Resilient (2) (2 page)

“See you guys later,” Katrine said as they all offered their goodbyes.

 
“Where are you parked?” Hayden asked.

“Um, I think P4, on the west side of campus.”

“Oh great. I’m going that way, can I walk you?”

“Sure, if you’re going that way.”

“I am indeed.”

They talked comfortably the ten minute walk to her car. He was funny and smart, her favorite combo.

“So, Katrine, do you want to grab a coffee sometime?” He pushed his thick blond hair from his face.

“Sure, that sounds good.”

“What are you doing Wednesday after class?”

“Having coffee with you, it seems.” She smiled at him as her stomach did a little flip. “By the way, I’m a bit older than you, —I’ll be thirty-six in a few months, in fact.”

“Katrine…I couldn’t give two shits.” He grinned and they both laughed.

“Well, in that case, I’ll see you Wednesday,” she said as she pulled her keys out of her bag. “Where are you parked?”

“On the other side of campus.”

“I thought you said you were going my way?”

“I was. Now I’m going this other way. See you in class, Katrine.” He paused for a moment and then slowly turned to walk away. Katrine smiled to herself,
 
hopped in her car, and cranked up the heat.
 

Not a bad first day, not bad at all…

Chapter 2

“Red or white?”

“Do you have to ask?”

“Red, I know, I know. I keep thinking maybe you’ll try something different.”

“Nice shirt, by the way,” Katrine laughed. Maddie grinned as she looked down and pulled her shirt out to reveal a cross-legged figure flipping the bird above the words ‘Namaste Mother Fucker.’

“You don’t wear that out in public, do you?’

“Just to yoga. It’s part of my irony screen tees collection.
 
I think it complements my bi-polar tendencies.” She grinned, grabbed her glass of wine, and walked into the living room. They were hanging out at Maddie’s apartment tonight. Her decor was what Katrine liked to call bohemian chic. It was filled with Asian-inspired art work and sculptures. There was a lot of golds, reds, and dark browns.
 

“How was work today?” Katrine asked as she fell back into the plush and lovingly worn beige couch.

“I only had two clients so it was slow, just the way I like it. I usually try to keep it light on Mondays. I’m usually pretty wiped from the weekend so I’d rather veg than rub people all day.”

“You seem so content now that you went into business for yourself.”

“Yes, I go to them, bring my table, rub, and go. I’m like a massage call girl.”

“Well, you must be doing well because Linda said she’s on the waiting list to see you.”

“Life is good, sis, life is good. I’m seeing someone, too.”

“Is this the guy you met at that concert last month—Wes?”

“Yes, he has a big heart and an even bigger schlong! I think I’m in love.”

“Oh my god, really?”

“No, but I like him. Let me see how it goes, and if I think it might be something, I’ll introduce him to you… Now, how was your first day of school, dear?”

Katrine took a sip of wine. “It was good. I only had one class today, but it was very long and I won’t bore you with the details. I felt comfortable even though I was one of the oldest people in class. It was so nice to be back in a university setting. It felt as if I’d never left, you know. I
will
tell you that I have a very cute guy in my project group and there’s an even cuter guy assisting the professor.”

“I knew you’d love it and score on the sea of hotness. That’ll at least make it more entertaining.”

“I agreed to have coffee with Hayden, the cute guy from my group.”

“Woohoo and hallelujah! I thought you were going to become a nun for real this time. It’s high time you get back out there. Recovery period has been considerable.” Katrine smiled and totally agreed. It was time and she was ready. It had taken her a while to get over you know who, but she felt like she was finally ready to throw her panties in the ring again.

They talked and laughed, refilling their glasses on occasion. When the opening riff from ‘Mr. Brightside’ blared from the speakers, they both looked at each other, wide grins on both of their faces. Maddie jumped off
 
the couch and put her hand out to Katrine. They both rounded the coffee table and found a nice open spot on the cream shag carpet. They started to bounce around and sing at the top of their lungs, if you could call it singing.
 

