smiled.
“Caleb, I want to know everything about you,” she insisted. “We’ll learn more about each other with every topic that comes up.”
He was simply awestruck by Katrina. He had chatted more about his past with her in the coffee shop in an hour than he had the whole six months with Melanie, perhaps more than with any other woman he had dated. And it wasn’t as though he didn’t get along well with women, it was just that the women he had dated weren’t as interested in him as much as in what he could do for them.
Katrina noticed his distracted expression and offered, “A penny for your thoughts?”
He smiled across the table at her. “That’s quaint. Nobody says that anymore.”
She adopted a smirk and countered, “Well, I’m a bit of an old-fashioned girl.”
He absently nodded at her and marveled that he was actually sitting at a table with such a beautiful, articulate, and gentle woman.
“And being an old-fashioned girl,” she continued, “I better get you back at a decent hour to get your car, or your girlfriend will be scandalized.”
Caleb immediately frowned and asked, “How did you know I had a girlfriend?”
Her expression remained pleasant, but her mind raced for an answer. That’s what happens when you let your guard down so easily , she scolded herself. Then it hit her.
“Well, the first night after class,” she innocently explained. “Wasn’t there a woman holding an apple outside your office?”
He slowly nodded, and his frown dissipated somewhat.
“I mean, I’m old-fashioned, but absolutely no students actually do that anymore,” she offered with a smirk.
He smiled back at her with a nod, while she inwardly smiled at her good fortune and quick thinking.
Chapter 2
A Myth-Understanding
C aleb was elated upon waking the morning after his chat with Katrina at Starbucks. While shaving, he fondly reflected on their visit. After brushing his teeth, he contemplated his Friday; the last weekend before the second eight weeks of the fall semester started. He was grateful for being scheduled to teach only day classes this time. Instead of dwelling on Monday, he focused on spending the day pursuing his own interests, which included working out at the indoor gym on the top floor of his apartment building. It was another perk that, in addition to the parking garage, helped rationalize the increased rent that he paid for his otherwise small apartment.
As he worked out on the elliptical and upper body equipment, his thoughts shamefully wandered to Katrina. Despite the guilt over thinking about her instead of Melanie, his thoughts took on a journey of their own. He realized that his subconscious was trying to tell him something, but he stubbornly insisted that Melanie was the individual who was supposed to be the center of his attention. Following his workout and a shower, Caleb dressed and called Melanie, just to see how the Florida trip was going.
“Hey, Mel,” he pleasantly offered.
“Oh, hi, Caleb,” she tentatively replied.
“Did I call at a bad time?”
“Oh, no,” she offered matter-of-factly. “Greg and I were just talking about stuff as we followed behind Candace’s car.”
“What happened to the original plan of carpooling in the minivan?”
“Well, the van was idling funny, so Candace loaded four people into her car, and Greg offered to drive the two of us behind them,” Melanie explained. “Wasn’t that nice of him?”
Oh yeah, Greg’s a real hero , Caleb thought with annoyance. “Yeah, real nice,” he muttered darkly.
The connection’s signal strength seemed to falter, and Melanie said, “Listen, I think we’re losing the cell tower signal out here, so I’ll call you tonight from the hotel.”
“Sure,” he replied. “Be careful, okay?”
“You got it,” she absently replied before the line went dead.
Call it paranoia, but I’ve got a bad feeling about this trip , Caleb irritably considered.
----
Katrina lounged
“Caleb, I want to know everything about you,” she insisted. “We’ll learn more about each other with every topic that comes up.”
He was simply awestruck by Katrina. He had chatted more about his past with her in the coffee shop in an hour than he had the whole six months with Melanie, perhaps more than with any other woman he had dated. And it wasn’t as though he didn’t get along well with women, it was just that the women he had dated weren’t as interested in him as much as in what he could do for them.
Katrina noticed his distracted expression and offered, “A penny for your thoughts?”
He smiled across the table at her. “That’s quaint. Nobody says that anymore.”
She adopted a smirk and countered, “Well, I’m a bit of an old-fashioned girl.”
He absently nodded at her and marveled that he was actually sitting at a table with such a beautiful, articulate, and gentle woman.
“And being an old-fashioned girl,” she continued, “I better get you back at a decent hour to get your car, or your girlfriend will be scandalized.”
Caleb immediately frowned and asked, “How did you know I had a girlfriend?”
Her expression remained pleasant, but her mind raced for an answer. That’s what happens when you let your guard down so easily , she scolded herself. Then it hit her.
“Well, the first night after class,” she innocently explained. “Wasn’t there a woman holding an apple outside your office?”
He slowly nodded, and his frown dissipated somewhat.
“I mean, I’m old-fashioned, but absolutely no students actually do that anymore,” she offered with a smirk.
He smiled back at her with a nod, while she inwardly smiled at her good fortune and quick thinking.
Chapter 2
A Myth-Understanding
C aleb was elated upon waking the morning after his chat with Katrina at Starbucks. While shaving, he fondly reflected on their visit. After brushing his teeth, he contemplated his Friday; the last weekend before the second eight weeks of the fall semester started. He was grateful for being scheduled to teach only day classes this time. Instead of dwelling on Monday, he focused on spending the day pursuing his own interests, which included working out at the indoor gym on the top floor of his apartment building. It was another perk that, in addition to the parking garage, helped rationalize the increased rent that he paid for his otherwise small apartment.
As he worked out on the elliptical and upper body equipment, his thoughts shamefully wandered to Katrina. Despite the guilt over thinking about her instead of Melanie, his thoughts took on a journey of their own. He realized that his subconscious was trying to tell him something, but he stubbornly insisted that Melanie was the individual who was supposed to be the center of his attention. Following his workout and a shower, Caleb dressed and called Melanie, just to see how the Florida trip was going.
“Hey, Mel,” he pleasantly offered.
“Oh, hi, Caleb,” she tentatively replied.
“Did I call at a bad time?”
“Oh, no,” she offered matter-of-factly. “Greg and I were just talking about stuff as we followed behind Candace’s car.”
“What happened to the original plan of carpooling in the minivan?”
“Well, the van was idling funny, so Candace loaded four people into her car, and Greg offered to drive the two of us behind them,” Melanie explained. “Wasn’t that nice of him?”
Oh yeah, Greg’s a real hero , Caleb thought with annoyance. “Yeah, real nice,” he muttered darkly.
The connection’s signal strength seemed to falter, and Melanie said, “Listen, I think we’re losing the cell tower signal out here, so I’ll call you tonight from the hotel.”
“Sure,” he replied. “Be careful, okay?”
“You got it,” she absently replied before the line went dead.
Call it paranoia, but I’ve got a bad feeling about this trip , Caleb irritably considered.
----
Katrina lounged
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