The clerk said, “No, it isn’t, but she’s the leading manager in this company. She has some clout.”
Sylvia didn’t want to get her hopes too high, but she was feeling a little better about her chances. Her heart leapt when the manager came back a short time later.
The manager said, “My name is Dixie. I’m the manager here. Your mom gave the go-ahead to interview you. Then I called my boss, and he Okayed the interview. Are you ready?”
Sylvia said, “I am.”
She thought, “Hell yeah, I’m ready. It’s about time someone gives me a chance.”
Sylvia’s heart was racing as she walked to the back of the convenience store. Her palms got sweaty and her mouth got very dry.
Dixie asked, “Do you want something to drink?”
Sylvia thought, “How’d she know my mouth was dry?”
She said, “Yes, please.”
Dixie gave her a fountain soda and told her to take a seat. She went over the expectations of the job, the pay and the benefits. She made a conscious effort to explain everything in extra detail because Sylvia was so young.
Then she asked, “Do you have any questions for me?”
Sylvia took out a notebook and asked her several questions. Dixie was amazed that someone so young had so many pertinent questions.
Dixie finally asked, “When can you start?”
Sylvia answered, “I’m available as early as tomorrow after school.”
Dixie said, “I actually can’t train you tomorrow. How about next Monday?”
Sylvia said, “I’ll be here as soon as school lets out.”
As Sylvia went home, she had a feeling of elation in the core of her soul. She wanted to share the good news with Brian, so she called him.
Brian asked, “Where did you find a job?”
Sylvia answered, “At the convenience store by the school. I start on Monday.”
Brian asked, “Do I get a discount since you work there?”
Sylvia said, “I don’t even get a discount. But this means we can do more stuff together.”
Brian said, “Maybe we can even save up to get a place together after high school.”
Sylvia said, “That might be premature. I might want to go to college somewhere else, and you might leave here, too.”
Brian said, “But I love you. If you love me, you should want to move in with me.”
Sylvia said, “If you wanted a stupid girl who only thinks about now, you should’ve found one. Your girlfriend has the future on her mind. If you can’t accept that, maybe you shouldn’t be my boyfriend.”
Brian was disappointed, but he didn’t want to upset Sylvia. He changed the subject.
He said, “What’s your schedule?”
Sylvia said, “I’ll work weekdays after school, and Saturdays from one to nine.”
Brian said, “So we can’t go on any more Friday or Saturday night dates.”
Sylvia snapped, “If you’re going to be all clingy, I can find another boyfriend. You’re not so great that I’m going to put up with bullshit.”
Brian said, “I was just making an observation. You don’t need to put me in my place.”
Sylvia said, “I called you to share good news, but you’re being ugly. I’ll call you back when you can grow up a little.”
Brian hung up the phone and thought about what Sylvia told him. He realized that Sylvia was not going to let him run her life.
That night, Sylvia went home and told her mother the news. Mrs. Castellanes was very proud of her.
Mrs. Castellanes said, “You can use my car to go to work and school if you always put in gas and take me to work first.”
Sylvia said, “So, pretty much if I do what I’ve been doing, I can keep doing it so long as I put gas in the car.”
Mrs. Castellanes replied, “Pretty much.”
The next week passed slowly. Each day made Sylvia anticipate her first day of work. She was excited to start a new chapter in her life. She was also nervous about working. She’d never done it before and wasn’t confident in her abilities yet.
She thought, “I’ll probably do fine, but what if I fall flat on my face the first day?”
Monday arrived, and Sylvia went to her new job. Dixie stayed late to help train her, and she was very helpful. Sylvia was a hard worker with seldom seen dedication to the quality of her work.
Dixie told her, “I think you’re going to be a great employee. If you stay after you finish high school, you might be considered for promotion if you stay as good as you are now.”
Sylvia was honored to hear that she was good enough to be promoted. She decided to try even harder to be a great worker. For the next six weeks, she worked hard at school and at the convenience store. She also saved enough money that she was able to buy a car. Graduation was approaching, and she was looking forward to starting full time for the summer before she went off to college.
Then, one night she had a particularly bad experience at work. A customer came into the store and tried to hit on her.
The customer asked, “How old are you, baby?”
Sylvia replied, “I’m 18, and I already have a boyfriend. Please go away.”
She was repulsed at the customer. He was 45 years old, and she had no interest in older men. She thought he was creepy.
The customer asked, “Can your boyfriend give you untold wealth and a life of luxury?”
Sylvia snapped, “There’s more to life than money. Now please go away or I’m going to call the police.”
The customer got nervous when she mentioned police. He gathered his things and left the store. Sylvia didn’t see where he went, but she glad he was gone.
She called Brain to tell him what happened.
Brian asked, “Do you want me to go down there after work to make sure he doesn’t come back?”
Sylvia said, “I don’t think he’ll come back. When I mentioned police, he took off.”
Brian said, “That makes me even more nervous. Are you sure you don’t want me to go down there?”
Sylvia said, “No, I’ll be okay. If he tries anything, I’ve got Jenni’s gun in my car.”
Brian asked, “Why don’t you have it on you?”
