Ketchup Popsicle - 18

Jennifer showed Sandra how to enter meetings into Mr. Neason’s calendar the next day. As she perused his week for meetings and appointments that he may need her assistance preparing for, Sandra saw something that made her heart jump. Robert was scheduled to be in the office to see Mr. Neason on Friday.

She wasn’t ready to see him yet. She couldn’t account for whatever reaction she might have when she did. Would she cry? Would she run into his arms? Would she feel the same about him that she did when they were young? Would he feel the same about her? Would he hug her and lift her off the ground swinging her in circles while she tucked her head into his shoulder? Surely not, given they were in an office, but what would it be like to see him again? What had he grown up to look like? By her calculation he would be about 27 years old, since he was two years older than her. Well, one year and 10 months older.

Mr. Neason arrived at the office and greeted Sandra with a warm welcoming smile. She and Jennifer were tucked in together behind her desk just outside of his office.

"How’s it going Sandy? Are you getting the hang of things so far?"
Straightening up in her seat she said, "I think I’m picking it up pretty well, thanks."

"Wonderful. Let me know if you have any questions." Mr. Neason smiled again at Sandra then gave Jennifer a peculiar look before disappearing into his office. Sandra sensed the look had a feeling of negativity behind it. Aha! Sandra thought – he doesn’t like Jennifer! But why? She’s his daughter-in-law after all, married to Bobby, she can’t be so bad.

Jennifer rolled her eyes. "He’s such a jerk." She mumbled under her breath. Sandra was shocked.

"Mr. Neason?" she asked. "He’s the nicest man, how can you say that."

"He hates me for marrying his son." Jennifer confessed. "He doesn’t think I’m good enough for him." She scowled.

"Did he say that to you?" Sandra couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

"No. ‘Course not. Mr. Neason would never say anything like that." Sandra was confused and didn’t want to continue the conversation in case Mr. Neason could hear. She didn’t want him to think that she was a gossip girl.

"Anyway," Jennifer raised an eyebrow suspiciously, "Indira told me that you know Mr. Neason and Robert. You’re a friend of the family or something." The nice woman she met the day before was suddenly coming off as a bit of a crazy lady. She sat waiting for Sandra’s answer with her hand clutched around a newly sharpened pencil.

"Uh…yeah, we used to live nearby each other years ago." Sandra said as casually as she could manage.

"Live by each other?" Jennifer snorted. "And that makes you a friend of the family?" She was slightly indignant suddenly.

Sandra didn’t know what to say but she was offended by Jennifer’s new attitude. "We were friends. Bobby and I - Good friends." She said firmly.

"Bobby! Jennifer shouted as she jumped to her feet. "Nobody calls him that." The pencil in her hand snapped in two and fell to the ground as Jennifer turned and stomped away toward the reception area.

Sandra, stunned, sat staring in the general area in which Jennifer had stormed off. Mr. Neason popped his head out of his office. He looked around and then came out to speak to Sandra. "Don’t mind her, she got her claws into Robert a while back and doesn’t like a little competition." He laughed his friendly laugh and returned to his office closing the door behind him before Sandra could ask if she was the competition he was referring to. She couldn’t figure out what was going on, but she was beginning to think that she might be a pawn being played by Mr. Neason to mess with his daughter-in-laws head. Kudos to him, she thought as it seemed to be working.

Jennifer returned, and stood stiffly in front of the desk. "I think you’ve got this covered. I’m going to take the rest of the week off and prepare for my vacation with my husband." She spat out the last word like a ball of venom aimed at Sandra. A warning, she thought. Jennifer had done a complete 360 from being the bubbly agreeable blonde looking forward to her second honeymoon, to a crazy fuming flit. Sandra thought Marta was crazy when they first met, but Jennifer was taking the cake.

Jennifer marched into Mr. Neason’s office closing the door again behind her. Sandra heard muffled talking and Jennifer marched out again past Sandra toward reception. "Bye. Thanks for your help." Sandra called after her, half laughing. When she noticed that Mr. Neason was standing in the doorway of his office, he winked at her and went back inside calling out to her, "Can you grab me a coffee Sandy, dear? Two cream one sugar. Thanks."