Ready Answers

She shook her head at me, swallowing her latte. "I just want someone who's on the same level as me."

"So a failure," I joked. It was a joke because she laughed. I wasn't really joking. You're either talking about a very successful 23-year-old, or a very unsuccessful 32-year-old. The gap between those years isn't small. It's probably the biggest there is.

"No, not a failure!" she said. I was drinking black coffee, we were splitting a cookie. "I just want us to... I don't know." Bite of cookie. "Be on the same level." Smile. Sip of latte.

"But what does that mean to you?" I wanted to know. I wanted ready answers. I wanted someone to be sure of something.

A beat. A beat of realization. "I guess I'll know it when I see it," she said.