Goin' to Jackson { Jackson Wang Series }

Chapter 2

Jen sorted through a pile of overdue bills on her kitchen counter. The water bill stood out with its red sticker reading "Final Notice." She felt a bit nauseous because it was so unlike her to be behind on bills. She had always prided herself on being on top of things, but now, she was drowning and didn't know how to get out.

A banging on the door disrupted her spiraling thoughts. She opened it to find her landlord, Uncle Chen, red-faced and puffing. His chubby arms fell to his sides, apparently exhausted from their efforts to bang the door in. Soon, he regained his strength and waved a paper in front of her face. Jen couldn't read it because he wouldn't hold it still long enough for her to see it, but she was certain it was a notice of eviction.

"Nĭ hăo, Chen shūshū," Jen greeted the old man with a solemn bow.

"Where's my money?" he shouted, still waving the paper back and forth.

"Chen shūshū, I lost my job several weeks ago and I've gotten a bit behind. Please, have patience with me. You will get your money soon."

"Whose fault is it that you have no job? Is it Old Chen's fault?" he questioned as he took a step into the apartment, causing Jen to have to step back. "I get my money in three days or you are out!"

"Zhī dào," Jen said, nodding her head. She stepped toward Uncle Chen, this time pushing him back out of her apartment. As she closed the door, Uncle Chen was still ranting. Jen continued to bow repeatedly as she shut the door on the irate old man.

Jen exhaled slowly. She was definitely in a pickle. Her parents had offered to let her come home, but she was not about to go home in disgrace, not after everything she had sacrificed to get there.

She thought about Jackson's offer. She knew it came out of a place of real affection and concern on his part. It wasn't his intention to hijack her independence, but it was extremely hard for her to accept help, particularly from a man. However, her situation had become quite dire. Her intention to look for an English teaching job had been thwarted by the Chinese New Year holiday that had caused schools to be closed temporarily. She had applications submitted to several companies outside of Taiwan as well but had heard nothing back yet.

As she plopped down on her couch, a plan began forming in her head. If she sold everything in Taiwan, she would have enough to pay off her debts. If she went on tour with Jackson for a while, it would buy her some time to wait for job offers to come in. She would have to be clear that it was a temporary measure and that she did not intent to receive any payment. Any services she could provide would go toward offsetting the cost of her room and board while on the tour. It's like international couch surfing, she mused. If her neighbor, Lulu, was willing to take over the sale of her belongings and the payment of her debts, she might be able to leave Taiwan in a few days.

For the first time in several weeks, she was feeling excited. She had a plan, and she was finally going to be able to move forward with her life. She knew she would have to be clear about the boundaries of her accepting his offer, but it would be nice to have a respite from all the stress while she continued to apply for jobs.

She sent Jackson a rather long text, detailing her new plan and feeling out the situation to make sure that his offer was still on the table. She checked the time. It was after midnight. Jackson would probably be asleep. So, she resigned herself to waiting until tomorrow morning for a reply. Surprisingly, Jackson replied immediately with a clapping emoji, followed by fireworks and several heart emojis. Jen laughed quietly, sensing his excitement about her choice to join him after all.

She tried to lie down and rest but was unable to sleep because of the adrenaline coursing through her body. She got up and threw her suitcase on the bed and began packing. She put in several bright blouses and three pairs of her signature dark-wash jeggings. She packed a modest one-piece bathing suit and held up her floral bikini, questioning whether to pack it or leave it for Lulu. She finally decided to pack them both. You never know what you'll need, she thought, wondering how Jackson would respond to seeing her in the bikini. He was used to her conservative style. Jen was sure he would be shocked, indeed, to see her step out of her comfort zone.

Just then, her phone rang. She rooted around through a pile of clothes and finally unearthed it.

"Wéi," she said, as she fumbled with the phone, finally turning it right-side-up.

"Hey," came the whisper on the line.

"You should be sleeping, young man," she scolded him.

"How can I sleep? You finally said you're coming! This is no time for sleep. I'll sleep when I'm dead," concluded Jackson.

"Well, that's a lovely thought," Jen responded sarcastically.

"I can't believe you finally said yes," Jackson gushed. "It's going to be epic! We'll have so much fun. You'll see."

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to it." Jen paused for a moment, feeling responsibility to make sure they were clear on the terms. "But I'm still applying for jobs, OK? So, if I get a good offer while I'm there, I'll need to jump on it."

"Yeah, yeah. I know. It's cool," he rushed to reply, feeling ready to agree to anything as long as she was still coming.

"I do appreciate it, though. Things were getting a bit intense over here," Jen said as she rolled her underwear into tiny cylinders and packed them along the sides and the corners of the suitcase.

Jackson wanted to ask for specific details on what Jen was facing, but he reined in the impulse to ask for too much information. He knew that she said precisely what she wanted, when she wanted, and nothing more. No sense in tempting fate, he thought. She's coming, and that's enough for now.

"Listen, I should let you go so that you can rest," said Jen as she inspected a pair of gray sweatpants. Finding a hole in the pantleg, Jen threw them on the "reject pile" that was forming beside her bed.

Jackson had hoped to talk longer, but she was right that he did need sleep. Being on the road was exhausting, but he sensed that her arrival would be just what he needed to perk up a bit. "OK, I'll let you go. You let me know when you're ready and I'll buy your ticket."

"Will do," said Jen. "Nighty-night," she cooed.

"Kisses," he said as he made kissing noises into the phone.

Jen laughed and hung up the phone, putting her full attention back on the large red suitcase. She folded all her items carefully and packed them methodically. As always, she had a "method to her madness," as her mom would say.

Unconsciously, she began singing one of her favorite Johnny Cash songs. "I'm goin' to Jackson. I'm gonna mess around. Yeah, I'm goin' to Jackson. Look out Jackson town." She giggled as she remembered that the song was about a couple on the verge of divorce and had nothing to do with her current situation. Even still, her exuberance could not be squelched. She twirled in a circle, waving a pink taffeta blouse and resumed her song. "I'm goin' to Jackson..."