Chapter 8
1260 Words
Martha was not surprised to see her mom’s ghost in the back of the town car. She would have preferred that ghosts only appeared when no one else was around, but the ghosts never seemed to care about her preferences. Martha pressed a button she had seen Betsy use to roll up a soundproof divider between the driver and the back seat. She knew it seemed rude, since she and the driver were the only ones in the car, but better for him to think she’s rude than think she’s crazy for talking to herself.
“Mom, I’ve told you over and over again. You can’t just appear when other people are around.”
Her mother’s ghost, as usual, ignored Martha’s scolding.
“I saw what happened in there. Congratulations mija!”
Martha blushed a little. The ghost may be annoying, but who doesn’t want to be congratulated by their mother when they land their dream job?
“Thanks Mom,” she said. “I know I didn’t earn it entirely on my own, and that I only got it because of Betsy’s connections, but thanks anyway. I’m really excited about it.”
The ghost’s translucent face frowned. “Enough about that mean old hag,” said the ghost. “Let’s talk about how we’re going to celebrate. I say we go find Mr. Coffee Boy and bang him ‘til he can’t walk!”
“Mom!” gasped Martha. “Come on! SOOO not appropriate!”
The ghost giggled. “I’m dead, Martha. Let me have my fun.”
“Well Mom, if you want to watch horny people going at it like rabbits, I’m afraid you’ll find me terribly disappointing. Go find someone else to haunt.”
“You know what?” said the ghost. “I think I will. Goodbye, sweet girl. I’m proud of you.”
Martha blushed again as her mother’s ghost faded from view. She may be a crazy dead horn dog, thought Martha, but she’s my crazy dead horn dog.
Martha rolled the divider back down.
“Sorry about that,” she said. “I had to make a quick phone call.”
The driver simply nodded. He made no attempts to talk to her, but he had not done so on the way to the school either. He probably did not care whether the divider was up or down in the slightest.
Martha sent Betsy a quick text message to say that she got the job.
“Of course you did! The dress worked.” Winky face emoji.
Martha smiled. If Betsy wanted to take credit, she certainly could. Martha was not delusional enough to thing that she got the job on her own. She thought about messaging Josie, but she decided to tell her in person instead.
When she got to the motel, she told Josie to put on her new pink dress. Josie normally asked a lot of questions, but she needed no excuses to put on her new dress. They climbed into Martha’s car and Martha asked Josie what she wanted for dinner.
“Pizza” said Josie.
“Of course,” said Martha, pretending to be exasperated. “Why do I even ask?”
Sitting at a booth of a local pizza restaurant, Martha told Josie the news.
“Yaaaaaaay!” squealed Josie. “Now we can move in with Betsy!”
“NO” shouted Martha instantly. “I said we would find suitable living arrangements. Those arrangements do NOT involve moving in with Betsy!”
Josie rolled her eyes.
“Okay Martha. Crazy Martha. Martha, who pretends to be so practical, then turns down the chance to live in a mansion rent free.”
Martha and Josie talked about where they would want to live, besides with Betsy. Martha told Josie about the little cottages on the George I property and they both pulled out their phones to search for local rentals.
“What’s the budget?” asked Josie.
Martha stopped what she was doing and thought for a minute. Then she laughed.
“You know what? I don’t know!” she giggled. “She offered me the job, but I never even asked what it pays! She said that my official offer letter would be sent electronically.”
Josie gave Martha the kind of look fourteen-year-olds give when adults seem clueless.
“It’s gotta be a lot. They have a hedge maze.”
They both laughed for a while. Then Josie reminded Martha that her email was on her phone, making Martha feel that she had truly earned the “you’re clueless” look Josie had given her.
“Of course it is. Let me just see… right here… yes! They sent the offer letter already!” Martha said triumphantly.
She read the letter carefully to herself, then read it again. She didn’t want to misunderstand any part of the letter and tell Josie something wrong. She was reading it a third time when she heard Josie clear her throat.
“Did Betsy teach you that?” asked Martha.
“It got your attention,” replied Josie. “What did they offer you? A crust of bread a week? Your own polo pony?”
Martha smiled. “They offered a lot. Probably double what I would have made at a public school.”
Josie did a happy dance in the booth.
“There’s more,” said Martha. “On top of my salary, they offered use of a cottage on the grounds. Rent free.”
Josie hooped and hollered and danced a little more aggressively.
“Oh, and, one more thing,” said Martha. “Betsy must have told them about you. They offered you admission to the school. No tuition.”
Josie stopped dancing. Neither of them had discussed the possibility of her going there. They knew it was not only expensive, but exclusive. Applicants with perfect academic records and money to spare still couldn’t get in without the right connections. Apparently, Josie now had those connections.
“Do you… do you… do you think I should go?” asked Josie hesitantly.
Martha thought about it.
“Well, I really will let you decide. There’s no doubt you would get an excellent education. Beyond compare. Why, with teachers like me there…” teased Martha, dramatically flipping her long brown hair over her shoulder.
Josie giggled.
“But really,” Martha continued. “It is an excellent school academically. You would learn so much. And if you do well enough, you could go to any college you want. It would open a lot of doors. But, you know, there’s more to school than academics.”
Josie didn’t say anything. She just studied Martha's face waiting for more advice.
“Only you could say if you’d be comfortable there. The other kids… they may not be like your friends from home. Some of them might be. Some might be really, really nice. You might love it. But I just don’t want you to be uncomfortable. I don’t want you to go somewhere and feel like you don’t belong.”
Josie looked off into the distance and thought for a while.
“Well, you’re right. I don’t want to feel like I don’t belong. But look around,” said Josie.
She gestured around the pizza parlor.
“This isn’t our old home. None of my old friends are here. If I go to the public school, I could feel just as out of place. So…. If I’m going to be a fish out of water, why not be a fish out of water with an excellent education?”
Martha broke into a smile, and both girls couldn’t help but laugh and do happy little dances in their booth. A few minutes later, their waiter brought by a glass of champagne. Martha looked at it surprised.
“Champagne? I didn’t order this,” she said.
The waiter smiled. “I don’t think it’s much of a secret that you’re celebrating something, and someone noticed.”
He winked and walked away. Martha looked at the champagne and saw that the waiter had placed it on a white napkin that he had brought, and there was something written on the napkin:
“I don’t know what you are celebrating, but congratulations! Your drink is on me- again.”
Martha looked up just in time to see the handsome man she had spilled coffee on walking out of the restaurant.
- Writer
