The first lesson of the course was on computer hardware. Which didn't surprise Dereck, since he had read the beginning of the textbook.  He still took notes, just like everyone else, and watched the PowerPoint presentation with illustrations of the computer parts with interest.

No one he knew was taking the class. The dominant gender was male, with a couple of women mixed in. During the break, he went to the water cooler to get a drink, noticing there was already a crowd gathered around it.

"May I get a glass of water?" Dereck raised his glass a bit higher so that the people could see it.

"Yes, sorry," one of the men stepped away and Dereck finally reached the water cooler. He filled up his glass and was just about to get back to his seat, when someone clapped him on the shoulder.

"Where did you get the scars from?" Dereck sighed. Why did everyone ask him about those blasted scars?

"Shrapnel. I served in Afghanistan," he received a couple of grim nods in return.

"Thank you for your service," the lone woman of the group said, a small smile on her face.

"Don't mention it," Dereck was not proud of the things he had done during his time in Afghanistan. Killing was never easy. He had always had the nagging thought that the person he was shooting at had family, friends, and a reason to live. That still irked him most nights. 

"Hey, we are getting together at a café after the class is over," the man who had clapped him on the shoulder said. "Do you want to come?"

Dereck blinked. Sure, the people at the support group had told him to get out more, but he was hesitant. He had never been good with people. And, while the people of the playground he took Julia to were understanding of his need to keep his distance, he wasn't sure if his classmates were going to be, too.

"I need to get back to my dog after class," Dereck countered.

"Oh, no worries. How old is your dog?" Dereck hadn't kept a count. He didn't even know Julia's birthday. Maybe there was something in her adoption papers about her age, but he hadn't read those. He rubbed the back of his head and blushed.

"Eh, as long as you love the puppy, you are fine," the woman assured him. She extended her hand and Dereck shook it.

"My name is Tamara Darova," Dereck noted the Russian sounding name, and quickly gave his own.

"Dereck Wertin," the woman smiled, and Dereck decided that this was his cue to go back to his seat. No one tried to stop him for some chit-chat, and he sat down on his desk and took a sip from his glass.

The instructor came back and the class resumed. By the end of the second half of the class, Dereck had drunk his glass and his fingers had ink smudges on them.

Honestly, he preferred a pencil to a pen. But here, in class, he wouldn't have the luxury of sharpening it when he needed to. So, he had written with a pen.

He collected his notes and placed them in his backpack, a relic of his high school days. A bit beaten-up, like him, but still in working condition. Dereck hated throwing things away if they could still be used.

Swinging the backpack on his shoulders, he made a beeline for the door. But then, Tamara fell in step with him.

"Hey, I know you said you need to get back to your dog, but what about a meet-up during the weekend? Surely, your job would allow that much?" Dereck's cheeks colored red again and he coughed.

"I don't have a job. I applied for a position, but they didn't call," Tamara nodded, and her own cheeks colored red.

"I know that story too well. I got fired recently, too. Do you want to meet up tomorrow in the library then? To compare notes? English is still hard for me, so I must have missed something. You don't have to, but I would be grateful," Dereck blinked. Was this woman asking him out? He hadn't dated since high school. There had been no opportunities in Afghanistan.

"Sure, at what time?" If she said five, he would just suggest some other time period.

"How about one pm? After the library's lunch break?" Dereck noted that Tamara looked hopeful. He nodded. One worked well for him.

"Sure, one it is," Dereck waved and took a left turn, Tamara took a right, and they went their separate ways.

Once Dereck made it home, He placed his bag by the front door and went to see Julia. The puppy was in her room, waiting by the door.

"Hey, there, girl. I got a date planned for tomorrow," Dereck said with a slight smile. Julia ran up to him, her tail wagging, and he bent down to pet her head.

"I know, it is a miracle. Hey, do you think Tamara didn't mean it as a date?" Julia tilted her head and huffed. Dereck chuckled.

"I need to believe in myself, I know. How about you? Does Alex still bring you toys?" At the mention of her friend's name, Julia began to look around. She barked a couple of times, as if to call the other dog, then she looked at Dereck with annoyance.

"Lover boy is not here. But, if you are good, I will bring you to granny Patricia at the park. Just make sure you don't annoy Shadow again when we go pick Alex up," at Shadow’s name, Julia looked around fearfully. As if expecting the grumpy cat to jump out of a corner and hiss at her and try to scratch her.

Shadow did not like how close Alex was to Julia. She always tried to get between them. Dereck had often joked with Patricia that Shadow was like a mother-in-law in this regard.

"So, tomorrow, we will both go on a date!" Julia barked her approval, and Dereck petted her some more. "Wertin family for the win!"

Dereck placed his hand low, and Julia placed a paw over it. They did a shake, and Dereck went to check Julia's toilet. After cleaning it up, he washed his hands and switched the water in her bowl with a new one. Then, he went to sleep. But before that, he made sure that the radio that played in Julia's room was still on.