Strangely Normal

by Tess Oliver

  Cole slammed the truck into park and we jumped out. Jude appeared suddenly around the back of the ambulance, looking pale white and in shock. As soon as he saw us, rage added some color back to his face.

  “Where the fuck have you two been?” he said. The expression he shot me nearly dropped me to my knees in anguish. Jude blamed me for this.

  “What happened?” Cole asked.

  “Finley swallowed a bunch of dad’s sleeping pills.”

  “Is she all right?” Cole asked.

  “I don’t know. They’re taking her to pump her stomach right now. I called Dad. He’s on his way. Why’d you leave her alone?” Again his question was aimed directly toward me. Cole did not jump to my defense, and all I could do is cry. Jude spun around. “I’m going in the ambulance. Follow in the truck.”

  Through a flood of tears, I stumbled behind Cole to the car and collapsed into the front seat. I slumped down into a fog of despair, wondering if all this was truly happening. At first the summer job had seemed like a dream come true. It was a way to make money, get a taste of independence, and I couldn’t deny the fun of the luxurious lifestyle, something that was completely out of my range of reality. But it had quickly slid into a heartbreaking nightmare. The shocking reality of the scope of Finley’s problems was only the half of it. I’d fallen for Jude, and now, he’d shown me with no question for misinterpretation that I meant nothing to him. If I had, he would never have looked and spoken to me the way he had. Now I wanted nothing more that to be away from this job and this family.

  Cole hadn’t said a word, and it was better that way. I was just as angry at him for not saying anything in my defense. But the person I was most ashamed of was me. I’d let Finley down. I’d failed at my job. Even if it was a job that was way out my skill level, I’d failed miserably and there was nothing I hated more than that.

  Finley had already been wheeled inside by the time we reached the emergency room entrance. Jude had followed her into the ward. Because he was family, Cole was allowed past the double doors, but I had to stay in the waiting room.

  My limbs felt heavy, and my head throbbed from crying as I lowered myself into a waiting room chair. There were pleasant paintings on the wall, and someone had coordinated a color scheme of rose and blue with fake flower arrangements and furniture upholstery. The last time I’d been in a waiting room was when Sophie was three and had fallen and cracked her chin open. She’d needed twelve stitches and she’d bled so much I was certain she would die from it. I remember sitting, holding my dad’s hand, and feeling sick to my stomach with worry. And I remember hating the cold, dreary, and crowded waiting room. We’d had no money or medical insurance, and Mom had held a cloth against Sophie’s chin while Dad drove us across town through irritating traffic to the county hospital. With the amount of blood covering Mom and Sophie’s clothes, I was certain they’d rush them right through the door and to a doctor. But at a county hospital, they took the most life threatening injuries first, and that meant gunshot wounds. There seemed to be a lot of them that day, and we’d waited anxiously for them to help my little sister. It was one of the worst days in my memory, and yet, it had been nothing compared to this day. Jude had been so busy chastising me, he’d left us with little information. I had no idea what kind of shape Finley was in.

  Sitting there, with my arms crossed tightly against my churning stomach and a bleak bitter feeling flooding chest, I suddenly knew how badly Finley had been feeling these past few days. Even when things had sunk to their absolute worst, and my family and I had spent several weeks living in our car, I hadn’t experienced this sensation of complete and utter hopelessness. It drained every ounce of energy from me, and I wanted to roll off into a dark hole or fall into a deep, endless sleep . . . just like Finley had wanted.

  I’d hardly moved a muscle since I sat down, and when Cole walked into the room, I was completely stiff from sitting so still. It took some effort to push from the chair and stand up.

  Cole looked decidedly better and more relaxed than he had an hour earlier when he’d clutched his steering wheel so tightly I thought it would come off in his hands. “They pumped her stomach, and she’ll be all right.”

  I burst into tears not realizing just how terrified I’d been.

