He was sitting on the couch waiting for her when she got in that night, having a stiff drink. It was nearly ten o'clock, and it was his second drink. He had been looking at his watch every five minutes. She looked at him apologetically when she walked in.
“I'm sorry. It took longer than I thought. I came as soon as I could.”
“What were you doing? Tell me the truth.”
“I thought we weren't supposed to ask questions,” she said, looking nervous.
“Don't give me that shit,” he shouted at her. “You're seeing someone, aren't you? This is perfect. Absolutely perfect. For the past eleven years I've had a chorus line of women. You come along, and for the first time in years, I'm faithful to you. And what are you doing? Screwing someone else.”
“Adam,” she said quietly, sitting across from him and looking him in the eye, “I'm not screwing someone else. I swear.”
“Then where are you when I call you at night? You're out till nearly midnight. You're never goddamn home if you're not here.” His eyes were blazing, and his head was throbbing. He had a headache, and the woman he was crazy about was fucking someone else. He wasn't sure whether to cry or scream. It was poetic justice perhaps, for what he had done to other women, but it sure didn't feel good while it was happening to him. He was crazy about her. “Where were you tonight?”
“I told you,” she said calmly. “I was at the library.”
“Maggie, please… don't lie to me at least. Have the balls to tell me the truth.” Looking at the agony in his eyes, she realized she had no other choice. She had to tell him the truth. She hadn't wanted to. But if he thought she was seeing someone else, he deserved to know what she was doing when she wasn't with him.
“I'm taking pre-law classes at school,” she said quietly but firmly, as he sat in his chair and stared at her.
“You're
“I want to graduate and go to law school, and it's going to take me about a hundred years to get my degree. I can only take two classes a semester. I can't afford to take more than that anyway. I got a partial scholarship.” She exhaled deeply as she said it. It was a relief to tell him the truth. “I was at the library tonight, because I have a paper due. I have midterms next week.” He stared at her in disbelief and then his face broke into a grin.
“Are you kidding?”
“No, I'm not kidding. I've already been doing this for two years.”
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because I thought you'd laugh at me.”
“Why on earth are you doing that?”
“Because I don't want to be a waitress for the rest of my life. And I'm not looking for a man to save me. I don't want to be dependent on anyone. I want to be able to take care of myself.” What she said to him nearly brought tears to his eyes. Every woman he'd ever known, or dated, wanted to take some poor slob for a ride, including him. Maggie was out there working her ass off, waiting on tables, going to college and aspiring to law school two nights a week. She had never asked him for a penny. And more often than he wanted her to, she showed up with a bag of groceries or a small present for him. She was an amazing woman.
“Come over here,” he said, beckoning her to him. She came over to where he was sitting, and he put his arms around her. “I want you to know that I think you're terrific. You're the most terrific woman I've ever known. I apologize for being an asshole, and I apologize for leaving you on Thanksgiving. I promise we'll celebrate on Thursday, and I'll never bug you about what you're doing again. And another thing,” he said, looking at her matter-of-factly, but there was a tenderness in his eyes she had never seen before. “I want you to know that I love you.”
“I love you too,” she whispered softly. He had never said that to her before. “What does that do to the rules?”
“What rules?” He looked confused.
“You know, the rules. Does that mean we're still just dating, or is this a relationship now?”
“This is I love you, Maggie O'Malley. Fuck the rules. We'll figure it out as we go.”
“We will?” She looked thrilled.
“Yes, we will. And the next time I tell you what the rules are, remember to tell me I'm full of shit. By the way, what's your paper about?”
“Torts.”
“Oh, shit. Tomorrow let me see what you've got. I'm too drunk to deal with it tonight.” But they both knew he wasn't that drunk. He was more interested in taking her to bed and making love. He was definitely not too drunk for that.
“Will you really help me?”
“Absolutely. We're going to get you through college and law school in record time.”
“I can't do that,” she said seriously. “I've got to work.” It wasn't a plea for help, it was a simple statement of fact.
“We'll discuss that some other time.” He scooped her up in his arms then and carried her into the bedroom.
“Did you mean what you said?” she asked him as he set her down on the bed. “Or are you really drunk?”
