Page 68 of Strangely Normal

“Hi, I’m Eden.”

“I’ll show you the room upstairs.” Billy looked pointedly at the duffle bag I’d carried with me. I’d never unpacked, and I’d decided to take it along just in case. “Can you start right away?”

“I can. I’m sort of between homes right now so this is perfect.”

He motioned me to a set of stairs at the back of the kitchen. “Eighteen is so young to be out on your own already,” Billy said as we climbed the stairs. He chuckled. “At least these days, it is. I was on my own at sixteen, but times were different back then.”

“My parents moved up north, and I didn’t really want to move with them.”

He opened a small door. “Here you go. The bed is pretty comfortable.” It looked like an upgrade from the sofa bed, but it was a definite downgrade from the bed at Finley’s. “Unfortunately,” Billy continued, “since the room is upstairs, it gets warm up here in the summer. It’s not too bad right now, but once we hit those triple digit days, you’ll be feeling it. On the other hand, since it’s on the second story, it’s safe to sleep with the window open. The phone in the diner only has a local calling plan, but, believe it or not, there’s still a phone booth down on the corner.” He smiled. “One of the last dinosaurs left, I suppose. But I imagine it won’t matter. I know you younger folk all have cell phones.”

“Just like homes, I’m between cell phones.”

He looked more surprised by my lack of phone than lack of a home. “Well, be sure to use the phone booth during the day. As I said, the neighborhood gets a little rough around the edges when the sun goes down.”

“I’ll stay inside at night.” It would be an easy promise to fulfill. It wasn’t as if I had any place to go or any friends to see.

The fairly big bed sat in the corner of the large room, and across the way was a postage stamp sized kitchen with a toaster, stained coffee pot, and hot plate. There was even a small refrigerator. “I think this will work out great.” I walked over to the window and looked out. There was a construction site across the way, and a trailer sat on the lot. Fortunately there was no Kingston sign hanging across it.

“They’re building a low cost housing development for section eight families across the street. It’s one of those charity groups, Hope for Homes, or something like that. It’s been good for business though. Those guys get real hungry. They all come stomping in with their steel toed boots around noon. That’s when things get crazy down there. But you’ll have help. Besides Charlie, there’s a girl named Megan who usually comes in at seven. She called and said she’d be in for the lunch crowd. She’s a hard-edged sort, but she works hard. I think y’all will get along just fine.” He glanced around. “Well, I’ll let you get settled in. Can you start your shift at eleven?”

“Definitely.”

Billy left and I sat down on the edge of the bed and glanced around. Like the diner downstairs, the place was cheaply decorated but clean. It was certainly nothing like the job I’d just left, but this was closer to the way I was accustomed to living. I just needed hard work and a little independence and soon enough I would forget all about Finley and Jude and the whole damn thing.

I flopped back on the bed and stared up at a ceiling that had the same yellow coating as the apartment. “Right,” I mumbled to myself, “this is all I need.”

***

The graffiti covered, sour smelling phone booth stuck up from the corner like a crooked tooth. It was just past an unsavory looking bar that had its windows covered in black paint and seemed to be in full swing at ten in the morning. It took a couple of tries to slide open the door of the booth, and I tried my best not touch anything inside of it. My first purchase was going to be a phone.

Mom answered in an anxious tone. “Hello.”

“Mom, it’s me.”

She broke instantly into sobs. “We were so worried. What happened? I called but there was no answer.”

“Well, things sort of went haywire. But I’m fine.”

I could hear Dad in the background asking a hundred questions.

“Where are you?” Mom asked, finally pulling herself together.

“I’m working at a diner on the east side of L.A. It’s a long story, and I don’t have much time because I’m on a pay phone. But as soon as I have some money, I’ll buy a prepaid phone and call you again. How are things up there?”

“They’re great. Why don’t you come up here, Eden? I don’t want you to be alone down there.” Her offer was tempting, and like always, just hearing her voice made me homesick.

“If this doesn’t work out, I’ll come up there. But I have to try it first.”

“I understand, Edie. But please come home if things don’t work out.”

“I will. Love you. I’ll call as soon as I get my own phone. Try not to worry and kiss everyone for me.” I hung up and wondered how badly Dad would take the news that I was no longer working with Nicky King and that his dream of meeting him had vanished with my summer job.

***

Megan, a slender brunette with a lot of lipstick and vivid blue eyes, definitely had the hard edge Billy had warned about, but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle. She did, however, seem to dislike me within moments of our introduction.

“Do you see this apron with the M on it?” Megan pointed a pink fingernail at the apron hanging on the hook. “It’s mine. So don’t touch it . . . ever.”

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