Also Late Thursday Morning, February 19th.
Putnam Street, Zanesville, Ohio
“Why didn’t you go to work?” Jamie asked me, her tone hinting at her irritation with me.
“I called in and talked to Gianni. They have enough bread and rolls to get them through today at the restaurant and they don’t have any catering today so they can handle the bake for the store runs tomorrow.”
“Are you going in tomorrow?”
“Yes, of course. They’ll need lots of bread and pastry for the weekend.”
Jamie smiled then. “I’m off today, you know. You planned this, didn’t you?”
“Um, no. Why?”
“Then why even call off?” She was back to the irritated tone again.
“I just don’t feel up to going in, is all. I feel so bad about Katie and now Jef, and...”
Her face fell at my explanation and then she stuck her lip out in a pout.
“Why?” I asked her again after taking note of the look she was giving me. “Were you wanting to do something today or something?”
“We’re both off Hannah. We should go out and have a little fun or, I don’t know, let’s see, roll around in bed with both of those guys gone.” She waved a hand back over her shoulder toward our housemates’ room.
I sighed. “I suppose we can go and do something but, it’s cold and, well...”
“And you don’t feel like it. All you want to do is mope around, I know, I know. It’s all about Katie and that baby with you!”
“That isn’t fair Jamie! Katie’s dead.”
She took a deep breath and tilted her head to the ceiling as she let it out slowly. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. It’s just, I feel like there hasn’t been any time for us to just go and have fun in a couple of months now and...”
“You mean ever since Katie moved in, just admit it. You never liked her or wanted her around.”
“That’s not true! I just...I just...look, I felt bad for her, I really did but she wasn’t actually our responsibility to begin with Hannah; can’t you see that?”
“And just what was she supposed to do? Did you want her living out on the street somewhere? God help us all that you were a little inconvenienced.” I normally didn’t get very angry but I just couldn’t believe what I was hearing. She must have realized I was about to seriously lose my temper with her because she suddenly backed off, literally taking a couple of steps back away from me.
Speaking much more softly, she pleaded, “I’m going to go in and get a shower and get dressed. After that, why don’t we go and grab lunch somewhere and then maybe just hang out and forget all of this for a little while; at least until you need to go to class?”
That’s when I dropped a bomb on our relationship. “I’m not going to class today either. In fact, I decided I’m dropping out, at least, for now. Maybe I’ll go back next semester. Maybe not.”
“What?” She was shouting again and spewed out a whole bunch of indignant crap at me but I tuned it out. I just didn’t want to listen. I grabbed my coat off its hook on the back of the door, picked up my car keys and announced I was going out. I left her standing there in her pajama’s.