what to say. Since when was I without words? I could hear him breathing on the other side of the phone. Maybe he was as lost for what to say as I was.
“Well, I’ll let you get back to whatever it was you were doing. I won’t bother you again.”
“No, wait. I…”
“Yes?”
“I’m glad to hear your voice.”
“Are you?”
“Yes.”
“I thought I’d done something wrong. That I’d scared you away.”
“You did scare me. But that’s not your fault. I just…sometimes I…”
“You don’t need to say it. I understand.”
I frowned. “You do?” What exactly did he think he understood? I swallowed. He couldn’t know the real reason, could he?
“I’ve lost people close to me too. I know it can be hard to let new people in,” he said.
He thought this was about my mother. “Um, sure.” The thumping in my chest increased.
“I’ll be here when you want me. Either way, take your time. I’m not going anywhere.”
Then either was I. I closed my eyes and before I could change my mind blurted out, “How about tomorrow night?”
He paused. “Really? Great!”
“Great. Pick me up at seven.” I hung up quickly before I made another excuse. If he thought my hesitancy was because of my mother, then I’d just let him go on thinking that. It’d be easier. Then I wouldn’t have to explain why I freak out every time I start to get close to someone.
I turned over the ignition and drove toward the hospital.
The hospital admissions clerk looked up Thomas Tink’s account on her screen. She was a plain woman. Early thirties perhaps, brown hair with a few strands of grey. She needed a good dye job. Maybe some blonde highlights to bounce light around her face. And concealer. She definitely needed concealer, especially in the unflattering hospital lighting here that accentuated the dark circles around her eyes.
“How are you paying?” she asked.
“I was hoping for direct billing details so I could do a bank transfer.”
“Don’t you have a check book?”
“With a bank transfer I could have the money in your account within seconds. It’ll be like magic.”
“Yeah.”
She gave me the information I needed and I logged into my phone making the necessary changes.
“Done!”
“Where do you want me to send the receipt?”
“Can’t you just give it to me now?”
“We have to post it. Is this the right address?” She read out my address.
I gave them Lacey’s address instead. I didn’t want to bother my grandparents just yet. Not until it was absolutely positive that they couldn’t reverse the payment. They’d have to accept it then.
I sat down in the waiting area and dialed Lacey’s number to tell her to expect the receipt and hold it for me.
“You can still change your mind about the job at the store, you know,” said Lacey
“No I can’t. They hated me at the interview.”
“They didn’t hate you. You hated the job.”
“They wanted me to sell tickets to shows at their ticket counter.” I rolled my eyes.
“What is wrong with you? It was a job. You said you wanted a job, and you would have known about every show and been able to sell them to people not sure which one to see. I thought it would be perfect.”
“Selling tickets to people wanting to be entertained, when I couldn’t entertain them?”
“You need to lower your expectations. You’re unemployed now, remember.”
“I’m waiting for the next opportunity. And I can afford to. That’s completely different to being unemployed. I have to be at home to help Thomas.”
“No you don’t. He’s doing fine. You’re using him as an excuse not to live your life.”
“I don’t want to have this conversation now.”
“Then when? You’ve brushed me off for a week now.”
“I’ve been busy.”
“No, you’ve been hiding. I know you Scarlett Tinks. Just when things start to get great, you run away as fast as you can.”
“I do not! In fact I agreed to see Jason again tomorrow night, as a matter
“Well, I’ll let you get back to whatever it was you were doing. I won’t bother you again.”
“No, wait. I…”
“Yes?”
“I’m glad to hear your voice.”
“Are you?”
“Yes.”
“I thought I’d done something wrong. That I’d scared you away.”
“You did scare me. But that’s not your fault. I just…sometimes I…”
“You don’t need to say it. I understand.”
I frowned. “You do?” What exactly did he think he understood? I swallowed. He couldn’t know the real reason, could he?
“I’ve lost people close to me too. I know it can be hard to let new people in,” he said.
He thought this was about my mother. “Um, sure.” The thumping in my chest increased.
“I’ll be here when you want me. Either way, take your time. I’m not going anywhere.”
Then either was I. I closed my eyes and before I could change my mind blurted out, “How about tomorrow night?”
He paused. “Really? Great!”
“Great. Pick me up at seven.” I hung up quickly before I made another excuse. If he thought my hesitancy was because of my mother, then I’d just let him go on thinking that. It’d be easier. Then I wouldn’t have to explain why I freak out every time I start to get close to someone.
I turned over the ignition and drove toward the hospital.
The hospital admissions clerk looked up Thomas Tink’s account on her screen. She was a plain woman. Early thirties perhaps, brown hair with a few strands of grey. She needed a good dye job. Maybe some blonde highlights to bounce light around her face. And concealer. She definitely needed concealer, especially in the unflattering hospital lighting here that accentuated the dark circles around her eyes.
“How are you paying?” she asked.
“I was hoping for direct billing details so I could do a bank transfer.”
“Don’t you have a check book?”
“With a bank transfer I could have the money in your account within seconds. It’ll be like magic.”
“Yeah.”
She gave me the information I needed and I logged into my phone making the necessary changes.
“Done!”
“Where do you want me to send the receipt?”
“Can’t you just give it to me now?”
“We have to post it. Is this the right address?” She read out my address.
I gave them Lacey’s address instead. I didn’t want to bother my grandparents just yet. Not until it was absolutely positive that they couldn’t reverse the payment. They’d have to accept it then.
I sat down in the waiting area and dialed Lacey’s number to tell her to expect the receipt and hold it for me.
“You can still change your mind about the job at the store, you know,” said Lacey
“No I can’t. They hated me at the interview.”
“They didn’t hate you. You hated the job.”
“They wanted me to sell tickets to shows at their ticket counter.” I rolled my eyes.
“What is wrong with you? It was a job. You said you wanted a job, and you would have known about every show and been able to sell them to people not sure which one to see. I thought it would be perfect.”
“Selling tickets to people wanting to be entertained, when I couldn’t entertain them?”
“You need to lower your expectations. You’re unemployed now, remember.”
“I’m waiting for the next opportunity. And I can afford to. That’s completely different to being unemployed. I have to be at home to help Thomas.”
“No you don’t. He’s doing fine. You’re using him as an excuse not to live your life.”
“I don’t want to have this conversation now.”
“Then when? You’ve brushed me off for a week now.”
“I’ve been busy.”
“No, you’ve been hiding. I know you Scarlett Tinks. Just when things start to get great, you run away as fast as you can.”
“I do not! In fact I agreed to see Jason again tomorrow night, as a matter
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