Chapter 2: Lima, Ohio
After long hours of trip, I'm finally here. Back to where my life started and probably end in, I don't know. About 3? 4 days? I never thought I'd be back in this city. My things are finally being brought down. I saw Emma, the caretaker, welcoming me. We really don't know each other much but she and my mom were pretty tight. She approached me with a big hug saying I look like a "Young Judy Fabray".
"It's so nice to see you, Quinn. Can I call you Quinn? Of course I can. But if you want, I can call you Lucy? Hahaha! Just kidding dear. I like Quinn. It sounds royalty!" Emma said.
"Ooooooookkaaayyy.. Well, it's been awhile since I've been here. Same old place. Nothing's really changed..." I replied
"Well, yeah. Your mom didn't want me to change the look. She said, she wants you to design it yourself. I'm here to help you sweetie. I promised your mom to take good care of you." She said with a smile on her face.
"Thank you but I think I'm old enough to take care of my self." I answered.
"Whatever you say dear. No one's ever too old to have someone taking care of them. And besides, have you heard of the phrase "A promise is a promise"? I love your mom too much to break that."
"Yeah. A promise is a promise. I've heard too many promises broken ever since I was born. Not really a fan that phrase." I stubbornly said.
"Dear, if there's still tomorrow to make a promise come true, it might just happen in unexpected situations. Have a little faith." She said with a wink.
I didn't argue with her statement anymore. Guess I was too tired to respond but what she said didn't leave my mind that easily. I didn't want to think about it but it keeps crossing my mind.
x
After fixing everything in the house, it was finally evening. I didn't want to go out or anything so I just asked Emma to cook something for us to eat. It wouldn't hurt to try some homemade food that wasn't made by my mom. I guess she's not that evil to put poison in my food. I mean, I trust her somehow. She hasn't stolen anything from this house. Everything is right where they were when we left Lima. I guess it's time to know her more during dinner.
I was fixing my clothes in my old room. Yep, it still looked the same. Like a Queen Bitch Cheerleader still owned the room. I don't have the energy thought to redesign the place so I just left the room the way it was.
"Quinn dear! Dinner's ready!" Emma called.
I went downstairs to find really seductive food. I can feel it calling my stomach. Roasted chicken with mashed potato and some salad that looks really delicious.
"Uhh, Emma. Where'd you get all these? I don't remember giving you money to buy ingredients to make good looking food like this."
"Well, I've prepared that ever since I got your message about coming back. Your mom has been giving me monthly allowances to deal with expenses. I really didn't need big amount of money since I like to save. So, I opened a bank account to save the remaining cash for future emergency. Luckily, the emergency was your dinner. Cmon now. Let's eat." Emma explained.
"Thank you so much Emma. For everything. I mean, my family really owes you. You're really nice."
"Oh, non-sense dear. It's for you so it's alright. Would you like juice or water?"
"Water would be fine. Thank you. Please, eat with me."
"I guess I will. I mean, this is the only food I prepared. Hahaha... So how are you after.. you know, what happened?"
"Well, I guess I've been good. I mean, I miss Mom. But I know she's in a better place now." I smiled with light tears in my eyes.
"She'll be happy to see you smile again. I'm just so sad I didn't see her on her last days. Well, I guess we should just talk about the happy things right? What are your plans here in Lima now?" she asked.
"I'm thinking of starting a studio here. I studied Photography in New Haven so that might work for me. I just don't know when, where and how."
"Starting a business takes a really long time but you'll get there. How about reunions? With old buddies?"
"Not really thinking about those things right now. I'd rather look forward than check what's behind me."
"Oh. Sounds like someone's been hiding from the past."
"Oh. Not really." I didn't know what to say so I tried thinking of a new topic.
"So, how old are you again, Emma?" I asked.
"I turn 61 in 2 months. I share the same birthday as Russel. June 21st."
"Well, I don't want to talk about him or whoever that is. This place reminds me enough of him, it would be too much to hear his name." I said annoyingly.
"I'm sorry for bringing it up dear. I wouldn't wanna ruin your first night back home." Emma said, sorrily.
