626 miles

Jodie

Jodie

I ran into Barbara's, my sister's, room. She sat on a lounge chair in the corner; reading. She finally noticed me, and said, 'What Jodie?"

"I gave a boy a four hundred fifty dollar tip!" I whisper-yelled, not wanting Mother to hear. She threw her book down immediately.

"Jodie you did what!" She yelled.

"Shhh, Mother might hear." Barbara was four years older than me, and yet we were extremely close. "There's this new boy who works at Jim's. I don't know, he looked like he could really use it. I've seen. He works from early morning to late night. No one knows him either, which means he's really poor or not from around here." I left out the part that I thought he was cute. Also that I've walked by Jim's ten times this week, alone, and not entering.

"So let me get this straight." Barbara said. "You Margaret Bush, may I remind you soon to be Nestor," She emphasized the Nestor bit. "Went to Jim's with your friends only to see a boy whom you thought looked rather poor. Then, paid this unknown, mystery boy four hundred fifty dollars, but even worse only in tip!" She breathed in loudly from talking so fast. "Do you even know his name Jo?"

"Pfff, of course I know his name. I am not that insane." Barbara rolled her eyes. She definitely knew I was in fact. "that insane." She motioned her hands for me to continue. "His name is Laurence." I only knew that not because he told me, but I had seen it on his name tag. "But he prefers to go by Larry."

I knew what she was getting at was correct. I was to be married in less than a year. Plus the fact that I have shared news of my engagement to anyone who wasn't family didn't look good alongside this.

"Well normally I would be excited, but Jo, you are to be betrothed." It was as though we had the same mind.

"Yea, yea i know." No more Larry. Oh goodness, for heaven's sake, I didn't even know the boy. He's not worth it. Not worth Mother making my life utterly miserable.

With that, I slowly and sadly returned to my room. Then I fell asleep.