The Storm

Chapter 2

Daisy

"If it wasn't for bad luck Daisy-Do, you'd have no luck at all," Lylah cackles, watching me drag my suitcase up to my old bedroom. I love my sister but she's going to get a smack if she doesn't shut up. 

"Zip it, Ly," I grunt at her. She's not wrong though. The last three months have certifiably proven that I do, indeed, have bad luck. First, my boyfriend Lukas dumps me after a year of dating. Not that I was shattered by it, but because he beat me to the punch. I was going to dump him but he managed to say the words before I could. Ok, whatever. I'm not crying over a man who thought giving me head was 'doing me a favor.' Lukas can go screw. 

Second, and the more obvious signs of my bad luck were losing my job and my apartment on the same day. I had been doing fairly well at my job with Peters Contracting as their office clerk until the owner decided he needed to downsize. He explained that his sister was willing to do my job for almost nothing until he was back in the black. At least he had the decency to let me know at noon and not make me work the whole day and then fire me. After leaving work, I stopped at a bar on the way home for a consolatory drink. Two drinks later I was in front of my apartment building watching firefighters put out a massive fire started because the building was struck by lightning. 

And the Lord said unto them 'I shall smote Daisy Meyers personally.' 

I managed to save my clothes but little else. 

So here I am back at my parents' house, again. This is the third time in four years I've had to move back home for some reason or another. Nearly all of my six siblings have moved out and onto successful careers and homes. The youngest of the seven of us, the twins Alex and Leah are away at college with no plans to move back home any time soon. So that leaves me, the perpetual nest filler, living at home. My parents are very understanding and don't admonish me for my seemingly directionless life. I think they feel bad that I was somehow always overlooked or lost in the shuffle of so many children. They did the best they could for each of us. My mother, Greta, always reminds me that everyone runs life at their own pace. "Some people take longer than others to find their niche. Give yourself time," she tells me. My dad, Ray, tells me I'm magical. I'm his Daisy-Do and everything will come together for me one day. 

While I live my life with the best intentions, I'm still not sure at twenty-five what I want to do with the rest of it. I've tried college. I tried backpacking across Europe. I've tried art school. I just can't seem to find anything that keeps my interest long enough. I'd like to get married and have a bunch of kids but I'm not sure that's a specific enough goal. I feel like I should strive for something more ambitious but I don't know what. 

"So what's your plan?" Lylah asks me as I start to unpack my clothes. I can smell smoke on them so I probably have to wash them. 

"Look for a job I guess. Maybe an apartment once I save up enough money," I say with a sigh. Lylah lays across the bed, her feet resting on the rim of my suitcase.

"I think Gayle might have some leads for you. She always seems to know someone that is looking to hire someone," Lylah says with a sigh. Gayle is our oldest sister and unofficial mother for the rest of us. I'll have to call her tomorrow and see if she can help me. 

Lylah helps me unpack and wash my smoky clothes before leaving for the night. She works as a nurse and lives with her boyfriend James. They've been dating since high school and it's being hinted that he's going to pop the question any day now. My entire family loves James so it would be quite a celebration. Gayle has been married for two years to Thomas, a computer software engineer. No kids as of yet but my parents are anxiously waiting.

As I settle under the old faded blanket my parents have in the guest room AKA The 'Daisy is back again' room, I feel tears of frustration filling my eyes. Why is everything so hard for me? I sound like such a whiner but it's a genuine wonder. It feels like I wandered into a shit storm. Lukas, the job, the apartment, all gone within a week. It's like my ultimate karma. I can't stay interested in anything long enough and life can't stay interested in me unless it's to dump some awfulness into my lap. I've done my best to put good juju out into the world. I give blood every eight weeks, I've crotcheted yards of blankets for the NICU babies at our local hospital. I've even donated my eggs for God's sake! I do everything I can to make the world a little better than I found it and it feels like I'm still walking under a black cloud. And it's not just the past week, but like all the time.