summer daze

Ricki couldn't cope. Not with the job, anyway. She missed the baby so much. She felt awful being away from her. She hadn't lasted with those polka people a week. She'd packed it in. Yes, she was certain her true calling was a homebody now.

However, she found herself wanting to bad mouth Topher at every turn when it was just her and baby Jewel. She hoped Jewel's first word wouldn't be butthead. Still she was attached to Jewel every step of the way. Jewel stayed in her baby backpack a good portion of the day.

Although, the baby was like lead and Ricki felt her arms aching. Cleaning the kitchen could be back breaking.

She'd gotten Jewel out of the contraption and was now making happy faces at her, and talking nonstop with the baby. It seemed a mother's work was never done. She was sure Topher would think she was crazy, but she really wanted Jewel to be expressive. Some day.

The backdoor opened, but it wasn't Topher. It was Lena and Dorian. They'd gone for a run. He raced upstairs to take a shower while Lena hung back to find something to drink in the fridge.

"God, I'm starving," she said she wasn't a runner, and it was hard to keep up with Dorian.

"So that's how he keeps that girlish figure of his." Ricki shrugged as she showed Lena where the cereal was and there were even some cold boiled eggs in the fridge, if she wanted.

Lena settled for juice and a bowl of cornflakes.

"I'm probably holding him back." Lena sighed as she ate a spoonful of cereal. "From everything."

"He seems happy." Ricki smiled. She held Jewel where she could watch Lena eat. "You must be doing something right."

"Well, he probably can't wait to get rid of me, but I hate the thought of going home, too." She seemed a little down as her thick hair slipped from her floppy ponytail.

"Why's that?" Ricki wanted to know.

"I live in a small town. I have to take a bus to get there, which will be like an all day thing. And then..well, I'm bound to run into him, sooner or later. I just don't want too."

Ricki nodded, guessing who ever HE was, was bad news.

She finished off the bowel of cereal, and went to wash the bowl and rinsed it. Seriously, she was a very good housemate. Ricki did hate to see her go.

"I kind of thought I faced my fears, last year. Going with Eli and Dorian to this Halloween party." She leaned against the kitchen counter in a pair of Dorian's dark sweat pants. She was wearing one of his Tee-shirts too. "I met this guy, and he was so drunk. Maybe he was high. All I could think of was..Mario." She shook her head, miserably. "He got me drunk at prom and it could have been worse. Thankfully, I threw up on him, before anything bad could happen."

Her smile was a little weak, but she nursed on her juice at the table then.

"I heard he got married," Lena said. "Three months after he took me to prom. I think he has kid by now and another on the way. I feel so bad for his wife. I mean, if he was the same way with her, like he was with me...I know I wouldn't want that life."

"Maybe, you could just stay here. You know, maybe you could get on at the coffee shop." Ricki was optimistic as she held on to the baby.

"I never had a job before." She looked a little blue. "I mean, don't go thinking I'm some poor little rich girl. I'm not. Its always been my mom and me. She's a nurse and she always wanted me to work hard with my studies. That was my job, according to her."

"Sounds like you have a great Mom." Ricki told her.

"Yeah, I just wish I could really talk to her." Lena shrugged.

Ricki thought it best to change the subject. Best to think positive. Ricki mentioned a huge yard sale that was in a little town not so far away. "The whole town is on sale. We should go." Ricki wasn't sure how Lena felt about a town wide yard sale, but Ricki had always wanted to go, and she wasn't waiting for Topher to take her.