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“What’s wrong?”
“Oh, just worried about mom. I was hoping I could see you tonight. If you’re not…busy.”
“Let me see what I can figure out,” I say. “I’m so sorry, Mason.”
He doesn’t respond, only ends the call. God, he sounds so sad. I completely understand. I know how tough it can be when someone you love is hurting. I just hope that things work out for her, and that Mason doesn’t have to lose her yet. Dealing with death is awful and I wouldn’t ever wish that on anyone.
I drive to the offices on the other side of town and park. When I knock on Dianne’s door, she calls for me to enter and greets me with a smile.
“How are you?” she asks when I sit down.
“I’m doing okay,” I say. “Better than okay, actually.”
“That’s great,” she says. “You look bright and full of zest. It’s great to see you like this.”
“It almost didn’t work out,” I say.
I fill Dianne in on my moment of weakness when I was ready to call things off with Mason. I tell her what happened and how it came to be that I didn’t call it off.
“I don’t know what it is about him,” I say. “He gets me. He understands what I’m going through, and he wants to be there for me. I’ve never really had that before.”
Dianne nods. “It’s special to have someone who will always be there for you, even when you’re not in the best headspace.”
“Right, that’s exactly what it is. Mason doesn’t only want the good times. He’s willing to stick it through the bad stuff, too. Which doesn’t make sense because it hasn’t been that long. We’ve only known each other a short while.”
“Sometimes, knowing someone and being comfortable around them has nothing to do with how long you’ve known each other. We can spend years trying to get to know someone and always feel distant from them. Or we can meet someone and something just clicks into place right away.”
“Why is that?” I ask.
Dianne shrugs. When she does, I laugh.
“Aren’t you supposed to know these things?”
Dianne laughs, too. “There are theories, of course. A lot of psychologists theorize that it’s about personality types fitting together, that it’s about compatibility and corresponding habits, and being able to relate to each other’s pain in certain ways. There are those who believe in past lives and having been together before, in being drawn to each other because of some unseen force. And then there are the fairytale believers of fate and destiny and the way the stars are lined up just right.” She shrugs.
“What do you believe?” I ask.
She thinks about that for a moment.
“I believe that if you’re happy, that’s what matters. And you’re happy. It looks like things are turning around for you in this department.”
I smile and nod. “I’m happy. And they are. Not just with Mason, but with work, too.”
I tell her about my work with Rachel and the new role I’ve recently taken on. She is genuinely happy for me and not just because I pay her to be.
“So, how do you feel about David and what he might think of all of this?” Dianne asks.
“I think he would have liked Mason,” I say softly, looking down at my hands.
“I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to hear you say that. You’ve come a long way in accepting his death, and it’s a big step to consider he might approve of you moving on. You don’t feel guilty about it anymore.”
I shake my head. I didn’t realize it until she said it, but it’s true. I don’t feel guilty about being with Mason. He’s a great guy; I like him. And it’s true—I really do think David would have liked him.
“I don’t think I’m ready to let the rest of his family meet Mason, though,” I say.
Dianne frowns. “What do you mean?”
“Well…David’s parents still see Kylie and although we don’t hang out as one big happy family, and even though it’s my choice who I bring into my life, I don’t know if they’ll be okay with me moving on.”
