Chapter 45

The next few days went by quickly for Tasha as she looked forward to her first real date with Megan. Sophia did a really good job with the lasagna, and Megan reported that she only watched while Sophia prepared the whole meal by herself. Megan handled getting the lasagna in and out of the oven for safety reasons, but other than that it was all Sophia. They both knew that lasagna looks like it is harder to make than it is, but they were very proud of her for trying it and doing well. She even made garlic bread and a simple salad for their meal.

Work was relatively smooth that week as well. Kevin eventually got over his fear of Megan, but Tasha was more than capable of handling whatever bullshit projects he gave her. Her co-workers seemed more open and engaging with her now that she opened up to them. She still didn’t love the job, but that was more about the corporate BS than the actual work—she felt much more engaged when she was at home doing freelance work. Lauren’s contacts were paying off, and now those contacts were referring people to her as well.

The best parts of her week, though, were those involving Megan and Sophia. Her daily walks to school with Sophia and their chats about her day had become an important ritual in her own life. As for Megan, she felt like they were both getting more comfortable with just being together.

Friday morning, Tasha wore an ankle-length skirt and a festive yet classy sweater, as well as a long coat, because Megan had told her that they would be going out for dinner right after work. Megan scored tickets to a play from another teacher whose plans had changed and couldn’t go.

Tasha got to the brewpub first, but she didn’t have to wait long. Her girlfriend arrived moments later, dressed in a classy but not overly elegant outfit for their date. They kissed and sat down at their table and chatted about their day as they perused the menu. It was a comfort food night with Tasha choosing a hearty stew and Megan going with the mac and cheese. Each paired their entree with one of the suggested beers. Once they ordered and their beers arrived, they sat back and relaxed a bit.

Megan restarted the conversation. “Next week is going to be interesting, and probably pretty weird.”

“Right… Next week was supposed to be a holiday week, right?”

“Yeah. A lot of teachers will be out because they already had plans. Other school staff as well. I have no idea how this will all work.”

“Does the school district even know?”

“Not a clue as far as I can tell. Because I’m a sub, I’m getting time and a half all of next week, but regular teachers don’t.”

“That’s messed up! How did that happen?”

“The district insisted on that when the strike was ending.”

“That seems stupid and unfair and a good way to piss people off.”

“Yep, all three. I mean, at this point, most people have reached the acceptance stage, and I’m not complaining about the extra money, but wow… it’s definitely messed up.”

“Are you still going to see about going permanent in PPS?”

“Yeah, it makes the most sense. I’m looking at the current openings, and I figure that there could be some more openings in the new year. I’m back at McDaniel High School all of next week. I really liked the vibe there, so I’m happy about that.”

“That’s good. Any other schools that you like?”

“Almost all of them so far. Irvington was really nice. I liked Richmond, but that’s the Japanese language magnet and I don’t speak Japanese, so probably not. I dunno, I’m keeping an open mind.”

“That’s good. Tell me if there’s anything I can do to support you.”

“You mean besides being the best girlfriend that a woman could ask for? Hey, speaking of support, is there anything that I can do to support you?”

Wow, she really is amazing.

”What do you mean?”

“Well, you’ve been doing a lot of freelance work in the evenings, plus your regular job. Then I’ve got you doing early morning yoga now…”

“Not gonna lie, the extra work is… It’s good and I really enjoy it, but every time I finish a project, that person seems to find me two or three new clients. So far, I haven’t had to say no, and it’s a good problem to have, but…” Tasha shrugged to accentuate the potential dilemma.

“You’re good at what you do, and that’s awesome, but you might be reaching your limit.”

“Yeah. Exactly.”

“Have you thought about quitting your job and going freelance full-time?”

“Pretty much every day. I need health insurance, though. Which sucks. I guess I could take a look at what’s out there again and see if I can afford it plus rent and all.”

“Hmmm, there might be another option.” Megan’s face brightened as she was talking, and Tasha leaned forward in anticipation.

“What’s that?”

“Substitutes get health insurance and while I wasn’t a sub last school year, I was a full-time teacher and worked the required number of hours, in another district, of course. Anyway, I’m finally getting insurance and I should be able to get you on mine as a domestic partner. Let me check.”

They both whipped out their phones and started searching. Megan was slightly faster to find the answer. “Well, we meet all of the requirements except one.”

Tasha caught up. “You’re still married.”

“Yeah. I wonder if the fact that I’ve filed divorce papers will get around that.”