"It's okay. Well, I feel tired right now so I guess I'll go sleep now."
"Alright dear. Have a good night!" She said as she cleaned the plates.
"Goodnight too."
xxxxxxxxx
I woke up with the light of the sun hitting my face. I checked the clock and it was 9:00am. Too early for a Quinn Fabray Summer Vacation but not too early for a Quinn Fabray who needs to figure out how to start a job. I took a shower and dressed casually. I went downstairs to see Emma cooking breakfast. I inhaled deeply knowing that she knows something about me. BACON. I smell the sweet taste of bacon.
"You're up early. Here, have some breakfast." Emma said.
"Thank you cooking bacon. They're my favorite."
"I know. I used to cook some for Frannie when she was young."
"You met Frannie?" I asked curiously.
"Yes. I used to take care of her when she was still young. Not only did I took care of your house. I also took care of your family."
"Can you tell me why I didn't see you when I was young?"
"Well, I left when Frannie was about 6 years old. You were still in your mother's womb. About 7 months. But then I had to leave. I went back to my family in Toronto for some reasons. I wanted to see you being born but I had to leave."
I saw light tears in Emma's eyes so I didn't bother to ask the reason behind it.
"Well, you have me to yourself now. At least we can get to know each other but you might have a hard time taking care of me. I'm not a little Quinn anymore."
"I'd take care of you either way dear. I consider you family." Emma said with a smile on her face.
"Thank you, Emma. I better get going now. Gotta run some errands before the day ends."
"Alright, dear. You take care of yourself." She said as I waved goodbye.
xxxxxx
Driving around Lima isn't that bad especially when you have the greatest hits of the Beatles on replay. I need to find an open space to start my studio and maybe find some crew to help me with. I drove every place I can to look for a place until I stopped at this school. It looks very familiar yet i don't think there's still a place for it in my heart to fit in. William Mckinley High School. I stared at it as I recall my high school days. Some fun times. But some horrible days. I didn't want to start a flashback and have people see me staring at a school like I'm about to burn it. I moved a little forward as I saw a space with 3 people moving out. It was kind of empty. It looks like they were trying to close the used-to-be store so I immediately went down from my car to ask about the place.
"Hi." I approached the guy in front of the place. A really good looking guy with a nice body.
"Hey." He replied.
"So, you guys moving out? Or moving in?" I asked.
"Moving out. We moving to a bigger place. Are you a customer?"
"Uh, no. Actually, I'm looking for a place to start a studio. Is the place for sale?"
"Yeah. It is. A studio huh? For what?" He asked with smirk.
"For photography. I'm a photographer and I wanted to start my own studio. You know, to have a job." I answered with a smile.
"Oh cool. Photography is nice."
I nodded and smiled. We had an awkward moment for 3 seconds when I asked...
"So, who should I talk to about buying the space?"
"Oh. Uh, yeah. Well, I'll call my dad about it. Wait here." He said.
He went back with his dad and we talked for a while about the place. We exchanged calling cards to work on business some other time since they were just moving out of the place. His dad left and I was about to leave when the owner's son asked me...
"Hey. Uhm, I haven't actually known your name. I'm Jacob. Jacob Adams." he said as he extended his hand.
"It was nice to meet you, Jacob." I shook his hand and went to my car.
"Aren't you gonna say your name?" He hurriedly asked with a puppy look on his face.
I just smiled at him and went inside my car. A smile from Quinn Fabray is enough to let him know that it won't be that easy to have a Lima boy know about me.
xxxxxx
I was driving home from a successful day when I decided to drop by a grocery store. I knew I wanted to bake fresh chocolate chip cookies when the morning comes and I'm not sure if Emma has ingredients at home. I went inside the grocery store to look for the things I need. I went through every aisle to make sure I don't miss a thing when I almost bump into a woman holding a baby. I didn't hit her but it was almost close to hitting her.
"Oh God. I'm really sorry I didn't mean to. I..-"
"Quinn? Quinn Fabray?" asked the familiar asian girl holding the baby.
