Chapter 9-2
979 Words
QUICKLY, TWO WEEKS go by.
I had yet to find a job in the field where my degree was relevant. My cell phone bill was overdue, my half of the rent was coming up, along with the light bill, groceries, and basically everything I need to survive.
I twirl my phone in my hand, dreading making the call to my Mom but I knew it had to be done or I would be moving back in with her and George and I definitely did not want that to happen.
I take a deep breath and press the button to dial my Mom’s number.
“Hello!” says my Mom into the phone.
“Hi Mom, how are you?” I ask her.
“I’m good, how are you, sweetie?”
“Not so good.”
“What’s wrong, sweetheart? Are you sick? In some kind of trouble?”
“I quit my waitressing job two weeks ago because the boss was being terrible,” I lie, “And I have been trying to find a job to use my degree in but it hasn’t been easy and now my bills are piling up and I feel as if I’m about to go crazy!”
“Well, why didn’t you call me sooner, sweetheart? You know that I would help you with no problem.”
“I don’t know. I just wanted to do it on my own, I guess, but I see that, at this moment, I can’t. I need help.”
“That’s ok. That’s what Mom’s are for. I will send money to your house first thing in the morning. Don’t worry about it. It should tide you over for a while. I can also help you get a job in your field as well if that’s what you want to do. I don’t understand why you have to be so stubborn all of the time and not accept the help I try to offer to you.”
“You know I like to be independent.”
“Sometimes it is okay to ask for help.”
“I know Mom, and I’m asking now.”
“I’m glad you are finally asking. I will send the money and make a few calls in the morning to get you a job in your profession.”
“Thanks Mom, I love you.”
“I love you, too, sweetheart. Is there anything else you need?”
“No, ma’am.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
“Marie?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you for asking.”
Her words bring a tear to my eye.
She is a good Mom and she has always been there for me when I needed it. I should really try to talk to her more.
“Bye Mom.”
I hang up the phone and toss it on the bed.
Knocking on Rose’s door, I don’t wait to for a reply before I open it.
Her room is a burst of color. Her walls are purple and blue with glitter on them. She has sheer cloth on her ceiling and gold balls on her wall.
She has very different tastes than mine but it matches her personality just right.
She is bright and outgoing and her room expressed that.
My room is plain.
It is painted beige and has nothing on the walls at all.
There is no sign of personality in it at all.
I keep thinking of ways to decorate it but there was nothing I could think of. Maybe I should give it to Rose as a project and see what she could come up with.
Rose is lying across her bed with her laptop out, listening to music and singing at the top of lungs and I can’t help but laugh. I reach over and pull the headphones off her head.
“Hey, girl! I didn’t even hear you come in,” she says.
“I could see why, you were in here calling the cats,” I smile.
“Girl, I have singing skills.”
“Yeah, okay, but a few lessons wouldn’t kill you either.”
“So did you call your Mom?”
“Yes, I finally called her,” I sigh.
“What did she say?”
“She said she would send the money to the house in the morning and make a few calls so I could get a job in my field.”
“Yay! That’s great news. Now you won’t have to stress so much.”
“I know, I just wish I was able to do it on my own.”
“You’re not superwoman. It is good to get help every once in a while. You know how many people’s first serious jobs come with the help of their parents?”
“Actually, I do. Half of my class got jobs right away because of the connections they had but I was just too stubborn to use mine, I guess.”
“You are stubborn. I can confirm that. Did she say how much she was going to give you?”
“No, but if I know her, it will be a ridiculous amount.”
“You’re right about that. She gave you ten grand on your birthday and the only thing you did was pay on your student loans.”
“I want them paid off before I’m thirty, so you would be right.”
She laughs. “So what do you have planned today Marie?”
“Nothing. Got a date with the cable TV and some frozen pizza.”
“Sounds interesting. I have to work tonight or I would join you.”
“For a woman who likes to be on the go, you sure have been in the house a lot lately.”
“I guess you’re rubbing off on me.”
“I think it needs to be the other way around.”
“How so?”
“I wish I had your spontaneity and personality. I’m always questioning myself or too scared to do anything outside of the box. The craziest thing I have ever done in my life was sleep with Garrett and you already know how I’ve reacted to that.”
“Well, if you want to change who you are, then you should. Other than a few of your insecurities, you are fine just the way you are. If you can’t see that, then you will one day, I hope. You are a pretty awesome chick.”
I laugh. “Thanks, Rose. Oh, there is one thing I want to do with my money though, besides catch up on bills.”
“A shopping spree?” she asks excitedly.
I laugh. “Uh, no. I want to redecorate my room.”
“Redecorate? When was it ever decorated in the first place?”
“Hush!” I say as I laugh. “I was in the process.”
“Sure you were. So what do you want to do with it?”
“I don’t know, I was going to leave that up to you.”
“Really? I would love that. I think I can capture your personality just fine.”
“Nothing crazy, Rose,” I say, warning her.
She laughs. “Okay, nothing crazy but I have to admit, that is a pretty exciting job.”
“I know. New beginnings, right?”
“New beginnings.”
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- Writer