“It wouldn’t hurt to ask. We may also see Brad at roller derby on Sunday.”

“True… I don’t want to get into a big fight in front of a crowd. And he may not show up.”

“I think he’ll show up. He emailed me a few days ago about some books that I told him to read. He said that he was planning to come because of Sophia.”

“Wait… you and Brad have been emailing?” Megan’s tone sounded more concerned than surprised.

“Sorry, I should have mentioned it before. I told him to read a couple of books to help him pull his head out of his ass. That was part of my conditions for not giving him the bad envelope. Anyway, he read the books and we emailed back and forth a bit. I decided that he could keep the good envelope.”

“That’s… good, I guess.”

“It is. He’s still an asshole, but I think he might be having a bit of personal growth.”

“Huh.”

“You aren’t having second thoughts, are you?” Tasha experienced a sudden flash of anxiety.

“Oh, about Brad? Hell, no! No, he and I are done, outside of the fact that he’s Sophia’s father. I’ve found the love of my life with someone else, and even if Brad does change, he can’t change that.”

‘Love of her life.’ I like the sound of that.

“Really? He sounds like a lucky guy.” Tasha grinned.

Megan grinned right back. “This might surprise you, but I think that she’s a lucky girl. Not nearly as lucky as me, though.”

“Tell me more. Is she hot?”

“Super hot. Smart, too. And she’s good with Sophia.”

“Wow, she sounds almost as amazing as you.”

“She is… I, um…”

Come on, Megan. The suspense is killing me. We were playful and now she’s serious.

“What?”

“I want to spend the rest of my life with her.”

“Wow, she is a lucky girl.”

“...and, um. There’s something that I haven’t told her, though. Something that I just realized myself.”

Tasha suddenly felt very alert. “What’s that?”

“I think… um, I think that I want to marry her.”

“Holy shit! Megan, are you sure?”

Megan blushed and said, “Yes. Not immediately. I think that I need a couple of months after my divorce, but yes, I want to marry you, Tasha.”

Tasha practically leapt over the table to shower Megan with kisses. Their waitress arrived with their food right about then. “Wow, I can come back if you need a minute.”

Tasha quickly composed herself and said, “No, that’s okay. Sorry about that. My girlfriend just told me that she wants to marry me.”

“Congratulations! I’m guessing that was a yes, then.”

“Uh, yeah. Definitely yes.”

“That’s awesome! Watch out for the mac and cheese, the bowl is hot. You two enjoy your dinner now!” With that, the waitress gave them a wink and was off.

Getting married was never a priority for me and now it’s suddenly all I want. Same with raising a child.

They dug into their meals, each contemplating recent events. Tasha broke the silence first. “Since you said it, I feel that I need to say it as well, even though we both know it. I want to marry you, Megan. Does this mean that we’re engaged now?”

“I’m not sure. I think so. I honestly wasn’t expecting this, but then we were talking about being domestic partners, and I realized that wasn’t enough for me. If I’m going to be with you, then I’m going to be all in. That’s what you deserve.”

Tasha smiled. “That’s what we both deserve. I do recall something about rings, though.”

“Yes, I did promise to put a ring on your finger.”

“Mmm, no diamonds, though. I want a ruby, set in silver. And you need a ring, too.”

“Oh, I like the silver idea. An emerald, set in silver for me.”

“That’s perfect. Would you like to pick them out together?”

“I would love to pick out rings together. What do you think of matching settings?”

Tasha briefly considered that before saying, “I think that would be adorable.”

“There is just one problem, though. I’m still married right now.”

“Well, if Brad won’t sign the divorce papers, then I have two good reasons to rip his arms off and beat him to death with them.”

“What’s the other—oh!” Megan’s face turned scarlet.

“I mean… only when you are ready and feel comfortable. I will wait for you for as long as it takes, because you are worth it.”

“Um… maybe we could each rip off one of Brad’s arms and beat him to death with them.”

“Oh, Goddess. You are so hot when you talk like that.”

Megan laughed. The waitress cycled back, asking how their meals were and if they needed more to drink. Once they were done, she cleared the table. The waitress came back with a brownie sundae complete with two lit candles. “Congratulations again on your engagement. If you have any allergies, then I can get something else.”

“This is perfect, and very thoughtful. Thank you so much!”

“You’re very welcome! Enjoy, you two!”

“We’re going to need to put in some extra yoga time tomorrow for this.”

“Worth it. So worth it.”