Up & Out - Ariella Papa [88]
I wind up talking to two beefy nameless guys about college basketball. Yesterday, I would have said I knew nothing about this subject, but the home brew has given me a lot of knowledge on the subject.
I smile over at Lauryn. She is standing particularly close to another guy who is wearing a Block Island sweatshirt. Perhaps he is an island Lothario who hops from island to island wooing young divorced women. His biggest dilemma is trying to decide between going to Nantucket or Shelter Island next. I am smiling to myself and feeling carefree.
“I want you to know that I really did love Jordan,” I hear Lauryn say to me as one of the boys tells me he’s premed. By the time I turn around to talk to her she is making out with sweatshirt guy.
I don’t bring up what she said about Jordan during our walk back home. We slipped away from the college kids. It was clear that Lauryn’s Casanova liked her and wanted more, but she gave him her number and firmly told him we were going home. This is the benefit of being a little bit older; we no longer behave like floozies, we are firm. (Truth be told, I missed out on some floozy time by starting to date Tommy junior year, so maybe I have one minor indiscretion left before becoming absolutely firm….)
We sing one of the songs from the bar, “Come on Eileen,” all the way home. Lauryn raises her voice high and holds my hand as we cut through alleys and walk along the road single file.
On Saturday, we go back to the beach. The water is calmer today, and for some reason, I decide to wear less sunscreen. I feel a tightness around my eyes at the end of the day. We decide the best remedy would be to hit one of the pubs along the pier. We sit out on the open wood patio and drink frozen drinks and eat steamers.
“These are delicious,” I say as butter rolls down my chin.
We watch the sun dip down along the sea and feel the faintest wind. To think some people are able to live like this. The corporate world seems a million miles away.
“Are you spacing out?” Lauryn asks.
“I should have come up here with you as soon as I got laid off.”
“You like it, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, remember you’re on vacation.”
“I know. I should have spent my time and severance up here.”
“I think you’d get bored eventually.”
“Maybe I could work in a store off the books or something. I guess I couldn’t collect unemployment, though.”
“I can’t see you working in a store forever.”
“What can you see me doing?” Lauryn shrugs, and makes a slurp sound with her straw against the bottom of her glass.
“Another round?” says the perfectly tanned waitress. We nod.
“And more steamers, thanks,” I say. I look back at Lauryn. “Well?”
“Aren’t you just going to go work at another network?”
“My phone hasn’t been ringing off the hook.”
“Aren’t you supposed to network? No pun intended.”
“I guess so. It’s tough times, though. Lots of networks are cutting back.”
“And you know this because you’ve done all this research.” She is being a smart-ass. “You’re going to run out of severance soon, right?”
“Soon.” I sigh. “It’s such a beautiful thing, that severance.”
“So, what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know.”
“Well, never mind if you don’t want to talk about it.”
“I don’t think I want to deal with it, but I guess I have to. Maybe I’ll change careers just like you.”
“You should follow your bliss.”
“What does that mean exactly? Does following your bliss allow you to pay your credit card bill and eat an occasional meal at a decent restaurant?”
“Occasionally,” Lauryn says, raising an eyebrow in a Lauryn way.
“Hey, I’m cutting down on my food obsessing. I’m serious, how can we follow our bliss when we’ve got to make ends meet? Or what if we think we’re following our bliss