Page 35 of Decoding Emma

“How did you fare being so far from home?”She paused.“Sorry, I’m curious.”

“You can ask me anything you want.”I meant that.I wanted Emma to talk to me.Figuring out what made this woman tick was an interesting prospect and a two-way street.“The first six months were hard.But as I made friends, it became easier.”

The waiter walked up to their table, dropped off two baskets of bread, the toasted ravioli, and the salads before walking away.

“This looks good,” Emma commented.

“Let’s eat.”She seemed relaxed, so maybe I could learn more about her as we ate.

Chapter Fourteen

Emma

I took a bite of my salad, thinking about what Asher said.I couldn’t see being so far away from home at eighteen.Heck, even going to Berkeley at twenty had been a stretch for me.Not that it lasted long.With my parents always busy, and my sisters enjoying their life without parents, I started to grow away from them, not that we were that close.

Actually, my separation from my family had been happening for years.I just didn’t realize it until after my first year in Berkeley.I made a few friends, and at the end of the year, I moved into an apartment with them.

That had been the best thing for me.Being away from my family taught me a lot about myself and how resilient I was.By the time I graduated and got the job up here, I had no qualms about moving away.I was better off on my own.

“What drew you into computers?”he asked.

I contemplated his question.“I’m not sure.Maybe the logic behind programming.I understood how it worked without much thought.I like things to be in order” I took a drink of my tea.“How about you?”

“Computers were a challenge for me.”

Interesting, a challenge but IT became his career.“So, how was your first year a challenge?”I asked again.

Asher glanced up as the waiter brought our food.My mouth watered at the smells.The waiter removed the salads, then set plates in front of us and arranged the main dishes in the center of the table.

“Enjoy your dinner.”

“This all looks so good.”It did.My stomach growled.Even though I’d eaten a breakfast sandwich this morning, lunch had been light, and now I was hungry.

“Let’s dig in.”

I filled my plate and watched Asher fill his.

“Are you going to tell me about your first year in college?”I asked after a few minutes.Did he not want to answer me?

“I never realized how much my mother did to keep our household running.”

I bit my lip.“Cooking, laundry, cleaning.”

“All that.Luckily, I didn’t have to cook much.I had a meal plan and went to the dining hall for most of my meals.Plus they had food trucks.”

“You didn’t get bored with the food?I sure did.”

He shook his head.“There was a good enough variety, and if we wanted something not available, we just ordered delivery.”

“That must have been nice.”While my parents paid for everything, I spent as little as I could of their money.Instead, I took a part-time job to pay for all the little extras I wanted.My father hadn’t been happy about it, but my mother convinced him it would help me in the real world.

The thing was, I took a job in the library, and while I did have to interact with students, it was mostly quiet, and I loved it.

“I’m sure Berkeley had dining services.”

“They did, but I preferred to cook at the apartment I shared with my friends.”

“How did you learn to cook?”