Page 54 of Overachiever
“Rach, he’s so great.”
She beams after him. “He really is. I was horrified when I got pregnant, you know, but I wouldn’t trade him for anything. He’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“You’ve done an amazing job. Being a single mom seems so hard. I can’t imagine being responsible for another person. Just keeping myself on track is difficult enough.”
“You seem like you’re doing well. In college and everything, just like you always planned.” She grins. “Do you remember when we were in elementary school, and you used to get mad at me for saying I was going to run away to travel the world on a scooter instead of going to college?”
“Oh my god, I forgot all about that.”
We talk for over an hour, just filling each other in on our lives and how things are going. It doesn’t take me long to realize Mom’s snapshot of the description she gave when I asked how Rachel was doing is way off. She’s not a desperate single mother scrounging to make ends meet. She makes decent money as a waitress, plus child support that the court ordered Colby’s father to pay. And another income stream that shocks me.
“You do porn?” I whisper, and she slaps my arm.
“No! Not like…you know, that. I have a private account where I post nudes, and men pay for access. I take some requests for what to wear, et cetera. I make more from that than my day job.”
Her expression is cautious as she watches my reaction. “Oh my god, Rach, please.” I lay my hands on hers. “Please let me be there if you ever tell Mom.” We burst into giggles, and my eyes well up as I realize how much I’ve missed her.
We didn’t get along great once we hit the teen years, but I’m reminded of countless memories of nights of us giggling in our beds after bedtime, and Mom shouting for us to go to sleep.
“The scandal,” she cries dramatically.
“I really want us to have a relationship again. I missed you.”
“I want that too.”
Colby comes in the room while we’re hugging. “Can I take my new dinos over to show Neddie?”
Rachel texts someone and then gives him permission. “Ms. Stephanie is watching for you. Just knock on the door. Quinn is there too, and I don’t want to hear about you being mean to him again,” she warns.
“Ugh,” Colby groans, slipping his shoes on. “He smells like a bag of buttholes.”
“Colby!”
“What? I didn’t curse! I’ll be nice, I promise.”
“Do you want to give Aunt Remee a hug before you go?”
He runs over to me without hesitation, and my heart melts when sweet little arms wrap around my neck. “See you later, Aunt Remee. I like you.”
“I like you too, Colby.”
Rachel opens the door and stands just outside of it, watching him as he walks down the hall until the neighbor lets him in. She waves and shuts the door. “The neighbor who babysits him has a boy in his preschool class.”
“That’s nice he has a friend so close.”
With Colby off on a playdate, Rachel pours us both a glass of wine, and we sit out on her little balcony. “Are you happy?” I ask. It’s the question throbbing in my brain. I’ve always equated perfection and success to happiness, but what Rachel has doesn’t seem bad.
Her head tilts as she considers the question. “Most of the time. I have my son. I don’t hate my job. I have a decent place to live, and there’s a guy I’m seeing, though it’s early days. I haven’t introduced Colby to him yet. So yeah, I’m pretty happy.” Her gaze lands on mine. “Are you?”
“I…things are going good. I’m ahead of schedule with my classes. Still top of the class. I screwed up a resume building opportunity this summer, but I don’t think it’ll affect my future too badly.”
“That wasn’t an answer.”
“I thought I was happy, but…there’s this guy. He’s a friend I’ve known for a few years. We slept together and now things are complicated.”
Her lips press together as she looks at me. “You fell for him?”
With a sigh, I know the truth when it comes out. “We fell for each other.”