Hello. Goodbye - Chapter Eleven
The difficulties of being cities away from each other takes its toll. Lily gets proactive.
Chapter Eleven.
It had been a week of hell when she returned to work. Many inquiries were sitting in her e-mail waiting to be answered. It would take her five whole days plus overtime until 9pm each day to catch up.
The last time she sneaked a phone call in to Jamie, he had updated her on everything. His brother's play was as to be expected, great. His parents asked about her all the time and he was still working on his exhibit pieces.
But that was two weekends ago.
One day, while finally unpacking her clothes from her vacation, she got a call from her cousin Winnie.
"Guess what, Lil!"
"Gee, not a 'hi' or 'hey'... Must be very-- oh my! You're pregnant!"
"Yes!"
They squealed together with glee.
"But-"
"Very slim were the chances. But apparently not impossible."
"Congratulations! How does Danny feel?"
"Ecstatic, of course. This is the cherry on his sundae."
"You're so lucky, Win!"
"Thanks. So, how's everything?"
"Boring."
"Back to reality? It sucks, doesn't it?"
"Very much."
"So what happened with your ex-colleague?"
Just as Winnie asked the question, Lily pulled out the forgotten piece of paper from her sweater-jacket pocket. She sat on the dryer cross-legged and unfolded it.
It was a piece of paper quite like the first one he gave, only this one had the words, "proof that we could be in love" on the top.
The sketches were of their first cuddle, kiss, of them holding hands, and of her holding Albert's grandchild while Jamie looked on.
He loves me, she thought contently.
"Hmm...?"
"Oh come on! Stop holding out!"
"What?" Lily asked smiling.
"Something happened."
Lily chuckled at her cousin, "Win, I have to call you back..."
"Lily! You better call me back!"
"I will..." She chuckled.
Lily dialed Jamie's home number.
"Hello?"
"Hi Libby, it's Lily."
"Oh, hi."
"Is your brother home?"
"Uh... No, he's not."
"It's ok, I'll call his-"
"He forgot his cell phone at home. He's at the old age home."
"But it's so late, isn't it?"
"I think he went to visit someone there.
"Oh... Ok. Thanks so much Libby."
"Ok..."
"Bye."
And Libby hung up.
That was a teenager for you.
Wondering why he had to visit someone at this hour must have been important.
Sighing, she went back to focusing on her meeting materials. Aside from catching up, she was preparing to fish around for new customers.
Just as she turned out the lights for the evening, in a city five hours away, Jamie was turning his lights on.
Groggily he answered his phone, "Hello?"
"Jamie? You were sleeping?"
"Don't worry about it, Lil. What's up?"
"I can't sleep. Talk to me?"
He turned his light off and settled back in bed. He could swear it was almost as if she were back in his arms again.
"What do you wanna know?"
She snuggled deeper in her sheets and closed her eyes just listening to his voice made every worry melt away.
"How is your exhibit coming along?"
"I'm almost done. I went over to Albert's today to drop off some prints of my work."
He continued to tell her about the things she was missing out on.
And she murmured she'd make sure to see this or that next time.
He whispered, "I wish you were here."
She replied, "I wish I was there."
"You could be..."
"Not right now..."
"Why not?"
"It's not time."
"You keep saying that, but how will we know when it's a good time."
"I don't want to be a distraction with your work."
"You're more of a distraction when you're not here."
"Jamie..."
"You're just tormenting me by calling."
"Sorry..."
"No, I'm sorry. Lil, you think you can fall asleep now?"
"Yeah, sure." She replied dryly.
He chose to ignore it and said, "Good. Goodbye, Lily."
"Goodnight, Jamie. I love you."
"Goodbye."
He disconnected the call. There would be no way for him to fall asleep now.
She stared up at the pitch black ceiling, wishing there was some way to get him to see her way. If he could only stop and see that she was giving him time to focus.
But that clearly wasn't what he wanted. She was so confused. Lily went to sleep with a massive headache threatening to crack her skull open.
She called in sick that Friday. Really needing the time to rest and untangle her priorities, ideas, and dreams.
Jamie's question kept bugging her. What did she dream of doing? If money were no object, she would...
