Call Me Hurt

Chapter 7 - Hope

After that difficult night with her mother, EJ was more determined than ever to find someone who could help her. She barely let her doctor talk when she pleaded for a mental health plan. Then she left with the plan and ongoing appointments with a psychologist.

She decided not to tell Ellen that she was going to therapy, predicting that she would end up feeling sorry for herself instead supporting EJ.
However, Rikki helped her every step of the way; from helping her update her resume and apply for jobs, to buying her notebooks so EJ's jumbled thoughts could make a bit more sense on paper.

EJ had only known them for a few weeks, but Rikki brought a light into her life. EJ thought the universe had brought Rikki into her life at the right time. It was as if she had known them for years. EJ never asked them to fix any of her problems, but Rikki didn't think twice about helping.
Sadly, as much as EJ cared for Rikki, she couldn't understand why they had chosen to be her friend.

***

"Make yourself at home," Rikki said, tossing the keys to their apartment on their small dining table.

Rikki's apartment was small, but there was something comforting about it. There was a small couch and mattress with bundled up blankets by the TV. There were no bookshelves, the books were just stacked on top of each other around the rooms, along with boxes that hadn't been unpacked. The kitchen was placed in the corner of the loungeroom. But what caught EJ's eye was a row of about a dozen suncatchers by the large window. Their reflected patterns danced on the walls.

EJ was desperate to get away from Ellen for a few hours. Ellen had gotten into the rhythm of retelling arguments she used to have with her dad. EJ tried staying hidden in her room to avoid any more difficult stories. She hadn't told Rikki yet about how bad things were at home, but she was sure they suspected something. All EJ texted them was 'bit of a hard day', and five minutes later, Rikki pulled up to their driveway.

EJ slumped on the small, but comfortable, couch, gazing at the suncatchers dangling from the ceiling.
It was true; a change of scenery does a world of good.

"Waiting for my psych appointment feels like waiting for Christmas." EJ sighed.

"That bad, huh? Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, then I'll be just like her."

"Just like who?"

EJ paused and turned to me, eyes wide.

"They're asking. It's okay if you tell them." I said.

She paused for a moment, and then shook her head, and headed into the kitchen.

"Do you mind if I cook something to take home?" EJ asked Rikki, scanning the shelves of their fridge.

"Knock yourself out. My grandpa sends me more ingredients than I know what to do with anyway."

It was true. Rikki had an abundance of ingredients overflowing every shelf, most of it was half empty Molto Bene Pasta Sauce.

"You really like your Molto Bene, huh?" EJ asked.

Rikki snorted a laugh. "Something like that,"

As EJ put a few of the jars on the kitchen bench, Anxiety squinted at the puppet family printed under the sauce label.

"Hey Eej," they whispered. "Come look at this."

"What?" EJ replied under her breath.

"This puppet in the back. Does it look familiar?"

It was a family of five; an elderly couple in the centre, what appeared to be their adult son and his wife behind them, with their child standing at the back. Anxiety pointed at the child with black hair and thick glasses and gestured over to Rikki.

EJ smirked. "Hey Rik, do you know how much this puppet looks like you?"

Instead of a laugh, Rikki groaned as if they had been asked that question a million times. "Yeah, that was my grandpa's idea."

EJ paused. "Wait...what?"

"I told him I didn't think freaky puppets would appeal to the customers, but now we're selling more than ever."

EJ paused again for a good minute. "Wait...this is you? You own Molto Bene?"

"Technically my grandpa does. I thought you knew!"

"I knew your last name was Bene. I didn't know you owned a multi-million-dollar company! What were you doing at Jordy's café then?"

"Honestly? It's because I'm bored as hell. Yes, I have more money than I know what to do with. But I also have more time than I know what to do with. So, I promote my grandfather's products at one lesser-known restaurant to another."

(***EDIT***)