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I needed to do it though. If not, things were going to get too complicated. I kept telling myself that I would call him back eventually, but every time I meant to, I found another reason not to. It wasn't that I didn't want to talk to him, but I wanted to talk to him too much.
By the end of the week, I still hadn't found a job and Lester brought up the dispatcher position at the firehouse. It wasn't what I was really looking for in a job, but it was certainly better than some of the ones I’d been looking into lately. It was sad, but none of the jobs I had applied for in the last week, pretty much the only jobs in the town, were ones I really wanted to do. They were all a nightmare as far as I was concerned.
When I finally said something about needing to find something soon, Lester told me that he was going to talk to them tomorrow. “Just come in around five after shift change, and I’m sure that we can figure something out.”
“Are you sure this doesn't put you out? I don't want to make you uncomfortable at work or anything.” I was worried about our already-stretched relationship.
Lester said that it was no big deal, and it would be good for us to have time to talk. We never talked, so that was weird to begin with. He was trying though. We had always been too different. But Lester was trying, and I appreciated it. It wasn't that I was in dire need of money, not yet, but work did so much more than help with finances. I needed the social aspects as well, something to think about besides Jeff, the man I couldn’t have but couldn’t stop thinking about.
* * *
The next morning,I went to the firehouse a couple of blocks from my parents’ home, and I still couldn't believe that I was here. I knew that my brother was a firefighter, and I thought a lot of it had to do with the fact that our house had burnt down when we were younger, and it traumatized him. Lester was too rough and tough for that though, could never admit to such a thing. But he didn't have to admit it to me. I could see it in his eyes.
I needed to talk to Constance. She was the person who did the hiring for dispatch, and she seemed nice enough. She was an older woman, probably in her 50s, about my mom's age, but she had the sweetest smile on her face. My mom may have been the same age, but their temperaments were completely different. I rather liked Constance, and by the way she made it sound, I didn't even need to apply. I already had the job, just because I was Lester’s sister.
When I asked her why, she told me that everybody there just adored Lester, and he had put a good word in for me. I didn't know why he was helping me suddenly, but I certainly was thankful for it. It wasn’t my dream job by far, but it was something, and listening to Constance talk about it, I might actually like the job. I liked the idea of helping people.
“Wow, I didn't know if I was going to get a job today or not. I am actually quite excited,” I told her. I wasn’t lying either. Shocker.
Constance laughed. “You sound surprised.”
I was surprised. I hadn’t known what to expect and it certainly wasn't the warm welcome that I was getting. I was going to owe Lester big time. Not that I liked it, but he had really come through for me.
“I am glad to hear that. My brother doesn't talk about his work very much.” I wanted her to know that I was sort of clueless, without letting her know that Lester and I weren’t that close. He had gotten me the job as a character vouch. I didn’t want to ruin that, even if I didn’t feel like I deserved the foot in the door.
Constance pressed her lips together and nodded like she understood. “Sometimes it can be overwhelming, because very few people are going to understand what you go through daily. But you need to remember, no matter what it is, we're all here to help you and help the people of Jericho. We have a good track record, and you will literally be saving lives.”
She was trying to sell me on it, but I already agreed with all of it. It sounded like a sweet job, and I did want to help people. I didn't know how it was going to be, but the way Constance was selling it, this well could be the job that I was waiting for the whole time.
Constance was showing me a few things, and I was going to start the next day. I really was excited, something that I didn't think I was going to be able to say from a job that I found in my hometown, but it was clear that Constance really loved her job. It had rubbed off on me. I couldn't turn off the smile that kept going on my face. Maybe this was the direction I was supposed to go in the whole time. At least it would be something different. My life had been hustle and bustle, but maybe it didn't need to be.
Then I heard a familiar voice who reminded me where I was and how it wasn’t going to be so easy going. The man that I was trying to stay away from worked here. I knew that. We were going to run into each other a lot, so I was going to have to get used to his simple greetings that didn't seem like much, but still made my insides quiver.
“What are you doing here?” Jeff asked with a grin.
Here I was thinking again that my brother had said something to his friend, but I quickly realized that he hadn't. Lester really didn’t want Jeff knowing anything about me. Did he think that Jeff wouldn’t notice?
“I'm starting work here as a dispatcher,” I relayed.
“You're going to take it?”
I agreed, and he got the biggest smile on his face. I didn't know what he was thinking, but it wasn't me getting closer to him. He had that cat eating a canary kind of look, like he had won or something and it really bothered me. Me accepting the job here had nothing to do with Jeff, nothing…
Now he's walking out and he told me that he would walk me to my car. Anybody else I would have liked that, but I had been avoiding him, and one of the things that I always liked about Jeff was how he didn't beat around the bush nearly as much as the others. On the other side of that though, it was hard to deal with. Sometimes a person didn't want to confront such things, and it was easier to instead tiptoe around it with great caution.
“Thanks for walking me out, Jeff.”
“I was afraid that this was the only way I was going to be able to speak to you. You have not been easy to get ahold of lately,” Jeff admonished.
I admitted that it was probably true. I had a lot going on, but mainly I was just trying to keep my distance from him. Our swim together had made me maybe a little too curious. There was danger in curiosity, like the adage claimed. I didn't want to be curious, but at the same time, I didn't think that I really had a choice.
“Well, I'm here now. What’s on your mind?”
Jeff just shook his hand. “Are we really going to play games here?”
I told him that he didn't know what he was talking about, and he got this determined look. “Fine, if you're not going to start, I will.”
There was a lot of cryptic words that I had no idea what he was talking about, but from the way he looked at me, the intent in his eyes was clear what he was planning, and I think that's what worried me the most. Here I was trying to keep my distance and it was now, literally impossible to do so. I couldn’t help but feel my stomach flutter and my nerves go on high alert.