Lily made some calls and decided it was time to take some chances. She also prepared a resignation letter, just in case she needed it.
It had been a week of hell when she returned to work. Many inquiries were sitting in her e-mail waiting to be answered. It would take her five whole days plus overtime until 9pm each day to catch up.
The last time she sneaked a phone call in to Jamie, he had updated her on everything. His brother's play was as to be expected, great. His parents asked about her all the time and he was still working on his exhibit pieces.
But that was two weekends ago.
One day, while finally unpacking her clothes from her vacation, she got a call from her cousin Winnie.
"Guess what, Lil!"
"Gee, not a 'hi' or 'hey'... Must be very-- oh my! You're pregnant!"
"Yes!"
They squealed together with glee.
"But-"
"Very slim were the chances. But apparently not impossible."
"Congratulations! How does Danny feel?"
"Ecstatic, of course. This is the cherry on his sundae."
"You're so lucky, Win!"
"Thanks. So, how's everything?"
"Boring."
"Back to reality? It sucks, doesn't it?"
"Very much."
"So what happened with your ex-colleague?"
Just as Winnie asked the question, Lily pulled out the forgotten piece of paper from her sweater-jacket pocket. She sat on the dryer cross-legged and unfolded it.
It was a piece of paper quite like the first one he gave, only this one had the words, "proof that we could be in love" on the top.
The sketches were of their first cuddle, kiss, of them holding hands, and of her holding Albert's grandchild while Jamie looked on.
He loves me, she thought contently.
"Hmm...?"
"Oh come on! Stop holding out!"
"What?" Lily asked smiling.
"Something happened."
Lily chuckled at her cousin, "Win, I have to call you back..."
"Lily! You better call me back!"
"I will..." She chuckled.
Lily dialed Jamie's home number.
"Hello?"
"Hi Libby, it's Lily."
"Oh, hi."
"Is your brother home?"
"Uh... No, he's not."
"It's ok, I'll call his-"
"He forgot his cell phone at home. He's at the old age home."
"But it's so late, isn't it?"
"I think he went to visit someone there.
"Oh... Ok. Thanks so much Libby."
"Ok..."
"Bye."
And Libby hung up.
That was a teenager for you.
Wondering why he had to visit someone at this hour must have been important.
Sighing, she went back to focusing on her meeting materials. Aside from catching up, she was preparing to fish around for new customers.
Just as she turned out the lights for the evening, in a city five hours away, Jamie was turning his lights on.
Groggily he answered his phone, "Hello?"
"Jamie? You were sleeping?"
"Don't worry about it, Lil. What's up?"
"I can't sleep. Talk to me?"
He turned his light off and settled back in bed. He could swear it was almost as if she were back in his arms again.
"What do you wanna know?"
She snuggled deeper in her sheets and closed her eyes just listening to his voice made every worry melt away.
"How is your exhibit coming along?"
"I'm almost done. I went over to Albert's today to drop off some prints of my work."
He continued to tell her about the things she was missing out on.
And she murmured she'd make sure to see this or that next time.
He whispered, "I wish you were here."
She replied, "I wish I was there."
"You could be..."
"Not right now..."
"Why not?"
"It's not time."
"You keep saying that, but how will we know when it's a good time."
"I don't want to be a distraction with your work."
"You're more of a distraction when you're not here."
"Jamie..."
"You're just tormenting me by calling."
"Sorry..."
"No, I'm sorry. Lil, you think you can fall asleep now?"
"Yeah, sure." She replied dryly.
He chose to ignore it and said, "Good. Goodbye, Lily."
"Goodnight, Jamie. I love you."
"Goodbye."
He disconnected the call. There would be no way for him to fall asleep now.
She stared up at the pitch black ceiling, wishing there was some way to get him to see her way. If he could only stop and see that she was giving him time to focus.
But that clearly wasn't what he wanted. She was so confused. Lily went to sleep with a massive headache threatening to crack her skull open.
She called in sick that Friday. Really needing the time to rest and untangle her priorities, ideas, and dreams.
Jamie's question kept bugging her. What did she dream of doing? If money were no object, she would...
Lily made some calls and decided it was time to take some chances. She also prepared a resignation letter, just in case she needed it.
Post Comment | View Comments
