out.”
Cheryl listened to Kim with a deadpan look. “Okay, taking time off makes sense,” she said. “But you better not fall into that pit where getting out and finding a job becomes difficult just because you have been ‘unemployed’ for too long.”
“I know,” said Kim. “And, anyway, I don’t know how comfortable I’d be in a nine-to-five job. Maybe, I should do something like you are doing. You know.”
“I know. I know you’ll figure it out.”
“Yeah! And for a change, I can afford to take some time off without worrying about the finances.” A hint of sorrow laced those last words. Cheryl just placed her hand into Kim’s and gently squeezed it.
“But before that I want to invite you and Beth and Bill and the others for dinner one of these days,” said Kim, quickly changing the topic. She didn’t want to think why they had all the money these days. It felt wrong that Richard’s life insurance claim had cleared and, at the end of it all, he had provided for his girls just like he had promised Judith so many years ago.
***
With all the pain and drama and loss, the Noyes family could have done with a happy moment. And so, when Kim decided to have her close friends over for a dinner get-together it became the center of focus from all three of them. It was a perfect time to celebrate Kim moving back home and Sam had got the job as the sales coordinator at the Duke Mall near City Center as well.
So Kim went all out to get the guest list ready, even though there would not be more than twenty people. She worked on the menu as well. She wanted to have a mix of the different cuisines she had experienced and enjoyed. When the menu was finalized, she realized she couldn’t get everything done on her own so she went ahead and hired some help to get things organized. She had not intended for it all to turn out this big with the decorations and stuff but when it came to details, she didn’t want to compromise. She wanted to have a happy moment for Sam, for Judith, and it felt nice that she could do that for them without having money be a concern. Also, she had Dave to help her out.
Kim realized that the insistent ring of her phone that she has assigned to Dave’s contact was not going to go away until she answered “Yes?”
“Just checking? Did the guy I send for the flowers come in?”
“Yes, I gave him the details of how I want the flowers arranged. How did you get him to take such a small order? I mean they are supposed to be the best and I am sure they don’t have the time to decorate house parties.”
“Yeah,” he replied. “I happen to know them, so…”
“You happen to know a lot of people,” she said and that brought a smile to her face. It really did seem that Dave knew everyone, and that always made things happen for Kim.
“Did your friends confirm if they are coming?” she asked him. “I don’t want to be short on food for last minute add-ons.”
“Yes, they’ll be there,” said Dave. “Suzanne just needed to find a babysitter which she couldn’t. So they’ll have to drive to her mother’s place to drop the kids off for the night which means they might get a little late but Saurabh said they’ll be there.”
“Okay, now go, I have work to do and remember to get the license for drinks.” Kim hung up and went back to the grocery list that she was working on with Judith.
Like every party that anyone plans, Kim felt she could have done better with a little more time. She had personally prepared most of the dishes and the ones that were to be made on-the-go were prepped and systematically kept in the order that they would have to go out in. Her need to be organized was put to use well and she had detailed instructions for the two hired helps and the server written and stuck to the refrigerator with magnets. She was stepping into the freaks category with the hired helps, but they knew not to tick Kim off with their jokes. She fussed over the flowers and
Cheryl listened to Kim with a deadpan look. “Okay, taking time off makes sense,” she said. “But you better not fall into that pit where getting out and finding a job becomes difficult just because you have been ‘unemployed’ for too long.”
“I know,” said Kim. “And, anyway, I don’t know how comfortable I’d be in a nine-to-five job. Maybe, I should do something like you are doing. You know.”
“I know. I know you’ll figure it out.”
“Yeah! And for a change, I can afford to take some time off without worrying about the finances.” A hint of sorrow laced those last words. Cheryl just placed her hand into Kim’s and gently squeezed it.
“But before that I want to invite you and Beth and Bill and the others for dinner one of these days,” said Kim, quickly changing the topic. She didn’t want to think why they had all the money these days. It felt wrong that Richard’s life insurance claim had cleared and, at the end of it all, he had provided for his girls just like he had promised Judith so many years ago.
***
With all the pain and drama and loss, the Noyes family could have done with a happy moment. And so, when Kim decided to have her close friends over for a dinner get-together it became the center of focus from all three of them. It was a perfect time to celebrate Kim moving back home and Sam had got the job as the sales coordinator at the Duke Mall near City Center as well.
So Kim went all out to get the guest list ready, even though there would not be more than twenty people. She worked on the menu as well. She wanted to have a mix of the different cuisines she had experienced and enjoyed. When the menu was finalized, she realized she couldn’t get everything done on her own so she went ahead and hired some help to get things organized. She had not intended for it all to turn out this big with the decorations and stuff but when it came to details, she didn’t want to compromise. She wanted to have a happy moment for Sam, for Judith, and it felt nice that she could do that for them without having money be a concern. Also, she had Dave to help her out.
Kim realized that the insistent ring of her phone that she has assigned to Dave’s contact was not going to go away until she answered “Yes?”
“Just checking? Did the guy I send for the flowers come in?”
“Yes, I gave him the details of how I want the flowers arranged. How did you get him to take such a small order? I mean they are supposed to be the best and I am sure they don’t have the time to decorate house parties.”
“Yeah,” he replied. “I happen to know them, so…”
“You happen to know a lot of people,” she said and that brought a smile to her face. It really did seem that Dave knew everyone, and that always made things happen for Kim.
“Did your friends confirm if they are coming?” she asked him. “I don’t want to be short on food for last minute add-ons.”
“Yes, they’ll be there,” said Dave. “Suzanne just needed to find a babysitter which she couldn’t. So they’ll have to drive to her mother’s place to drop the kids off for the night which means they might get a little late but Saurabh said they’ll be there.”
“Okay, now go, I have work to do and remember to get the license for drinks.” Kim hung up and went back to the grocery list that she was working on with Judith.
Like every party that anyone plans, Kim felt she could have done better with a little more time. She had personally prepared most of the dishes and the ones that were to be made on-the-go were prepped and systematically kept in the order that they would have to go out in. Her need to be organized was put to use well and she had detailed instructions for the two hired helps and the server written and stuck to the refrigerator with magnets. She was stepping into the freaks category with the hired helps, but they knew not to tick Kim off with their jokes. She fussed over the flowers and
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