After Hours

"Thank you seems such an inadequate phrase," she said. "It seems strange for a college professor to find herself at a loss for words."

"That's okay," Elisa smiled. "I know what you mean. I have to say I had a lot of fun too. A lot more than I thought I would."

Before Susan could ask what the younger girl had meant by that, the press of her lips against her cut her off own. She lost herself in the softness of the kiss goodbye, forgetting what she wanted to say.

Not trusting herself to say another word, Susan took into her eyes for a brief moment, then turned for the door. As she had such a short time before, she had just about reached the door when Elisa called out to her.

"Honey, you forgot your tapes." she called out, holding the bag with them up for her to see.

"You just hold on to them," Susan smiled. "I don't think I'll be needing them for a while."

With that she was gone.

Come Monday, after school had let out for the day, Susan decided to stop by Krazy Kate's. Just to see how Katherine was doing, she told herself. She didn't want to admit that she might be going there on the chance that she might run into Elisa again.

Stepping into the small store, Susan felt both happy and a little disappointed to see her friend Katherine standing behind the counter, helping one of the customers. Still she managed a wide smile as she stepped to the front of the store.

"Hi Susan," Katherine smiled back as she spotted the Teacher behind the customer she had been helping.

"Hello Katherine, nice to see you're feeling better." Susan said as she moved over to the empty half of the counter.

"Mike, would you finish helping this gentleman," Katherine said to the young man working next to her behind the counter. "What did you say?" she asked Susan as she directed her full attention to her now.

"I said I'm glad to see you're feeling better," she repeated. "When I came in to see you the other night, the girl running the place said that you hadn't been feeling well and had gone home early."

"The girl running the place?" Katherine asked until a look of understanding filled her face. "Oh you mean my niece, Elisa."

"She was your niece?" Susan asked in a startled tone.

"Why yes, she's my sister's daughter," Katherine answered. "Is there a problem?"

"No, no problem." Susan said.

"I almost forgot I had been feeling a little under the weather Friday afternoon. But it turned out to be one of those twenty-four hour things and I felt fit as a fiddle the next day."

"I'm glad." said Susan.

"Actually I hadn't realized you'd been by that night." the store owner went on. "Not after I found the package I left for you still on my desk."

"I guess I decided that I really wasn't that interested in those titles anymore." Susan said, realizing as she said it that it was true.

"Really?" Katherine said in surprise. "If you say so. I'll just tag them and put them on the wall. I'm sure someone will rent them soon enough."

"Is ...er.. is your niece still around?" Susan asked. "I'd like to apolo ... I mean I 'd like to thank her for some help she gave me with something."

"Sorry Sue, she took off yesterday," she said as she moved a stack on tapes out of her way. "Said something about going backpacking across Canada with some friends. You never know with that girl. I'm sure you noticed that she's a little on the unusual side. Gives my sister gray hairs on top of her gray hairs."

"No, I hadn't really noticed," Susan said as if she was suddenly preoccupied. "Her being unusual I mean."

"Well you're around kids her age a lot more than I am." Katherine laughed as she came out from around the counter.

"That must be it." Susan agreed.

"You know, I came up with two tickets for the philharmonic up in Rossburg on Friday night," Katherine said. "What say we go together, maybe have dinner before it as well?"

Susan seemed to be considering the simple question with a lot more thought than it deserved. A mixture of choices seemed to flash across her face is a very brief span, until it settled into a wide smile and she said yes.

"Excellent," Katherine beamed. "I'll give you a call during the week and we'll work out the details."

"That'll be fine."

"Was there something else you wanted?" Katherine asked as she saw a moment's hesitation in Susan's face.

"No, nothing really," came the reply. "I'm just glad to see that you're feeling better. Friday night sounds like a wonderful idea. I'll see you then."

As Katherine watched the door close behind Susan, another figure stepped behind her from out of the back office. Her face would've been quite recognizable to Susan, even if it now lacked the many earrings and purple hair.

"It's a good thing I saw her coming in and ducked in the back." a relieved Elisa said.

"Do you really think she would've recognized you?" Katherine asked her niece.

"I'd have been pretty insulted if she hadn't, even without that get up I was wearing."

"Ah, an actress's ego, always looking for recognition." Katherine laughed.

"Oh course." Elisa joined in the laughter.

"I really owe you." the older woman said.

"You don't owe me anything," the younger replied. "It was the least I could do for my all time favorite Aunt. You believed in me when no one else did. And of course you did pay for a lot of my acting lessons. I think it's about time you got something back out of that."

"I'm amazed that you were able to pull it off." Katherine said.

"I'm glad I could still play nineteen," the twenty five year old joked. "It's a pity I can't ever put it on my resume."

"Well it was in a good cause." Katherine said. "You'll have to settle for that."

"You think that you and her will be able to go forward now?" Elisa asked. "Now that she's lived her fantasy and can get it out of her system."

"I hope so, I really do," Katherine said. "I think she's a really special person."

"I wish there was someone out there that would go to such lengths for me." Elisa said as they both went back into the office.

"Oh she's out there," Katherine said. "It's just a matter of finding her."

"I hope so." came Elisa's reply.

"Now you hurry or you're going to miss you plane back to New York," Katherine said as she picked up and handed the younger woman a small suitcase. "Kiss your mother for me, and let me know how you make out with that audition on Wednesday."

"Only if you let me know how things go on Friday night."

"It's a deal." Katherine said as she kissed her niece goodbye and watched her get into the waiting cab.

END