  Cole put his arm around me, and I pressed my face against his shoulder. I heard footsteps enter the waiting room. I gathered my strength and turned to face Jude.

  His skin had barely regained its color. “Eden, I’m sorry.” His voice was low and hoarse and every word caused the pain in my throat to grow. “I was scared and I lashed out and—”

  I swallowed hard and attempted to produce my coldest tone. “How’s Finley?”

  Apparently, my attempt was successful. Jude looked at me as if I’d slapped him. “She’ll be fine, and I think she’ll finally get the help she needs.”

  “I’m glad of it.” It was hard as hell to sound emotionless when every emotion I’d ever felt was swirling inside of me. “I need to use the restroom.” I sidled past him without giving him as much as a glance. He’d apologized, but there was no way to take any of it back. His angry words had sliced through me like an icy blade, and there was just no way to recover from the blow.

  I headed through the two automatic doors and turned down the walkway that led to the street. I’d loved my time with Finley, at least the original version of Finley, and Jude had been the first guy who I’d felt I could give my heart to. But as far as I was concerned, my summer job with the King family was over.

  Chapter 22

  Miraculously, I found a taxi without much effort, and I paid for a ride back to the mansion. I told Tilly that Finley was all right but that I’d returned to pick her up a few things. I looked in on Some Pig. He had curled up on her bed. He lifted his snout as I kissed him on the head and then I went to my room to pack my few belongings into my broken duffle. The only place I could think of going was our old apartment. I still had a key, and technically, it belonged to my parents for a few more days. I had no idea how to find my family, but I was a big girl and I would figure things out once I got there. I was still sick and numb with heartbreak, but I would get over it. The survival instincts I’d developed through my tumultuous childhood years had kicked in.

  The taxi dropped me at the bus stop, and I pulled my sweatshirt hood up onto my head and slumped onto the bench to wait for the next bus. Unbidden, my thoughts went back to the day that Jude had gone with me to see my parents. We’d spent the entire day together, and it was that day when I’d seen him outside of his world of luxury and privilege that I knew he was worth falling for. I’d been horrified at the thought of him seeing our shabby apartment, but he’d never shown even an ounce of shock or pity at the way we lived. And we’d ended that day with his second failed attempt at painting me, a failed attempt that made my skin warm just thinking about it.

  A burst of air pushed my hood back. The bus had arrived. Once again, my limbs felt filled with lead as I picked up my duffle and climbed aboard. This time I avoided the back seats. My only fear was that the sleazy landlord had taken advantage and overlapped the lease on the apartment. Then I’d have to find a cheap hotel to live in. I had some money in the bank from my first paycheck, but motel rent would eat it up quickly.

  The bus ride seemed interminably long, and I sighed with relief as it finally pulled to a stop near the all too familiar mini mart. I stepped inside the small store. The store manager looked surprised to see me.

  “You didn’t leave with your family?” he asked.

  I put the milk and a newspaper on the counter and shook my head. I paid him and wandered down the sidewalk past the quiet, dark construction site. I doubted that Cole would be showing to work any time soon, but I would avoid walking past it just in case. I was fairly certain that Jude never told him that my family lived nearby.

  Televisions flickered through the thin, worn curtains covering the apartment
windows, and I could hear the Spencers in one of their usual yell fests. I plodded up the stairs and was happy to see that our apartment was completely dark.

  The smell of stale smoke wafted through the air of the cold, empty room. I reached for the light and was relieved to see that the electricity had not been turned off. It looked bleak and vacant without Sophie and Janie scurrying around with their giggles and fluffy socks. My disgusting, lumpy sofa bed was still sitting in the center of the room, and it couldn’t have looked more inviting. Mom had packed all the sheets and blankets, so I stayed in my jeans and sweatshirt.

  I drank a cup of milk to soothe the pain that burned a hole in my stomach and then I yanked out the lumpy mattress and sank into the giant hole. I pulled the hood up over my head, curled up into a ball, and cried myself to sleep.

