Lightning in a Bottle Chapter 2
"The Decision"
Tim's POV
'Jill, where are you going to at 7:30 in the morning?' I ask when I wake up and see that she's already gotten up, taken a shower, and is applying makeup.
'I'm going to talk to Dr. Lee. He's in town today to meet with me, and I'm going to tell him that I can't take the job' Jill replies.
'Jill, honey, I thought we talked about this already. We both agreed that it's just plain dumb for you not to take this job offer' I say.
'But it's even dumber for us to move and leave everybody we know here in Detroit. Not to mention the fact that the boys are less than enthusiastic about moving to Indiana. And have you ever been through Indiana? Every part of the state I've seen looks like it belongs in Dullsville. We're not moving and that's that. I've made up my mind' she counters. I must admit, she's got me on the boring thing.
'Jill, what are we going to do for income if we stay here? I can only put in so many hours down at the hardware store, and that won't pay well at all' I say.
'We can figure out something' she snaps and then walks out of the bedroom, her high heels whacking the floor hard.
'Bye' I shout.
That Evening
'I need to talk to you about this whole Indiana thing' Jill says as she sits down on the couch next to me.
'Why's that, couldn't you think of anything else for us to argue over?' I ask.
'Ha ha' she says sarcastically. 'No, in that interview today, something happened that changed my mind. Well, actually, it was before the interview. The secretary that was working here, at Dr. Lee's Detroit office, which, by the way doesn't have any openings, said that she's originally from Maine. When her husband lost his job and she lost hers, they tried staying in Maine. Long story short, they wound up filing for bankruptcy and had to get help from family and friends to get their lives back on track. I don't want that to happen to us. Then, I go into the interview, and Dr. Lee told me that there was a new opening that he was ready to give me that would pay twice as much as the original offer. I think our future is in Indiana' I explain.
'That's great! It really is. Oh, and we got a letter in the mail today. This following Tuesday, Randy will be back from Costa Rica. We're supposed to be at the airport at 1:30 in the afternoon, which I guess both of us unemployed people can manage' I say.
'Has it only been eight months since he first went over there? It seems like about eight decades' Jill says.
'I know. There's so much to catch him up on' I say. I think as far as everyone is concerned, next Tuesday can't come fast enough.
Next Tuesday
'They're late. The plane isn't coming. Something happened and the plane isn't coming' Jill says, jumping to conclusions.
'Jill, the plane was supposed to be here at 1:30. It's 1:32 right now. They'll be here' I assure her. Before I can even finish the sentence, a large group of well tanned teenagers carrying luggage come walking down the corridor. Randy is in the middle of the pack.
Jill runs toward the group, and nearly knocks over several of the teenagers in the process of getting to Randy. I follow her over, only in a calmer way.
'We missed you so much, Randy! How was it over there? Did you have fun? How was the plane ride? If you're tired, that's alright. Jet lag is perfectly natural' Jill says, and keeps on saying. Come to think of it, there are times when I'm embarrassed to be with Jill in public.
'Randy, we have so much to tell you' I say when Jill finally gives him enough space to move.
On the way home in the car, we talked about everything that had happened since he left to return to Costa Rica last December. Me losing my job, Brad's knee injury, Jill's surgery, and Jill getting the job offer in Indiana. He absorbs it all fairly well, with the sole exception being the news about us moving to Indiana. I was afraid something like this would happen. All this will do is fuel Jill's doubts, even if she has finally decided we need to move.
'Hey Randy, can I talk to you alone for a minute?' I ask when we get home and Jill has gone in the house.
'Yeah. What about?' he asks.
'About us moving to Indiana. Your mom and I have been agonizing over this decision for the past week. Neither one of us really wants to move to Indiana, but we don't have a choice. If we stay here, we won't be able to make ends meet. I finally managed to convince her that staying here is hopeless. I know it is hard on you, but if you aren't supportive, your mom will change her mind' I say.
'Dad, I understand where you're coming from here, but I still don't like the move any better. Don't get me wrong though, I'll go along with this and be supportive' he says.
'I never imagined leaving this house' he mumbles to himself as he walks away. I should've known something like this would happen. Things were going too well.
A/N: Okay, so this story is finally back. I've been trying to update this one, but I've given priority to the ones that haven't been updated since May or even April.
Hoped you enjoyed the chapter! Please R&R if you did.
Thanks for reading.
-Yours truly, Randy Taylor