Sylvia answered, “It’s not allowed in here. The company thinks guns will make things worse.”
Brian said, “Then they’re stupid. If you need me, I can be there in a jiffy once I leave work.”
Sylvia said, “I’ll call you if I need you.”
Brian hung up the phone and got back to work. Sylvia did the same. The man did not come back in the store.
At the end of the night, Sylvia counted the money, dropped it in the safe, and locked the store. She was on her way to her to her car when she heard footsteps behind her.
She pulled out her cell phone and dialed 911. Before she could press, “send,” she was grabbed by the neck.
A familiar, but creepy, voice said, “I’ll teach you to threaten me.”
The cell phone fell out of her hand, and she couldn’t get to the car to retrieve Jenni’s gun. The creepy man dragged her to his car. She struggled to break free from his grip. She saw a bottle coming toward her head.
The creep said, “Bitch, you’re not going to live through the night.”
The bottle struck her in the head. She cried out in pain. The creep hit her with the bottle again. She lost consciousness. As the creepy man was trying to move her into his car, Brian pulled into the parking lot.
The creep thought, “Go away. They’re closed.”
Brian pulled up right behind the creep’s car and jumped out of his truck. He held a gun to the creep’s head and threatened him.
Brian yelled, “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
The creep reached into his pocket to try to get his gun. Brian fired a bullet into the creep’s forehead. The creep fell to the ground. He was dead.
Brian shook Sylvia and said, “Wake up, babe. You’re safe now.”
Sylvia didn’t wake up, so he ch
ecked her pulse and breathing. She was still alive, so he had to get her some help. He found her cell phone and pressed the send button. The ambulance came for Sylvia, and the police arrested Brian.
When Sylvia woke up, she was in the hospital. She saw Dr. Culling again. She knew something was wrong, but didn’t remember much about the events that led her to the hospital.
Dr. Culling asked, “What do you remember?”
Sylvia replied, “I was at work and this creepy guy was hitting on me. He waited until I got off to attack me, and he dragged me to his old, dirty car. Then he hit me with a bottle and I passed out.”
Dr. Culling said, “Well, your memory is a little off, but that’s to be expected. You keep having traumatic brain injuries that are leading to memory deficits.”
Sylvia said, “Yeah, I’ve noticed that. Every time something bad happens, I can’t remember it correctly.”
Dr. Culling said, “You were at work, and the guy hit on you. You called the police, but they couldn’t do anything until he actually did something to you. He waited for you in his truck until you got off work. Then he attacked you and your boyfriend saved you. You’re very lucky to have a boyfriend who cares about you so much that he came by just to make sure you were okay.”
Sylvia said, “I’d be even luckier if he’d gotten there a couple minutes earlier.”
Dr. Culling said, “I’ll let you rest. You’ve been through a lot, as usual.”
Dr. Culling walked out of the room and Sylvia started thinking. She needed answers to her life.
She thought, “I’ll ask my boss for some time off. I need to search for answers. This is too bizarre to be a coincidence.”
Sylvia wondered what happened to Brian. He hadn’t done anything wrong, but the police arrested him. She called the police and told them what she remembered. With the new information, they released Brian from jail.
Chapter Eight
Dizzy Spells
Ever since Sylvia was a kid, she had unexplainable dizzy spells. Every time she had one of her near death experiences, they happened more often. She was having a lot of them, so she went to see a doctor.
The doctor said, “Hi, I’m Doctor Ellison.”
Sylvia said, “Pleased to meet you, doc. I’m Sylvia Castellanes.”
He shook her hand and then sat at his computer. He read her charts on the screen.
He asked, “How long have you been having dizzy spells?”
She replied, “All my life. They always happen more often right after bad things happen.”
He asked, “Do you mean after traumatic events?”
She said, “Yes. That’s when I’ll have a bunch of them in a day. The rest of the time, I’ll have about one a month.”
He said, “Have you seen a neurologist about this?”
She said, “No, you’re the first doctor I’ve ever talked to about it. I don’t like doctors.”
He said, “A lot of people feel that way. I try not to make it worse when someone tells me that.”
She asked, “Do you think I need to see a specialist?”
The doctor said, “I’m actually going to send you to a few specialists. I’m referring you to a neurologist, an ENT specialist and a psychiatrist.”
Sylvia was offended. She snapped, “So you think I’m crazy.”
The doctor said, “The psychiatrist is to rule out any behavioral causes. It’s just a precaution.”
Sylvia said, “Oh, okay. Just so long as you know I’m not fuckin’ crazy.”
The doctor said, “Of course not. I’ll be right back with your appointment schedule.”
The doctor scheduled her appointments. She was scheduled with the psychiatrist first, then the neurologist. The ENT specialist would be her last specialist appointment. The appointments were all a week apart.
The first specialist was the psychiatrist. She walked into the office apprehensively. She felt out of place in a shrink’s office. She looked around the office while she waited for the doctor. He was preparing in his ready room and watching her as he prepared his file.
He walked into the room and said, “Hi, Sylvia. I’m doctor Gallegos.”