  It could not have been much past six in the morning when a loud knock startled me from a deep sleep.

  “Eden,” Jude’s deep voice echoed along the second story balcony. He pounded the door again. “Eden, please let me in. I need to know you’re all right.” A long pause followed but I hadn’t heard his footsteps recede. “Please, Eden, let me in. Finley’s asking for you.” His voice had dropped low, and there was enough sorrow in his tone to nearly propel me from the bed to the door.

  But I stayed quiet as a statue in the center of the worn mattress, not even daring to breathe. I worried that if I let myself breathe, it would break my resolve and I would go to him. I would have given anything to throw myself into his solid, comforting arms, but he’d torn my heart in two pieces the night before and there was no way to repair the damage. Finally his heavy footsteps pounded the balcony and the staircase. His bike fired up, and he tore out of the driveway and out of my life for good.

  I had no time to allow myself the luxury of wallowing in heartbreak and self-pity. I needed a job and a place to live. I had no way to contact my parents, but in a way, it seemed like a good thing. Being on my own had been freeing, and for once in my life, I felt like I could shape my future in the way I wanted it to go. Besides, it had to be much easier on my parents to have one less mouth to feed.

  I spread the classifieds out on the mattress and perused them for a long time before I found a promising job as a diner waitress that offered free room and board over the business if I was willing to open the place at six in the morning. It was all the way across town in a rather unpleasant section of Los Angeles, but I couldn’t be choosy. I had worked at a diner during my junior year, and while the work was hard it wasn’t entirely awful.

  I picked up the phone. It hadn’t been disconnected yet. I called and got an interview with the owner, a man named Billy, who had a southern accent and who liked to use the contraction y’all.

  My biggest problem was a lack of wardrobe. I walked into my parent’s room for the first time since I’d gotten back. The few clothes I’d left behind in Mom’s closet were gone. Aside from the bed and dresser, they’d stripped the room bare. I decided to take a walk down to the thrift shop and pick up a few items.

  The landlord was just coming up the stairs with two guys. His eyes opened wide when he saw me at the top. “Eden, your parents told me you were away at a summer job.”

  “I was, Mr. Deeter.”

  “Uh, I was planning on renting the place out. If you’re staying, I’ll need a deposit.”

  “I’m not staying, but according to my calculations, my parents still have this place until Saturday.”

  He opened his mouth to protest, but he really had nothing to say. “You need to be out on Saturday then. Is it all right if I show these two the apartment?”

  “Yes.” I headed downstairs, and as I passed them, Mr. Deeter stopped me.

  “I nearly forgot. Your parents gave me a phone number in case I saw you.” He fished into his pocket and pulled out several pieces of crumpled papers. He sorted through them until he found the one he needed. A phone number was scrawled on it.

  “Thank you so much.” I had to hurry and find a dress, so I could catch a bus ride across town. The construction site was already in full swing, but as expected, I didn’t see Cole’s truck. I nearly ran past the site as I headed to the thrift store. I had my parent’s number now, and I would call them as soon as I got back to the apartment. If the diner job didn’t pan out, at least I had a place to go.

  Chapter 23

  “Well, I checked out the references you gave me and they checked out. The restaurant manager had high praise for y’all,” Billy said. He was an older man with a fluffy head of gray hair and friendly brown eyes. One shoulder leaned down some as if his back was permanently curved or if one leg was shorter than the other.

  “I work hard and I’m punctual.”

  He shook my hand. “I believe you. You look like a no nonsense girl who wouldn’t lie.”

  “Thank you. I am.”

  Billy walked around the counter, poured himself a cup of coffee and then offered me one. It was well past nine, and there were only three customers in the place. The booths were covered in a hideous yellow vinyl and the white tile floor was scuffed black, but the place looked clean. A tall man, with a hairnet covering his mostly bald head and an eagle tattoo covering his forearm, shoved food through the cook’s window. There was only one girl waiting tables. She looked to be in her early twenties, and she kept smiling over at me as if she was in desperate need of someone to help her.

