The Hourglass

Forty-One

The next day at work goes by quickly. I went to the office and met with Mr. Rodgers again. We started out the day with a group meeting, and then I did more one-on-one training with him. We went over what I'd be doing in the office as well as what I'd be doing at home. I would have to attend daily Zoom meetings and come up with proposals. Every now and then, I would have to connect with others and do market research. It seemed...manageable. 

My dad is the first person I call when I make it back to the hotel after ordering a pizza for carry-out. "Hey, pumpkin," he answers immediately. I smile. 

"Hey, Dad. I needed to let you know I won't be able to make dinner tomorrow," I begin. 

"Is everything okay?" Dad asks concerned. I only ever miss if I'm sick. 

"I'm not sick," I begin. "I meant to call you sooner, but everything happened so quickly," I rush. I tell him how Adam's dad offered me a job and I took it. I tell him the pay, the schedule and all of the benefits. "I'm in Atlanta for training this week," I finish. 

Dad is silent for a moment. "Well, Rosebud," he finally says. "I have to admit I'm a little disappointed you didn't come to me first so I could pray about it with you." I cringe even though I knew that was coming. "I'd hate to see you rush into something, but I do admit it sounds like a wonderful offer." 

I, of course, can't tell him why I made such a rash decision. He'd be even more disappointed in me. And if he knew all of the details, he probably wouldn't even believe me. "Do you want to reschedule for Saturday night?" I offer. 

"If you're not too tired," he comments. "You know I'd love to have you any time. Hey," he adds. "Why don't you see if Adam wants to join me for golf this Saturday, and then we can all have dinner together." 

Shock still fills me as I listen to his offer. I really can't believe that he likes Adam so much. I wonder, briefly, if he would still like Adam if he knew he was a struggling alcoholic. "I'll ask him," I tell him. 

"Okay, Rosie. You better get some rest now. I love you," he tells me. 

"I love you, too," I say and hang up the phone. 

I had let Adam know I would call my dad when I got off work. He's been waiting patiently for me to video chat him. I call immediately after getting off the phone with my dad. He answers after a few rings. He's in his art studio, "Hey, beautiful." He greets me. 

"What are you working on?" I ask, hoping it's my painting. I was getting anxious to see it. 

"What do you think?" he says, giving me a knowing look. 

"How's it coming?" I ask happily. 

"That's for me to know and you to find out," he teases with a wink. "Did you have a good day?" he asks, changing the subject. 

"Yeah, it wasn't bad," I admit. The girls at the office were nice and friendly. A girl named Alice seems to have taken a liking to me, and I can see us becoming work friends. I tell him about my job expectations and the people I was going to be working with. He listens patiently, seeming interested in every word I say. 

"It sounds like you're settling in nicely," he says, pleased.  

"I am," I tell him honestly. "I miss you." The words leave my mouth before I can stop them. I shouldn't be embarrassed to say that to him, but somehow I am. 

"I miss you, too, Rosaline." The words sound like a beautiful song leaving his lips, and they fill me with warmth. 

This week was going to drag on forever...