For the next couple of days things were busy at work, and I saw Kris only to say Hi. She didn't bring up Topic A, and I wasn't about to because I don't need to be accused of sexual harassment, even if everything was her idea. Better to let her take the initiative.
Not to mention that we'd have to find another location for our "lessons." We'd been lucky our first two times that no janitors or over-achieving colleagues had stopped by my office after hours and caught us. However, I knew we were playing with fire and eventually we'd get burned. It would be disaster for both of our jobs.
A couple of days later, I was eating lunch outside and she asked if I would like company.
She started off right away with, "We can't keep meeting in your office. Sooner or later we'll get caught, which would
not
be good." I had had her pegged as both smart and mature.
"Yeah, I know. I don't know enough about your circumstances to know what to suggest. Can you get away from where you live outside of business hours without causing trouble?" I didn't know if she had a family that watched her like a hawk.
"I live with my aunt," she said. "She's letting me stay with her while I go to college here. So it seemed logical to move right after high school graduation and be settled here when school started in the fall. Getting the job just clinched it. I really do need the money for school. Anyhow, unlike my mom, she realizes I can take care of myself. So I'm allowed to go out in the evening or come home late without going through the third degree."
"Well, you can come over to my place, if you're comfortable with that. Hopefully you realize by now that we aren't going to do anything you don't want to do," I said.
"Yeah, I know you aren't going to rape me," she said with an impish grin.
"So how about tonight? If you come over after work I can cook you dinner and we'd have some time for, uh, other things."
"I don't want you to go to any trouble," she said.
"I'm not planning anything fancy. How does Fettucini Alfredo sound? It's quick and easy. I don't have anything for dessert."
"I've never had that. I'd love to give it a try!"
So I stopped by the store on the way home to get the milk for the Alfredo sauce. I usually have microwave dinners, but I'm actually a pretty decent chef when I want to be; and, besides, this dish really is simple and quick to prepare.
Kris was waiting for me when I got home. I let her in and offered her a choice of non-alcoholic beverages. (She's above fucking age but below drinking age.) She sat at the island in the kitchen sipping iced tea as I got to work.
"You sure live in the middle of nowhere!" she said.
"Yeah. I kind of like not having my neighbors right on top of me." Not least because it keeps them from knowing about things like this evening, I thought.
"So tell me about yourself," I said. "I don't know much except your name and that you're legal."
She giggled and blushed.
"There isn't that much to tell, really. My mom is Philippino; my dad is an American. They met when he was stationed at Subic Bay. When he found out my mom was pregnant he wrangled a transfer back to the States. I've never met him."
There isn't much to say in response to something like that, so I kept quiet.
"I was too young to remember it, but mom worked at menial jobs so we could come to America. I think she had dreams of finding my dad and getting him to support us, maybe even getting him to marry her. I'm not sure if she ever found him; I know he never helped with support."
"Mom somehow clawed her way up to being an executive's administrative assistant. I really admire her for the way she persevered to give us-particularly me-a better life than we'd have in the Philippines."
About this time the fettucini got done, and Kris paused while I put together plates for both of us. We continued to sit at the island in the kitchen while we ate, and she took up her story again.
"Anyway, mom was pretty strict with me. Especially when I hit my teens she really watched me like a hawk. I think she was afraid I'd end up pregnant like she did. So I wasn't allowed to go out much in high school. I haven't done much," she looked down and blushed, "as I'm sure you can tell."
"That's nothing to be ashamed of," I said honestly.
"So I got this scholarship and the summer internship, and I'll be going to college here starting in September. That's my whole, boring life story."
"I found it interesting. You have had kind of an unusual upbringing," I said.
With that we finished eating, and Kris helped me get the dishes and silverware in the sink. I'd wash them later.