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“No,” she sputtered out on a laugh.
“Yep. Then there was the one who talked loud during movies, the one who chewed with his mouth open, and the one who was too quiet during sex.”
“What about Brian? I thought you liked him.”
“I did. And it probably would’ve lasted longer than it did if it wasn’t for his mother.”
“Oh, was he a mama’s boy?”
“No.”
“What was wrong with his mother then?”
I rolled my eyes at the memory. “She could not approve of her precious son dating a Latina.”
Catherine’s eyes went wide in disbelief. “You’re lying.”
“Nope.” I popped a chocolate into my mouth.
“Wow. I can’t believe that.”
“Me either.”
“And he didn’t stick up for you?”
I swallowed my chocolate and shrugged. “He did. Kind of. I couldn’t get over it.”
“I don’t blame you.”
“I just couldn’t fathom spending the rest of my life dealing with a bigot.”
“There’s no room in a relationship for disrespect. Of any kind.”
“Exactly. Life’s too short.”
Our conversation continued, and we focused on a lighter and happier topic. Catherine and Jackson were talking about trying to start a family. Her mile-wide smile was infectious, and it was awesome to witness a couple so deserving of happiness.
“You guys are going to be awesome parents.”
“Thanks, Marisa. It’s definitely scary but exciting. Jackson’s been so cute doing research on his own. He’s really gung-ho about the whole thing.”
“Do you have names picked out yet?”
“Kind of. But you know my husband. Mum’s the word until we agree on one together.”
“That’s cute.”
“I know.” She was giddy with delight.
She waggled her eyebrows at me. “And it’s been really funpracticing. If ya’ know what I mean.”
I laughed at the sexual innuendo. “Yes, I know exactly what you mean. And see . . . this is exactly what I’m talking about. When I look at you, I think, ‘Wow. What she and Jackson have is perfect.’ It reminds me of what my parents have.Had, I mean. Does that make sense?”
“Yes. But you know, just to maybe offer some comfort, Jackson and I aren’t perfect. We didn’t meet and immediately fall in love, and magically everything just came together. There was a lot, and I mean a lot, of pitfalls along the way to what you see today. Do you not remember what I went through before I met Jackson?”
“Ugh, I’m sorry,” I said, feeling immediately guilty at having unintentionally brought up the awful memory.
“Yeah, Neil,” she began, ignoring my comment. “The guy who I was with for five years. The guy who cheated on me with a woman who was supposed to be my friend.”
