A Mate for Christmas

Curious

It was 3 p.m. on Thursday, and Maeve felt well-rested and in a good mood. Tomorrow would be the day when she and Treyton would have another date. He texted her around 10 a.m. to inform her that he would pick her up at 8 p.m. since the Christmas tree lighting would occur at midnight. She agreed to it, and everything was settled. It had been a while since she had gone to an ice rink; her last time was in high school. However, she thought going to the ice rink on the official first day of December was romantic. 

Patrisha called to say that she would be coming by to visit. She also asked if it was alright to eat at her house to relax. Maeve thought it was a good idea; she sent some cash to her through Venmo. Not only that, Maeve called her mother to see if she wanted to eat with them. However, there was no response from her mother. Maeve thought her mother was outworking or doing something else and believed it would not bother her too much. 

Fifteen minutes later, there was a knock on the door, and Maeve took a peek through the door's peephole. She saw Patrisha but noticed that she wasn't alone. There was someone else beside her. "Well, I can't believe it." The young woman opened the door.

"Well, hello, Maeve! Special delivery!" Patrisha motioned out her hands; she and Maeve hugged.

"Very funny, Trish!" The women separated, and Maeve focused on the young woman behind Patrisha, who held a couple of bags of food and a bouquet of slower. "Persefone, I can't believe you're here! What a surprise to see you here!" Maeve and Persefone hugged one another.

Two months ago, Persefone had barely turned eighteen and was a special education instructional assistant in Maeve and Patrisha's classroom. She worked with the two women for a year and was motivated to become a special education teacher. Persefone had light olive skin, black eyes, and long, straight black hair that went past her waist. The young woman had an average figure with slightly big hips. Her lips were plump, and she still had her youth of adolescence. "Hey, Maeve! I asked Patrisha if I could come along. The kids and I missed you, and I wanted to see how you were doing." Persefone motioned the bouquet of red Poinsettias to her, which Maeve accepted.

Maeve motioned the ladies to enter her home with the bags of food. Once the door was closed, Maeve put the bouquet in the kitchen and motioned her guests to the living room, where they set up the boxes of Italian food, which consisted of Frutti di Mare, Cacciatore, Vongole pasta, bread sticks, and salads. Maeve arrived in the living room with sodas and cups and put them on the coffee table. "So, Persefone, how have you been? I hope the kids aren't restless due to my absence."

"It was a little challenging since the kids adore you. The substitute was a bit of a sourpuss, but they got used to the kids more and felt the same way. However, everyone is relieved that you're going to return soon." Persefone got a plate and debated whether to raise the issue but eventually decided. "I-I'm also sorry what happened to you and Stephen. I'm glad that you're not with him anymore." Patrisha flinched while Maeve stopped midway from getting her food. Persefone realized that the way she said her statement sounded terrible. "I-I don't mean it rudely! Th-The thing is that the way you described him and what he does and doesn't do didn't make him sound like a good guy! B-But Patrisha told me that you were seeing someone else!"

It was silent between the women. Patrisha glared at Persefone. "I'm gonna pop this girl one!"

Maeve eventually served herself a plate of food and sat on the sofa opposite her friends. "It's okay. People will eventually find out what happened. I realize now that I was delusional and so focused on my fantasies that I didn't see who Stephen became and what he felt. I'm happy he broke it off with me, or else I wouldn't have met Treyton."

Persefone sighed in relief as she served herself a cup of Sprite. "So that's his name? Sounds cool."

"So, did you guys attend the class I told you about? How did it go?" asked Patrisha. 

"It went well. Treyton and I had a good time, but his gingerbread house was a bit...messy." Maeve took a bite of her pasta as the memory of Treyton's gingerbread came to mind, as did the look of embarrassment. A chuckle escaped her lips, making her spit out bits of her food. "Sorry about that; it's just that Treyton was embarrassed by how his gingerbread house came out. It looked like an episode from CSI Miami."

Patrisha couldn't help but feel happy to see Maeve brighten up. She felt that Maeve always had a kind and sensitive heart. The older woman felt that Stephen would have drained her, but she was relieved that he had broken up. However, Patrisha couldn't help but feel intrigued by how Treyton looked. The first dating phase took a while, and Patrisha knew Maeve would be cautious. Yet, her curiosity was getting the better of her. 

Maeve and Persefone discussed the class and planning a Christmas party for the students. Patrisha would speak now and then but was too preoccupied with her curiosity. "Hey Maeve, sorry for changing the subject, but what is your next plan with Treyton?"

"Well, by sheer coincidence, I met two of his friends who are also married; they were very lively. Anyway, they gave us an idea of going to the Holiday Ice Rink tomorrow. I also heard that they were going to light up the Christmas tree."

"Huh, that's a good place to start the beginning of December. Do you know how to ice skate?"

"Well, it's been a while, but I think I will get the hang of it again. Anyway, I need to go to the restroom; I'll be back." Maeve stood up and left Patrisha and Persefone alone.

Persefone sighed as she laid back on the sofa. "Well, at least she's in high spirits again. Still, I can't help but feel a little jealous of her luck in finding love. My dating life sucks."

Patrisha shook her head. "Child, you're still young and have much to learn about the world. Don't feel that you need a man to make yourself feel worthy. The right one will eventually come along." Then, an idea came to her. "Anyway, I'm curious about how this Treyton guy looks."

"Same here, but I know that we're going to meet him eventually. We need to be patient."

"Well, I ain't gonna wait longer than I have to. I'm going to see for myself."

Persefone's eyes widened. "Patrisha, you don't mean..."

"Damn right. We will sneak into their date to catch a glimpse of him. We're going to be careful."

"Wait a minute? We?"

Patrisha smiled as she glared at Persefone. "Yes, 'we'. You're going to come along with me. They'll go there late, by the sound of it, since they usually light up the tree by midnight. I'm not going to take 'no' for an answer. Do you understand me?"

Persefone felt a shiver go down her spine. Out of all the people she knew, Patrisha was the one person she feared the most. The older woman had been through so much in her youth and had to fight to survive. However, Persefone couldn't deny that she was also curious about Treyton and wanted to see his appearance and how he treated Maeve. "Eh, what the heck. It would be nice to go out than stay at home."