"Ti..Tina? Tina Cohen-Chang?" I asked surprisingly.
"Oh my Gosh. You've returned! I haven't seen you since forever!" Tina almost screamed as she hugged me.
"Yeah. I just got back to Lima." I hugged her back with a shocked face. "It looks like someone's been busy with major business." I smirked at her as I looked at the baby.
"Well, yeah. It's a really long story. But yes, it's Mike's." She said with a smile on her face. "What are you doing back here? I thought you were gonna hide from Lima forever! I bet New Haven's wonderful." She added.
"Same as your reason. It's a really long story." I answered laughing. "New Haven's wonderful but nothing says home like Lima, Ohio." I said, not wanting to let her know about my life-long hate about Lima.
"Well, I hope we could catch up some time. We, Glee kids, still meet each other every 2nd and 4th Friday of the month. Well, except for Rachel and Kurt. They're pretty much successful in New York now but they visit every holiday. You should join us next week!" she invited me excitedly.
I wanted to say NO at first but this is Tina. The emotional Tina. I couldn't say no and hear her cry with the baby at the grocery store.
"I'll try. I'm still adjusting with the Lima life now. I'm still starting my studio here in Lima. I just got space actually this afternoon. So... I'll update you if I can." I said with a smile trying to hide the nervousness.
"Okay, I'll contact you. Give me your number so that I can text you the details." she extended her phone so I had no choice but to enter my number.
"Thank you! Keep me posted Quinn! It was really good to see you! I gotta go now. Mike Jr. and I need to be home by 7pm to prepare dinner. I'll talk to you soon!" she said as she left.
I knew I should have just ordered a cake. Cookie baking is a sign of bad luck. Now, they now I'm in town. I thought to myself.
I got home at around 7:30pm when I saw dinner waiting for me.
"Long day, dear?" Emma asked.
"Pretty much. Yeah. I found a space, actually. The owner and I meet the day after tomorrow for paper signing and all." I said.
"Wow. You must be really lucky to find a spot so quick!" Emma said as she poured my glass some water.
Dinner was quiet that night. She might have sensed that I was tired. I went upstairs to my room as I prepare for bed. I lied down thinking about my encounter with Tina. It wasn't that bad after all. Meeting an old friend. Maybe I should go to the get together next week. I don't know. After a minute or so, I found myself wandering in dreamland from a tiring but successful day.
xxxxxxx
It was finally Thursday. The day I get to sign the papers for my studio. Am I ready? Heck yeah I am! I got up at around 8am to prepare. We were going to meet at a coffee shop named "Coffee and Cakes" at around 9:30am. I asked Emma to cook breakfast just for herself since I was leaving for a breakfast meeting. I arrived at the shop exactly 9:30am. Still no sign of Mr. Adams. A few minutes later, he arrives with his son, Jacob. Can someone tell me why I remembered his name? Anyway, it was only Mr. Adams who sat down. Jacob went to the counter of the store. Seems like the boy works here as a coffee maker or whatever it's called.
"Yeah, he works here. Part time. We're still on hold with our appliance store at the new space. Still working on some things so he decided to work here for 3 months. Such a hardworking boy." Mr. Adams said as he noticed me looking at Jacob when he went to the counter.
"Oh. That's nice. You must be lucky. Should we order now?" I was about to raise my hand and ask for the waiter when Mr. Adams interrupted me.
"No, no. I got this. You should try their special coffee. It's really good. Jacob will serve it in a few." He said. "It's for free." He added a whisper as he smiled at me.
"Oh. Thank you for that Mr. Adams." I said smiling.
"Please, call me Bill. I don't wanna sound that professional and serious." He said laughing so I smiled back.
"Special coffee with extra cream of the best dad. And another special coffee...for Quinn." Jacob said with a wink. I didn't expect that. I guess, he already knows my name from the calling card I gave his dad.
"Thank you." I said with a simple smile.
Business was discussed for that past hour and papers were finally signed. The deal's closed and the space is mine. I finally have a studio. All I need now is a crew. I already have a set of equipment that I used when I was still studying. You need those things even when you're just studying. My mom helped me buy those during my Yale days. Photography is a really expensive passion.
