Bella chapter 4

After the meeting, Esme offers to take me looking for jobs. She has a job already, she's a waitress at one of the nearby restaurants, called The Blue Fish restaurant. She says I should apply there and I agree. We stop at a few places along the way, so that I can put in applications, just in case I don't get the job where she works.

She put in a good word for me at The Blue Fish. The manager, Mike, takes Esme's word and offers me a job on the spot. Of course, this Mike dude seems to be staring at my tits the whole time. Whatever, I need a job and I'm not interested in dating. I'm not even divorced yet. Even if I was ready to date, this Mike guy looks way too immature and totally not my type. Now that I think of it, I'm not sure what my type is. I know I don't want another "bad boy".

I can start training tomorrow and Esme promises to help train me. I have really become fond of Esme. She's almost old enough to be my mother, but she's young in spirit and in looks. She tells me that most people tip well here, so I should be able to get on my feet soon enough.

I'm a bit nervous because I've never worked and I'm pretty clumsy. Now I have to carry people's hot food and I really hope I do not spill food all over people. Esme assures me I'll do fine and reminds me that she had never had a job before either and she was twice my age, almost. I ease up a bit after she reminds me.

I go through the first few days of training, learning the menu items and following Esme around. I'm used to the shelter life now and honestly, it's way better than living with that asshole. I enjoy making my own money. I don't worry about James finding me at the shelter, because the shelter location is supposed to be a secret, there's no sign saying anything about it being a shelter at all. That's another rule in the shelter, tell NO ONE the location of the shelter. If you do, you are automatically kicked out.

I don't worry about James showing up at this restaurant, either. It's not his style. He prefers places like McDonalds and KFC. But, I do worry. I worry that I can't hide from him forever and I wonder what he'll say when he sees me again. Jacksonville Is huge, but if you live here long enough, you build connections and I'm sure one of his friends will see me and tip him off one day.

My week at the shelter is up today and I have to meet with Alice for a review. Esme told me that she was approved again for another week and hopes that I am, too. She says she's saving up for an apartment and if I want, we could be roommates. I agree with her on that. It would be way cheaper to have a roommate than my own place.

I sit down at the conference table with Alice. She's reading my folder.

She breaks the silence, "So, Bella, how is it going? I know you are working with Esme, she's said some good things about you. I knew she'd be a good roommate for you."

"Uh, yes. I am doing good and I'm enjoying my first job."

"That's great. Well, I haven't had any complaints about you. You and Esme have the cleanest rooms in the shelter and we hardly know you guys are here. I'm approving you for another week, if you need it" she chirps.

And relief. Whew. I thank her and leave to find Esme. We head off to work.

"So, Bella, the shelter is paying first month's rent and deposit, we should start looking at apartments soon" Esme looks really excited as she talks. "I can not wait to be able to decorate, we should find a place that allows us to paint!"

I nod mostly during the conversation. I serve tables with ease now. The Blue Star Fish is not a 5 star restaurant but it's a local favorite and has a banquet hall, so the tips are pretty good.

It's been three weeks and my life is starting to seem normal. I am enjoying the single life. There are ladies at the shelter who are already dating again. I'm just not ready for that. I'm not sure if I'll ever be ready to commit again.

I miss my Dad and I want to talk to him. I don't want to move back home, but I want to apologize. However, my pride stands in my way.

Esme and I go to look at rentals. We decide to look on craigslist in hopes to find a landlord that will allow painting. We find a 2 bedroom duplex for $600 a month in Arlington, which is just over the bridge from downtown. The bus ride is about 10 minutes and there's about a 10 minute walk to the bus stop. The duplex is less than a mile to the St John's River. It's old and outdated, but the owners only own that one duplex and tell us we can paint as we please! I know it was Esme's idea to paint, but I can't deny feeling a bit excited!

I think if you had to put a theme label on our decorations, it would be earthy. My room is painted in a sage color with dark browns and light grey accents. Esme's room is between a blue and a grey color with brown and blue accents. Our beds were donated to us by the shelter's thrift store. Alice and Rose made sure that we had beds to sleep on. They even arranged for the delivery.

While the shelter did pay the first month's rent and deposit, we still have a lot to buy for the house.
We decided on buying just one couch, since our house is pretty small and it's just the two of us. We buy a nice red couch, somehow I just knew that when Esme laid eyes on that red couch, she would buy it. It matched her pillows on her bed at the shelter. She says red is earthy, too. She's a good decorator and I trust her with it. We buy the kitchen essentials, but nothing fancy like a blender or a mixer yet. Those things can wait. Frying pans, baking pans and pots can not wait. Eating out is expensive and we both bring home only about $400 a week. I plan on buying something to drive soon.

I feel my confidence coming back. I know that I can do this. I walk down to the river and sit on the pier with my feet in the water. I watch the boats pass by and think of my father. He always went fishing on the weekends at this same river, just a different side of town. I sit and wonder if he misses me at all.