A Heart Not Easily Broken

by M.J. Kane

  Chapter 19

  Time flew by. The day of Brian’s audition had been three weeks ago. Since then we’d hardly seen each other.

  It didn’t surprise me when he announced he’d earned the spot in the band. I was so proud of him and wasted no time calling Lashana to brag. She had been shocked into speechlessness after what she said about his profession.

  But as time went on, he had less time for me. Practices at various times during the night and day made it hard for us to find time to connect. Costume fittings, show rehearsals with the artist, sound and stage crew…the list went on and on.

  Even though I knew from the start the opportunity would separate us for three months, the closer we got to his date of departure, the more anxious I felt.

  Me ­ the woman who’d been queen of having my head in a book for seven years and barely thinking about men ­ did not want to let him go.

  Of course, we wouldn’t be breaking up. The night he came back from the audition bearing the news, our relationship was the first thing we discussed. Neither of us had done the long distance thing, but we were determined to make it work. I sated the both of us by saying my final year in school would be starting around the time he left. With him gone, I could focus on starting the year off right. I would be hitting my stride by the time he came home.

  He seemed to believe me. I pretended I would be okay.

  Unfortunately, the last week became one spiraling disaster after another.

  First, my part-time job at the exotic animal hospital lost one of its partners. As a result, the remaining partner decided he no longer needed a full staff. Since my job was temporary to earn college credits and pad my resume, I was the first to go.

  And there went my additional income for the past two years.

  With fall approaching, the amount of seasonal zoo volunteers decreased. The majority were high school and college kids. With public school and college about to be back in session, those available spaces were filled with fresh interns who needed to be trained. At first it seemed like a Godsend. More hours would cover the lost income and cut back on the amount of time spent between two jobs and school.

  Until my college adviser informed me I needed more hours of experience working at an animal hospital. In order to have the amount needed to graduate in the spring, I had to find another job doing the same thing…immediately.

  And worst of all, my book allowance through my scholarship was short due to budget cuts. I could afford all of my textbooks and supplies, except for one. It would take at least two weeks of paychecks from the zoo for me to afford it.

  Thank God I’d been able to pay off my small car note.

  I was on break at work, staring at my bank statement, bills, and note pad. No matter how many times I blinked, there was no way to fill the amount of empty spaces in my ledger. It was time to make an executive decision. Ask my parents for a loan or pawn the title of my car to have enough money to buy my book and pad my account for a couple of weeks. Decisions, decisions, decisions.

  There was another option. Brian received a signing bonus as a part of his contract with the record label. He planned on putting a majority of it into savings and paying off a few of his debts. He’d asked me if I needed help with anything, and I’d told him no. Man did things change in a few weeks. If I asked him for help he’d do it willingly. But I didn’t want to. I was not his wife and refused to become financially dependent. Period.

  For the past seven years, I’d made it on my own. There were times when things had gotten rough, but this wasn’t as bad as some of the others. This was just a setback. I would manage.

  The chime on my cell phone alerted me of a text message. Brian sent a video of him walking around the practice room, introducing some guys in the band. The video ended with him beaming into the camera, promising to call as soon as he could. Seeing his enthusiasm and listening to his voice made me smile. In no mood to send a video reply, I settled for sending a text instead.

  Ask him for help, idiot.

  Maybe…but for right now, I would manage.

  “Ms. Campbell, can I speak to you for a moment?”

  Dr. Jacobs stood in the doorway of the break room, his expression stern.

  Great, just what I needed, more stress.

  I kept my sigh inaudible and gathered my things. “Yes, just a moment.” I stuffed my belongings into my locker and then followed behind him.

  We walked down the long corridor beyond the restrooms, past the infamous supply closet, and stopped outside in the open air. He apparently didn’t want anyone hearing what he had to say.

  “You will be starting fall classes soon, correct?”

  Straight to the point, no small talk.

  “Yes, next week.”

  He nodded, adjusted his glasses on his slender nose. Dr. Jacobs was a decent man, though he lacked a lot in the looks department. He had an over-the-belt belly that reminded me of my dad and a receding hairline. In his day, he must have been a hell of a catch, at least to Mrs. Jacobs. What I could not understand is what a nineteen-year-old college freshman could see in him. What kind of favor did she earn by getting down on her knees for her best friend’s dad?

  I rubbed my eyes and forced the memory away.

  “I take it you’ve finished reading the text books I loaned you,” he continued, pushing his glasses up on his nose.

  “Um, well…”

  “You’ve had sufficient time to study them, nearly three months.”

  It was more like two-and-a-half, but I was not about to correct him.

  “I need them back. I can’t afford for you to be caught with them when school is in session. Someone might think I helped you cheat.”

  “Help me cheat? I’ve never cheated─”

  “Shh!” He waved his stubby hands at me and glanced around to make sure no one was within earshot of my brief outburst.

  I ground my teeth and lowered my voice. “Dr. Jacobs, you’ve known me for the last four years. You know I would never cheat. I never viewed your loaning me those books as a way to breeze through my classes.”

  “Yes, well, others may not see it that way. I need you to return them tomorrow. The notes too, all of them. I trust you won’t forget.” Finished, he walked back into the building. I could have sworn there was a satisfied gleam in his eye and pep in his step.

  Why the hell couldn’t he understand none of his games were necessary? I could care less who Dr. Jacobs screwed. Two months had gone by, and I hadn’t said a word. If holding his infidelity over his head was my goal, it would have been done months ago.

  Fine. He could have his damn books back. And every last note card. They were outdated by twenty years anyway. What good could they do me? Outdated chemistry charts and facts would not compete with the modern day methods of animal husbandry.

  But deep down, it felt like I was the one getting screwed. And it wasn’t in a good way.