She frowned and furrowed her brows, trying to place him.
Exasperated, he went on “We were in the same fraternity at school."
“Oh, Mark Hamilton." her mother said, smiling.
“Yes, and his assistant is retiring. He has not hired her replacement,” he said, beaming to Jane.
“Really?” Jane said, putting one and one together.
“Yep, if you are interested. It does not start for another month or so, but I’m pretty sure it pays more than the temp place, and you would get benefits and a 401K."
This was great news. Jane jumped up to give him a hug. She still had not heard back from the temp place by that Monday, so she tried to do something she had not done in a long time: draw. She first went to have her fake nails removed. Her own nails were thin and weak, but she had the nail tech coat them with some clear nail strengthening polish and made a mental note to pick some up as well.
At a traffic signal on the way back to her parents’ house, with the palms of her hand on the wheel, she unfolded her fingers and just looked at her nails. She thought how they were not unlike herself. Thin and weak, she mused, but maybe not forever.
Chapter 18
At home, she pulled out her sketch pad and pastels from a box in her room. She went to a local park, and sitting on a bench, looked around to see if there was anything interesting to draw. There was an older man fishing not far from her so she began with him. Her first attempt was laughable. Thankfully, he mainly sat still so turning the page in her book she began again. Her second try was not much better. She tried to think why she was having such a problem with this. All at once, it came to her. In the past, when she drew, she would almost turn her brain off. Right now, though, she felt her thoughts drifting again and to Wyatt.
It made her feel ashamed. He clearly did not want her. Why couldn’t she stop thinking about him? It was almost like a compulsion. There were things that would trigger memories as well, like seeing a couple or seeing something in the news about his father. What she would never admit aloud to anyone including Lacey was a fear that no one else would love her.
Wyatt had been her first real boyfriend. She had imagined they would spend the rest of their lives together. The unchartered territory she currently found herself in was her own personal den of shame. Feeling tears threatening, she flipped her pad closed and hurried home. She retreated to her room and shut the door. Lying on her bed with her blankets pulled up to her nose, she quietly cried.
Her mother knocked on her door after hearing her cry from the hallway.
“Jane, why are you crying?” she said, coming to sit by her and stroking her hair.
Jane just shook her head and buried her face into her pillow.
“Do you want to talk about it?” she continued.
Jane once again shook her head so her mother gave up and left her alone.
She felt as though no one could understand what she was feeling, like maybe she hurt more because she loved more. She pictured Wyatt’s new girlfriend and could not help but feel inferior in comparison. Blythe was so pretty and stylish. Jane ached inwardly thinking of how Wyatt probably thought the same thing. She also imagined his parents fawning over her and thanking their lucky stars that Wyatt had dumped her.
When her father got home from work and after clearly talking to her mother, he came in to check on her.
“How we doing, Janey?” he asked, standing at the end of her bed.
She sat up and shrugged her shoulders at him.
“Is this to do with that Wyatt boy?” he asked.
She glumly nodded her head and then wiped her eyes.
“I say good riddance,” he said gruffly, surprising her. “Look, I know you cared about that boy a great deal but I just need you to know that, in my personal opinion, he was not worth your time”
Jane’s mouth dropped open.
Every girl wanted Wyatt. How could her father not see how wonderful he was? Maybe because he was her father he was supposed to say stuff like that.
“You know, maybe you would have a new boyfriend if you got out of bed,” he went on.
Jane covered her face with a pillow and groaned.
Seeing that his pep talk was not having its intended result, he came over and kissed her on the top of her head and, leaving the room, said, “Make sure you eat some dinner, honey."
She got up and came to the table for dinner. Her mother had made spaghetti with meat sauce. Jane ate some and then just picked at it. Her mother offered her some garlic bread, but she shook her head and drank some milk instead.
Her father, perking up, said “Hey, your mother told me about this retail therapy thing. You want some cash to go shopping? Maybe buy some new outfits for your new job?”
