Chapter 4
"Don't run, guys. Remember, this isn't our apartment," Abby said. She sighed and put her feet up on the table.
It had been a long day. Job hunting from eight to eight, and still nothing. But really, she knew she couldn't expect anyone to hire her in the next few days.
She had applied for several nanny positions. She realized that, if she was a nanny, she would not only have a place to live but she also wouldn't have to pay for daycare. And she would get to spend a lot more time with her kids. The more she thought about it, the better being a nanny sounded.
But most people were looking for someone with more experience. They didn't want someone who had been a nurse all her life watching their kids. So once again, she had come up empty.
Riley ran into the living room, with Jill right behind him. "Help me, Mommy, a bear's after me!" With his head turned talking to Abby, he ran into an end table and knocked it over.
"Stop it! I told you guys to stop running!" Abby yelled, going over to pick up the end table.
"I'm sorry, Mommy," Riley said, his lower lip trembling.
Abby sighed. "Look guys, if we mess anything up in Miss Carol's apartment, I'm gonna have to pay for it, okay? So we have to be extra careful."
The twins nodded. "Okay," they said.
Abby was stacking the papers that had fallen off the table when something caught her eye. A slip of paper that said, Tell Abby her brother called. There was a phone number under the message.
Abby's jaw dropped. Eric had called? She hadn't heard from him in years! She wondered if he was doing okay. She had given him her neighbor's number just in case, because her phone had been cut off several times.
Picking up the phone, she dialed the number on the paper. She wondered how old the message was. It wasn't dated. She noticed the number had a Chicago area code. What was Eric doing in Chicago?
The phone rang several times before anyone answered it. Finally, it was picked up, and a groggy voice said, "Hello?"
"Eric?" she asked tentatively.
There was a pause, then, "Who is this?" in a clearer voice.
Now Abby was sure it was him. "It's me; you know, your sister?"
"Abby! It's great to hear from you! I called your neighbor like a week ago. I was starting to worry about you."
Abby laughed, because the words sounded so strange coming out of his mouth. It was usually she who said that.
"How're you doing, Eric?"
She could hear him grinning over the phone. "You'll never guess what happened to me."
"What?"
"Guess!"
"Just tell me!"
"Okay, okay, you win. I won the lottery!"
"Are you serious?"
"Yeah! Isn't that great?"
"How much did you win?"
"Fifty grand! I came to tell you, but you don't live here anymore!"
"Eric, I moved four years ago. I told you, remember?"
"Nah, not really. Anyway, I thought the four of us could go out and celebrate or something! It's been so long since I've seen the twins. How old are they now?"
"Almost four."
"Wow! Times flies, huh? So, why don't you c'mon home, and we can go party or something!"
Abby smiled. "That sounds great, Eric. But you know, I just lost my job. I don't think this is really a good time for me to be taking a vacation."
"Oh." Eric was silent for a moment. Then, "Well, now there's no reason you can't come to Chicago! You can get a job here! So come stay with me! C'mon, it'll be fun! I won forty grand; we can all live off that for a year!"
"Eric, I'm not going to freeload off you-"
"Abby, I don't mind," Eric said in a serious voice. "I mean, after all you've done for me, it's the least I can do. I really think it would be nice. I'm tired of living by myself. Besides, I miss you. You're the only family I have, and I haven't seen you in what- three years? I want us to get to know each other again."
"I'd really like that, Eric. What are you doing now?"
"Oh, this and that. I'm giving flying lessons three days a week now."
"You're giving lessons? You just learned how to fly a plane five years ago!"
"What can I say? I'm a pro," Eric bragged. Abby laughed, and he joined in. It was so nice to be talking to him again, so nice to hear him doing something with his life.
"So will you come? I have an apartment big enough for all of us. C'mon, please?" he begged.
Abby smiled. Maybe this was the answer she had been looking for. "Okay, but as soon as I get a job I'll pay you back for everything, okay?"
"You don't have to do that, Abby."
"I know, but I want to."
"Well, okay. When are you coming?"
"I'm house-sitting right now, but I'll be done in two days."
"Okay so I can expect you Wednesday?"
"Better make it Thursday. I'm coming by car." She had no idea what she would use to pay for gas, but she would figure something out.
"Okay, great. I'll have everything ready by then."
"Okay."
"I can't wait to see you."
"Me neither."
"Gosh, we have a lot to catch up on, don't we? But I guess we can catch up on that when you get here, can't we?"
"Yeah. It'll be fun."
"Yeah. I'll see you Thursday, okay?"
"Okay. Bye."
"Bye."
Abby hung the phone up slowly. That couldn't have really happened. Just like that, her problems were solved. She could live with Eric until she found a job. She couldn't believe that this had actually happened. The timing seemed like some kind of fairy tale.
But it was real. Eric had offered to let her live with him until she could find work. Her kids would be safe, and she wouldn't even have to think about Carter. She didn't really like the idea of moving back to Chicago, but maybe she could still apply for jobs here. She had no idea how she would go in for an interview, though.
But for now, her problems were solved. She wouldn't have to worry about being put out on the street, or going to a homeless shelter. She had a place to live. Now all she needed was enough gas money to get her all the way to Chicago...