At Least She's Not My Teacher! *Editing* *On Hold*

Chapter 4

Jessica POV

I arrived at my new apartment that my parents helped me find, on a weekend trip we took after I gave them the news that I have a final interview for a teaching job at Wolfram Preparatory Academy that I applied to in Maine. They were so excited for me.  Yet, I had to put on the best acting performance of my life.  I acted excited and just as happy as they were being.  But, what I really was feeling was utter confusion and I was slightly scared.  No to mention, I lied to my parents. Something I have rarely ever done, except maybe as a child.  However, I wasn't going to let being a scaredy-cat stop me, because after all, I was curious.  I just hope for my case curiosity doesn't kill the cat.     

I was feeling this way, because I didn't even know how, I got the job, because I didn't even apply to Wolfram Preparatory Academy.  I've never even heard of the school, that is until I got the phone call.  I did, however, apply to about a dozen schools and none of them were that far north.  I didn't put my resume into one of those websites that looks for jobs for you either, so you can say I was surprised and weirded out.  Especially weirded out, after I googled them and came up completely empty.  No searches found!  I didn't find the school on any other search engines, not one single mention of it.  When that didn't work, I searched the town and for the listing of all the schools and what do you know, it wasn't there either.

    Freaky, right?

    The information the woman gave me about the final interview was odd as well.  Odd because I didn't even have a first or second interview in order to have a final interview.  I was surprised when she told me she knew I graduated magna cum laude from Brown University and had reference letter she received from a couple of my professors.  When she told me this, I was speechless, because I never asked for reference letters from any of my professors to be written.  She said my name a couple of times before she started giggling over the phone, getting my attention. She went on to tell me to get something to write with when I finally snapped out of my state of shock.

    I ended up writing down a date, time and place.  She wanted me to meet her and the headmaster for the final interview and told me that all my question will be answered then.  Before we got off the phone I asked her what their names were.  This caused her to giggle again told me they were Ms. Whitmore and Mr. Greyson.  She was also vague by just giving me their surnames.  I did a search with their names along with the school's name and I came up empty again and it made me wonder if her being vague with their names and the information on the school is somewhat a secret. Lets just say it made my mind over exaggerate with all kinds of ideas and some of them got me laughing at myself.    

    Talk about a mystery.

    After graduating, I had to move home for the summer since I couldn't afford the house rent all by myself, after my roommates moved. The house I shared for three years was with two of my best friends that I met at Brown University freshman year.  We got along so well we ended up renting a small three bedroom house near campus our sophomore year.

This summer, while staying at my parents house in Connecticut, I was able to save money and not spend any of my savings. Which was beneficial because I need to go apartment hunting and find a spacious one bedroom or a cozy two bedroom.  I have enough money in my savings to cover the first month, last month, and the security deposit and still have a little extra left over until my first salary paycheck. 

When I told my parents my good news they insisted on helping me find an apartment and explore the town so that I would know my way around.  That was my father's idea to do the exploring and it turned out to be pretty beneficial for the most part.  I now know where the essential places one needs to know in a new town like: grocery store, post office, library, hospital, fire and police station.  I've now have been to half of the locations one or more times, because the town is so small and easy to get around.  I have a GPS in my car that I got as a gift when I went off to Brown.  I haven't been lost since.  It was my parents way of making sure their little girl was safe.  After all this would be a major milestone in my life as an adult, they wanted to make it as stress-free as possible for me because I'd be living in a new town with no friends or family.

When searching for an apartment in the town where the school was we came up empty. The town was small, so small it didn't have it's own post office. There was houses here and there and I'm sure there was more, but what we saw was a lot of woods. Maple Township the next town over was a little more urban than rural, but not by much. It's where I found my apartment and I signed a one-year lease and my parents insisted they pay for my first month, last month and my security deposit.  They even paid to hold the apartment for an extra month before my lease even started.  I didn't want them to, because this was my first apartment all by myself and I wanted to show my true independence as an adult without roommates. But being an only child, they've always spoiled me and I know they worry a lot and they are just doing this to help me and show me their love.

I have been in town for a week and the first four days I spent organizing everything and making my apartment look like an apartment instead of a empty shell.  My apartment is a spacious, one bedroom apartment on the second floor with a terrace.  What sold my parents on this apartment was the security the building offered since it had a double doors that locked before you get to the apartments and its on the second floor.  I even liked that about my apartment. I also finished all my lesson plans for each class I'm teaching and I typed up a syllabus for each class, which I emailed to the Headmaster.

My parents ended up taking the U-Haul to the local Good Will and donated all my furniture which surprised me, because they wanted to take me shopping to furnish my apartment.  I wasn't really attached to any of the furniture, but some of the memories from collecting the furniture I would keep with me.  Well, some of the memories.  I donated a small oak table and Tiffany lamp that my ex-girlfriend helped me find in a little shop near campus.  I was actually relieved to see it go and if I wasn't over Samantha before, I was when I saw it being loaded off the truck.  I didn't get sad or cry.

My mother knew the story behind the furniture, because I texted her pictures the day we found them.  My mother has a thing for antique furniture.  She also gets commissioned to find antique pieces for clients.  Shes once told me she does it for the fun of it and that the money is just a bonus for doing what she loved.  So I told her about the quaint little shop and it's treasures where I bought my first two pieces with Samantha my now ex-girlfriend.

Flash back. One week ago...

I noticed the surprised look on her face when I put those two piece in with the rest of the miss match furniture I was donated and my mother being the sentimental woman she is, knew the memories they probably held.

"Mom if you want.. you can take the table and lamp." I say, as I go to grab another piece of furniture to add the growing pile near the bay doors at the back of the Goodwill building.

"Are you positive you want to get rid of them, they're such lovely pieces." My mother says in a quiet voice.  I stop, while holding onto a couple of mismatch throw pillows and I look at my mother who is regarding me with a sad look.

Throwing the pillows down, I walk closer to my mother who is standing by the table and lamp.  I let out a sigh.  "Mom, I'm sure. I know we have been over this before and you're right they are lovely pieces and if you want them you can have them, you can do whatever you like with them. They don't hold any meaning for me anymore and I know you think there is something significant with them but there isn't.  Samantha and I are never getting back together mom.  I know you liked her but it will never happen." I say.

I'll never take back a cheater.  My mother looks as though she wants to say something, so before she does I say, "mom I'm starting a new beginning and you and dad were right.  I feel really good about this.  Giving them away feels liberating.  I don't want to hold on to things of the past and that is what they are, the past."  I'm now smiling at her and it's not a forced smile.  Taking in my words she smiles and gives me a hug.

"I'm sorry Jessica. I keep forgetting just how grown up you are sweetheart.  It's nice hearing you say that and I think giving them away is a good idea." She says close to my ear then pats my shoulder before pulling away. 

End of flashback

Thanks to Ikea and my parents checkbook, pretty much everything in my apartment is brand new.  I'm really grateful for the queen size bed they bought me.  That's a huge upgrade from the day bed I had at Brown and is now at Goodwill.