Page 50 of Lock 'em Down

While Dad is more of the strong and silent type, I like to send him funny memes and reels just for shits and giggles. Every now and then, he’ll send one my way too.

The screen door closes and a few minutes later, Mom’s voice floats outside as she chats with my dad. They’ll be on the phone for a bit, catching up on their days.

I sigh and pull my phone out of my pocket. It’s nearly seven PM and still, no word from Cami.

If I don’t hear from her in an hour, I’ll pass by with Mom’s banana bread. It’s a good excuse, a thoughtful gesture, and hopefully, another step forward in getting my wife to trust me.

Thirteen

Cami

“You never texted after your date,” Jenna accuses as I unlock the door to my apartment.

“I was exhausted,” I say by way of apology. “Yesterday was busy getting ready for today. Don’t you want to hear about my first day of work?”

The door closes behind me and I lock it before toeing off my heels. Ah, that feels better. As my toes sink into the runner that leads from the foyer to the kitchen, I shrug out of the blazer I wore for my first day of work.

My look was professional and polished. A navy skirt suit with a white button-down shirt and nude heels.

You only have one chance to make a favorable first impression. Mom’s voice rings in my ears.

“Not as much as I want to hear about Leif. Were you exhausted because your husband kept you up late?” Jenna asks and I don’t miss the thread of hope in her tone.

I snort. “No. He dropped me at my doorstep and kissed me good night like a gentleman at a very respectable hour.”

I move to the fridge and pull out an apple.

“Ugh, boring. Then, why are you so tired?”

“I can’t sleep,” I admit. I wrinkle my nose as I tell her the truth. “I was nervous about today.”

“How’d it go?” Jenna gentles her tone.

“Good. I mean, the job is going to be a snooze fest but also, not too difficult. The coworkers I met are nice. Friendly. A few of them—two guys and a woman—took me out for drinks afterwards.”

“That’s nice! Cam, at my first day of work, I took coffee orders and spent an absurd number of hours reading through the HR manual.”

I chuckle. “This was way better than that.”

“So, you feel better about it?”

I nod, glancing at the stack of sketchbooks I pulled out last night after my date with Leif. Rattled, nervous, and confused, I was up late sketching. Drawing all the things I can’t put into words. But drawing has always been therapeutic for me. Give me a pencil and a blank piece of paper and I can create something with all the feelings that bottle up inside. From all the thoughts I’m not sure how to express or share. “Yeah,” I tell Jenna.

“Good! I’m glad you met some new people today.”

“Me too. The woman, Maria, is really nice. She’s older and has a two-year-old daughter. Her husband is in the National Guard and is deployed for the next six months.”

“Wow. That must be tough.”

“Right? But her mom is staying with her, so she has the extra support to focus on her career. She became a certified CPA a few months ago.”

“What about the guys?” Jenna asks.

“Tarek and Sam,” I mention my male coworkers. “Seem like good guys. No red flags.”

Jenna snorts. “Glad you got all of that from a few drinks.”

I shrug. “It felt good. Normal. Like a regular thing to do.”

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