Her parents both looked at her with huge smiles like they really thought a trip to the mall would help her get over Wyatt. When she shook her head no, her mother placed her hand to her chest and shot Mr. Martin a look of shock. Clearly, this was more serious than Mrs. Martin had thought. After dinner, Jane excused herself and went back to lie in her room. She still had not heard from the temp agency, so she was beginning to think she would be stuck here all day everyday for the next month. She cried herself to sleep. Sometime around ten the next morning she awoke to Lacey opening her blinds.
“Rise and shine beautiful,” she chirped, pulling Jane’s blanket from her. “I am only in town for two more weeks, and I'll be damned if you spend them in your room,” Lacey said, smacking her on the ass. “Get your butt into the shower. Your dad gave me his credit card and said I could get some stuff too. So whether you like it or not, we are going shopping."
“Leave me alone,” Jane grumbled trying to cover herself with her sheet.
“No way. I can’t shop unless you do too,” Lacey returned.
Seeing that resistance was futile, Jane got up and showered. She dressed in a T shirt, capris, and flip flops. Lacey drove them to a popular outdoor-style mall.
“Your parents are pretty worried about you, babe, and from what they told me, I’m with them. What set you off?” Lacey asked as they parked.
Not wanting to start crying again, Jane took a couple of deep breaths and said, “I can’t stop thinking about him. Yesterday, I tried to go out and sketch something, and I couldn’t even focus on anything else."
“Time heals all wounds,” Lacey said solemnly. “And shopping helps." She winked at her, and they got out
Walking into the mall, they passed by a hair salon. Jane stopped and looked at herself in the glass and toyed with her ponytail.
“Oh my God, you should totally cut your hair.” Lacey gushed.
Jane just shook her head and kept walking forward. They went into a popular clothing store with the goal of getting Jane some stuff for her new job. She camped out in a dressing room while Lacey and an employee of the store fed her a seemingly endless supply of possible outfits. She flat out refused any skirts or dresses. She had enough of those and just wanted to wear pants for a while. She found three pairs of pants that she really liked and a couple of cardigans and suit jackets. She made sure the jackets she picked out would match the pants. Next, Lacey led her to a shoe store. Lacey tried on the most ridiculous heels Jane had ever seen.
"I will never understand you and heels," Jane laughed.
"That's because you're not vertically challenged, babe" she retorted.
Jane had plenty of shoes already that would work with the stuff she bought. Lacey decided against the shoes, saying that if there was nothing else she liked better anywhere else she would get them on her way out. They paused shopping and ate some lunch. Lacey was pleased to see Jane eat her whole sandwich and finish a chocolate milkshake. After lunch, they headed to another clothing store, this time on the hunt for shirts that would go with the stuff Jane had already gotten.
She found a couple of simple short sleeved sweaters and picked out three different colors. There must be something to that whole retail therapy concept. The further into the day they got, the bet
ter she was feeling. It helped that Lacey was in full-blown cheer up mode. She wondered what she would do when Lacey moved to New York. Pushing that thought from her mind, she did her best to try and cheer up.
While they were standing at the register as Lacey was paying for the shoes they saw earlier, Jane said, “I want to get my hair cut."
Lacey looked at her shocked and then grinning said, “Let’s do this."
Walking over to the salon, Lacey asked Jane how short she wanted to cut it.
“Short,” was all Jane said in response.
As they waited, they flipped through style books. Jane finally settled on a cute layered bob. It was a big departure from her long brown hair. All she could think was Wyatt would have hated it, and that was reason enough to do it. Lacey gave her multiple opportunities to change her mind and for them to leave, but Jane was adamant.
Lacey tried her best not to hover as Jane’s haircut began. Jane closed her eyes and did her best to relax as her hair was being cut. She could almost psychologically feel the weight being lifted from her scalp. She also kept her eyes closed because she did not want to see all of her hair now on the floor. She peeked while the stylist was blow-drying her hair, but she was not pointed in the direction of a mirror, so she gave up and just closed her eyes again.