Katrine closed her eyes…Singing and dancing with her sister, it took her back. She could have been in the bedroom they shared as kids. Standing on their beds, with stuffed animals in every corner, they would sing into any object that resembled a microphone. Katrine personally preferred the hitchhiker method, all fingers in a fist with just the thumb out as the mic. There wasn’t a care in the world, except whose turn it was to be the lead singer.
 

Katrine twirled with her arms spread out wide. As she spun, she smiled. It was one of those wide, full hearted smiles that only accompany moments of pure happiness. And she could never have too many of those.

“Baby, wake up.”
 

Nothing.

“Baby…wake uuu-uup!”

“No, Momma. Please, five more minutes.”

“I already gave you five minutes. If you don’t get up, we’re going to be late,” Katrine said to a pile of covers, no body parts in sight. Several minutes later there was still no movement and she was no closer to getting her little man out of bed.

“Okay, you leave me no choice. You want to play it this way, you asked for it.”
 

Katrine went over and turned on the big light then started to sing ‘Good Morning’ from
Singing in the Rain
, very loudly and slightly off key. She didn’t know all of the words, so she just kept repeating the good morning part over and over.

“Mom, please, no!” he grumbled from his comforter cocoon.

She continued her serenade and yanked the covers off, revealing a turtle-like object in the center of the bed, trying, but failing, to keep the light at bay.

“Okay, Mom, I’m up. Please, for the love of Santa, stop singing!”

“You left me no choice, sweetie,” she said as she peppered his sweaty head with kisses. “You have soccer practice today after school and swimming before, so let’s move it, mister!”

Everyday she had to coax, beg, and cajole to get Teddy out of bed. But she’d rather that than him not be here in the morning. Although the alone time with her coffee cup was nice, the mornings he was over at his dad’s were still a little sad. So she would take coercion and show-tunes any day of the week.

Miraculously they left the house on time.
 

“Have a wonderful day, sweet boy. I love you.”

“I love you too, Momma. Have a good day, too. See ya later.”

She watched him walk toward the school, greeting friends on the way in. She smiled and drove away.

“That there is the sweetest kid on the planet.”

Today she didn’t have class, so she was headed to the office. She greeted the security guard and took the elevator to the fourth floor. While inside, Katrine smoothed the front of her charcoal gray sweater dress she wore with knee high black leather boots.
 

“Hey, Katrine, how ya doing today?”
 

“Good, Jaimie, and you?” Katrine said as she passed the front desk

“Oh, can’t complain, but you know I always find a way,” she said as she applied her pink lip gloss. Katrine laughed and shook her head. Jaimie was a young attractive blonde. She was also the town crier of the office. So if someone wanted to keep anything secret they made damn sure not to tell her. That was easier said than done. It was like the receptionists were the special agents of the company. They seemed to know everything about everyone.

Her co-workers were energetic, a little nutty, and creative; she fit right in. They welcomed her with open arms and she had grown to love this place. She hoped to stay here as long as they would let her. Everyone had different titles and responsibilities, but it truly was a collaborative environment.
 

The head of their division and director of their crazy crew was Nancy Varona. She was a tall formidable woman with a “don’t screw with me” attitude. Katrine loved her and had learned so much from her already. She waved at Nancy as she passed her large windowed office, making her way over to her desk, which was in a cock pit of low walled cubicles. There was tons of light and lots of bright artwork on the wall. Nancy thought that color kept the creative brain working. Brad Teel was the VP that oversaw the entire floor. He had a corner office and he was always in meetings with the big whigs or out of town. Katrine didn’t interact with him much. She saw Hal even less, but when she did, he seemed genuinely glad to see her.

Ten people made up Katrine’s group, which was managed by Grant Hobart. There were three other marketing divisions, thirty-five people in all, but the floor was large enough to house them, the environmental compliance team, and PR. Marketing worked closely with both, depending on the project, and with the cocky all male sales team which was housed on the fifth floor. One big family, an albeit intense, and at times, dysfunctional family.

