Escaping Parker, page 13
I bump into Rig, his arms full of items. “I need brushes and rollers. I forgot about those things. Let me help you,” I say trying to grab things from his hands.
Once everything is paid for, we are back in the car driving home.
“So what colors did you pick out?” he asks.
“It’s a surprise! I went way out of my comfort zone, but I had this great idea. Let’s hope it all works out. Do you have a newspaper by any chance?”
“No, but I can get one. What do you need one for?”
“I need to start looking for a job, and since I don’t have a computer, I figured that’s the way to look. I just hope people still post in the paper,” I say as we pull into the driveway.
“I’ll get one tomorrow,” he says and helps carry everything inside.
Rig comes in and sets the supplies on the kitchen table. “Here. I got you this. But you have to promise you won’t call anybody you knew or anybody from your past. If I’m not here, and you need something, or if I need to get ahold of you, use this.” He hands me a phone, nothing fancy, just a basic pre-paid phone.
“Thank you.” I look it over as I flip in my hands.
“I put my number in there. Please don’t call anybody, though,” he stresses.
“I promise, I won’t.” I put it on the counter. “So the living room is off limits to you until I’m done in here.”
“What am I supposed to do?” he asks.
“Something outside, or go in your room. Anywhere but in there,” I say. “Ok. Well, I guess I will fix things outside with the stuff I got from the store. Let me know if you need any help. Don’t forget to stir the paint good before you use it.”
I find a pencil in a drawer, and head into the living room to get started on this project, excited to make my vision come to life. I paint my first coat of yellow on the solid wall, and while I wait for it to dry, I paint the other walls white to freshen them up. This first round isn’t very fun at all; I guess that’s why they say boring stuff is as fun as watching paint dry.
Late into the night, I’m getting extremely tired, but determined to finish. At last, I use my stencil to make a lattice pattern with the teal paint.
Once I’m satisfied I got it all looking good, I walk down the hall to Rig’s room and knock on the door.
“Yeah? he says, and I open the door peeking my head in.
“Come see what I did. Tell me if it looks ok.”
He abruptly stops at the end of the hall, his eyes panning the room. “Holy shit! Parker, you did this?”
“Well, who else would’ve done it? Does it look ok, really?” I hope he isn’t yanking my chain.
“Yes, it really does. I’m just surprised that you got this done all in one day. It makes a huge difference in this room.”
“Thank you. Well, I’m beat. I’m going to take a shower and maybe watch a movie on TV or something. Want to join me?” I ask.
“Sure.”
I quickly shower and throw on some sweats, something comfortable to lounge on the couch. Rig is already on the couch waiting, so I take a seat next to him.
“Put on whatever you want, I’m ok with anything,” I tell him.
While the movie plays, I get more tired by the minute, and my eyes start to get heavy. I rest my head on his shoulder, using it as a pillow. He lifts his arm and places it around me, the comfort of his touch swallowing me. His fingers run up and down my arms, sending shivers all over me. I try to keep my eyes open for as long as I can so I can soak up all the time we have together until the last drop.
Leaning his head over to the side, he peppers my head lightly with kisses, making me feel whole inside. I can’t imagine not having moments like this once he is gone. Even just sitting here, he makes me feel like I’m his whole world. I sort of am, for the moment. I don’t let that discourage me, or make me want to run. I’ve done enough running for a lifetime, mentally and physically.
This journey, for me, has been all about rolling with the punches, and accepting things I will never be able to change. I know somewhere hidden is a lesson, or some significant message that I haven’t found yet. So I wait for the day the pieces will all fall into place, hoping it will give me a great perspective on what I am supposed to be doing with myself now that I’m no longer in the same place in my life.
“You still up?” he asks quietly.
“Yeah.” I lift my head a bit to look up to him.
“You should try and get some sleep, you had a long day. I’m getting ready to go to sleep myself.”
“I will soon. I’m just going to hang out for a bit more. You go, I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Alright.” He gets up from the couch to go to his room, but not before kissing me goodnight. His lips linger long enough to make me want more from him.
“Night,” I softly say and watch him walk off.
I watch TV a little while longer, until my eyes burn from tiredness. On the way to my room I pause at his door, putting my hand flat against the wood. My bottom lip quivers and I draw it in, resisting the urge to knock.
Once I’m in bed, I close my eyes and say a little thank you for everything that has been done for me.
Halloween has always been a holiday that excites me. I loved dressing up and getting candy while I walked around the neighborhood with my family. Even as I got older, I always loved seeing the kids, going around, knocking on doors, their faces lighting up when candy was put in their bag.
Rig has bought some candy to pass out, and I can’t wait till they come to get it. It makes the want to have kids someday even stronger. A dim light illuminates the porch and I sit by the window waiting.
“Dinner is ready.” Rig calls out, and I get up from my perch by the window.
“Smells great. Do you think the kids will be here soon? I want to make sure I’m ready when they get here,” I say before taking a bite of chicken.
“Um . . . yeah. They should be here soon.” Not very convincing.
