Valarie
Chapter four
By: Amber Boles
Wednesday June 23, 1999 9:00 A.M.
Val's alarm clock began to sing. Man! I feel like a woman by Shania twain rings loud. Val's awake. She wants to hit snooze, but resists.
Black slacks. White blouse. Blue apron. Val brushes her hair, and starts up her bike. Uncle Tim hears the trouble she is having starting it and comes out to help her. He shows her how to start it and has her try it on her own so knows she can get home form work later on in the evening.
Val arrives at Red Lobster seven minutes before her shift. Russ, as expected, is not there. She fixes tables and waits. Waits for Anthony. Anthony is late again.
"Please sir," Val hears him plead to Henry, the main manager. "Never again." Val can just imagine him with his hands clenched in front of him begging like dog. Val is almost sure Anthony is going to cry. But he doesn't.
Henry looks just as apologetic. "I'm sorry son, you've just done it one too many times." Henry shakes his head, not wanting tell an employee he no longer has a job. Anthony doesn't move. His hands by his side, his hair in his eyes. Not even bothering to move his bangs. He says not a single word, and walks out the door. He stops when he reaches the humid air. It all just sunk in.
Anthony finally brushes his bangs away. He brushed them away to whip a tear, then walks to his car. It's all surreal, this can't happen. Val wants to follow, but she has a job to keep.
1:26 P.M.
Val likes the orange ones. The marshmallows that taste like fruit. The orange ones are orange flavored. Go figure. Val wonders Why the orange flavored ones can't be green...
She sits in her car. She calls Jessica, her best friend since they were practically in dippers. It rings once. Twice.
"Hello?"
"Jess, guess who I work wi--" Her voice was chipper, then it dulls a bit "--used to work with?" She waits for a response, and gets none. "hello?"
"I thinking.. Is it James, that really ugly kid with the glasses and pizza face. Eww! You don't work with him do you?" She sounds frightened and grossed out. Val juts laughs. Wants to defend poor James, but knows there is no use with Jess.
"No, Tony. I mean Anthony. He goes by Anthony now. You know the one who was in chorus with us in sixth grade? He used to play the flute. I wonder if he still does--"
"What's you point," Jess interrupts. Rudely.
Val was caught off guard. What was her point. "I don't know, I just... I don't know." The conversation grows silent.
Jess catches on. "So you work with Anthony? Was he cute? I can't remember him very well."
Val thinks. WAS he cute? If he wasn't, he is now. Though it's hard to see his eyes. What color were they? Did he have acne under his bangs. "I can't remember, but I know he's pretty hansom now."
"What color was his hair? I think I might know who you're talking about."
Val thinks. Tried to remember every detail about him. "It was an ash brown. I think there were some natural light brown highlights. It wasn't very long in middle school, but it's kind of long now. Like surfer long."
"I see." Val likes how they can describe stuff so strangely. "I remember exactly who he is. He's my sister's boyfriend. You said he used to go by Tony? Yeah I think so." Val's heart drops. Why? She Can't explain.
"Oh," Val says. "I see."
"Yeah, remember? They got married two summers ago. You know Mariah. Didn't she invite you to her wedding?"
"yeah, I was busy."
"Oh, what a shame. I really miss Mariah."
Val sits straight up in her seat. Remembers which sister now. "didn't Mariah get in a serious accident? Isn't she like--" Val stops before she says something like Stupid or retarded. "--Doesn't she need like help now? I mean--"
"Stupid? You can say it Val. Mariah is like a special needs girl now." She sighs. Her sigh is full of sadness. Sadness from loosing her big sister. Sad that her family isn't as functional as the Brady bunches, but just as big.
"I didn't mean to really bring it up. I have to get back to work. Chat later Jess. Bye.
5:57 P.M.
Val is home. It feels strange to call this place home. It's not her real home.
She sits and thinks. Thinks about Mariah, Thinks about Anthony.
Anthony. Anthony. Anthony. Poor, poor Anthony.
Thursday June 24, 1999 8:41 A.M.
Val wake up without the help of an alarm clock. She yawns and stretches. TGI Thursday. Her day off. What is Val to do today? Suddenly, Val hears voices singing down the hall. Then her door opens and three bodies pile in. Uncle Tom with a cake in one hand and Corrisa's, my cousin, hand in the other. Aunt Sandra olds a small box with a white bow taped to the top. From the looks of it, Corri wrapped it.
Val doesn't know what to say. No gives her a change to anyway. She blows the mini torches out and makes a with in her head. She asks for something lame. World Peace. Yeah right.
Corri jumps up and down impatiently. "Open it! Open it!" She excitedly hands Val the box. She carefully remove the bow, and rip off the paper like mad man. Under it is a brown cardboard box. She look up at my Aunt and Uncle. Their eyes tell her to open it.
So she does. Inside is a key ring with two keys on it. One she notices is her motorcycle key. The other a mystery. Under it is a folded paper. She unfold it and reads a few lines and shrieks.
"You got me an apartment! Oh my god!" Val jumps from her bed and wraps her arms around her makeshift parents. "Thank you," She whispers.
"Come one," Uncle Tom says. "Lets go check it out.
9:30 A.M.
Val gets ready to unlock her new home. Not that she didn't like living with her Aunt and Uncle, she just wants to be responsible for one person now.
"One second!" Aunt Sandra exclaims. "I want you to know something. We have paid in advance for two months. After that, we'll sign it over to you if you can handle it." he smile get broader. "And the apartment isn't your only gift."
Val is stumped. What else could there be? She opened the door to her new home. She once again shrieks.
This time no words come out. There is a blue loveseat and a matching recliner in the living room. A glass coffee table, and a moderate sized T.V. on a white entertainment center equipped with encyclopedias. In the kitchen there's a coffee maker, and a microwave. A toaster and a blender.
Val covers her mouth so she doesn't scream. After a second or two she opened her mouth to say something, but tears overwhelm her. She falls into her aunt and uncle embrace. "I love you guys." She sobs.
"We love you too," Aunt Sandra says for the both of them. They pull away.
"It's a two bedroom, one bath. So if you friend Jess or someone wants to share rent after two months..." Aunt Sandra leaves it hanging. Giving Val a hint. Val's grim stretches until she thinks it with bounce back like a rubber band.
Uncle Tom takes over. "We set up a room if you want to see it." Instantly Val runs to the back of the apartment where the rooms are. The first one she enters is bare and empty. She knows it's the other one across the hall.
Val opens the door. Wonders if she should shield her eyes. Inside there's a queen sized bed and a deep green silky comforter draped over it. A dresser and a small T.V. On a stand. The room is painted deep purple. Val loves it.
2:22 P.M.
Val and Uncle Tom finally finished moving some of Val's things into her new home.
9:17 P.M.
Val can sleep soundly tonight knowing she is home.
