smile. “Even if I got my own place…”
I filled out my application for school and for my loans. There was a test I had to take in order to get in, so I bookmarked the page and started researching the test. I was surprised by the amount of knowledge I retained about computers, despite only using one at school. After reviewing a few of the books, I opened up the computer’s history to bookmark a few of them to discuss with him. I chuckled and then gasped when I realized the history contained quite a bit of porn. Apparently, Detective Crane did keep himself entertained when he came home to an empty house—very entertained. I scanned through a few of the videos, which were fairly tame, and then closed the laptop. It was nearly time for him to get home, so I pillaged the fridge until I had enough stuff to make dinner. I had just gotten the food on the table when I heard his car in the driveway.
“Welcome home, roomie.” I popped a beer and handed it to him as he walked in the door.
“Thanks…” He looked past me at the table. “Wow, dinner…”
“Just a thank you for everything you’ve done for me.” I walked over and sat down.
“It smells great. I didn’t even realize I had enough to make a meal in there.” He pulled his chair out and took his seat as he motioned to the fridge.
“We might need to consider a trip to the grocery store.” I chuckled a little bit as I fixed myself a plate.
“Okay, we can go tomorrow.” He looked at his bottle. “I think I’m running out of beer anyway.”
“Yes, I think you might be.” I smiled and nodded. “So, I did what you suggested. I looked at some school options today.”
“Good, do you need any help with the loan applications?” He stabbed his fork into some spaghetti and twirled it.
“I think I have that part figured out, but I may need a loan. I have to pass an entry exam, and there are some books that can help. Unfortunately, I can’t afford them without the loans, and I can’t get the loans without being enrolled.” I knew I was asking a lot. I studied his face for a reaction.
“That’s fine.” He nodded in agreement. “I know where you live, after all.”
“Yes, I suppose you do. The other thing I was considering is going to school online. Benton State College has a hybrid program.” I rolled my fork around a meatball and continued to study his expression.
“That is a little ahead of my time, but I hear a lot of kids are doing it now. Supposedly, it requires a lot of dedication.” He leveled his gaze at me. “Are you sure you can handle it?”
“Definitely!” I responded enthusiastically. “I actually like the idea of being able to do things on my own time. It’ll also help with finding a job since I won’t have to worry about working around a certain schedule.”
“That sounds good to me.” He inspected his garlic bread and then bit into it.
“Thank you so much for helping me.” I sighed and felt tears welling up in my eyes driven by his generosity. “I honestly didn’t think I would ever be excited about the prospect of going back to school.”
“I’m impressed, Amy. You’ve really jumped into this with both feet. You can use my old laptop anytime you need it. I barely use it anyway.” He washed a piece of garlic bread down with a sip of beer.
“Really?” I thought back to the porn I saw on it. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah.” He waved me off. “I can always get another one. There are plenty of sales with the holidays coming up.”
“Thank you!” I jumped up and hugged him, which caused him to nearly choke on his food for a second.
Over the course of the next few weeks, I spent my days studying while he was at work, and when test day finally came, I blew it out of the water. I was never a good student, so actually studying and seeing the end result was new to me. The loan applications went through and I