Chapter 15

I am happy to see I have a bit more work on my desk today than
normal. I guess because I left early yesterday and couldn’t
clean all my work up before leaving. Plus, Jack “ass” is the
one who normally covers for me and I already explained how
Jack’s work ethic is. So, I am not surprised that I have a
pile of work waiting for me.
But I always like when I am busy, time just goes by faster
when you are busy and not just pretending to be busy. I know
so many people who would say I would love to not be busy at
work, because at least you get paid for being bored and doing
nothing. Not me, never was that type of person and I honestly
don't see myself ever becoming like that. I begin sorting
through my pile of work and start my day.
Janet and I take lunch together today, she wants to hear all
about what happened on Monday night to me on my way home. So,
I fill her in as much as I can in the half hour lunch that we
get. I also only share as much as I want to her to know,
somethings are better left unsaid. I don't go into Warren’s
gorgeous features, that is one of the details that I withhold.
Or what an asshole I think he is because he thinks he can fuck
me over and play me for a fool. I let it go with just
explaining how some guy ran into the back of me and pretty
much parked inside my car. You know just the bare bones of
the real story. But she seems satisfied with what I share
with her and we are on our way back to the grind.
I am usually the first one to leave for the day which is the
case today. Janet and Alexis are still working away as I walk
up front to leave. I stop by Alexis's desk to chat a little
bit before escaping out the door. I really haven't talked to
her this week and I wanted to thank her again for letting me
leave yesterday in order to take care of everything that I
needed to. I must of course go through the story of what had
happened on Monday night, I should of known she was going to
ask for the low down also. So I give her the same short story
that I had given to Janet, thinking I should have just taped

my lunch conversation with Janet and had provided the
recording to Alexis. She too seems satisfied with what she
hears. She explains how glad she is that the guy that hit me
had insurance and that everything got taken care of the way it
did with no hiccups. I think I never thought of that, but she
is exactly right. As my mind begins plugging away with
thoughts of how many fools are out there driving around
uninsured or for that matter without valid licenses. Great I
think thanks a lot just another thing for me to stress out
about, being afraid of getting hit by one of those morons.
Like my stress and worry lists aren’t big enough already.
But another secret that I keep well hidden, the people at work
really don't need to know how fucked up I am. I mean I think
Janet has a pretty good idea that I may be running on a nut or
two being loose but not about the half that are just fucking
missing. I smile and tell my co-workers to have a good night
and after the new worries that were freshly entered my mind I
also include to include the be safe going home. I say you
never know, and they say true, and say that I should be safe.
Oh, I think I will don't you worry about that, I know I
wouldn't get as lucky as getting run into by another gorgeous
man like Warren a second time. Not too mention someone with
insurance and a valid license and all his shit in order.
I connect my phone to the blue tooth in the rental car and
call my mom on my ride home. I figured I really should give
her a call because on Tuesday morning I was so quick to hang
up with her. Plus, I assume by now she should have calmed
down, and should be on her normal mom level by today. My dad
answers, the man of very few words and multiple grunts. I
greet him with my normal Hi Dad, how are you? I get in
response, “Ok” followed by dead air. So, I break the silence
with, “is mom there?” Then the “yep, hold on.” Then I hear
him announcing “it's Sophie.” I hear my mom reply to him ok.
He then gets back to the phone, “she will be right here.” I
quickly say, before he has the chance to put down the phone,
“ok, I love you.” Then that is where the grunt will be heard
in response.

I learned to decipher the grunt to mean a couple different
things, it all depends what type of question it is the answer
to. For example, there is the grunt in this case this is the
you too grunt. There are multiple grunt definitions, I have
gained the knowledge of them years, but every once in a while
I will get a grunt response and he will baffle me and I will
not know what my answer was. But all in all I can usually
figure it out.
Mom answers with her normal greeting, “hi honey, how are you
today?” I can already tell that we are on our normal phone
call already, she doesn’t immediately say anything about the
accident. We talk about my grandmother and how much she can
upset the family and drive them crazy at times, and
conversations about my dad and just the normal family things.
It is usually the same conversations, which I have learned to
appreciated because when they aren’t there is an issue and
they usually are not happy calls.
I used to feel bad for my mom because they really didn't have
a lot of close friends that they would hang out with while I
was growing up. I really don't remember many friends coming
over on Friday nights and weekends. But then again, I think
it had a lot to do with my dad’s work schedule, he was never
around much, and the weekends were reserved I guess more for
family time. I mean there were friends here and there but not
many.
Now since my dad has retired and they joined a church they
have one or two couples that they are really close with and
get together with them quite a bit. Before that my mom I felt
like my mom was lonely and I really understood, because I know
how it is to not have anyone to really talk to that isn’t
related to you. I mean you can’t talk to me about how much I
piss her off or at my dad and tell him he is just a big old
bastard, you know what I mean. I mean we all need to have
someone that we can talk to and get the shit off our chests
that we need to. At least for me I was able to go to school
or work and have people around me that I could socialize to
with.

Sometimes I wonder if that is why I really didn’t keep my
friends after graduating high school. I mean not only because
of my fucked-up thoughts that the man in my life comes first
and would never get together with them, but maybe because I
don’t know how to have friends and a relationship at the same
time. Maybe I was never really taught how to juggle both of
those relationships, if that makes any sense. Like I said
growing up it was pretty much my mom and dad and grandparents
just family.
I kind of get lost in the conversation with my mom and then
she is the one that is cutting me off this time, I chuckle and
think we take turns doing that to each other I guess. She is
in the middle of making dinner and her potatoes are boiling
over onto the stove. I pass along my love to her and my dad,
and we hang disconnect the call.