Page 41 of Losing Control
“Because Jeremy’s parents disapprove of their relationship. They think that Jeremy can do better.”
“Oh.”
“I feel sorry for Kim having to deal with them.”
“Have you met them before?”
“Yeah a couple of times. They are complete and utter snobs, and if you haven’t got a high-powered job or you don’t earn a ridiculous salary per year, then they view you as beneath them.”
“Why does Kim bother to visit then?”
“She does it for Jeremy, because she loves him, and she knows that he needs her support when he sees them. They don’t exactly sing Jeremy’s praises either.”
“Wow, they sound like assholes.”
I laugh at his answer. “I guess you could call them that, although I have heard Kim call them much worse.”
“I bet.”
We reach Alan’s and Michael opens the door for me, letting me walk ahead of him. The place is busy as people emerge for a night of drinking and dancing the night away after working all week.
I scan the bar looking for Cal and spot him sitting at a table to the far right, just along from the bar. He sees me immediately and waves me over. I take Michael’s hand in mine and lead the way. When we reach Cal, I see that he has already got a bottle of wine on the table and a couple of beers.
“Hey,” he says as he leans in and kisses my cheek before greeting Michael with a smile. “I hope you don’t mind, but I got some drinks in for us all.”
“No, we don’t mind,” I answer as I sit on one of the chairs, Michael sitting next to me. Cal sits back down and starts to undo the bottle of wine.
“Are you a beer or a wine man, Michael?” Cal asks, completely at ease with this meeting.
“Beer.”
Cal hands Michael a bottle of beer and then hands me a glass of wine.
“So, how are you both?” Cal asks, to which I reply good and Michael mutters the same.
“Any luck in finding a job yet?” I ask Cal, knowing that he mentioned that he was looking the other day.
“There are a few that have caught my eye, but I’m just going to see what happens.”
“You’re not going back travelling?” Michael asks, and I’m pleased that he feels that he can contribute to the conversation.
“No, not anytime soon anyway.”
“But, don’t you enjoy it?” Michael pushes on.
“Of course, the whole experience is amazing, but you do get homesick after a while and I’m ready to be stuck in one place rather than roaming several.”
“Fair enough,” Michael replies and then chugs back about half of his beer. I place my hand on his knee as a reassuring gesture that he is doing great.
“So, Michael, tell me about yourself,” Cal says, and I feel a little tension build up within me. Michael doesn’t like being questioned.
“What do you want to know?” Michael responds, placing his hand over mine and squeezing slightly.
“Let’s start with how you two met,” Cal suggests.
“Didn’t you already tell him when you had lunch the other day?” Michael asks me.
“I didn’t go into detail, but Cal knows that we both work together.”
