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woman must have noticed her distress because she asked if she was okay. All Anelise could do was nod
and offer a weak smile.
She boarded the plane, feeling numb and unsure of how she was still standing, and flew the hour and a half to Nashville. She walked to the pick–up area where she saw Leslie and Naomi waiting for her, waving enthusiastically.
Seeing them, Anelise felt her resolve crumble. She ran to them, throwing herself into their open arms, and started sobbing. Both women were taken aback. They moved to the side and held her as her body
shook with sobs.
Leslie looked at her mom in shock, and Naomi, suspecting what was wrong, stroked Anelise’s hair and asked, “Ani, honey, are you in love with him?” All Anelise could do was nod and continue crying.
They felt terrible for her and moved to a bench where they sat down. They tried to soothe her for several minutes before Leslie took her baggage claim tickets and went to get her bags.
Once Leslie was gone, Naomi asked gently, “Ani, did you tell him how you feel?”
Anelise pulled back and shook her head. “I couldn’t! I didn’t want to be the clingy college girl who couldn’t get over a summer fling!”
“Do you know how he feels about you?” Naomi asked, her heart aching for the young woman she loved like a daughter.
“No, he didn’t say anything other than he would miss me.”
Naomi sighed. “Let’s get you home and in bed. We can figure things out later.”
Anelise walked arm in arm with Naomi, met up with Leslie, and walked to the car. She didn’t say a word the whole way to their apartment, and tears streamed down her face.
Leslie and Naomi talked quietly, occasionally glancing back to check on her. Once they got home, Anelise declined food, feeling sick from all the crying, and was tucked into bed.
Leslie started on some laundry, and Naomi unpacked her carry–on and plugged in her devices, Leslie took Anelise’s phone and texted her parents, who she knew would be worried and want to talk to her.
The text read, “Made it back to my apartment. Exhausted, will call you tomorrow when I wake up.”
“Mom, what do I do when she wakes up?” Leslie asked.
“I’m not sure she’ll be up until tomorrow. She looks terrible and is an emotional wreck. I’ll bring croissants in the morning, and we can wait together to hear the whole story,” Naomi said, kissing her daughter goodbye.
Leslie walked her mom out, closed the door, and poured a tall glass of sweet tea. She muted the TV
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when she heard a noise and realized it was Anelise sobbing. She sighed sadly and whispered, “Oh,
Ani…”
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Michael was trying to calm Ollie, who was inconsolable, crying for Anelise to come back. With Ken and Craig’s help, they managed to collect their luggage and get a cab home.
Ollie was sobbing in his car seat and fell into a fitful sleep a few minutes later. The rest of the drive was quiet, leaving Michael alone with his thoughts.
He was relieved to pull into his driveway and see his parents coming out to greet them. His dad, Dennis, started grabbing their luggage, and Susan unbuckled Ollie who had woken up and started crying again.
Michael’s folks were stumped by Ollie’s behavior. The little guy was usually easygoing and didn’t fuss much. Once they were inside, Michael dropped everything and pulled out the tablet Anelise had loaded
with stories.
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He settled Ollie on the couch, hit play, and left the room, heading for the kitchen with his parents trailing behind.
They embraced him, and then his dad asked, “We’re glad you’re back, but what’s going on with Ollie?”
“He’s upset because Ani isn’t here,” Michael explained, grabbing a beer from the fridge, grateful his parents had stocked up.
“Wait, who’s Ani?” his dad asked.
“Anelise. She goes by Ani. She and Ollie hit it off, and he’s been like this since she left for her flight,” Michael said, taking a long swig from the can.
“Wow, that’s unexpected,” Susan said, watching her son. “And what about you?”
“What about me?”
“Why do you look like someone stole your candy?” Dennis asked.
“No, I don’t. I’m just tired and jet–lagged,” Michael dismissed.
His parents just looked at him, and he sighed, sitting at the kitchen table. “She’s amazing.”
“And is that good or bad?” Susan asked, thinking she already knew the answer.
“It’s good because Ollie had someone who loved and cared for him while we were away. They did -everything together, and he’s really attached to her. He’s not handling her absence well.”
