If At First

Part 15 - Chapter 14

But I couldn't possibly leave without Andy. And I couldn't take him with me, either. He came here in search of a solution, thinking I could somehow rescue him from the depths of his despair over Thumper. I had to help him first.

"Taaaa-bitha, there's a call for you in the kitchen!" Beverly called through the house. I could already hear my grandmother berating her for making so much noise. She didn't have much choice since my bedroom was on the third floor and so far removed from everything else in the house...and also because I was, at the moment, hiding in a closet. An intercom system of some sort might have been a wise investment during these extensive restoration projects. It would save Beverly some vocal exercise, anyway.

Because Nana not only had a problem with mobile phones but cordless as well, I was forced to come out of hiding and travel to the one Beverly answered instead of picking up a receiver and staying where I was. Of the two telephones in the house, one was in the kitchen. The other was in my grandmother's bedroom. And both had immensely long, twisted cords that might, if one were tempted to try, be able to stretch around the block.

"Hello?" I answered, picking up the receiver from the kitchen counter.

"Tabitha! It's me, Mira!" she sounded surprised to hear herself say so. "I was wondering if you'd come out with me, Ellie and Amanda to a movie tonight. It's that new one with that super-hot guy, and the chick? You know. That one we were telling you about at the tennis match, that Amanda's roommate, Lilly, has a part in where she gets killed in the beginning?"

I had no recollection whatsoever of that conversation. "Um, okay. I guess." I answered, frowning, and racking my brain.

"Oh, I knew you'd want to. I'll come with Reg to pick you up around nine. Bye-eeee!"

I hung up still trying to remember any conversations I had had about movies with Mira. And while I was already coming up with numerous reasons to back out, the phone rang again before my foot reached the bottom stair. Beverly was presumably tending to my grandmothers latest whim, so I answered it before her tirade of annoyance was fueled by the sound. It might have been Mira again anyway, changing her mind about the invitation.

"Theodore Residence," I said, picking up the phone.

"Oh, I'm sorry," a very prim voice answered, "I was looking for a Miss Bridian? Miss Tabitha Bridian? Do I have the wrong number?"

"No, this is Miss-... This is Tabitha Bridian."

"Oh good." The voice relaxed. "My name is Clarissa, I'm with Treane Realty, and I was told to contact you regarding your position with us this fall."

"Yes?" I felt a pang of anxiety mingled with relief. I'd been waiting for this call. I craved having some idea of what my next step would be, - maybe even what it should be -, and the anticipation of that weight being lifted was very nearly overwhelming. This call, this Clarissa, was about to answer which way the cards would fall.

"Mr. Treane would like you to begin in three weeks. You will be his personal assistant, and he will need you to be available to him twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. I understand you live in town?"

"Yes," The anxiety was starting to overcome the relief. A personal assistant? What kind of real estate guy needed an assistant twenty four hours a day? It was a good opportunity I supposed, but where would I find myself in five years? Or ten? Certainly this was not the vision I had in mind when I thought I was embracing my education. Would I end up one of those spinsters who never had time for a life because she married her job? Would I have to put my hair in a bun? Would I become bitter and jealous, and be really mean to my nieces and nephews? "Yes, I live in town. I'm just visiting my grandmother for the season. My home is Madison." I confirmed for both our sakes, trying to ground myself back in some sense of reality.