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Marcia pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head, rubbed her eyes and blinked.

Was that really who she thought it was?

Marcia had not seen Bryan in 20 years and here he was in the car opposite her at the stop light. She replaced the sunglasses and pressed hard on the gas. "Whew, thank God he was not paying attention" Marcia said out loud. "That was close"

Marcia was the youngest teacher in the Department of Computer Studies and well-liked by her students. She loved to teach and looked forward to every session she taught but today her mind was all over the place. What was Bryan doing here? She hoped he was just passing through. The next day as she walked across the campus, she stopped dead in her tracks because there was Bryan entering the Department of Business and Economics.

Marcia made a mental note to find out why Bryan was on campus. As luck would have it, she did not have to wait for long. The rain was pouring, and Marcia was dancing between the puddles of water to get to her 2pm class the next day. A familiar voice interrupted her thoughts as she tried not get too much water into her shoes.

"I see you still hate for your feet to get wet" Bryan quipped. Marcia could not believe her ears. The last time she saw Bryan she was 15 years old.

Marcia grew up in a Christian home where her parents forbade her to date until she was 18. Despite that rule, Marcia had started seeing Bryan until that fateful day when someone told her

parents about the relationship. She still remembers the look on her parents face when she got home from school. She could not lie to her parents so she had come clean about the relationship. By the next week she was on a plane to Jamaica and she remained there until she returned to the USA for College. Her only source of news from school was her best friend. Fortunately, her parents still

allowed her to be in touch with her best friend.

"Hi Bryan" she smiled.

"How have you been, and what are you doing here"

Time stood still for Bryan. Marcia had barely changed from the beautiful girl he knew back in high school. The only thing different was her hair was locked, but that unmistakably infectious smile was still there. Bryan never thought he would see Marcia again, yet here she was in the flesh.

"I am very well, thanks" Bryan said. "I am a doctoral student in the Department of Business and Economics, this is my second week"

Bryan had gotten a full scholarship to pursue doctoral studies and he could not let this opportunity pass him by.

"Wow, you really did it, good for you"

Marcia was late for class, so she said a quick goodbye and escaped.

Bryan could not believe he had just bumped into Marcia after all these years. He had become persona non grata to her after she abruptly left high school. He still felt the sting of betrayal when her best friend Beverly gave him the grim news. How could Marcia be pregnant, and they were not having sex? The hot tears sprang to his eyes again as he remembered the pain that revelation brought.

The class discussion kept Marcia’s mind off the unexpected meeting with Bryan. What are the odds that of all the schools in the USA, Bryan would end up at the school she was teaching?

Tears welled up in Marcia’s eyes as she walked to the parking lot. Even though they were young, she loved Bryan. When her parents sent her off to Jamaica, she knew she would have to find a way to keep in touch with Bryan. She hated to defy her parents, but she felt this was something she had to do. However, when Beverly told her that Brayan had gotten another classmate pregnant, she was devastated. After 20 years, the emotions were as raw as ever.  She knew she still loved Bryan but could not get past the betrayal.

“At least something good came out of the betrayal” she thought

Marcia put all her effort into her studies when she learned of Bryan’s betrayal. She completed the doctoral degree in Computer Science by the time she was 32. Her work was so impressive that she was hired by the Department of Computer Science after graduation.

Bryan was hoping to run into Marcia again soon. However, he did not see her again for another month.

“Are you trying to avoid me?”

She was startled by the voice behind her. Marcia knew that this was inevitable, but she was hoping that she could avoid bumping into Bryan. She had carefully planned her movements, but today she had no choice but to go to the main library. Apparently, Bryan had the same thought.

“Why would you think I am avoiding you?”

“Congratulations on completing your doctoral degree”

“You were always more focused than I was, you inspire me”

“Is your wife and daughter here with you?”

Bryan smiled.

“What makes you think I have a wife and daughter?”

“I should be asking you about your daughter” Bryan stated

“As far as I know I neither have a wife nor a daughter.”

“Is this funny to you” Marcia retorted

Marcia’s eyes darted with anger and Bryan knew that something was wrong. Why would she be so angry after 20 years when she was the one who had gotten pregnant and left town? After all, Beverley had made sure he was kept up to date. Bryan’s knees suddenly felt weak and he shakily sat down on the nearest chair. He put his head into his hands and beckoned to Marcia to sit down.

“Do you have a few minutes for us to talk?”

Bryan felt nauseous.

“Marcia, I am not married, and I do not have a child”

“I have never been married either”

Marcia could not believe her ears.  She thought about the day Beverly broke the news to her and fresh tears stung the back of her eyes. Her parents had confirmed what Beverly said and told her how much of a blessing in disguise this was.

“How could my own parents and my best friend be so callous? Marcia sighed.

“Bryan, who told you I had a daughter?”

“The same person who told you I had a wife and daughter apparently”

Both Bryan and Marcia had lost track of Beverly after a while. Perhaps feelings of guilt had caused her to stop communicating with them both.  But, how could her parents lie to her in such a manner?

Marcia sunk into the chair beside Bryan and placed her head on the desk.  She was past caring what anyone would think about her sitting there with tears streaming down her face. All this time she felt that Bryan had betrayed her. Instead, the betrayal came via her best friend and parents.

“I have to run back to class”

“Marcia, I am so sorry you had to go through this”

“And I too am sorry you had to go through this”

“Can we meet later to talk?”

Marcia was walking on air as she glided across the campus with a smile on her face.