can pop out just like a psycho
Jack-in-the-Box.
With an uneasy feeling, she realized she
had to inform Mr Adams of Mr Barnes’ lice problem and the awful behavior toward
her. She decided she would try her hardest not to dig too deep a grave for the
man, even though he deserved to be fed to the dogs.
Chapter 15
The rollercoaster hit an uphill curve: two hours after
the altercation with Mr Barnes, she found out that she was wanted for the
position of nurse on the Oncology floor at Wayside.
She didn’t know which disclosure shocked
him more; the potential lice outbreak, or the fact that she had to come back to
his office to give her two weeks’ notice. It was of no concern to Penny any
longer. She was thrilled that she was leaving Fernfair. She didn’t want to
waste time figuring out Mr Adams’ reaction.
Next she had to break the news to her
family. Obviously they would be thrilled to bits and overflowing with compliments...
okay, so she took the cowardly way out and called her brother Louis. She knew
how quickly the news would travel.
Feeling on top of the world, she was en
route home with her arms filled with grocery bags when her cell phone burst
into a rendition of Beyonce’s Irresistible . Cursing, she barely managed
to retrieve it from her pocketbook. She answered with a rather cross, “Hello!”
“Mom is really pissed,” Steve said with a
low whistle. “Boy, you really did it this time.”
She stopped in mid-stride. “Really Steve,
what did I do?”
Steve chuckled, “You’re bucking her,
that’s what. She’s not used to it. I hope you know what you’re doing.”
She felt the fury ignite through her like
a forest fire. She dropped her parcels on the front stoop. Holding the doorkey
firmly she said calmly, “The choices I’ve made so far in my life aren’t working
for me Steve. I don’t have a partner, a family, or any friends come to think of
it.” Her voice was shaking. “While you’re out on a Saturday night with your
wife having fun, I’m home eating frozen tortellini smothered in jar sauce while
Winston and Bob sit beside me watching TV. This is the first time in my life
that I’ve done something that does makes sense.”
“Penny,” Steve pleaded, “Look I’m just
saying…”
She broke in with barely controlled
anger, “Dolores has made me feel like I have no chance in hell of having a normal
life. I deserve what every other person that struggles through each day has,
what you have.” Her voice broke. She swallowed hard as she continued, “A little
bit of joy and happiness once in a damn while isn’t too much to ask. Dolores
has been spoonfeeding me inferiority since infancy.”
He sighed. “Penny, I’m so sorry.”
“Right.” She bent down and picked up her
bags. She singsonged at him: “Poor Penny, if only she had friends, if only she
had a boyfriend, oh, if only Penny had a life.”
“No, no,” he protested, “you’ve got it
all wrong. I’m sorry because I should have known you were this unhappy a long
time ago and I’m ashamed. I was just watching out for myself.”
Stumbling into her apartment in tears,
she threw the bags on the kitchen counter, flipped the cell phone off, sat down
and covered her face in her hands.
“What’s wrong with me?” she sobbed out
loud, “Why am I so mad?” She sat at the kitchen table and continued to sob loudly.
Bob and Winston sat close, bewildered, heads tilted.
Finally standing up, she smoothed down
her nurse’s uniform and thought: I can’t help it, I’m pissed off, and until I
get it all out of my system, I probably will flip out again until everyone
realizes I am worth so much more than that.
Chapter 16
The next few weeks pulled her around like a whirlwind.
She’d been amazed that she could work at Fernfair for so many years and leave
without making a blip on anyone’s radar screen. The school staff purchased a
cake and said their goodbyes, and some of the children brought in homemade
cards with Good luck,
Jack-in-the-Box.
With an uneasy feeling, she realized she
had to inform Mr Adams of Mr Barnes’ lice problem and the awful behavior toward
her. She decided she would try her hardest not to dig too deep a grave for the
man, even though he deserved to be fed to the dogs.
Chapter 15
The rollercoaster hit an uphill curve: two hours after
the altercation with Mr Barnes, she found out that she was wanted for the
position of nurse on the Oncology floor at Wayside.
She didn’t know which disclosure shocked
him more; the potential lice outbreak, or the fact that she had to come back to
his office to give her two weeks’ notice. It was of no concern to Penny any
longer. She was thrilled that she was leaving Fernfair. She didn’t want to
waste time figuring out Mr Adams’ reaction.
Next she had to break the news to her
family. Obviously they would be thrilled to bits and overflowing with compliments...
okay, so she took the cowardly way out and called her brother Louis. She knew
how quickly the news would travel.
Feeling on top of the world, she was en
route home with her arms filled with grocery bags when her cell phone burst
into a rendition of Beyonce’s Irresistible . Cursing, she barely managed
to retrieve it from her pocketbook. She answered with a rather cross, “Hello!”
“Mom is really pissed,” Steve said with a
low whistle. “Boy, you really did it this time.”
She stopped in mid-stride. “Really Steve,
what did I do?”
Steve chuckled, “You’re bucking her,
that’s what. She’s not used to it. I hope you know what you’re doing.”
She felt the fury ignite through her like
a forest fire. She dropped her parcels on the front stoop. Holding the doorkey
firmly she said calmly, “The choices I’ve made so far in my life aren’t working
for me Steve. I don’t have a partner, a family, or any friends come to think of
it.” Her voice was shaking. “While you’re out on a Saturday night with your
wife having fun, I’m home eating frozen tortellini smothered in jar sauce while
Winston and Bob sit beside me watching TV. This is the first time in my life
that I’ve done something that does makes sense.”
“Penny,” Steve pleaded, “Look I’m just
saying…”
She broke in with barely controlled
anger, “Dolores has made me feel like I have no chance in hell of having a normal
life. I deserve what every other person that struggles through each day has,
what you have.” Her voice broke. She swallowed hard as she continued, “A little
bit of joy and happiness once in a damn while isn’t too much to ask. Dolores
has been spoonfeeding me inferiority since infancy.”
He sighed. “Penny, I’m so sorry.”
“Right.” She bent down and picked up her
bags. She singsonged at him: “Poor Penny, if only she had friends, if only she
had a boyfriend, oh, if only Penny had a life.”
“No, no,” he protested, “you’ve got it
all wrong. I’m sorry because I should have known you were this unhappy a long
time ago and I’m ashamed. I was just watching out for myself.”
Stumbling into her apartment in tears,
she threw the bags on the kitchen counter, flipped the cell phone off, sat down
and covered her face in her hands.
“What’s wrong with me?” she sobbed out
loud, “Why am I so mad?” She sat at the kitchen table and continued to sob loudly.
Bob and Winston sat close, bewildered, heads tilted.
Finally standing up, she smoothed down
her nurse’s uniform and thought: I can’t help it, I’m pissed off, and until I
get it all out of my system, I probably will flip out again until everyone
realizes I am worth so much more than that.
Chapter 16
The next few weeks pulled her around like a whirlwind.
She’d been amazed that she could work at Fernfair for so many years and leave
without making a blip on anyone’s radar screen. The school staff purchased a
cake and said their goodbyes, and some of the children brought in homemade
cards with Good luck,
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