Talk about the future

“So, what are your plans for the future Scott?”

“Well, I’m going to see if Mr. Buzek needs help in the shop, and if he doesn’t, I’ll try some of the shops in Springfield.”

“And what about longer term plans?”

“Honestly, I don’t know sir. A couple months ago I would have had a lot to say about my long-term plans, but they all went up in smoke, and now. . . I really don’t know.”

“That’s a hard spot to start a serious relationship in.”

“Yes sir, it is.” There was no point in denying it. “I came back expecting to have time to think, reset and start a new course.”

“Then why get involved with Suzie?”

“Because some things are worth doing it the hard way for.”

“Do you think you are over your ex-wife?”

Damn, that was a hell of a question, Scott wanted to tell him to fuck off and mind his own business, but Mr. Carter’s daughter was on the line, he had good reason to ask.

“I wish I could say I was. I don’t actually know. I know I’m not over how it all went down. Felt like my whole world getting pulled out from under me. I came home because I was floundering, and yet Suzie is here, and she’s perfect.”

“I’m going to be honest with you Scott, that sounds like a rebound relationship.”

Scott stood up and walked around the room. He was angry, not at Mr. Carter, he was just the messenger, Scott was mad at Amanda, mad at himself, mad at the timing of everything, mad at the world for handing him something great when he wasn’t ready for it. Knowing he was more likely to screw this up than do right by Suzie felt awful.

Mr. Carter interrupted his thoughts. “Scott, rebound relationships don’t have to be a bad thing, just make sure Suzie knows, make sure you two set realistic expectations on this relationship and don’t jump into anything too serious until you know you are ready.”

It was good advice, but it was also advice Scott didn’t want to hear. Everything in his head told him being with Suzie was a bad idea. He was still messed up over Amanda, he had no clue what he wanted for his future, and yet here he was getting really serious about someone after less than a day of being around her.

But his heart, and things lower than that, told him a different story. He knew Suzie, he knew her family, and he knew how he felt around her, he could easily picture a whole life with her. He just had to not fuck it up.

They had been silent for a while, Mr. Carter sitting in his chair and Scott staring out the window and thinking.

“It’s good advice Mr. Carter. I know the smartest thing would be for me to not get involved, take time to get over things and get my life sorted. But at the same time, Suzie is a fantastic girl, and I can’t walk away from that. She’s worth fighting for.”

“Okay, just promise me you’ll talk to her, let her know where you are and what you are thinking. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about relationships, is you can’t protect your partner by keeping things from them. They’ll know something is wrong, and it’s far worse to not know what it is.”

Scott could relate to that, Amanda and he would dodge tough conversations, and they always ended up fighting over it later.

“I will, sir. Thank you.”

“Good luck Scott, Suzie takes after her mother, and while Anna is a hell of a woman, she won’t hesitate to tell you what she thinks. Even if she knows you won’t like it.”

Scott smiled, “I like that about Suzie, much better than the passive aggressiveness and dancing around anything hard or difficult I grew up with.”

“You’d rather be punched in the face than spend your whole day trying to figure out what you did wrong.”

“Absolutely.”

Mr. Carter laughed, “Well, you just might make it then.”