Glimpses

Chapter 67

March 30th, 2022

"Thanks for meeting me," Rory said, as she hugged her sister. Rory was in town for a Scholastic writing competition with a couple of her 11th graders, and while they and their homeroom teacher had gone for the Boston literary tour, she'd made an escape to steal away an hour and a half with her sister. She had to admit, she was feeling more and more distant from her work - she wasn't treating every moment with her students like a moment to impress them or educated them, more often than not, she just felt like zooming out. It didn't help that her body seem to object sitting still for extended periods of time and her boobs ached, reminding her she needed to get a few more soft bras.

They were meeting at Saltie Girl, knowing it was one of Gigi's favorite places in the city, its light teal color itles against wood providing a pleasant, contrasting, interior that felt energizing.

"Of course, not often I get to see my big sister," Gigi replied. Gigi was in her school uniform, having come straight from school, a simple navy skirt, white dress-shirt and an oversized denim jacket, which she'd dressed up with a few fancy brooches, a large colorful scarf and a pair of pink wooly legwarmers.

"Did dad talk to you?" Rory got straight to the point.

"He did," Gigi replied, placing the menu to the side, knowing exactly what she was going to order already.

"So what did he say?" Rory inquired again, choosing her dish hastily, seeing the waiter approach them.

They ordered quickly - Gigi going for the Tuna Carpaccio and beet salad, and Rory for a slightly safer option for a newly pregnant woman - their signature burger.

"Right... what did dad say...," Gigi tried to recall what Rory had asked a few minutes later. "That he couldn't believe I thought he was having an affair, showed me some pictures of the place he'd been spending his time at even. I don't know... you know somewhere in nature by the sea. There were some guys with him... some friends of his apparantly. I'd never thought I'd see him being the one to fish," Gigi said, squinted her eyes, laughingly. "Something about not wanting to be stuck in the city all the time, and how he didn't want to work as much anymore," Gigi explained briefly. She'd never really understood or really cared too much about what her father did more specifically.

"Good," Rory exhaled. "And about that guy of your's?" Rory asked, hoping to lure the information out of her

"My guy?" Gigi reflected but sounded puzzled for a second. She just hadn't expected to hear the mention from Rory.

"Dad said he saw you flirting with some guy at the cafeteria at the McCrae & Collins building the other day. He wasn't sure how to approach the subject with you. He was kind of upset about it," Rory noted, feeling disappointed but not too surprised that her father hadn't brought up the harder part of the conversation with Gigi.

"Oh.. that," Gigi replied, being caught off guard. But she didn't seem terribly worried like Rory herself would've been in her age had the situation been reversed, and instead her face showed a sneaky glimmer of a smile.

"So who's the guy?" Rory asked, trying to be sisterly, rather than motherly, finally beginning to sense the difference between these two roles with her. Not siding with their father when they'd last talked had made that more clear to her than ever.

"Eric's the junior litigation attorney. He's 29... and I don't know, it's all so fresh. But I just feel like I know him, like I've known him for forever. I just.. Walked into a room bringing him his mail one day and... we both just knew," Gigi explained, dreamily. "I've never felt anything like this," she added, blushing a little. It was kind of sweet.

"Wow," Rory exhaled. Those were some mighty big words from a 19-year-old.

"We have so much in common... I mean sure, there's the age but, we like the same things, same music, art... he just gets me," Gigi explained.