Katrine took her seat and greeted her neighbors as she booted up her computer. She had three meetings today so it was going to be busy. That ended up being a good thing because before she knew it, it was quitting time. She loved when that happened.

“Hey, Katrine, you want to go to Soapy’s with us for some drinks?”
 

“Thanks, Darren, but I have to take a pass. I have to pick up Teddy from practice. Next time, okay?”

“Sure thing, see you tomorrow.”

“Okay, I’ll be in after class.”

After class and coffee with a collegiate cutie.

“Oh yeah, you’re a college girl now,” said Nancy, an older ebony-skinned beauty from her team who had joined the conversation.

“Yes, and I’m like second to oldest in my class. I should have taken night courses with the other old folks, but then I wouldn’t get to hang out with my mini man. I can’t cut into any time with him.”

“You’re lucky we love you so much or you would get shit for working less than the rest of us minions,” Darren teased.

“I know how lucky I am, trust me! You guys drink a few for me.” They said their goodbyes as she got her things together. If she hustled she could catch the last part of Teddy’s practice.

After she tucked Teddy into bed, Katrine made a cup of tea. As she waited for it to steep, her phone rang. She smiled when the name popped up on her screen.

“Hey, there,” she said.

“Hey, I’m so sorry I’m just now calling you. I was swamped with a new project at work. You were on my mind all day, though. How was your first day of grad school?”

“Oh, that’s sweet, it was really good. I only have two classes. I figured with work and Teddy, I needed to feel it all out. I like my marketing class. The professor seems to have a personality, which is nice, and the people in my group seem friendly. I had to put one jack-hole in his place, but I don’t think he’ll be a problem.”
 

She wasn’t sure why she didn’t tell him about Hayden. For some reason it just felt wrong. Things had been different lately, at least for her. She found herself thinking about him throughout the day and anticipating their next hang out session. Now every time he hugged her or touched her in some way, which he always did, she felt it…really felt it. That happens with all friends, right?

“I have an economics class on Thursday, so that should be as fun as watching paint dry, but what can you do?”

“I can’t disagree. I’d rather do nude water aerobics with senior citizens than take economics again.”
 

“Oh my god, I just got a mental picture, that’s a lot of saggy boobs floating in the water.”
 

 
“Well, saggy mammaries aside, I’m glad you liked school. Not that I’m surprised. I knew you’d fit right in. One reason for my call was to see how your first day of school went and the other was to see what you wanted to do for the big day.”

“The big day?”

“Yes, someone is about to have a birthday.”

“Oh, that,” she said with minimal enthusiasm.

“Yes, that, and don’t get that tone. Age is just a number and you make that number look beautiful.”

“You’re hanging out with Tristan too much. You’re starting to sound like a gusband.”

“A what?”

“Gay husband—oh never mind. I’m not planning on anything special, just maybe dinner with my dearest friends, so of course that includes you. It’s weeks away, so I haven’t really thought about it.”

“Oh thank you, I’ve finally cracked the top ten list. Not sure what I think about that whole gusband thing. Next time I see you I’m going to slap you around and grab my dick a lot.” That made her laugh. “Okay, my sweet, I’m going to hit it. I have to be in the office by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow.”

“Ouch. Thanks for calling and hopefully I’ll see you later this week.”

“Good. I miss you when you stay away too long. Goodnight, Katrine.”

“Night, Ian.”

She hung up and sighed. He was so thoughtful. Having his friendship again was more than wonderful. It took some groveling, but once he forgave her for all of that Xander drama, he’d become a staple in her life. A day rarely went by without them talking to each other. She smiled and put her now ice cold tea in the microwave. There was just enough time to read a few chapters of her book before she hit the sack.

Chapter 3

Class was halfway finished and they had made good use of the time. Katrine was pleased with the progress her group had made. They were able to decide on a product and assigned duties to each team member. They still hadn’t agreed on a company name, but they could figure that out later. Professor Darwin took to the podium and Katrine took out her notes. Most of the students had laptops, including Mila and Hayden, but not Katrine, she was old school with her black pen and red spiral notebook. It was what she was comfortable with.