Megan
“Wow, you’ve made real progress here,” Megan told her mom and Kendall after she got home from work on Thursday. “It almost looks like you’re ready for a garage sale.”
“I think Kendall is just about set,” said her mom. “Almost everything is priced. We’ve set aside the things that we think will fetch more on eBay.”
“And the ads are in the paper today and through the weekend,” said Megan.
“I have signs all ready to go,” said Kendall. “And, you’ll be pleased to hear that your mom helped me to pick out some clothes and shoes and things to sell too.”
“We put them on a special rack,” Mom explained to Megan.
“With a sign that says Designer Clothes,” added Kendall. “I don’t want anyone to think they can get my nice things for nothing.”
“Yes,” agreed Mom. “I told Kendall that if they don’t sell at her garage sale, I know of a nice consignment center that would be happy to take them.”
“There’s just one problem.” Kendall frowned, then looked sadly at Megan.
“What’s that?” Megan pretended to be more interested than she felt.
“I’ll be here all by my little lonesome,” said Kendall in a baby voice.
“So?” Megan shrugged.
“So, I thought maybe you could get off work around noon and come help me.” Kendall smiled hopefully.
“Yeah, right.” Megan shook her head. “I can’t even get time off for Maui. Do you honestly think I can get off for a garage sale?”
“I just thought maybe—”
“Sorry, Kendall.” Megan just shook her head, then went to her room.
She had barely closed the door when she heard someone knocking. Thinking it was Kendall coming to beg, she answered with a grumpy, “What?”
“It’s me,” said her mom.
“Sorry,” Megan opened the door. “What’s up?”
“I don’t want to intrude, but I just thought you could be a bit nicer to Kendall, Megan.”
“Why?”
“Well, for one thing, she’s pregnant and her feelings are a little unstable.” Mom sat down on the chair across from Megan’s bed.
“She told you about that?”
Her mom nodded somberly. “And it’s not easy for her.”
“Tell me about it.”
“For another thing, you did promise to help her with the garage sale. And it was your idea.”
“Yeah, my umpteenth idea for helping her to get out of debt. But does that mean I have to hold her hand through the whole thing?”
“Well, she is in a tough spot right now.”
Megan didn’t say anything. The truth was she didn’t really care.
“And you never know how God might be using you.”
Megan sighed. “Yeah, I know, Mom. But sometimes it’s hard. Kendall is so good at playing the poor little victim. And you know she’s the one who gets herself into these messes in the first place. I’ve already tried so hard with her.”
“I know. Kendall and I had a very nice little chat this afternoon.”
“About?”
“About the baby.”
“And?”
“And she said that you girls have been encouraging her not to get an abortion.”
Megan nodded and waited. Certainly her mother wasn’t going to fault her for doing that. Megan knew that her mother was as pro-life as she was.
“It seems that Kendall has been listening to you girls. You’ve been a good influence on her.”
“So, she’s not going to have an abortion?”
Mom shook her head. “No. She assured me that she’s not.”
Megan smiled. “Oh, that is a relief. Thanks.”
“But I still think she needs your encouragement.”
“But I can’t get off work tomorrow. I’m helping Vera with an install, and Cynthia is supposed to be back in the office and I just can’t get off. Okay?” For no really good reason, Megan felt close to tears. “I don’t know what I’m going to do about Lelani, Mom.”
“So you still haven’t gotten the okay from Cynthia then?”
“No.” Megan frowned then punched her pillow. “It’s just so unfair. I work really hard at a job I don’t even like and then they treat me like—”
“Have you prayed about it, Megan?”
“Yeah, but not a lot. I guess I’ve mostly been complaining about it.”
“Tell you what, I’ll be really praying about it too. I think it would be wonderful if you could go, Megan.”
“Wonderful enough to quit my job?”
Mom didn’t answer.
“I know, I know. The job market is tough right now.”
“Have you been checking out teaching jobs?”
“A little.”
“I’m sure it’ll all work out, Megan.” Mom stood now.
“Yeah, I’m sure it will too.” But, even as she said this, Megan wasn’t so sure. For all she knew she might be working at the design firm forever. And the idea of ordering overly expensive furniture and helping to hang ridiculous drapes that would be out of style by next year was not very appealing. Wasn’t her life supposed to have more meaning than this?
“If I wasn’t going to Victoria, I’d offer to help with Kendall,” Mom said as she opened the door.
“You’ve already done way more than enough, Mom.” Megan stood. “I’ll see what I can do about getting off work. For sure we’ll all be around to help during the weekend.”
Mom smiled. “Good. Because I think you were really right about having this garage sale. Between it and eBay and the consignment shop, Kendall stands to make a good deal of money. It should help out her finances considerably.”
“Only if she uses it to pay her bills.” Megan sighed.
“Well, hopefully you can help her with that too.”
Megan hugged her mom now. “If I don’t see you before you leave, have fun in Victoria.”
“Thanks, sweetie. And let me know what happens with work and Maui.”
“Even if Cynthia does let me go, I wonder if I can get a very good deal now.”
“Just call the travel agent as soon as you know. Hopefully tomorrow.”
“Hopefully.”
Shortly after Megan’s mom left, Lelani got home from work. Her first question to Megan was about going to Maui. “Did you get the week off?” she asked.
Megan explained her dilemma. “I don’t know why Cynthia’s being so difficult about it,” she told her. “But she’ll be in the office tomorrow and I plan to give her an ultimatum.”
“An ultimatum?”
“Yes. Because it’s taken her so long to get back to me, I’m going to tell her that if she doesn’t give me that week off, I’m walking.”
Lelani looked shocked. “Oh, Megan, don’t quit your job for me.”
“Why not? I don’t like it anyway. And that would motivate me to get a teaching job.”
“But what if you didn’t get hired?” Lelani looked truly worried now. “I’d feel like it was all my fault.”
Megan considered this. “Of course it wouldn’t be. I’m just so frustrated.”
Lelani kind of laughed, although her eyes looked unhappy. “Right now it looks like the boys and I are going to Maui.”
“The boys?” Megan knew that Gil had decided to go in case Megan wasn’t able to get off work. “Who else?”
“Edmond. Anna told me that he and Gil are going to share a room.” Lelani shook her head. “And now Anna is jealous.” She looked perplexed. “Do you think I should invite Anna to go?”
Megan wanted to say no way but knew that was selfish. “I don’t know, Lelani. If I don’t get to go, Anna might be good moral support for you.”
“Not as good as you, Megan. You really are my first choice.”
“Thanks.” Megan gave her a halfhearted smile. “But in the same way you’d feel lousy if you thought I was unemployed because of you, I’d feel terrible if you had to face down your parents alone because of me. Maybe you should ask Anna.”
Lelani seemed to consider this. “I suppose it would be nice for Edmond—and Gil—if Anna came. Even though she’s not you, she can be feisty when she needs to be.”
“I know she’d back you up, Lelani.”
She nodded. “Yeah. You’re probably right.”
“So if you want to ask her, I’ll totally understand.”
Lelani said she’d think about it. But Megan figured that was probably as far as it would go for now. She suspected Lelani would wait until the weekend to see if Megan had gotten the time off. Still, Megan was perplexed. Would it really be a mistake to quit her job if Cynthia turned her down? Wouldn’t it be a legitimate form of protest, considering how Cynthia had ignored her all week? She knew her mom was against it. And it seemed Lelani was too. Still, Megan was fed up. Just because she was trying to be a good Christian, did that give her bosses the right to treat her like dirt and walk all over her?