What the Future Holds

Leila

“You need to slow down. You’ve only been teaching a few years, but you have the look of a woman who has been teaching forever,” Kami said.

“Thanks.”

“Seriously, the whole idea of being a teacher is you get to take a couple of months off every year. I don’t think you’ve stopped working since you graduated college.”

“Because I want to do things and as it turns out, I’m not independently wealthy and people won’t just give me whatever I want. I apparently have to earn money and to do that, I must work. Despite what I thought when I chose to become a teacher, I don’t make a lot of money.”

“You don’t have any money because you save it all.”

I laughed. “You make that sound like a bad thing!”

“Not bad, but come on. What if you get hit by a bus tomorrow?”

I scowled. “That’s not a very positive thought.”

“I’m just saying. If you get hit by a bus tomorrow or even a year from now, what good is that fat savings account going to do you? Unless you plan on bequeathing it to me, then by all means, pinch all your pennies.”

I rolled my eyes. “Nope. I’m going to donate it all to a cat sanctuary.”

“I hate you.”

“I know.”

“When do you start work again?” she asked.

“Monday.”

“Damn, you didn’t even get a full week off,” she complained.

I shrugged. “I know, but I don’t mind really. I like what I do, for the most part.”

“But doesn’t it get old?”

I sighed. “Sometimes. If a class is really not into it, then it gets old, but usually, I have enough energy for all of us.”

“Maybe one of these days I’ll take your class. I’ve always kind of liked the Greek stuff.”

I laughed. “You would hate it. I do require papers to be turned in.”

She grinned. “But not for me. I’m your friend. I would expect preferential treatment.”

“You can expect all you want, but that doesn’t mean you’re going to get it. In fact, I think I would be harder on you.”

“That’s rude!”

I laughed. “You deserve it. It would be the only way I could keep your focus on the class. You’d be drooling all over the young men there to get an education.”

“Yeah right. No one goes to college for an education. It’s all about partying and hooking up.”

“You have a very jaded view on things,” I told her.

“Again, experience has made me a wise old woman at the ripe age of thirty-one.”

“Speaking of wise old women, how’s your mom?”

“Good. She expects me to help her at the bakery when one of her employees goes on maternity leave.”

I laughed. “How dare she!”

“You know what I mean. I like working part-time there and part-time at the feed store. I get bored easily. I don’t want to bake nonstop.”

“You bake all the time when you’re off,” I reminded her.

She wrinkled her nose. “That’s different. I’m baking for me.”

“But you give all the goods to me and your neighbors.”

“Well good lord, Leila, I can’t eat everything I bake. I’d never fit through the front door!”

I couldn’t help but giggle at her absolute horror. “I should get going,” I said.

“No, you shouldn’t. You should sit your ass right there and keep me company while I ogle these men.”

“You’re so bad,” I teased.

I watched as she made eyes at a man waiting at the bar. He was handsome and married. I looked at her, trying to get her attention to alert her to the ring on his finger.

“I see him,” she hissed when I kicked her under the table.

“No, look at the ring.”

She frowned, squinting her eyes. “Ugh, what a pig. He was totally checking me out.”

“I know. Don’t look at him.”

“This is why it’s so hard to date. You just can’t trust anyone.”

“With that said, I’m going home to finish up my lesson plan,” I said, finishing my drink.

“Come on, I thought we were going to hang out all day?”

“Doing what? Neither of us is interested in any of these men.”

She put down her drink. “You’re right. Let’s go shopping.”

“Now that is something I can get into. I need some new winter outfits for school.”

We got up and left the bar. I did notice a few looks but I wasn’t interested. I was just not looking for a man. I didn’t have the time or the energy. It was a good thought, but just not for me. Not at the moment. I followed behind Kami as we drove to the mall. I mulled over all she had said about marriage.

She was right. Marriage was a huge commitment and, in this day, and age of careers taking center stage in most people’s lives as we all chased the all mighty dollar, it just didn’t fit. A good marriage required time and energy and a lot of dedication. I was dedicated to my job. No man would want to play second fiddle to my students.

I couldn’t say I would be okay with being second fiddle either. As much as I liked the idea of having a husband, I didn’t think I could deal with the ups and downs. I didn’t want to fall in love and then fall out of love. I wasn’t interested in getting my heart smashed to smithereens, either.

The single life wasn’t so bad. At least I didn’t have to worry about getting my heart broken or breaking any hearts. I hated to disappoint people, and I felt like I would not be able to live with myself if I had a divorce on my conscience. I hated failure, so I would work myself to the bone and give up who I was to try and make a marriage work.

That was no way to be happy. Single status was what was best for me.