Free First Class to New York by AJ Harmon Page B

and for her to still be such a
sweet girl says a lot about who she is in here.” Maureen put her hand over her
heart. “Besides, your father is an excellent judge of character and he thought
she was marvelous!” 
    “Okay, but what about her having kids?” Matt questioned his
mother.
    “They aren’t kids anymore. They are almost 21. And handsome
boys. They look just like her.”
    Matt said nothing so Maureen continued. “Suzanne really
messed with your mind, didn’t she?”
    “Hmph! Why would you say that?” he sneered. “She got
pregnant on purpose so that I would marry her and then we lost her…” Matt’s
voiced trailed off. Maureen could see the hurt in his eyes. “When she
miscarried, she didn’t tell me for 5 weeks! Five goddamn weeks, Mom! She was my
daughter too, and Suzanne just used her as a part of her big plan, just like a
chess piece.” Matt’s grief had turned to anger. “I will not bring a child into
this world so that they can be used like pawns.”
    “I don’t agree with you Matthew. Children are a glorious
blessing. I should know; I have seven blessings.” Maureen smiled with all the
love she had for her son. “But I do understand how you might feel that way. But
that has nothing to do with Janie. She got married and had her boys over twenty
years ago, on the other side of the country. What on earth does that have to do
with you?”
    Matt shrugged, acknowledging his mother was right.
    “You like her,” she continued. “You like her a lot. I knew
that the minute I saw you on Sunday. You couldn’t take your eyes off her.”
    *****
    Matt,
    I
wanted you to know that I had a really nice time at the fundraiser the other
night. It was very kind of you to take me, as I know you are an extremely busy
man. I had never dreamed of being able to attend anything quite like that, as
my life is obviously very different from yours. But now I can cross that off my
bucket list, so thank you again.
    I
also wanted to thank you for dinner and the carriage ride. It was kind of you
to take pity on a naive nobody like me and let me glimpse a part of ‘your New
York’. It wasn’t on my to-do list, but I am certain that it will end up being
one of the highlights of my trip and certainly an experience I will remember
fondly in years to come.
    Please
accept this gift as a token of my gratitude, and please use the thermos so you
might spare any more unsuspecting victims in airport lounges. J
    Goodbye,
    Janie
    Matt folded the card and placed it back in the envelope. He
was totally baffled by Janie’s meaning. Kind of me to take her? Obviously
very different from her? Take pit on a naïve nobody? Goodbye?
    Well, he would give her naïve. She really was, but in a
sweet, refreshing way. And yes, their lives were probably very different. But
it wasn’t kind of him to take her. He had wanted to be with her,
anywhere! Hell, he went to one of those horrid benefits where everyone puts on
a show and gives air kisses, for God’s sake, just as an excuse to see her
again.
    And she certainly wasn’t a ‘nobody’. His dad was right; she
was marvelous. Did she think otherwise? Did she really believe he had taken
pity on her? She really was fragile. His mom was right. He had left her in her
room because he didn’t want to just fuck her and leave her. He didn’t want to
mess her up, screw with her trip, give her anything to regret later. He had tried to do the honorable thing.
    He ran his hand through his hair and leaned back in his
chair. Women were complicated and he wondered what he should do, but he was
interrupted by Angela’s voice through the phone.
    “Excuse me, Mr. Latham? What should I order for lunch?”
    Matt had asked her repeatedly to call him Matt, but she
refused. She had told him that he was the owner of the company and her boss and
he deserved the respect of her addressing him properly. She had been his
secretary for over ten years and she’s the one that deserved the respect. She
kept his life in