Michael continued, “Ani had the foresight to record herself reading some of Ollie’s favorite stories on his tablet, and that might be the only thing that saves me right now,” Michael said, taking another gulp
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of his beer.
“And that’s bad?” Dennis asked, “I’m lost, son.”
“It’s bad because I’m in love with her!” Michael blurted out.
Dennis took a deep breath, and Susan asked, “Like in love with her how?”
“So in love with her that I’d hop on a plane and beg her to come back with me and never leave!” Michael explained, rubbing his temple.
“So in love with her that my heart aches because she’s not here… What I feel for her is way more than anything I felt for Kara.”
Susan and Dennis exchanged a glance, then looked back at their son. “So why aren’t you doing something about it?” Dennis asked.
“What can I offer her? Dad, I’m 16 years older than her and I have a kid. She has her whole life ahead of her, so many possibilities! I feel like I’d hold her back,” Michael tried to explain.
“Did you even ask her? Or tell her how you feel?” Susan asked, and Michael just shook his head.
Susan got up and hugged her son. “If it’s meant to be, you’ll find a way back to each other. I know it!”
Michael wasn’t so sure. He felt like life had sucker–punched him and ripped his heart out again, and he’d never find happiness.
Susan served up a casserole, and Dennis held Ollie as they ate dinner, asking about their trip. Michael kept the weekend in Paris to himself for now. He showed them some photos Anelise had taken of Ollie.
When Ollie saw a picture of him and Anelise, he started crying again about “my Ani” not being there. Susan and Dennis were taken aback by the little boy’s attachment to the beautiful young woman who’d cared for him for the past three months.
Michael gave up on Ollie’s bath for the night and just got the little guy to bed. He started a load of laundry, put away his work stuff, and took a shower.
He sat on the bench in his shower and, for the first time since Ollie was born, let tears fall as he mourned what he and his son had lost.
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The remainder of August passed in a haze for Anelise. She was grateful that her final classes were electives, requiring minimal mental effort. All she needed was to maintain a B average to keep her GPA high enough for graduation with honors.
Her professor was impressed with her thesis, returning it to her for final edits. The deadline for submission was October 25 if she wanted to be considered for graduation. Anelise felt like she was on autopilot, just going through the motions of life.
Leslie and the Rothschilds were their usual supportive selves, doing their best to help her heal her shattered heart. But Anelise was physically exhausted and mentally and emotionally drained.
They invited her over for meals, took her shopping, and treated her to manicures in an attempt to lift her spirits. Anelise appreciated every effort they made. Her parents called, wanting to know about her trip.
Talking to them was difficult for Anelise because they kept mentioning Ollie and Michael, telling her how often Ollie spoke about her and how worn out Michael looked from work. Ollie seemed to be enjoying his new daycare and had started potty training.
They nearly broke her heart when they mentioned how Ollie carried around a picture of them in a plastic frame that Susan had made before they returned to Iowa. She ended the call shortly after that and broke down in tears again.
After their Labor Day weekend break, classes resumed in full swing. When Leslie returned home from a picnic at her parents‘ house, she found Anelise weeping on the bathroom floor.
“Oh Ani! What’s happening?” Leslie rushed in and knelt beside her. “You can’t keep doing this, Ani! You’re going to drive yourself crazy!”
Anelise looked at her, grabbed some tissues, and handed her friend something.
Leslie took it, looked at what was in her hand, and sank down next to Anelise, stunned. “You’re
pregnant…”
“Yeah. What am I going to do?” Anelise sobbed.
“You know what you’re going to do. I know you, Ani, and you know we’ll all be here for you. My dad will be thrilled to have a baby to spoil! He’s tired of us being grown up and not having kids.”
“And can you imagine Mom? She’ll be over the moon!” Leslie said, chuckling, trying to distract her best friend from her current state.
UNLIMITED Anelise nodded, attempting to calm down. “What do I tell my parents?”
“We’re not going to worry about that right now. Let’s get you off the floor, get some soup in you, and get you back to bed. We’ll figure out the rest later,” Leslie said.
Anelise did as her friend suggested, and they curled up in Anelise’s bed after eating and making some