It's just a small studio so I don't really need much crew. Maybe 2 helpers and a security guard will be fine. A called an agency to find a safe and reliable security guard for my studio. They said to keep in touch with them for a week so they can refer to me the best. One crew down, 2 more to go. I never expected to have this quick progress. I guess, I'm getting lucky in Lima.
xxxx
It was Sunday and I woke up not wanting to think of work. I'm trying to think of what I'll do for the day. Maybe I should buy paint? I really need to start fixing the studio. I went to the shower to prepare myself for the day. I knew I needed help but I don't know who to ask. I guess, I'll buy paint first then I'll look for some help. I walked inside the paint store to find some really nice colors when I saw good ol' Lauren Zizes.
"Look who just went back to Lima, Ohio. Lucy Quinn Fabray! How are you girlfriend?" Lauren asked
"Wow. I didn't expect to see you, Lauren. I'm good. Looking for some paint. You know." I didn't expect to see another old friend today. What is happening? Why do they keep showing up?
"Obviously! Unless you're here to visit Lauren Zizes!" she said.
"What?" I asked. Clearly confused of her statement.
"Duh. The name of the store is Zizes Paint Store! I don't think there's anymore Zizes family in town unless they're related to me. Well, c'mon. I'll help you look for paint. I'll give you 30% discount!" Lauren said as she swing her arm around me and led me to the paints.
"Thank you. Guess I'm lucky to be in Zizes Paint Store. Family business?" I said laughing.
"Yeah. My dad owns it but he's passing it on to my older brother, Larry. They're really passionate about paints and I'm not. I'm more of a numbers girl you know. And I do love me so money holding business." Lauren explained.
DING! That just gave me an idea. "Hey, Lauren. Would you like to be a treasurer for my studio? You know. You can handle the transactions and stuff. That is, if you don't have a job yet and you want it." I asked her hoping to get 2 crews down.
"Really? A studio? That's nice! I would love to! Count me in! And for that, I'll give you 40% discount on all paints!" Lauren offered.
"Wow! That's too much, but thank you. Glad to have you on board." I said as we walked through the different colors of paint.
"So, any colors you like? Green and Blue are really on top this season. But nothing says than a photography studio than Black and Red. It gives you some seriousness and boldness." Lauren shared.
"I think, I'll look around and see if something catches my eye." I answered.
After a few minutes of looking, I decided to stay with a white background first. I think I'll have to think about the rest in a couple of days. There's too many I want. We were about to approach the counter when Lauren said...
"Are you going to the Glee guys get together this Friday? Me and Puck are going. Everyone would be happy to see you!"
"I... I still don't know. I still have to fix some schedule. But wait? You and Puck? You're back together?" I asked laughing.
"Yeah. Sorry, Lucy but I kind of been with the Puckster for about 2 years now. It's really serious now and I bet I'm the only girl who gets to boss around Puckerman...and he likes it very much!" Lauren said smiling.
"Nah, it's cool. I'm happy for you guys. You look really badass together. And I guess, it's a good thing for Puck to have a boss and not BE the boss. It brings out the baby in him." I said as we laughed together.
The day ended as me and Lauren kept in touch. We really became close even just for a couple of hours. We're really excited to be working together. 2 down, 1 to go. Work wasn't much of my problem when I got home. Lying down on the bed, the thought that kept crossing my mind was the get together in 5 days. Tina has been texting me ever since the day we bumped into each other. I'm still not sure about going but after seeing 2 old friends, I think I'm good. I guess, I'll think about it tomorrow when I wake up. Time to start a new week in Lima. So far, it's been good to be back.
CHAPTER 2 DONE! IS IT LONG? HEHEHE. SORRY BUT BE EXCITED FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER. WE GET BACK THE OLD GANG, AND OF COURSE THE MUCH AWAITED TROUTY MOUTH! THANKS FOR READING! PLEASE COMMENT AND ALL! THANKS! :D
