Maira never stopped smiling en route and as we were seated, and I was both encouraged and confused. Clearly, she was not mad. But why did she snap at me like that? I thought I was being sensitive. Not that I was running game, but I thought women liked it when men appeared to be interested in their lives. I had so much to learn. But if she keeps returning my mess ups with grace like this, maybe she’d be willing to support my learning curve. That’s getting way too far ahead, though.
The server came, and Maira suggested we have wine. We both ordered salmon. That was a fun coincidence. After the server disappeared around the corner, she began to reassure me that her outburst had nothing to do with me and everything to do with her past and compounded stress from work. When I went after her, she realized two things. First, she saw how irrational it was for her to cause a scene. Most of all, she realized how different I was from other guys she’s hung out with in the past. Her word choice was very decisively vague, and I appreciated that because I wasn’t prepared to discuss anything definitive about…us—if that’s even a thing. Besides, we barely knew each other.
I wanted to know more about her job, but despite her explanation, I was still nervous about triggering her again. Friends or not, I didn’t want to get burned twice in one night. Gotta take my wins where I could get them. I hung out with a pretty girl all night, and we both went home happy. #winning
I got home very late and expected to sleep in, only to be awakened early by the sounds of our guests fighting. We were on completely opposite ends of the house on different floors. How were they loud enough to wake me from a deep sleep? I knew we were supposed to be supportive, but I had enough of them already. I tried going back to sleep and even put a pillow over my head, but it was of no use, so I got up and showered.
I didn’t immediately go downstairs because I didn’t want to be involved in whatever was going on, so I sat in my room and scrolled through Social Bunny. Maira vague posted about good friends and good times. That made me smile.
Things eventually quieted down, and I tiptoed downstairs to see if the coast was clear. Lucy was in the kitchen by herself, and Mama had just come inside from mailing off candles. When she saw me, I saw this flash of worry come over her face for a second. She stepped within whispering distance.
“Awww, Luca! Did they wake you? I know how late you got in this morning.”
I couldn’t tell if that was an indictment or an endorsement, but I appreciated her recognizing the trouble.
“Who can sleep through that?” I asked.
“I know, and I’m sorry. I’m trying to support my friend, but…this is a lot.”
“Do you think they’d be open to a yoga session? I think we could all use one.”
She smiled so widely and threw her arms around me.
“Thank you for being so sensitive about all of this. I’ll make sure Lucy does it, but I can’t promise you Duane.”
He was the one I thought could use it the most, but 50% was better than 0. After breakfast, Mama found me and said Lucy was down for yoga. I set up outside and waited for them to join me. Without knowing Lucy’s level of fitness, I opted for the same family friendly routine I went through with Dad. Even the most sedentary sims could do that one with little difficulty.
It had been a while since I did a routine with Mama, and I forgot how good she was—definitely better than me. Lucy was not not athletic and struggled a little but made it through. When the routine was over, she beat herself up a little for not being able to do all the moves, but said she enjoyed the routine overall. That made me so happy.
She was the first person outside of my family I’d ever led through a routine. Maybe Mama was right about me having a knack for this. She too was happy and looked like she’d explode with pride at any moment. I kinda love that. Her giddy expression was something I’ll never outgrow.
