Learning to Live

Chapter 6

eWe're wet, cold, and stuck in an elevator. If that wasn't bad enough, Shana started hyperventilating. She was shaking and her eyes wandered all over the dim-lit elevator. So I hold on to her shivering shoulders. "Shana, look at me." I shake her, "Look at me." Tears flooded her eyes. "Just focus on me. You're not in here alone." She nods and holds on to my forearms. A little smile appears on my face, "Good, you gotta breathe now." I started to breathe at a pace, "Breathe with me." She followed my lead. "Inhale, exhale. Good. Good Shana."

As I stare into her beautiful brown eyes, I noticed she was starting to calm down. "Thank you." She said panting.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah." She leans up against the wall and slides down to sit on the floor. I did the same. We were sitting across from each other.

She takes off the jacket that I gave to her. "So how did you know what to do?"

"My mom. When I was a kid, I used to have panic attacks. So she was always the one to calm me down."

"She sounds great." She smiled.

I look down at the floor, remembering my mom. "Yeah, she was."

Her smile fades, "Was?"

"Yeah, my uh...both my parents died in a car accident when I was a kid. Drunk driver."

She looks at me with sympathetic eyes. "I'm so sorry."

"I've learned to deal with it. Actually, it was a long time ago. So I had time."

"How old were you?" She asks, fondling with the hem of my jacket in her lap.

I ran my fingers through my wet hair. "I was fifteen. I was the only child, so my mom's friend and her husband took me in to live with them, after. So they kind of raised me."

"I know how you feel."

"You do? Did your parents passed away too?"

Her expression hardens. "No, but you could say that they're dead to me."

I notice that the subject of her parents made her tense. In my aid to change the subject, I look at what she's wearing. A white shirt, black pencil skirt, and black heels. "You got a new job?"

"Yeah, I did. I'm a waitress now...at The White Rose."

"Oh really? I love their restaurants. Which branch?"

She raises her eyebrows, "The one on 25th."

"Cool. If I knew you wanted to work there, I could've given you a good recommendation letter. I know Mr. Shadwell; he caters to all of my holiday events."

Her mouth curves into a smile, "Well I didn't ask for a recommendation, I wasn't thrilled to work there in the first place. I'm just trying to get through life after law school. I couldn't even get a job in a law firm. FYI."

Law school? Wow. She's beautiful and smart.

"I-I didn't know that. I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry. I'm just a little stressed out from work. You were only being nice." She sighs, "It's just hard you know?"

I know exactly what she was talking about. It was hard for me too. Fresh out of college, I couldn't get any work. When I finally did, it was a pizza guy, cable guy's assistant, and restaurant jobs like busting tables, waiter. The list goes on and on.

"It was hard for me too. Until a good friend helped me out." I said, leaning forward. "Maybe I could help you like how that friend helped me."

She smiles, "Thanks, I'll think about it."