She said, “Nice to meet you. I’m a little nervous. This is my first time in a psychiatrist’s office.”
Dr. Gallegos said, “It’s understandable. People often feel uncomfortable when they’re sent to me. They don’t want to think they’re crazy.”
She said, “Something like that.”
The doctor said, “There’s nothing to worry about. Just take a seat on the couch and tell me what’s going on.”
Sylvia sat on the couch and took a deep breath. She had a sudden apprehension that she couldn’t explain.
Sylvia said, “I’ve been having dizzy spells ever since I was a child. They’re more common after something bad happens. I don’t know if it’s stress or something else that’s causing it, but I want it to stop. It really gets in the way of my life.”
The doctor was very interested in what Sylvia had to say once she mentioned dizzy spells. He knew there was a connection between dizzy spells and abnormal people, but he couldn’t figure out the connection. It was driving him crazy.”
He asked, “So, how frequent are these dizzy spells at normal times?”
She replied, “About once every month when nothing’s going on, but when something bad happens it’s more like twice a day.”
Dr. Gallegos had a sudden inclination to put Sylvia at ease.
The doctor mumbled, “This could just be stress related. Dizzy spells aren’t that uncommon.”
Sylvia asked, “What did you just say?”
The doctor replied, “Just making my notes. Sometimes I think out loud while I write.”
Sylvia said, “Well, I’m a big girl. I can take anything you have to say.”
He said, “Okay. I was just writing that dizzy spells aren’t uncommon. This could be related to stress.”
Sylvia said, “It could be, but I don’t think you’re going to have the answers I need. I think something’s physically wrong with me.”
Dr. Gallegos said, “You’d be surprised how often physical maladies have a mental component. Just because the cause is physical doesn’t mean there’s no psychological treatment.”
Sylvia said, “You mean I could be making it worse in my head?”
Dr. Gallegos said, “I’m saying you could be having negative thoughts that make it worse. You’d be surprised how much attitude can make a difference.”
Sylvia said, “So you’re one of those positive thinking people.”
Dr. Gallegos said, “I honestly believe positivity can make a difference. I’ve seen it happen before.”
Sylvia said, “I’ve never believed all that positive thinking hooey.”
Dr. Gallegos said, “I don’t think it’s hooey. I’m not even sure hooey is a real word.”
Sylvia said, “Hooey is a real word, and all that positive thinking stuff is bullshit.”
The doctor said, “Well, after you’ve gone to all your other appointments, come see me again. That way we can see if the cause is solely physical or if there’s something wrong with your attitude.”
Sylvia snorted, “There’s nothing wrong with my attitude!”
Dr. Gallegos said, “Whatever you say. Still, I’m going to write you a prescription, and I want you to take it.”
The doctor scribbled on a pad and handed a prescription to Sylvia. She took it and put it in her pocket. She suddenly got a very bad feeling about filling the prescription, and she didn’t know why.
She thought, “I’m not going to take that. These doctors just prescribe pills that the pharmaceutical companies want to push.”
Sylvia got up and walked out of the office. She was frustrated by the doctor’s comments.
She thought, “I’m not the reason I have these dizzy spells. Something else is going on, and I want to know what it is. These shrinks are all quacks.”
Her appointment with the neurologist was uneventful. It also prov
ided no answers. The Ear, Nose and Throat specialist wasn’t any more productive than the other two doctors. She was ready to write off doctors as a whole. She cancelled the second appointment with the psychiatrist because she had an unexplainable premonition that she would be in trouble if she went back.
She thought, “Maybe I’m searching for answers in the wrong places.”
She went to a Lutheran Church and asked for the pastor. The pastor walked out of her office and introduced herself to Sylvia.
The pastor said, “I’m Pastor Rachel. How can I help you today?”
Sylvia said, “I’m not sure. I’ve been looking for answers to some important questions my whole life.”
Rachel said, “Then you’ve come to the right place. People come to church to find answers to some pretty deep questions. I’m not sure I can answer them personally, but I can point you toward the source of the answers.”
Sylvia said, “I’ve never been very religious. I don’t know any prayers or scriptures.”
Rachel said, “No one knows any of that without searching for it. I didn’t know any of it until I made a commitment to help other people find their answers.”
Sylvia asked, “What should I do?”
Rachel replied, “Pray. Ask God for guidance in the search for the answers you need.”
Sylvia said, “What if I don’t have enough faith to believe the answers I get?”
Rachel said, “Faith isn’t a magic potion. It’s something you build over time. Every time you allow God to answer a prayer or believe a scripture, you’re building your faith.”
Sylvia said, “Sounds like you’ve got a lot of faith. I don’t know if I can do that.”
Rachel said, “My faith has been built up over decades of allowing God to operate in my life. I still have trouble believing everything I read in the scriptures, and I especially have trouble accepting the answers I receive when I don’t like them.”
Sylvia said, “Maybe I should just read the Bible and look for answers there.”
Rachel said, “Not all the answers are in there. Sometimes, you have to pray and wait for answers. God doesn’t always answer your prayers on your timetable, either. Sometimes you have to wait.”
Among the Stars Page 5