The Hustler [Alex Gaskarth]

Chapter Twenty: The Severance Package

      I was numb. It was three months after I’d broken up with Alex, and I had been numb the entire time. I couldn’t let myself feel. If I did, I might break down one of the hundred thousand times he called me and answer. And to take a quote from Grease, “That’s the worst thing I could do.”

      I was numb when Lucy forced me to go on a blind date with one of her friends, I was numb when Connor came home for the summer. I was numb when I was working on a logo for one of my biggest clients ever, and I was numb when Sydney Brillault called me into her office for the last time.


     “How are you?” She asked, seeming genuinely worried. It was understandable. Ever since I’d quit “the Gaskarth project”, I had been turning down increasingly tantalizing jobs; tens of thousands of dollars to accompany a businessman to Japan for five days, three grand to attend an event with a local anchorman for a couple of hours, and five hundred bucks, just to call Jack back.
    
     “I’m great,” I said, albeit unenthusiastically.
     “I see.” Sydney smiled sympathetically, looking down at a small sheaf of papers on her desk. “Look, Airlia. I’m going to cut to the chase. You’re not fine. I can tell. The other girls can tell. I’m sure even my five-year-old nephew would be able to tell. You’re miserable.”
     “I’m fine,” I insisted. “I don’t know why no one believes me.”
     “Because you’re not fine. And can I be blunt?” She paused, long enough for me to nod resignedly, and continued. “I think you miss Alex. I think you let yourself feel something for him, something more than just friendship, and now, you’re suffering because you let him go.”
     “Of course I didn’t. That wouldn’t be professional. I wouldn’t do that,” I lied.
     Sydney could tell I was lying. It was obvious by her expression that she knew. “Alright. But if you did, that would be alright. Sometimes, we can’t help how we feel. We don’t choose who to love, ‘Lia. And I believe that’s what it was. You loved- love,” she corrected herself. “You still love Alex, and that’s why you let him go. You didn’t want to hurt him any more than you thought you already were, did you?”
     I shifted uncomfortably, and gave a noncommittal shrug. “It doesn’t matter. Brillault has a policy about seeing clients in a personal capacity.”
     “And that’s why I brought you here today,” Sydney said smoothly, fingering the stack of papers. “Air, you know that I love you to death, and I just want you to be happy. Which leads me to these.”
     I accepted the papers, neatly stapled together, and scanned the top line.

     Severance from Employment at Brillault Dating Service.
    
     I looked back up at the beautiful, motherly woman sitting in front of me, and felt a pang of sadness. “You’re firing me?”
     She gave a small laugh. “Of course not, honey. I’m just offering you an out. This document states that the signer is exempt from any company policy. You wouldn’t be working here anymore, but in the document, there are details for a severance package that I’ve put together for you. If I do say so myself, I think it’s a fairly attractive deal.”
     “Thanks, but I-”
     She waved her hand at me and smiled. “Don’t say no right away. Go home, have a nice glass of lemonade, and read over the contract. Give it some serious thought before you decide, okay?”
     I nodded dumbly, and tucked the papers in my bag. Since I was her last appointment, Sydney walked me out, wished me a good rest of my day, and disappeared in her flashy black convertible.

     “So what did Sydney want?” Lucy asked. She was sitting in the living room, watching tv with Delilah, who was staying with us for a couple of weeks while their dad and stepmother were in Europe. “Got a new assignment?”
     I shook my head, dug out the papers, and handed them to her. She gave me an odd look, then started reading them over.
     “Auntie Airie!” Delilah yelled. “Auntie Airie, will you take me to the pool? Lulu won’t let me.”
     “Yeah, sure. Go get your suit on,” I said tiredly.