When I got home, Esme was smiling at me. "You must have had a real good day!"

  I blushed and said, "Um, yes. You could say I did. Well, for the most part, when work didn't drag on."

  "I totally get what you mean. I had a great lunch with Tyler today and we almost played hooky from our jobs".

  "I was tempted to do that too. Where did you guys go for lunch?" 

  "Do you remember that yummy pizza place near where I work? We went there before a few times for lunch?"

  "Yes I do. It's pretty good but you know it's not my favorite pizza place." 

  "Anyhow, we had so much fun, we lost track of time and were late back to our offices."

  "Did you get in trouble?" I asked concerned.

  "I have been pretty good about getting back from lunch on time. Due to that, I only got a warning. It was worth it though to have the extra time with Tyler."

  She continued talking about their lunch and I shared details about my lunch. 

  "I'm glad we both had such wonderful days and fun times with our new guys!" 

  I grinned. I was so happy to finally have a great guy to share my feelings and thoughts and spend my time with. And I definitely felt it could lead to love. I wasn't there yet but I definitely had feelings for him.  As promised, after dinner, I went on the internet to research opportunities to study acting and to audition for plays in the local community theater.  I cut and paste several promising opportunities for both and saved them in a file. I figured that was enough for tonight and I could push myself another day to actually contact these places to get more information.

  We hadn't watched "A Life's Journey" during the week together in a while and we were behind on episodes, especially since we were preoccupied with other people and things. There were a few big episodes where the reason for Kaleb's dismissal from the police force was revealed to the audience. We knew that he became personally involved in a case and he messed things up, but not too much on how or why. We just saw him try to help a teenager and then flash forward to the chief calling into his office to put him on probation and leave without pay. He said that it was likely that Kaleb was going to be fired. He told him that he's a great cop and he wants to help him but he might have messed up too much for the chief to even help him.  We also see Kaleb think back and we see him saying to a teenager, "Don't worry. I'll find a way to help you, even if it's at risk to my job."

  There's a scene where the chief of police calls Kaleb in the office and tells him that he's paid his dues and he's ready for Kaleb to come back but he has to work his way back up to his old position and earn back the chief's trust. At that point, we see Kaleb flash back to this case. We finally got to see more about this case and how Kaleb messed up in the eyes of the chief and the police force. I had remembered it was a kidnapping case of young woman and her desperate parents who wanted to get her back. We had just learned that when the police officers assigned to case were supposed to meet up with the woman to bring her back to the parents and apprehend the kidnapper, the woman was nowhere to be found. The chief figured out that Kaleb was somehow responsible for it and her father was a man of great importance in the town and threatened to sue the police force for messing up the case and putting his daughter in even more danger. They were able to finally make an agreement for Kaleb to have money taken out of his paycheck to help pay for the botched ransom amount that was lost and they were trying to get back. Also, since the criminal had made an escape as well as the kidnapped teen, they were not able to get the ransom back at first.  We also didn't know if the teen was alive and okay or if she was able to escape. The episode we watched together today was explaining how the chief was able to locate the kidnapper and get the money back and what that meant for Kaleb.

 The chief explained that having the money as a bargaining tool helped but the condition Mr. Reynolds made about Kaleb's position was that he could only come back if he brought his daughter personally back to him. Kaleb blanched at that statement. He knew why Mr. Reynolds' daughter ran away from him and  he couldn't in good conscious bring her back to him. He had told that to the chief. The chief mentioned that he understood but that he couldn't negotiate any further. It was agree to the deal or be fired. His hands were tied and there wasn't anything else he could do. Kaleb was aggravated. He couldn't believe what was happening. Even though Mr. Reynolds' daughter,  Kayla, told him in confidence, he explained to the chief why he helped her escape. He told him how her father beat her. She was afraid if anyone knew, she would be brought back to her father and Kaleb could be the one to do just that. It made him sick to his stomach, but he thought maybe if he explained, the chief may reconsider. The chief was silent for a bit and finally told him that he felt for the teen but his hands were tied. He was also worried if the whole story was found out how Kaleb helped the girl escape away from her parents as a minor, he could be in legal trouble. But he also stated to him that he could be in the position to help her be finally free from her father. He could help her collect evidence to convict her father and get her protection until then. Kaleb left it by explaining how he had to think about all this. The chief said to him that he only had 48 hours to think about it. 