“Why do you think nobody is going to come?”
“Well, because there’s a lot of space between the houses. It’s a pretty scarce neighborhood. I just don’t want you to be upset if nobody comes. I know how excited you are. Why is that?”
“A lot of reasons. It’s one of my favorite holidays besides the Fourth of July. Some of my favorite memories are from when I was a kid: dressing up with my sister, and competing to see who gets the most candy. We used to run from house to house, trying to get as many houses as we could before our parents would call it a night,” I recall.
“Who would win?”
“Well, I’m certain she would say it was her, but it was always me.” I giggle. “I would always plan my costumes out way in advance, telling my mom exactly what I wanted. She would make all my costumes by hand. She loved making them, and we would design them together. Same with my sister. We wouldn’t say anything until we dressed that night and presented them to one another.”
“Well, my parents just bought me and my sister’s costumes. We didn’t put that much effort into that, we were more concerned with getting candy.”
“My cousins would come over, and we would have pizza before we went out. Make it a whole family thing together. It was always such a fun time. God, I miss being a kid.” I finish eating, glancing at the door and back at the clock.
7:30pm rolls around and still not one kid has knocked on our door. Reluctantly, I turn off the porch light and sit down on the couch, not feeling the whole Halloween spirit.
Rig sits next to me and pats my knee. “I’m sorry, Parker. I know how excited you were to pass out candy.”
“It’s ok. Nothing I can do about it. I think I’m just going to go to bed,” I say, feeling defeated.
“No way.” Rig launches himself from the couch. “Go get some shoes on, we’re going somewhere.”
“I don’t really want to go anywhere,” I protest.” I’m just going to go to bed.”
“I promise to bring you home if you aren’t having a good time. Deal?”
“Fine,” I huff, and get up to slip on some shoes.
“Put these on.” He tosses something to me.
Cat ears on a headband. I smile at the gesture, and I’m sure he bought these knowing nobody was going to show up. It’s one of the main reasons why I continue to let myself fall more and more for him every day. Even the most subtle, smallest gestures let me know he’s thinking of me.
“So where are we going?” I ask on the way to the car.
“You’ll see. It’s not too far away.” An excited grin splits his face.
So I sit back and watch where we are going, trying to learn the streets. It takes no longer than five minutes, and Rig pulls into a shopping center parking lot. A bunch of kids all dressed up walk around with bulging bags, their parents in tow.
My lips pull up into the biggest smile ever, and I stop walking for a second, making Rig stop beside me. I throw my arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. A squeal practically bursts out of me and I place a small kiss on his cheek.
“One more thing.” He pulls a small bag of candy out of his pocket and hands it to me.
“Do you always think of everything?”
“No, not always, but I do try.” His hand squeezes mine.
So many things run through my mind at this very second. I’m elated to be out on one of the best nights, smitten that he knows exactly what to do to make sure there is always a smile on my face. It’s so rare to find that in a person, let alone a guy who barely even knows me. We walk around, just watching the kids. Of course I’m pointing out all the costumes, telling him which ones I think are homemade. After a while, we pick up a snack and find a bench outside a dry-cleaning store.
“And you didn’t want to come.” He bumps his shoulder with mine, grinning.
“I’m happy you convinced me to go, it feels . . . comfortable here. Like I belong. Is that weird?” I ask, lowering my head.
“No, not weird. It’s actually a good thing. You should like where you are staying, or it makes it a lot more difficult than it could be.” He places his hand on my knee.
“So why don’t we get out of here? Let’s go eat some of the candy we have at home and call it a night.” I don’t want anything to ruin this great night.
So I resort to old times and get a newspaper from the store. I figure now is as good a time to find a job as any. Not doing anything during the day drives me crazy, and I’ve been here long enough to know I am staying.
I call around to some places, but since I can’t use my name and don’t have the qualifications to back up what I am trained to do, I hit dead ends.
“You going somewhere?” Rig calls from his doorway.
“I’m going to go explore, maybe find someplace that has a help wanted sign in the front. I don’t know why, but this place seems a little dated, like they still do things the old-fashioned way,” I say as we walk into the living room together.
“Do you want me to go with you?” His forehead crinkles with worry lines.
“That’s sweet, but I can do this. I need to figure this place out, and since you will be leaving here sometime in the future, I better get acquainted to living on my own again.”
His face falls. “Well, make sure you have your phone on you at all times.”
“Already in my pocket, I’ll be fine.” I reassure him before setting out on my little expedition.
I pretend I don’t have any reservations about going out on my own, but truly I’m a little nervous. I’m not scared about anybody finding me, because over the last six months, we have been clear, never seeing anybody, or getting any sort of signal that they know where we are, but they say you can’t see monsters in the dark when they are hiding. I’m more nervous about finding my own way, figuring out this new place, and trying to carry on the strength to do things alone.
I peek behind me to make sure Rig isn’t trying to sneak out and follow me. I know the kind of protector he is, but I don’t blame him, though.
