Think of the Devil

Epilogue

It only took a few days, maybe a week at best, for the passage of time to irritate Jane.

Everything felt so slow. She supposed she should still be grateful; without a looming threat over her shoulders there was less to do and no sense of urgency to do it. But each day seemed to pass by slower, the monotony of her day-to-day life in full swing by the end of the first week following Fisk's arrest.

It was at the end of this week that Alberto insisted on returning to work. He argued that they needed the money, that he'd have to get back on his feet eventually, even that someone had to take care of whatever expired food might be on the shelves. After he, Jane, and Angélica had a thorough discussion about it, they agreed to let him return to work on two conditions: first that Angélica and Jane would help to do most of the physical labor like inventory, stocking, and cleaning, and second that Jane would drive Alberto and Angélica back and forth from their apartment to the shop until he was cleared to walk those few blocks. He'd argued about both, saying it was silly to drive such a short distance and that he could hobble around on his crutches, but the girls remained firm. Once he agreed to their terms, they all began to settle back into their routine.

Jane resumed seeing clients the following week, though she spread out her sessions a bit more so she'd have extra time to check on Alberto in between. She made decent progress with Henry and Margot, but Jeri Hogarth stopped calling to set meetings up. Jane took on a couple new referrals to supplement the loss of income, but she couldn't say she was disappointed— even if she was busier. Her new clients were decent and well-intentioned people, making it easier to forget about the constant arguing she'd done with Hogarth just for the money.

Something interesting did happen on Halloween. Jane had thrown together a costume with Alberto last minute; with old rancher style hats he'd had from his family in Mexico, they both wore their old flannels with jeans and boots to give the appearance of cowboys. Jane even found a vintage leather jacket and cowboy boots that had belonged to Shelly in her storage boxes, and they added to the costume's effect. The two manned the store, handing out candy to trick-or-treating kids and various customers, while Angélica went out with her friends. It was while the store was quiet, Charlie Brown's Halloween special playing on the TV in the corner, that Angélica and her friends stopped by the store. With her was Rosalyn, who Angélica introduced as her girlfriend.

While both of the teens had been nervous upon Rosalyn's introduction, Jane and Alberto were just happy to finally meet her. They all shook hands and made small talk, Jane trying to keep the conversation neutral so her sister wouldn't become any more anxious than she already was. Rosalyn was exceptionally polite and very friendly, and Jane got a great impression of her and her intentions almost immediately. When all the girls left with their waters and snacks, she and Alberto talked about how glad they were to finally meet Angélica's girlfriend and how lovely they thought she was.

Then the days were slow again. Little by little, Alberto regained his mobility, switching to a cane after enough time had passed. Angélica made an effort to spend time at the shop after school, but as time went on she got more comfortable with going out with friends now and then. Jane fell back into her routine, easily adapting to having more clients and finding the work as rewarding as ever. She even reached out to Piper, although they had to make plans for after Thanksgiving— Piper was out on the road with her girlfriend as Lara's band toured the east coast. All in all, life had returned to normal.

To Jane, each day seemed to feel slower than the last. Her only saving grace was her routine, with times cut out for work or checking on Alberto that could distract her. But when the shop closed and she was sure her family was safe upstairs in their apartment, the few blocks back seemed to go too fast. It felt like she was racing home just for the time inside her apartment to crawl while she waited to be tired enough to rest. Having not had a drink in the last few weeks, she found the task of sleeping harder than ever, giving her all the more time to waste.