Once her hair was done and she was centered on the mirror, she opened her eyes. She hardly recognized herself. Her hair felt so soft and full of body. She shook her head, feeling her hair tickle her nose. She could not stop touching it and fluffing it. The cut was very flattering, framing her face. She turned to Lacey, who was clasping her hands to her chest, ready to jump up and down with excitement. Jane could not wait for her parents to see.
“Alright. Now let’s go get tattoos." Lacey joked.
Jane was feeling better than she had in a long time.
“Thank you for being there for me,” she told Lacey, suddenly serious.
“No worries. I got you, babe,” Lacey said, pulling out of the mall.
When they entered Jane’s house, her mother called out from the den.
“Come here. I want to see what you got." When Jane walked into the room, she cried. “What did you do to your hair?"
“Do you like it?” Jane asked, twirling.
“It’s just so short,” she said, getting up and coming to get a close look. “It’s very cute but such a surprise."
While Jane showed her mother the clothes she purchased, she would catch her staring at her now much shorter hair. Her mother loved what she had picked out and thought Lacey’s shoes were crazy but very Lacey.
When her father got home, he took one look at her and told her the cut “suited her."
He then quickly collected his credit card, winking at her. Lacey headed home after promising to spend the next day at the pool with Jane. Her parents were pleasantly surprised when Jane offered to make them dinner. Jane was not as good of a cook as her mother. She prepared a simple chicken and rice dish she found on the back of a can of soup.
She ate seconds to the relief of Mr. and Mrs. Martin. That night she fell asleep without crying. Did she cry over Wyatt at any point after that day? Yes. Was she as miserable as she had been before? No. The next two weeks, she thankfully did not hear back from the temp agency and filled her time hanging out with Lacey. When Lacey moved, she would only have one more week of freedom before starting her job.
She spent much of the next two weeks with Lacey. She helped her pack and sell the furniture that she was not taking with her, with the exception of a cool dresser she got second hand that the Martins would store for her in their spare bedroom indefinitely. Otherwise, they hung out at the pool, and Lacey did her best to try and get Jane drawing again. It wasn’t as though her thoughts would drift directly to Wyatt anymore. She just didn’t feel like it.
She was finding happiness in unexpected places, though. She talked her parents into letting her get a cat. The way allergy medications were now, her mother could tolerate the kitten since Jane found a short-haired breed. Her kitten was a rescue, and Jane named him Ronald after the red-haired kid from the Harry Potter movies because he was orange. Daily, she found herself laughing out loud at Ronald’s high jinks.
Lacey’s moving day had come. It was New York or bust. Jane gave Lacey a bear hug and said, “Thank you for everything, Lace. Go get them."
“Call me, text me, email me. If you need me, I am here for you, even from New York,” Lacey returned. “Also, send me lots of pictures of my godkitty,” Lacey added.
Jane stood and waved as she watched her drive away. She brushed a tear off of her cheek and drove home. In only one week, she would start her new job. Her first week would be spent shadowing Mr. Hamilton’s retiring assistant, learning how to do her new job. She spent her last week playing with Ronald and further organizing her room. Her mother had all of her new clothes dry-cleaned.
Jane would try on different looks in the mirror, trying to find just the perfect outfit for her first day of work. She was also still testing different styles with her new hairdo as well. Why was it that hair never looked as good as the day you got a haircut, she wondered. Plus, she was finding short hair seemed to take more effort than swooping her once long hair in a low ponytail.
When the first day came, she went with her new beige pants and a white button-up, topped with a navy blazer and paired with brown suede flats. Ruth, the assistant she was replacing, was a sweetheart and Jane a fast learner. The work was simple enough. She was in charge of answering the phone and maintaining Mr. Hamilton’s calendar. Mr. Hamilton would then request the completion of various forms for his client meetings. When possible, she would prefill the forms with client information they already had on file.