 I thought about my time, I mean Hope's time with Kaleb and what he must have been going through, feeling bad about having to leave his life's work and torn about what to do about Kayla, who he swore to help and protect. I understood why he was reticent to share his story about all this. Even though I know this was a soap, my experience with him felt real. I hoped that he was able to help Kayla. 

  Kyle and I made plans to meet at Rione's for pizza this Saturday. I was excited for this date but I had no idea what to wear. I bugged Esme for some help to pick out an outfit. At that time, she said that Tyler had asked Kyle if he'd mind if we made this a double date. Tyler had told her and she said that she would ask me. I told her that I thought it was a great idea and she could tell Tyler that we'd be happy to do it. Then, I said that we could help each other pick out outfits for our date. Since it was a casual place,  we needed outfits that were fun, kind of sexy but not too dressy or glamourous. We ended up picking out a pretty red blouse with gold buttons and cute dark blue skinny jeans and black shoe boots for me and for Esme, a cute pale pink peasant type blouse and light blue skinny jeans and cute brown loafers. The week dragged but finally it was Saturday.

  I was nervous but not because of Kyle but a little because of Tyler. I knew him but we never hung out that much. I know Esme is really excited about him and I want to like him too because he means so much to her. I was also going to share my big news about taking an acting class and trying out for a play. There were auditions through the DCP for an upcoming play for children based on a famous classic novel. I was going to try out for that play. At least I think I am. I have been talking myself out of it all this week. The Philadelphia Acting Studio offered a 6 week introduction class. Even though I had a theater degree, I felt a bit out of practice, so I thought this type of course would help me feel more confident and refresh my skills.

  It was busy so we gave our name and Tyler and Kyle graciously decided to wait by the restaurant. We found out it would be a thirty minute wait so we wanted to go look at CVS for a little bit and then meet the guys back at the restaurant. I decided to tell Esme first because she's my best friend and it would be easier to tell her than to first say it in front of Tyler. 

  "Guess what?" I said excitedly.

  "What?" said Esme smiling.

  "Well, you won't believe this!" I exclaimed.

  "Just spit it out already," said Esme jokingly.

  "I signed up for an acting class and will audition for a play," I said nervously and without taking a breath. I don't think Esme understood me clearly, because she looked at me puzzled.

  "What? I don't think I heard you correctly." 

  "I'm sorry, I was nervous, so I said it really fast." 

  "I did get it was something about acting, right? Does this mean what I think it means? Are you going to further pursue acting?"

  "Yes, I signed up for an acting class and I'm going to try out for a play, if I can get up the nerve to do so. I have been talking myself out of it."

  "I'm glad you told me. Whenever you feel like that, let me know and I'll boost your morale." 

  "Thank you. I was nervous about saying anything because I was afraid you'd all think I'm crazy for wanting to do this." 

  "Of course not. I think it's exciting and really brave that you're doing this."

  "Because it's too risky and I'll fail?" 

  "Don't think negative. I was saying that because it's something that you were afraid to do but really want to do and you're challenging yourself to do it."

  "Thank you. That means a lot that I have your support." 

  "Of course. Does anyone else know about this?" Esme asked.

  "No, actually you're the first to know."

  "I feel honored. You didn't tell Kyle yet?"

  "Our relationship is pretty new and he did kind of know that I was interested in taking acting classes and maybe even trying out for a play but I said I wasn't sure and was just looking now. I wasn't sure if I told him if I actually was going to do it, what he'd think." 

  "You think he'd react negatively?" 

  "He seemed supportive when I told him the idea, but it was just an idea then. I wasn't sure how  he'd react when I would actually tell him I'd do it. I think he'd be supportive but since our relationship is so new, I wasn't sure. I'm probably just overthinking it."

  "I'm sure you're just nervous and that's why you're thinking that way. From what I know of Kyle, I think he'd be very supportive." 

  "I also admit I'm nervous about saying something in front of Tyler, because even though he's nice, I don't know him that well." 

