So a month passes and while I have had to tap into my savings a few times, I made it to a small country town, where I took up residence at an old cheap motel. I land a job as a waitress in an old café, where, fortunately, they have not seen me vomit. I do my best to not bring attention to myself and just reevaluate my life.
So far, I haven't answered any of Adam's calls, nor have I answered any of Luis or Jaime's either. But, I am not sad about any of this. In fact, it's almost as if I am in transition. Like my life is about to begin again. It's like I have a second chance to get everything right.
I call my parents every couple of nights and while my father knows exactly what I am doing, he continues to give me updates on my mother's condition. He still feels that keeping my mother in the dark about my fake relationship with Luis is for the best. "She's just too happy!" he tells me, and I guess that I can find some solace in that.
Fortunately, I actually enjoy my new job. It doesn't have a fancy balcony, it doesn't have an expensive leather chair and it doesn't pay a whole lot either. But my boss is a woman, approximately twenty years older than I am... She smokes like a chimney and she is full of sass and wit. Her name is Doreen and she is pretty awesome.
The cook is her husband. Robert, but we all just call him Bob. He's a pretty good guy. I also work with a young blonde single mom by the name of Tess and a dark-haired girl by the name of Lori. She is roughly my age.
"When you gonna tell us about this man that you've been seeing?" Tess asks me, as I pour the next round of coffees.
"What man?" I ask.
"That man who gave you that rock on your finger, right there!" she replies pointing to the ring that I have still not taken off my finger. The one that Luis gave me when he fake-proposed. Sometimes I forget that I'm still wearing it. Other times, I just like the way that it looks.
"That's a very pretty ring! Expensive too!" Lori chimes in. "If I had a man buying me things like that, I sure wouldn't be working this damn job every day. I'd be living in luxury!"
From the other side of the café, Doreen has overheard Lori's comment. "I heard that, Lori! Be careful I don't dock your insolence from your pay! I wouldn't blame Nicky to keep her beau a secret from you. Heaven knows what your eyes are capable of!"
While Doreen goes off to serve her customers, Lori instantly begins mimicking our boss from behind her back. Fortunately for Lori, Doreen can come off as harsh, but she certainly has a heart of gold.
"Hey! Why don't you girls stop messing around back there and deliver table three's coffee to-go!" Doreen calls back. We grin at each other and glance over at table three. He looks like an out-of-towner.
"Oh, he is cute!" Tess exclaims as she sneaks a peak. "I got this one!"
"You got too many kids already, Tess!" Lori says with a smile, as she retrieves the coffee from me before Tess can take a hold. With the coffee in hand, Lori takes off as fast as she can, with Tess following her fast.
I grin as I watch them both make their way toward the man's table, thinking that whoever that patron is, he's going to have his hands full with those two.
"They do pose an interesting question," Bob whispers, as he is now standing right beside me.
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"A girl like you... just appearing onto the scene from the city in an Audi and with a big ring on her finger. You're either running to something, or from something. But there ain't much out here to run to... Are you in some kinda trouble, kid?"
