Summer in France || 𝖩𝖤𝖭𝖫𝖨𝖲𝖠 ✔︎

three

“Want me to take you to the shops?” Lisa bent over Jennie's car as she opened her window, trying to get some relief from the scorching heat. Even the thin summer dress seemed too much for the French sun, and she turned on the air-conditioning in an attempt to cool her skin from the leather seat, burning into her back.

“Thanks. But I’ll be okay.” Jennie leaned out of her car and pointed at the map on her phone. “I think I’ve figured it out. Anyway, it’s not like I’m in a hurry.” Lisa nodded, shaking the soil off her fingers. She’d been doing yard work the whole morning, despite claiming that she only spent an hour there each day.

“I don’t want you to think that it’s any trouble for me, because it’s not. It’s my job, you know. To make sure you’re comfortable.”

Jennie smiled. “Don’t worry about me. It’s very kind of you to offer, but the sooner I manage to get around by myself, the better. I don’t like being dependent on people.”

“Okay.” Lisa took a step back, allowing Jennie to reverse. “You’ve got my number if anything goes wrong. Don’t hesitate to call.” She winked, and Jennie felt a strange sensation in her belly when their eyes met. It came out of nowhere and made her break out in a cold sweat. What the hell was that?

“I will,” she said with a nervous giggle, steering the car out of the driveway.

Jennie was still trying to figure out what had just happened to her as she drove down the hill. Because really, nothing had happened. So why was she feeling like she’d just been in a car crash? Where did all this adrenaline come from and how had Lisa managed to stir it up? Jennie wasn’t uncomfortable with her presence. On the contrary. She liked having someone around, even if it was just to say good morning and have a fleeting conversation to make sure her vocal cords still worked. But for some reason she couldn’t explain, she also felt slightly nervous around Lisa.

Lisa had a certain air about her, some kind of natural and relaxed way of being that she wasn’t used to. It was admirable, and charming. Jennie had spent hours wondering what Lisa thought of her, and for that, she was angry with herself. So far, she had gone through life with ease, never intimidated by anyone. She’d built professional relationships with CEO’s and investors and was known for being a great social asset to the company she’d built with her ex-husband. So why did a caretaker make her feel this way? She turned into the parking lot of the supermarket, relieved that she’d found it without driving around in circles. See? You can do this.

Since resigning from her job, even the smallest of things had seemed hard. A simple conversation was like climbing a mountain, without a business purpose to fall back on. What the hell did people talk about when they were simply hanging out? She could ask about people’s children, but she didn’t have any of her own, and she couldn’t relate to the sleepless night stories. She could talk about hobbies, but she didn’t have any of those either. Things like sports, movies or even music were alien to her. Small-talk used to come easy when she could talk about work but lately, she even struggled to stammer her way through the checkout at the local grocery store. Her job was all she had known for far too long, and she had given it all up in the hope of finding herself, only to discover there was nothing but a sad, boring creature underneath the corporate shell, desperately searching for her own personality. Stop it. Stop the negative thoughts. Remember what Doctor Lee said. Think positive. Unfortunately, her attempts to positive thinking didn’t get her a parking space, and she drove back out through the barriers, looking for a free spot along the main road that led into town. She wasn’t the only one with a parking problem.

Creeping behind three other cars, she finally managed to find a space that was big enough in front of the bank. Jennie got out of the car and stared at the parking meter. It was in French. Of course it’s in French. What did you expect? After examining it closely, she concluded that there was no hole to put coins in, no slot for her card, and that she had absolutely no idea what to do. She randomly swiped her credit card over the screen and poked at all options listed, hoping for a miracle, but nothing happened. She waved at an old lady, who was carrying her groceries towards her car.