  “The room upstairs ain’t much, but it has a kitchenette with a hot plate and bathroom with a shower. But I’ve got to warn you, there isn’t much water pressure up there.”

  “That’s fine. Sounds like home to me.”

  He lifted the coffee pot and walked down to the end of the counter to refill a customer’s cup. “And you’ll need to start your morning at five. You’ll get the coffee pots going and the napkins and utensils out. Garth, the cook, and Rick, the dishwasher, come in at six. That’s when you’ll open up. And it doesn’t look like it now, but the place gets real busy at six in the morning and then again at noon. We only serve breakfast and lunch. The neighborhood just isn’t safe enough to be open at night anymore. We’re closed on Mondays, so that’ll be your day off.”

  “Sound great,” I said.

  Billy looked at me for a moment and then smiled and stuck out his hand. “Well, you look awfully young, but you seem like a hard worker. Welcome aboard.”

  The waitress clapped her hands and skipped over to us. “I was hoping you’d take it.” She stuck her hand out too. “I’m Charlene, but you can call me Charlie.”

  “Hi, I’m Eden.”

  “I’ll show you the room upstairs.” Billy looked pointedly at the duffle bag I’d carried with me. I’d never unpacked, and I’d decided to take it along just in case. “Can you start right away?”

  “I can. I’m sort of between homes right now so this is perfect.”

  He motioned me to a set of stairs at the back of the kitchen. “Eighteen is so young to be out on your own already,” Billy said as we climbed the stairs. He chuckled. “At least these days, it is. I was on my own at sixteen, but times were different back then.”

  “My parents moved up north, and I didn’t really want to move with them.”

  He opened a small door. “Here you go. The bed is pretty comfortable.” It looked like an upgrade from the sofa bed, but it was a definite downgrade from the bed at Finley’s. “Unfortunately,” Billy continued, “since the room is upstairs, it gets warm up here in the summer. It’s not too bad right now, but once we hit those triple digit days, you’ll be feeling it. On the other hand, since it’s on the second story, it’s safe to sleep with the window open. The phone in the diner only has a local calling plan, but, believe it or not, there’s still a phone booth down on the corner.” He smiled. “One of the last dinosaurs left, I suppose. But I imagine it won’t matter. I know you younger folk all have cell phones.”

  “Just like homes, I’m between
cell phones.”

  He looked more surprised by my lack of phone than lack of a home. “Well, be sure to use the phone booth during the day. As I said, the neighborhood gets a little rough around the edges when the sun goes down.”

  “I’ll stay inside at night.” It would be an easy promise to fulfill. It wasn’t as if I had any place to go or any friends to see.

  The fairly big bed sat in the corner of the large room, and across the way was a postage stamp sized kitchen with a toaster, stained coffee pot, and hot plate. There was even a small refrigerator. “I think this will work out great.” I walked over to the window and looked out. There was a construction site across the way, and a trailer sat on the lot. Fortunately there was no Kingston sign hanging across it.

  “They’re building a low cost housing development for section eight families across the street. It’s one of those charity groups, Hope for Homes, or something like that. It’s been good for business though. Those guys get real hungry. They all come stomping in with their steel toed boots around noon. That’s when things get crazy down there. But you’ll have help. Besides Charlie, there’s a girl named Megan who usually comes in at seven. She called and said she’d be in for the lunch crowd. She’s a hard-edged sort, but she works hard. I think y’all will get along just fine.” He glanced around. “Well, I’ll let you get settled in. Can you start your shift at eleven?”

  “Definitely.”

  Billy left and I sat down on the edge of the bed and glanced around. Like the diner downstairs, the place was cheaply decorated but clean. It was certainly nothing like the job I’d just left, but this was closer to the way I was accustomed to living. I just needed hard work and a little independence and soon enough I would forget all about Finley and Jude and the whole damn thing.