Mr. Hamilton had a steady stream of business and was particularly busy from January through April 15th for tax season and then again around October, which was just around the corner due to clients who had filed for tax extensions. Jane felt very grown up setting up her direct deposit for her paychecks and selecting her withholdings. It helped that her boss was an accountant.
Jane was very nervous at first on the phone, the computer stuff was no problem but talking to strangers was something else all together. From time to time, she would stammer if she was not sure how to pronounce someone’s name. Luckily, most of the calls were inbound, and they would say their name for her. By the end of the week, Ruth was confident that she was leaving the reins in capable hands. Jane, on the other hand, was exhausted. Her stretch of unemployment before this job had not prepared her for being on for eight hours straight.
She would come home, play with Ronald, text Lacey, eat dinner, then go to bed. She slept in on Saturday and woke up to Ronald batting at her bangs. She opened one eye first, squinting at the little ball of fur on her chest. With her other eye open, she glanced at her alarm clock. Ugh. Earlier than she had hoped, but how could she be upset at such a cute kitty? Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes and yawned.
Stepping into her slippers, she padded towards the kitchen with Ronald in her arms. Setting him down by his dish, she added some more kibble and watched him dive into it. Seeing coffee in the pot, she helped herself to a cup and added some French vanilla creamer. Sipping, she watched Ronald eat. Once he was done, she made herself a waffle and alternated between taking a bite and pulling a string for Ronald to chase after.
Her dad joined her, and they both laughed as Ronald followed Mrs. Martin down the hall batting at her slippers each step she took.
“I am going to miss that cat when you move out, Janey,” her dad said, cutting up a cantaloupe.
“We’re not going anywhere soon,” Jane said, reminding him of their three-month deal.
She had not even gotten paid yet. Mr. Hamilton paid every two weeks, and it turned out she started on the wrong one.
Chapter 19
Jane had originally agreed to wait three months before she started looking for a place of her own. It had been five. At dinner one evening, her father brought the subject up
/> “How’s the apartment search coming, Janey?”
She scrunched her nose and made a noncommittal “hmm” noise. Her father pressed further, and she finally admitted she was delaying her move until she knew for sure what Lacey was doing. Lacey had been living in New York, trying to jumpstart her acting career. They were emailing daily, and Jane was sure that Lacey was unhappy there. How do you tell your best friend to give up her dream and move back home? Satisfied Jane was not becoming too comfortable living at home, he let it go.
Until then Jane was living at home and eating food that she did not have to pay for. Her bank account was flush. Depending on where she moved, she may even be able to pay an entire year’s worth of rent up front. Her father was happy to help but wanted to do what he could to make sure they weren’t enabling her.
Two months later, as Jane had predicted, Lacey confessed that New York was not for her. She was going to move back to Richmond. Jane was thrilled. Once Lacey was back, they would find a place together. Lacey stayed with the Martins while she and Jane looked for a place. She had a heart to heart with Jane that since she didn’t have a job yet, she was scared it might be better for her to move back in with her folks in Iowa.
Jane was not having that. Lacey had basically been her sole source of comfort, with the exception of Ronald, during her rocky breakup. If there were times when Lacey was short, Jane assured her that she had her back. Lacey couldn’t argue with that. They were looking for a roomy two-bedroom that allowed cats.
They found a place pretty centrally located and jumped on it. It was a two-story, townhouse-style apartment. The doorway opened into a small space with enough room for a table to drop keys off at, and the stairs led to the main bathroom and bedrooms. It then opened to a living and dining space, with the kitchen behind a short wall just past it. The kitchen had another door that led to a back half stair going outside to where their garbage went.
Lacey was thrilled that she had left her funky dresser with the Martin’s because it fit perfectly in her new room. Both she and Lacey needed mattresses, but Lacey’s parents covered the cost of two queen-sized sets at a buy one get one free sale. The girls considered painting their space but didn’t want to have to repaint it when they moved out. They covered the bare white walls with large pieces of art. The painting Lacey’s mom had done of the two of them hung over the sofa the Martins gave them.
A Bridge of Her Own Page 10
