Page 4 of Where We Met

“It went well, thank you very much. There's a good amount of International Business majors that I think will get a lot out of my class.”

For some reason, the mention of the students has me picturingheragain. I see beautiful women all the time, so I really don’t know what has gotten into me, why I couldn’t take my eyes off her during class. Why I can’t stop thinking about her now.

I try to shake the thoughts from my mind, reminding myself that I need to be professional. I’m her teacher, for God's sake.

“I’m sure they will. You’re a good man, especially for doing this simply as a favor, free of charge to the university,” Mia adds.

“And you get to be around young, hot college chicks,” Marcus says.

“Ugh, you’re so gross,” Mia scolds him.

“What? How am I gross? It’s not like we’re fifty.”

That’s Marcus for you. Being the youngest son in the family, he’s always had the freedom to be who he wants, to say whatever comes to mind—something he takes full advantage of.

As for me being the middle child, my parents were busy basking in the glory of Gabe’s success while oohing-and-aahing over the cuteness of Marcus and Mia. I was stuck in between, somewhere lost in the shuffle, just trying to make everybody happy. My sole goal had always been to not rock the boat.

“We may not be fifty, but we’re definitely not twenty-one anymore,” I reply.

Marcus is only twenty-eight compared to my thirty-five, but he’s still old enough to make it weird to be drooling over college students.

“Okay, moving on!” Mia interrupts.

“What was the point of this phone call?” I sigh.

“I can’t remember. I think we were supposed to see how your first day went,” Marcus says. “Ma suggested something about being a supportive brother when she called me this morning.”

“Ma should know you’re not capable of such mature actions,” I tease. “I'm almost home and need to take Vino for a walk. Thanks for all thesupport.”

I hang up with my siblings and shake my head as I drive, knowing only the four of us fully understand our dynamic. We do a lot of teasing, but there's nothing but love there.

When I get home, I’m immediately greeted by my golden retriever. Her tail is going crazy as she circles me, knowing our routine well enough to know her leash is about to come out.

“Hey, Vino.” I squat down to give her some scratches. “You ready for a walk?”

I pull my winter jacket tighter around my neck as I open the front door and lead her outside. January in Cleveland is brutal, but I try to keep Vino active despite the bitter cold.

I live in a nice suburb called Shaker Heights, which is conveniently close to the city and our family office. I originally chose the location because it’s only about a ten-minute drive to Little Italy, which is where I grew up, and my parents still live.

My neighborhood is over one hundred years old, evident by the large trees that line the streets, branches offering a nice shade in the summer, and beautiful leaves in the fall.

I only last about five minutes on the walk before I decide Vino’s moved around enough, and I start jogging back home. As soon as I scoop her food into her bowl, I grab the bottle of 2016 Fontodi Chianti Classico from one of the many vendors we buy from in Italy. Giving myself a generous pour, I make my way into the kitchen to find something for dinner.

I’m not a huge fan of eating out, seeing no appeal in wasting money on food that isn’t half as good as I can prepare or anywhere near healthy. The more I’ve forced myself to cook my own food, the easier it’s gotten over the years.

Now I can whip up a shrimp linguine with fresh lemon and olive oil in fifteen minutes.

Vino and I sit in front of the stone fireplace as I finish my glass of wine. As I read through the course material handed down to me by the business department, I try to figure out exactly how I’m going to keep the class engaged on Wednesday. I don’t want to spew a bunch of bullshit while half of the students drift off into fantasyland.

I’ve been more than fortunate with my own success over the last two years, and I want to give back. Teaching one lecture may not seem like a lot, but it feels more rewarding than writing a check, which is all I’ve been able to do up until this point.

I don’t know what it is about this experience, but something tells me I’m exactly where I’m meant to be.

Chapter Three

Savannah

“Thatbringsustothe final section of this case study. Can someone tell me why the American businessman is going to fail in bringing this French person on as a client?” Professor Luke asks the class.

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