I wander aimlessly, in and out of shopping centers, making an effort to go into some small businesses and ask if they are hiring. No bites yet, but I know it takes a lot more that one day to find a job. For a change of scenery, I decide to take a different way home, passing by some office buildings on the right side of the road. A small red sign in the corner of a window catches my eye. Help Wanted. I hesitate, thinking that they need someone with experience, something I really do have, but can’t mention.
On a whim, I walk through the doors. The office bustles with more employees than I’d expect, zipping around like well-oiled machines. The vibe is great, and I walk to the reception desk, where a woman in her twenties multitasks, answering phones, looking things up on her computer, and shuffling papers.
She holds up her index finger while she finishes her conversation. I wait there, doubts swirling in my brain. I start to feel intimidated, something that doesn’t settle well with me as I know what I’m capable of doing.
“Hi, ma’am, can I help you?” the woman says in a perky voice.
“Yes, hi. I’m Parker. I saw the help wanted sign in the window and thought I’d see if the position has been filled yet,” I say in a rush.
“I don’t think so, but let me ask the owner. Give me a minute.” She disappears into the last office on the left, reappearing seconds later. “You are in luck. It hasn’t been filled yet. Let me grab you an application.” She rifles through a drawer and withdraws a form. “Can you fill it out right now? The owner, Tim, said he has a few minutes to talk, if you’d like.” She tucks her hair behind her ear and looks at me expectantly.
“Yes, of course. Thank you.” I take the paper from her and search my purse for a pen. I struggle to answer all these questions to the best of my knowledge, leaving some things unanswered: past employment history, references, and previous addresses. I do the best I can, now doubtful that not being able to answer these questions might ruin my chances at ever getting a job.
A tall gentleman in casual clothes walks up to me and immediately extends a hand. “I’m Tim, and you are?” he asks.
I quickly rise, smoothing my pants. “My name is Parker.”
“Well, let’s go back to my office and talk about the position I have open.” He ushers me back to his office.
Once in his office, I hand him the application and take a seat in a brown ladder-back chair.
“So, Parker, how did you hear about the job?” His taps a pen on the desk as his eyes scan my application.
“I saw the sign in your window when I was exploring the area. I just recently moved here.”
“Where from?” he asks.
I rack my brain trying to remember what Andrew had put on the paper he gave me, but I don’t remember. “The West Coast,” I blurt out, and once I say it, I feel so stupid.
“Do you have family out here?” He sounds generally interested.
“No, I just need a change of pace and a fresh start.”
“Well, welcome to Lockwood. So let me tell you about the position I have open right now. I don’t know if it’s something you will really be into, but there’s room for some growth. We consider our employees family, and we like to promote from within the company. Right now, I need someone to clean up around here, empty the trash cans, clean up the kitchen area, vacuum, and get the office ready for the next day.”
I have no room to be picky at this point. Even though it’s not my ideal job, I know this is starting over.
I nod. “Ok, what are the hours, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Twelve to six, Monday through Friday. It’s not quite full-time. Believe me, I know it’s not the ideal job, but we really need someone.”
“No, it’s fine. Like I said, I just moved here and am looking for anything right now.” I’m definitely interested.
“So, you don’t have any references down here, or previous employers. Can I ask why?”
“Ummm . . . I used to be self-employed, but what I can tell you is that I’m a really hard worker. I need a job, and I won’t let you down. I’ve been working for as long as I can remember. I babysat as a kid, and I graduated early and put myself through college. I promise if you hire me, you won’t ever have to worry about this job getting done.”
“If you have a degree, why do something for which you’re overqualified?” Tim leans back, linking his fingers behind his head.
“Well, I don’t look at it like that. I look at it as a job, not as important as saving the world, but maybe, just maybe, if I didn’t clean up that break room, and have the coffee pot ready, that person wouldn’t have had the caffeine kick they needed to save the world?”
“You know what, Parker? I like the way you think, and I have a really good feeling about you. We don’t exactly save the world or anything like that. It’s an office full of people who manage other businesses money, but hey, that cup of coffee could save them from a really expensive mistake.” He sits up straight, a smile spreading across his face.
“Thank you.”
“So, I guess it’s a done deal, then. The job is yours if you’d like it.”
“I’ll take it.” I have a big grin on my face, like I just closed a huge deal.
“So, maybe you could come back tomorrow around 11:30am, fill out some paperwork. I can show you around and get you started. Or if you need a little time, we could start next week? These guys can continue to try and clean up after themselves for another week.”
“Nope, tomorrow is great. I’ll be here!”
“Sounds great, let me walk you out.” He leads us back into the reception area.
“Mindy, this is Parker, she’ll be starting tomorrow. When she gets here just let me know.” As he starts to walk away, he calls out, “Casual dress. Jeans are fine.”
I’m more than thrilled, and I have a little more of a pep to my step as I make my way home. I can’t wait to tell Rig that I found a job. His car is in the driveway, so I burst in the front door, calling out his name.
“Rig, where are you? Rig, you home?” I say closing the door behind me.
He walks into the kitchen. “Hey, what’s going on?”
