Page 43 of When We Were More
“I had a great time. I’m a little creeped out, but it was still fun.” I grin at her, and the smile she gives me back is radiant.
I pull the door handle and open the door. “Goodnight, Matilda.”
“Goodnight,” she practically whispers.
I step out onto the porch and am halfway to my car when her voice cuts through the silence of the cold winter night. “Henry?”
I turn to look at her. “Yeah?”
“Why do you call me Matilda sometimes? Instead of Tillie, I mean. Is it to annoy me?”
“It’s not to annoy you. It’s because it suits you. Why use a nickname when the meaning of one’s full name is so fitting?”
“Oh. Okay.” Uncertainty spreads across her face. “Goodnight, Henry.”
I wave to her and continue to my car. I hear the house door as it closes, and I climb inside my car. Maybe she’ll look up the meaning of her name, but maybe she won’t. Just in case she doesn’t, I’ll send her a text.
Matilda- Meaning - battle-mighty. Your name describes a strong woman. A woman who conquers challenges and succeeds, no matter what kind of battles life throws your way. It suits you. Goodnight.
CHAPTER 18
Tillie
I sit in the booth at Smiley’s Restaurant with my friend and soon-to-be business partner, Shannon, and Ruthie. We glance over the menu, and I wonder why I bother looking. I decide on the lunch salad with grilled chicken on top—the same as I always get.
The server takes our orders, and now we’re ready to get down to business. Shannon and I had already decided before coming that she’d start the conversation to see if Ruthie was interested in joining us on our new business venture.
Ruthie beats her to it. She folds her hands together on top of the table and clears her throat.
“I assume we’re here to talk about my salary and the perks of the job. Vacation time, personal days. All of that.”
I glance across the table at Shannon, who’s looking back at me. Her jaw is slack, and surprise is written all over her face. Evidently, we’re both dumbfounded.
Ruthie cackles and smacks the table with one hand to get our attention.
“You didn’t think I was going to let you two leave Stinson and not take me with you, did you?”
“I… we?—”
“You don’t have to say it. You girls need me there to manage your office. Keep it all together while you two do your wizardry with numbers.”
“Uh, yeah, actually,” Shannon says.
“I’ll take it.”
“The pay is—” Ruthie doesn’t let Shannon finish.
“Don’t worry about it. We can sort that all out later.” She takes a long swig of her diet soda, then leans back in the booth and looks between me and Shannon. “What is it about math that you girls love so much, anyway? I hated math in school.”
We both stare at her for a few seconds, still recovering from everything she just said.
Shannon looks over at me. “You wanna go first?”
“No, you go ahead.”
I’ve never really talked openly to anyone about why I chose my field or why I enjoy it so much. Well, except for Gram. She knew. But you couldn’t hide anything from that woman. She could read me like a book. I’m not even sure anyone else has ever thought to ask. Joe didn’t care. He used to say it was mundane work that didn’t require much thinking, unlike his job, which was “more intellectual.” Fuck off, Joe.
Shannon leans forward and rests her elbows on the table. “For me, I always loved math. I loved how it always worked out, and I looked at it like a puzzle. I didn’t realize how good I was at it until I started tutoring and saw how much other kids struggled.”
