Page 44 of The Boyfriend List
“Isn’t being made partner your goal one day? Senior associate is a pretty big step towards that.”
It is. I picture my name with senior associate next to it. I'd get my own office. I'd have more money to send home. I'd know that I was being a good daughter, a good sister, a good employee—that my efforts were recognized. Even though Paulo makes enough money to contribute to the family, and we’re not poor by any means, money has always felt like a means to fulfill my responsibilities to my family, especially from so far away.
So why do I feel like getting the senior associate position might not be everything I’ve dreamed of?
“Yes. I’ve always wanted to be partner.” Granted, in law school, I hoped to work at a firm that advocated for the less fortunate. But we don’t always get everything we want.
"Sometimes, the dreams we have aren't the ones we actually need. They're the ones others want us to have," Raina says.
I frown. "When did you become so wise?"
She shrugs. "I hang out with Yiayia too much."
I chuckle at the mention of Kostas' hip, karaoke-loving grandmother. "I love that woman."
I haven't spent much time with her, but she's always been super fun, kind, and welcoming.
"Me, too," Raina says, putting down her taco. Her hand falls to her pregnant belly.
"So how's your third trimester so far?" I ask her, polishing off my last bite of taco and moving onto the churro.
Most of my older cousins had babies before me, so I was often assigned babysitting duties at family gatherings. I'd love to spend more time with Raina once her baby is born, even if she will be in Dorapolis. I guess I wouldn't be able to do that if I got the promotion.
"It's actually been pretty good. I don't feel as tired as I did in the last few months. But I keep having the urge to clean things and redecorate our living room or repaint the nursery. It's driving Kostas' housekeeper crazy."
I arch an eyebrow at her. "You let him hire a housekeeper? What happened to the middle-class Raina I know and love?"
She makes a face. "She got married and pregnant. Plus the whole royalty thing. Also when I was working long hours on the set of that sitcom, the last thing I wanted to do when I got home was mop the floor."
"Kostas can't mop the floor?" I have a hard time picturing him mopping a floor in his Armani suits.
"He does his best to help out," she says. "He's learned to cook, he does the dishes, and he even scrubs the toilet. And he mows the lawn and takes out the trash and all those outdoor jobs."
"Aww." I have an even more difficult time picturing her uptight, grumpy, and regal husband scrubbing a toilet. But Raina knows him better than I do. "Are you nervous about giving birth? Or being a mom?"
She cocks her head to one side. "I'd probably be more nervous if I didn't have Yiayia, Helen, and Skye in my ear all the time, talking to me about how I can prepare for labour and delivery and postpartum. Honestly, they're annoying me more than they're making me nervous, but if I had to choose between the two…"
"You'd rather be annoyed," I say with a laugh. That sounds like Raina.
"I know they're trying to be helpful, but if I have to hear about lactation consultants and sleep training one more time, I'm going to scream. Which is why I really needed this lunch date with you."
"Ouch, and here I thought it was because we're BFFs, not because you wanted a break from baby talk." I press a hand to my collarbone in mock-offence.
"Please, you know you'll always be my best friend, Gloria. No matter what happens or changes in our lives," Raina says, squeezing my free hand once. "Do you have any updates on the boyfriend list? Or should I say, boyfriendspreadsheet?"
I sigh. I knew she would bring this up, yet I'm still utterly unprepared to answer her question. "Nope. I've gone on two dates with guys who seemed great on paper but turned out to be duds. Did I tell you about the guy who wouldn't stop talking about his bench press max? Or the guy who freaked out and basically called me a harlot, because I had the audacity to be friends with a man?"
"Yikes. Send me their addresses so I can disembowel them, please," Raina says as she dabs at her mouth with a paper napkin.
"I'd love to egg their houses with you, but disembowelling seems too messy." I sip my drink, enjoying the iced coffee on a hot day. "How about we stretch them out on that rack fromThe Princess Bride?"
"I accept your terms. I'm sorry to hear about your awful dates, though. Have you considered that maybe you're trying to look for a man who's perfect 'on paper' when you should be looking for a guy who's perfect in real life?"
"Menaren'tperfect in real life," I say automatically. "You must be thinking of fictional men."
She rolls her eyes. "Notflawless. I mean, perfect foryou."
"You're the one who helped me make the list, and now you're telling me I shouldn't look for a guy who has those qualities?"
