JUST A LITTLE COMFORT

C H A P T E R T W O

I felt like I was in a catch 22. No matter what I did, I was stuck. If I wanted to find a place to stay, I needed money, so I needed a job. I had to worry about my parents and supporting them financially. I had to worry about staying in an apartment with a man, them finding out and then disowning me or telling me I dishonoured them. I also had to survive. I had to give up something at this moment. I either had to live on the streets and avoid disappointing them further or live here and hope they never found out.

 I didn't even know how tense the situation was back in the village. I was hoping someone would get back to me soon with a job, I felt so useless just sitting around all day, waiting. I just sat on the couch, lost in thought, tapping my foot. 

"What's wrong Sydney?" Julia asked me. She was sitting on the floor in front of me, laying out materials on the floor."

Nothing... just worried about the whole job thing." I said.

"Okay, because your whole tap dance is very distracting." She said and I laughed.

"Sorry about that.... will your brother by any chance have connections for a job?" I asked.

"Cole... I highly doubt that. He's not in the corporate world. He's studying Medicine. "She said.

"OH WOW." I said. That was interesting. 

"Why? Why do people react that way when they are told someone is studying medicine? Is there like some hierarchy in the world of careers where becoming a Doctor is at the top or what?" She asked, annoyed.

"I don't know... It's just ... something. I guess it's because it's healthcare and it takes a special kind of person to be a doctor, doesn't it?" I asked, not having a straight answer for her. 

"You get Doctors who just use the title for respect. You get some who play on people's emotions and scam them. All are not as noble and heroic as the profession paints them to be, you know?" She said. 

"I guess so.... Do you think your brother is doing it for that reason? The title and money? "I asked.

"Oh, definitely not! He's patient and soft-hearted and compassionate and is in it for all the right reasons!" She said defensively. 

"Okay, so why do you sound like you are... what? Bitter?" I asked.

"Urgh. It's my MOM! I'm just so annoyed with her... I overheard her bragging to her book club ladies about how she's so proud of her son and how all I do is 'rearrange people's furniture and call it a career'." She said in a different voice. I was guessing she was imitating her mom. 

I couldn't help but laugh out loud. 

"You see! My life is a joke. How can she tell people that!?" She asked rhetorically with irritation in her tone. 

"It's not that. You said your mom is almost sixty, right.... so, it's possible that she was just part of the generation that believed Doctors, Lawyers and Accountants were real careers and they seem to be more open to respecting Engineers and people in IT now, but an Interior designer must be a difficult one for them to understand as being real work. It's like the kids who play video games and earn more money than someone like me who works 9-5 every day. It's a tough concept to grasp. We were taught that the harder you work, the equally you'll be compensated for that. That's a scam." I said, feeling profound.

"I guess it's the generation gap then but still! Can't she at least try and understand what I do. You need to have creative talent. Ask Angie about 'Accent Lighting' or 'Advancing Colours', I'm sure he can't tell you anything there." She said that loudly and I turned back to look and sure enough he had just come out of his room, stretching his arms.