Genesis

CHAPTER 15 You Can't Do That

One week into school and my life had become rote. Ty picked me up each morning and brought me home afterward. I'd do my homework, start dinner, eat with the family, and Ty came over at 7:30. This was a comfortable routine, but it was also boring. I decided I needed a job. Sure, whenever I was with Ty, he insisted on paying for everything, but I wanted my own money and something besides him to take up my free time. Although I would never admit it to her, I was starting to think my mother might be right about spending all my time with him. "Absence makes the heart grow fonder," she would say with a hint of I'm just saying in her tone.

When I mentioned it to Ty while driving home from school, his response was unexpected. "Why would you want to work when I can give you everything you want?"

"Are you serious?" I asked, surprised. I suddenly felt like a housewife from the fifties.

"Yes. I am serious. If you get a job, that will take time away from us," he stated matter-of-factly. "You can't get a job."

I hardly knew what to say. He was obviously unaware of my uncontrollable compulsion to do the exact opposite of any unreasonable command given me. I could feel my whole body stiffen with resentment, and I sat silently for the remainder of the ride home, resolving to get the first job I could find.

When he pulled in to his usual spot in my driveway, I looked straight ahead and said icily, "I don't want you to come over today."

I felt his stare, but I refused to make eye contact, knowing the undeniable power he could have over me.

I sat there for a long moment, giving him ample opportunity to make this right, but he said nothing. I hmphed softly and shook my head as I collected my books and my purse from the floor and reached for the door handle. He grabbed my left arm too tightly. I turned my head and looked at him defiantly, saying nothing. He let go. As soon as I had closed the door, he slammed the Ferrari into reverse and peeled out of the driveway. I was thankful that my mother was at work and the school bus hadn't dropped off the kids yet. Axl ran to greet me, excited as always that I was finally home, the commotion not seeming to bother him.

On my way to the front door, I picked up the newspaper that was thrown close enough to the porch stairs, anxious to see if there were any part-time jobs available for which I was qualified. I sprinted up the stairs to my bedroom, dropped my stuff near the bottom of my bed and flopped down hard on the soft mattress. I reached over to the nightstand and attached my phone to the dock, pressed shuffle, and, as I quickly found the page of want ads in the thin paper, the drama of a few minutes ago replayed in my mind.

Who did he think he was telling me I couldn't get a job? I scanned the meager listings hoping to find something that I could apply for today just to spite him, all the while realizing how immature I was being. But I couldn't help myself. I was so angry. If he thought I was the kind of girl who would just follow where he led and be happy that he was taking care of me, he didn't know me at all.

And then I saw it. "Part-Time Help Wanted at Local Nursery, Afternoons & Weekends. Apply in Person". "Perfect!" I said out loud. I jumped up and ran to the bathroom to floss and brush my teeth and run my fingers through my hair. With newspaper in hand, I flew down the stairs and out the door. I had barely driven my car since I started dating Ty and it took me a second to reacquaint myself with the interior. I glanced at the ad again, looking for the address, and realized that I must have driven by the place many times but had somehow overlooked it. Truth be told, the thought of working outside did not appeal to me at all, especially in Georgia, when it was ninety degrees in the shade for months on end. But I was determined to get a job and my options in Eden were limited.