered Timothy’s glance of an unspoken question, “I’m a nanny.”
“A nanny, really?”
“Yup.”
“And do you fly with an umbrella?”
“I wish,” Jenny giggled again, a sound perfectly designed to addict Timothy. “Wouldn’t that be cool? Then I could just break out into song whenever I wanted and there’d be the background music to back me up.” She had her eyes on him when she asked, “Do you like kids?”
“I don’t know.”
“How can you not know?”
“They probably scare me a little,” he said, honest. He didn’t know how much she’d appreciate that. “I don’t have any younger siblings, so yeah, I don’t see or talk to little kids, so I don’t know how to act around them.”
“You’re the first guy to say something like that to me.”
“Well, I’m sure a lot of us feel this way.”
“Terrance was cute the first time I saw him with a kid,” Jenny said. “He told me he loved children, talked about his little brothers and how much he loved teaching them and everything. Then he meets Jaime and Dougie—the kids I take care of—and he totally didn’t know what he was doing. He lied to me. He totally lied to me, but I’m not sure if it really bothers me. Is that insane? Can a guy lie to your face and be sweet at the same time?”
“I don’t know,” Timothy said. Now it stung to talk about her great boyfriend.
“But that was good. It’s nice you were honest.”
“One of my many superpowers,” Timothy said with a little bow.
“You go to Sac State, right? Any idea what you’re going to do when you graduate?”
“Yeah, I’m a hornet,” he said. Compared to other schools’ mascots, the hornet actually sounded scary. “And no, I have no idea what’s going to happen after graduation.” Cordinox and his merry band made things a lot more complicated. “You?”
“English major,” she said.
“And what do they do after college?”
“I have no idea,” Jenny shrugged
“I guess not. I’m not sure.”
“What do you like?” Timothy said finding a strategy. It was a great strategy too because it led to a bunch of information he didn’t have.
“Stuff?” she said with a shrug and laughed since she knew it was a terrible answer.
“Seriously, what do you like? You can use that to start to figure out if he likes the same things. Right?” Before she answered, Timothy heard himself pray she would ask his advice.
“Friends,” she started. “Uh, chick flicks, jogging, strawberry ice cream, Harry Potter , horses, reading, and playing with my sister’s kids. Yeah, I know, I’m kind of girly like that.” A glance in her direction and he saw she was wearing her favorite sweatshirt again. He tried not to smile when he spotted the insignia.
“Nothing wrong with your answer,” Timothy said. He dropped his voice, a dramatic whisper that wasn’t that much lower when he said, “I’ll let you in on a little secret. Sometimes I watch chick flicks too.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Don’t tell anyone. I’m pretty sure I’d have to say we never met and that I have no idea who you are. Or I’d have to say you’re some kind of addict trying to get money.” She smiled, but then she got quiet and sad again, probably flying back to thoughts about her boyfriend. Timothy tried to hide his disgust at the world’s luckiest and dumbest bastard in the universe all because he got to be with her and somehow managed to mess it up. Hoping to make her feel safe, Timothy asked, “So I’ve got to wonder, why your sister’s kids?”
“They’re fun and I love how they see the world,” Jenny said.
“How?”
“They see it with fresh eyes. Like adults go around and we think we know all of the answers when we really don’t. But they don’t have that baggage. They see it without assuming they know everything. That’s fun.”
“Makes sense.”
“That’s why I love my job so much,” she said, then answered Timothy’s glance of an unspoken question, “I’m a nanny.”
“A nanny, really?”
“Yup.”
“And do you fly with an umbrella?”
“I wish,” Jenny giggled again, a sound perfectly designed to addict Timothy. “Wouldn’t that be cool? Then I could just break out into song whenever I wanted and there’d be the background music to back me up.” She had her eyes on him when she asked, “Do you like kids?”
“I don’t know.”
“How can you not know?”
“They probably scare me a little,” he said, honest. He didn’t know how much she’d appreciate that. “I don’t have any younger siblings, so yeah, I don’t see or talk to little kids, so I don’t know how to act around them.”
“You’re the first guy to say something like that to me.”
“Well, I’m sure a lot of us feel this way.”
“Terrance was cute the first time I saw him with a kid,” Jenny said. “He told me he loved children, talked about his little brothers and how much he loved teaching them and everything. Then he meets Jaime and Dougie—the kids I take care of—and he totally didn’t know what he was doing. He lied to me. He totally lied to me, but I’m not sure if it really bothers me. Is that insane? Can a guy lie to your face and be sweet at the same time?”
“I don’t know,” Timothy said. Now it stung to talk about her great boyfriend.
“But that was good. It’s nice you were honest.”
“One of my many superpowers,” Timothy said with a little bow.
“You go to Sac State, right? Any idea what you’re going to do when you graduate?”
“Yeah, I’m a hornet,” he said. Compared to other schools’ mascots, the hornet actually sounded scary. “And no, I have no idea what’s going to happen after graduation.” Cordinox and his merry band made things a lot more complicated. “You?”
“English major,” she said.
“And what do they do after college?”
“I have no idea,” Jenny shrugged
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