Symphony

Chapter II

He took one final look in the mirror. They had agreed to use separate bathrooms, as to not spoil the surprise. His suit still fit him, barely. His hair wasn't as full as it had been when they'd met, but he wasn't really balding. All in all, he felt he looked his best for Caroline.

When the bell rang, his wife shouted that she was still in the shower. He suppressed thoughts he felt were sexist, and headed downstairs to open the door. The babysitter had arrived.

Caroline had chosen her from a long list of online offers, after giving each and every one due consideration and pondering- a process that had set their date night back around a month. In the end, the deciding factor was age. Caroline didn't want some fifteen-year-old looking after their only child; nor did she want a more elderly candidate: she still remembered nasty experiences with older babysitters in her own childhood. In her mind, they were grumpy, rude, and smelled of cigarette smoke.

So the answer was in the middle: a nineteen-year-old named Kate. She lived nearby, and her picture wasn't some winking selfie, or a DMV-style I.D. photo. She looked... normal and trustworthy. James had barely glanced at it.

He opened the door. The petite girl was there, smiling. She hadn't been smiling in the picture, that much James knew. It was so strange, that smile. Not flirty, per se- friendly, and yet hinting at a million promises... He looked away, embarrassed, and let her in. The living room swam around him for a moment, until he got his bearings.

“You must be Kate”, he managed to say.

“Yep!”, she beamed. “Wow, this is a beautiful house, Mr. Williams”

“James”, he blurted out. Why did he say that? Wait, was it wrong? No, he was just being nice, that's all.

“James. So, where's little Adam? I so look forward to meeting him!” she said, all business.

“Hum... he's, uh, upstairs. He's sleeping... and, yeah, it's early, and, well, he'll probably be crying later in the night and, um, so...”

She laughed, a clear sound like crystal bells.

“He's your first, huh?”

“He is, yes”

“Oh... it's hard. I mean, I don't have children, obviously, but... I've seen my fair share. Sleepless nights, short tempers, quarrels... am I near the mark, James?”

He felt naked. This girl had seemingly read his mind.

“Yeah, pretty much”

She put her hand on his arm. A simple gesture of sympathy, nothing more. Nothing more, James, he told himself.

“It will get better”

“Huh?”

“Well, Adam will grow up, and it will be easier. And it's good that you guys are doing this. Taking some time for yourselves. Sometimes we live for others so much we forget that our lives are, well, ours, don't you think?”

Think of something. Something witty.

“So... you're a philosophy major?”

She laughed again. Damn her.

“No, I don't go to college”

“Oh, I'm sorry”

“Why? Oh, it's not like I flunked out or anything. I didn't apply to college. I didn't feel like it was... me, you know? Clocks telling you when to wake up, when to sleep, when to be in class, when to have fun... I just can't do it, James. I much rather... flow, if that makes sense. Be free”

James looked at Kate like she was some Fae creature, speaking unvarnished, natural words from a time before offices, and commutes, and cities.

“I know, I'm weird”, she said with a wink. “So, where's Miss Williams? Getting ready?”

“Huh... yes. Yes”

“Typical, making the man wait”, she laughed. “I know, I know, politically incorrect joke. True, though”

The next moments only made sense to James in retrospect; he was so stunned that everything became a blur of strange thoughts and dark emotions. Driving towards the restaurant, he managed to put things into something akin to logical order: Caroline had come down, wearing a beautiful and expensive new red dress -one that would no doubt show up on his credit card bill later that month. The two women had talked amicably, getting along just fine, making small talk and laughing. And yet, for all her makeup and nice shoes, Caroline was like a flashlight next to a supernova when contrasted with Kate's young, free, almost primal sexuality.

He pushed it all away. He had a date, after all.