  "From experience, I know Tyler is very supportive. I mean, when I told him about finally having the courage to pursue a promotion, he was very encouraging, saying that he thought I'd do well. So, I think he wouldn't be negative."

  "I guess. Anyhow, the class starts this Thursday. I'm equally nervous and excited at the same time." 

  "I think it's a great first step to get back into acting. Also, you can meet people in the business and network and make connections too for the local acting scene." 

  "I was thinking that too, good point you made about that." We spent so much time talking, we barely had time to walk around the store before it was time to get back to the guys. We only had to wait for a few more minutes before a table opened up. It was a casual sort of place where you ordered at the counter and they brought the food out to you. We took turns walking up to the counter to see what pizza we wanted to order and after that, we sat and began talking. 

  "I'm glad I got a chance to spend some time with you Olivia. I always hear such good things about you from Kyle and Esme and I'm excited to get to know you better." Tyler said smiling.

  "Thank you. I feel the same way. It's almost like I'm beginning to know you from hearing so much about you from Esme and Kyle."

  "All good I hope," said Tyler beaming.

  "Mostly," I said kiddingly. "But seriously, yes, you do have a bit of a fan club here." 

  "So how do you like working at your current advertising agency? Kyle says it's ok,  but that it's not his endgame."

  "Actually that's the same for me. In fact, I want to go back into acting."

  "Really, you have done acting before? That sounds interesting."   I had explained to him how I got my theater degree at university and how I acted in several plays in college. I didn't explain about the bad experience I had with one of my shows and how that got me to stop acting. I had just explained it as that I needed a break from it and now felt ready to get back into it. To Tyler's credit, he didn't  ask me to discuss more about my reasonings for giving up acting at that time. 

  "So what steps do you want to take to get back into acting?" Tyler asked.

  "I'm definitely taking an acting class and I may try out for a play," I said. I was waiting for Esme to say something to effect that I should definitely try out for the play, but she didn't say anything about that, at that time. My guess was that she didn't want me to feel uncomfortable about that in front of Tyler. 

  "That's great Olivia! I know you told me you were going to look more into it, but that's exciting that you took further steps in pursuing this goal. Wait, Esme  you didn't say anything! Did you know already?" asked Kyle.

  Before Esme had a chance to answer, I quickly said to Kyle, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you first. Honestly, I'm still nervous about doing this and I needed some sort of sounding board about it before I shared it with you all. I hope you are not upset at me about that?"

  "No, I understand. I wish you told me first but I'm not upset about it. I get it. I'm very happy for you though." I continued talking about my plans and what kind of play I was trying out for. I also explained more about the acting class and where it was and what I'd be doing. After talk about my plans to go back into acting, Tyler was talking about how he was meeting up with some college buddies next weekend and he asked Esme to come too. 

  "So are you going?" I asked Esme.

  "I wasn't sure if it's too early to go on a trip with Tyler, even though it sounds exciting," Esme said.

  "I did tell Esme that girlfriends and wives of my buddies would be there too," Tyler said.

  "I know. I'm not sure I'm ready. I'll give you an answer by Monday, ok? Anyhow, I think our pizza is coming." I noticed Esme was quick to change the subject and felt a little awkward about the conversation. I made sure the conversation stayed clear from that topic and made a mental note to talk to her more about it later. We enjoyed our dinner and had great conversation and I found out how funny Tyler is. He made us laugh during the whole dinner. After dinner, we went for a walk in the neighborhood and talked some more until it was time to go home. I wanted to spend more time with Kyle but was also anxious to go home and talk more to Esme about Tyler. I did have a good time and if it wasn't for how Esme was feeling, I may have considered spending more time with Kyle that night.

  Finally, we parted ways and Esme and I went towards our bus stop and Tyler and Kyle went towards their own bus stops. Esme was quiet once we left the guys. "Esme, is everything ok?" 

  "Yeah. Why you ask?" 

  "I noticed how you wanted to change the conversation about Tyler's trip to visit his college buddies and all." 

  "Yeah about that. Can it wait for us to talk about it when we get home?" 

  "Sure, no problem.  We can talk about it then."