Aidan/Emilia: "Son, I'm proud of you"

An few hours ago, Kutter got a call at the same moment that I got a text, and while I was sighing at yet another interview that came to nothing, Kutter's face was lighting up.  "Really?  That's amazing!  I can't wait to start!"

Obviously, it didn't take long to figure out what was going on - the place that interviewed both "Katey" and "Emilia" last week had decided to go with someone who hadn't graduated high school over someone who actually had some relevant experience.  Not that they could really know this, of course - the real Katey and Emilia had both graduated with BAs in Literature (English for Emilia, American for Katey) and similar GPAs, so everything outside the interview probably would have been roughly even.  Which means Kutter made the better impression.

As soon as he hung up the phone, he said he'd gotten the office assistant job at the publisher, then started texting Rusty before the fact that this was the one where we'd interviewed back-to-back clicked.  "Wait a minute - how did I--?"

I hopefully wiped any look of disappointment or confusion off my face quickly, and put a hand on his shoulder.  "You must have given them what they were looking for.  More than I did."

He shrugged.  "Don't know what that could be."  Before he could elaborate, his phone rang and I could hear Rusy shouting "Woot-woot, good job Katey!" from my end.  Kutter smiled and half turned away.  "Thanks, 'Monica'!  It's crazy!"  You can definitely hear the quotes when Kutter uses our female names.

I smiled and walked into Emilia's room, then flopped backwards onto the bed, giving a rueful chuckle as I felt my breasts bounce a little.  I don't know why that struck me funny in the moment - maybe I mentally expected to just splat, or something, but my body felt weirdly resilient, or I was thinking that this was what I felt was holding me back, when the boys had to deal with more and were seemingly managing.

It was mid-afternoon and I'm not sure how long I lay there looking at the ceiling, but eventually Kutter poked his head on through the door I hadn't closed.  "Hey, I'm going to meet Rusty to shop for some work clothes.  Do you...?"

As much as I've been noticing that the boys often tend to operate as a pair even though we're all in the same situation, I didn't feel up to it.  "Nah, I don't see how I'd be of much help.  You guys seem to know what you're doing."

"Okay."  He stepped away from the door then stepped back in.  "You're sure you're not mad at me?"

I sat back up.  "Son, I'm not mad at you.  I'm proud of you both.  You've made the best of a tough situation, maybe better than I have.  You two go have fun while I regroup."

He gave a wry smile.  "Yeah, shopping for skirts and blouses is 'fun'."

I shrugged.  "Hey, women seem to like it.  Maybe we've been missing out!"  We both laughed at that.  "Go on, I won't just sit here and mope.  Just text and tell me whether you're going to be home for dinner or not."

He nodded, and then stepped in to give me a hug, which is awkward given how our bodies are shaped now, but okay.  "We couldn't do this without you and I'm really glad you trust us."  Then he blushed, said bye, and walked out.

Did I stay home and mope?  A little.  But I really am proud of them.

-Aidan/Emilia