What She Deserved, Part 2

This is a continuation of an original short story.

After her shift, Celia rushed home to change from her uniform into some sort of nice clothes. She looked at her closet. All of her jeans were worn at the edges, and her shirts were from 2012, at least. She hadn’t gone shopping in years. I guess this polo and jeans will do.

The doorbell rang. “Becca, answer the door!” She threw on her clothes. She hadn’t expected them to come this early. Shoes or no shoes? It is my house. No shoes.

When she walked into the living room, Rob was standing there with Becca. “Is this your daughter?”

“Yes, this is Becca. Becca, this is Mr. Rob.”

“Hello, Mr. Rob,” Becca said, shyly.

“Where’s Annie?” Celia asked.

“She’s coming later. She had a meeting with a lot of the VPs of departments.”

Why would he come alone? Is it something I did? What do I do now? “I haven’t made dinner yet. Have you eaten?”

“No, Annie said we would eat together.” Rob looked at the floor. “I guess she didn’t tell you that.”

Celia ransacked her brain for something to eat. “I have a box of mashed potatoes and some leftover stew.”

“That sounds great.” Celia couldn’t tell if he was just being nice or if he genuinely was excited to eat leftover stew. “Do you need any help?”

Is it more awkward if he helps or if he doesn’t help? “You can help me.” She walked into the kitchen and started pulling out a pot and the box of mashed potatoes.

“I haven’t made these in a while,” Rob said.

It turned out that Rob was a great cook. He threw spices that seemed random to Celia into the pot, and in twenty minutes the house smelled better than it had in a long time when she made potatoes.

At one point, he pretended he was on a cooking show. “Now, ladle the leftover stew onto plates. Be careful not to spill any of it. You don’t want to leave a mess in the kitchen while you eat.”

She laughed. “My dad always used to say that.”

“Are you close with your family?”

“We only see each other during holidays. They live three hours south of here.” When Celia had Becca, it had caused a rift in her family. Her dad supported her decision to raise Becca on her own, while her stepmom did not. This was the reason that they had moved away from her, their jobs, and their friends. Her stepmom assumed that one day Celia would give up on Becca and they would be responsible for her. She did not want any part of that.

“What about you,” Celia asked.

“My parents lived an hour away from where I went to college, so I saw them pretty regularly. When I took this job, I moved four hours away. I really felt that I was leaving the nest. I see them during holidays and on the occasional weekend. I’m an only child.” Rob put one of the plates in the microwave.

“Me too.” She looked at Rob, wondering if they had anything else in common besides their families and art.

The doorbell rang. Becca jumped off of the couch where she was sitting and answered it. “Hi, Miss Annie.”

“Hello, Becca.” Annie gave her a hug, then addressed the room. “I’m sorry I’m late.”

“It’s okay,” Celia replied. “We’re almost finished making dinner.”

“That’s so sweet,” Annie smiled. Celia wondered why she hadn’t told her about that part of the evening. “I’ll get the drinks.” She walked to the cabinet and examined the mismatched glasses. “These are so trendy, Cel.”

They’re all I have. “Thanks.”

Celia had forgotten how quickly men eat. Within ten minutes, Rob’s plate was empty. Annie ate slowly, exclaiming how much she enjoyed the potatoes. “If it wasn’t for Rob, they would be rather bland,” Celia said.

Rob dismissed this praise with a wave of his hand. “You’re the one responsible for the mixing.”

Annie glanced from one of them to the other, and a frown crossed her face. “Did you two make any plans for what we should do after dinner?”

“No,” Celia responded. Is she jealous?

“Let’s play a game.” Annie had a reputation in high school when it came to playing games: she always won.

“What game were you thinking of, Annie?” Rob’s voice had a nervous tone.

“I don’t have any here,” Celia cut in.

Annie paused significantly. “Let’s play Scattergories.”

If there was one skill that Celia did not have, it was thinking quickly when she was put on the spot. This was essential to doing well at Scattergories. Rob was only slightly better. After two rounds of Annie winning by a large amount, she suggested that they split into teams. “Rob and I can be a team, and you can be with Becca.”

There’s no way that this is fair. Is she trying to put me in my place? “That’s fine with me,” Celia responded uncertainly.

Rob’s lack of skill evened the score somewhat, but Celia and Becca still lost. “We’ll do better next time, Mama,” Becca said cheerfully.

I’d rather there not be a next time. “Of course we will, honey.”

Annie yawned. “Well, I think it’s time for me to go. This was fun.” She stood up and looked at Rob.

He looked at Celia. “I’d better go too. Thanks for hosting us.”

“Yeah, thanks, Cel,” Annie added.

“I enjoyed it.” She walked to the door with them. Once the door closed, she sat on the worn couch. What was that? Does Annie think that I’m competing with her for Rob? I’m not, right?