Family Don't Break

CHAPTER 14

ALEX'S POV:

The cafe is crowded. Everyone is trying to escape the cold. I can smell the coffee wafting through the air and I can hear the grinding of the coffee maker. "There she is. Katharine!" Jack shouts over the noise. I don't know how he expects her to hear him.

A girl turns around, waving at us. We weave through the crowd, trying to avoid knocking into any tables. We finally reach her and she stands up to greet us. "Jack! Long time no see!" She wraps Jack in a hug. She turns to me, a smile on her face.

She's pretty. She has styled brown hair, light curls bouncing against her back. She has on a nice pink vest and a proper matching skirt, as well as a white blouse. She's well dressed, showing she has money. She's the definition of a lady.

"You must be Alex! Jack has told me so much about you. He's absolutely smitten." She wraps me in a hug as well. I freeze for a moment in shock before hugging her back. We take our seats around the small table, our elbows almost touching. We order some coffee and begin to talk. At first it's kind of awkward, mainly formalities and small talk. But before I know it the two of us are talking non-stop.

"Race seriously ate a bar of soap? And not on a dare or anything?" Katharine nods. "His excuse was that it smelled good, so he thought it would taste good." All three of us start laughing hysterically, earning a few stares from around the cafe.

"So Jack said you're writing articles for the newspaper now?" I ask. "Yeah. I'm hoping for a promotion soon."

"That's amazing. I actually had a woman give me a whole lecture today about how women should know their place, the only jobs are wife and mother. I told her times were changing." I gently elbow Katharine and she chuckles. "I mean, have you seen the suffrage signs? It's incredible!" Katharine's eyes get this far away look in them as she recalls the memory. "Women being able to vote. Seems like something out of a fictional novel, but it's really happening," she continues.

"You should come with me to the suffrage meetings! We meet every saturday at noon, at the Lilac Ladies hat shop. Everyone there is very nice, and they'll love you. I bet some of them have already read your articles." Katharine thinks for a moment before agreeing to come. "I'd love to meet some more like minded women. You're the only other girl I've met who isn't scandalized by my job."

"Same with you. Women tend to dislike my, and I quote, 'untasteful attire and manly attitude.'" That was said to me by the deli worker over on 6th. Not that his opinion matters much, considering the meat he sells is at least a week old.

"Personally, I would prefer to wear what you're wearing. It's so much easier to move around in. But if my father saw me in boys clothes, he would ground me for life."

"Your dad's a jerk. Who cares what he thinks." Jack chuckles, leaning back in his chair. "True. He is a terrible person. But I guess that's how he got to where he is."

"Well, if you get somewhere by hurting others, what's the point? Money runs out, but friends don't." I state.

"Agreed." Katharine says, a smile on her face. I'm glad I met her. I think Jack was right, we're going to be fast friends.