Something Old - Dianne L. Christner [119]
Megan rolled on her back and stared at the lamp-lit ceiling. “This trip we’ve been talking about? After that, my folks expect me to find a job. You and Lil expect it, too. I’m part of that pact we made, living together and everything.”
“Don’t you want to?”
“Move in? Sure.” Then Megan yawned. “Wow, why are those so catchy? Anyway, not the job part. I’m not lazy. I’m just scared. August. That’s when I’ll have to go job hunting. Yuck. I have no clue what kind of job to get.”
Katy winced inwardly. If she didn’t get more work soon, there wouldn’t be any doddy house for Megan to worry about. “Something will turn up. Something that suits you.”
“You really think so?”
“Yes.”
Late the following afternoon, Katy stepped into the quiet doddy house and plopped an armful of mail onto the kitchen table. After breakfast, Megan had taken her for her car, and Katy had gone straight to work. In addition to her normal cleaning, she had tackled some dreaded tasks she’d been putting off, like defrosting Mrs. Kline’s ancient freezer and going through her storage boxes to locate her spring wreath.
Weary and discouraged, she glanced at the stove. Even though Lil hadn’t always been home when Katy was, it felt lonely to know that her friend wouldn’t be preparing their dinner. She glanced down the hall, her bed beckoning and tempting. She wanted to answer its call, curl under her covers, and sleep for at least a year. But that wasn’t reality. Her growling stomach was demanding nutrition. Anyway, if she went to bed too early, she might not be able to sleep later, when the house was creepier.
She trudged to the refrigerator and found some cold roast beef. She added Swiss cheese from the local Amish cheese house, store-bought tomato, and pickles, then headed to the kitchen table.
She rolled up the dark green shade and peered outside. The trees were budding, but she lived in perpetual winter. She noticed David’s shiny black sedan, and her interest perked. His car hadn’t been there earlier. He certainly was a contradiction, not the nice boy her mom always raved about, but hot-tempered and still holding a grudge toward her.
She took a bite of her sandwich, wishing things weren’t strained between them. She’d enjoyed his company, shared his obsession for cleanliness. That day at Megan’s dorm, her friend had pointed out that Katy had a temper. She had that in common with David, too. Feeling melancholy over all that had happened between them, she wondered if she might have grown to love him if Jake hadn’t returned.
She shook her head at the turn of her foolish thoughts and noticed her unopened mail. Using her table knife, she sliced through the envelope. Her car’s license needed to be renewed. Great. She flipped through a spring clothing catalog, frowning at the worldly styles and wondering how she’d gotten on that store’s mailing list. She turned it over to see if it had Lil’s name on the address label, and an envelope fell out of its back cover.
She had almost missed it. After setting down her sandwich and wiping mayonnaise from the corner of her mouth with her napkin, she took a closer look. The letter was addressed to her. It was from Florida. She only knew one family from Florida. Sure enough, the return address revealed that the letter was from her old employer, Mrs. Beverly. Her heart sped up with anticipation, wondering if she was returning. Her hands anxious, she opened the envelope and unfolded a rose-patterned stationery that displayed artful, beautiful handwriting:
Dear Katy,
How I’ve missed your dear face. I don’t know if you’re still looking for any jobs, but a neighbor from the old neighborhood is looking for a housekeeper. She’s looking for someone two days a week, and she’ll probably even pay more than I did. She’s a sweetheart and will be easy to work with.
The first line of the letter filled Katy with warm nostalgia, envisioning the sweet old woman sitting at her white, rolltop desk, her aged hand taking a pen from a rose-patterned