Page 33 of Lisa's Unexpected Valentine's Day

“Well, you have some decisions to make and that will determine where you go from here. There is one more thing…”

“There is?”

“I’m not sure if you’re interested. I know you’ve been applying for a lot of jobs, but I glanced at your qualifications, and I have one I think might be a good fit for you.”

“A job?”

“You’d have to apply obviously, but I can put in a good word for you, if you’re interested.”

Lisa’s eyes lit up like she’d hit the lottery. “I’m interested, definitely.”

Rick didn’t question the fact that she hadn’t even heard what it was yet. They both knew she’d been applying for everything under the sun. “Well, the court records department is looking for someone. It’s not the best paying job in the world, but I think it’s close to what you were making before, and more than you’ll get on Unemployment.”

“Court records?”

“Mhm. You’ll answer questions, look things up in the system, accept payments for fines and tickets. Nothing too complicated or different. If you want it, I can—”

“Yes! Yes, please, I want it,” she blurted.

Rick’s mouth tilted in a grin. “I had a feeling you might. I’ll talk to them tomorrow and get you an application. And now, I think we’ve covered everything.”

“Daddy, you are amazing!” Maya beamed at him proudly.

“I… I just don’t know what to say. I can’t believe you fixed everything. I didn’t think there was much you could do, to be honest.” She sat back with a soft stunned expression.

“This is why you go to friends for help, Lisa.” Maya couldn’t resist the smug comment, and then she grinned and gave her a side hug. “I’m so happy for you!”

“Thank you, both of you. I really… I just…” And then Lisa was crying.

Lisa hadn’t cried since Valentine’s Day, but now she did. It wasn’t a few tears either. It was full on ugly sobs, while her shoulders shook.

Maya felt helpless to stop the storm that had finally broken loose. She rubbed Lisa’s back, repeating reassuring words like a mantra. “Oh, Lisa. Oh honey, it’s all okay now. You’re going to be okay.”

Rick was more practical. He got up and left the room without a word. When he came back, he had a box of tissues and a glass of water, both of which he set down in front of Lisa, and then he sat down on her other side.

She grabbed a handful of tissues and pressed them to her face, holding them there as she continued to shake.

Maya looked at Rick, distressed and worried, but he shook his head. “She’s going to be fine. She just needs to get all that stress out, don’t you Lisa?” He patted her thigh. “You go ahead and cry. It’s good for you.”

“But why is she crying now? You fixed it all,” Maya blurted, feeling completely perplexed and starting to get upset herself. She’d expected Lisa to be relieved, happy, but this didn’t seem to be either of those.

As usual Rick was attuned to her. “Maya, take a deep breath.” He gave her a firm look over Lisa’s head. “She’s fine, but she’s been very busy trying to stay strong this whole time, because if you fall apart in the middle of stressful times, it’s hard to get things done. So now that she doesn’t need to be strong anymore, all of those emotions are coming out.”

That seemed a backwards way to do things, but Maya nodded and sucked back a deep breath. With Lisa safely between them, the tears finally slowed. Rick offered her the water and she took a few sips.

“I’m so sorry,” Lisa said, her voice thick still. “I don’t know what happened.”

He smiled at her. “Nothing to be sorry about, Lisa. You were just letting go of some of the stress you’ve been holding onto. The relief probably hit you pretty hard.”

“I don’t usually do this…”

“You’ve been dealing with a lot, and you’ve been scared. Sometimes getting past that makes the dam break.” He was using his gentle voice. It was the same one he used when Maya was upset.

She could see Lisa relaxing, calming. It took some time, but eventually the trickle of tears stopped, and the trembling subsided. “I’m sorry for … being a mess. I really just—”

Rick cleared his throat, cutting her off. “Lisa, you havenothingto apologize for. It’s perfectly fine. Just keep taking slow, deep breaths.”

She tried to apologize a few more times, but Rick shut it down each time and Maya continued to hug and reassure her until she’d finally calmed down completely.

---