“And like I said, it should be taken care of by the end of the day. I don’t need you to check up on me like I’m some kind of charity case,” I tell him.
I know the probability of it getting fixed by the end of the day is next to none but I’m holding out on the little bit of hope I have left. I don’t want anyone’s pity and that’s what I feel like this is. Like I have a big sign on my forehead that says “poor, broke, and homeless.”
Worst case scenario, I sleep in my car.
He scoffs. “You are the furthest thing from a charity case, Jordan. You should know better than to think that.” He doesn’t let me respond, just walks away with his coffee to sit in his new spot closest to the register.
Shit. Did I read him wrong? The chime of the door has my attention being pulled to the next customer and I’m grateful for the distraction.
Lucas gets his second mocha right on schedule, but I don’t see him leave because we get a sudden early Monday rush that has my full attention.
I still haven’t heard from Gary about my apartment by the time I’m done with work, and I fear the worst as I make my way back home.
My door is open and Gary steps outside just as I reach it. “I was just about to call you. Do you want the good news or the bad news first?”
Oh jeez. “Good news, please.”
“The good news is, we got the water out of the apartment.”
“And the bad?”
He gives me a look of pity. “The bad news is the plumbing company doesn’t have the parts to repair the pipe, and it’s going to take a few weeks to fix it.”
“Okay, but can I get back into my apartment?”
He shakes his head. “Unfortunately, no. You’re going to have to find another accommodation. Without water to your unit, it’s illegal for you to stay here. I’m sorry, Jordan.”
“You have got to be kidding me. Don’t you have to put me up in a hotel or something? I don’t have anywhere to go.”
“If you look at your lease it will tell you we aren’t responsible for alternate housing in case of emergency. I am sorry. I’ll make sure to get this fixed as soon as possible though. I promise.”
I don’t believe him.
“Grab anything you’ll need. People will be coming in and out over the next few weeks.”
I load my car for the next ten minutes with clothes and personal items and decide to take a walk down to the boardwalk.
I’m royally fucked, I think, as I make my way along the beach.
Penny is already stressed out over managing Beach Brew and being a single mom, so I don’t want to worry her aboutthis. And there’s absolutely no way I’m bombarding Kyle and his mom with this mess. That leaves me stranded.
I could get a membership to one of those twenty-four-hour gyms and shower there, and then use the coffee shop for everything else. That sounds like the best option since I don’t have anything else to fall back on.
I feel like my whole life is falling apart at this point. There’s nothing worse than drowning and then getting tossed a boulder.
I make my way to the water's edge and let my shoeless feet sink into the sand. Even when everything feels like it’s falling apart, I can always count on the ocean to keep me grounded. It helps to drown out the voice in my head that says I’m not going to make it. That my dreams are just that… dreams.
A clear memory of my mom comes into view as I watch the small waves crash. I was around twelve years old, and I can’t even remember why now, but I came home from school upset one day. She found me crying in my room and without saying a word, took my hand and walked us right out the door towards the ocean. We lived about nine blocks from the beach, and she didn’t ask any questions the whole way there. Once we sat down near the water, we watched nasty gray clouds form in the distance, and she finally spoke. She said, “If you want to tell me what happened today you can. But if you don’t, that’s ok too. Just remember, when a storm brings rain, the rain makes the flowers grow and bloom. So, it’s okay to be mad or sad because once the storm is over, that’s when we bloom too. We can either drown in it or rise from it, but it’s up to us to decide.”
I never forgot her words and that’s how I’ve gotten through the last four years. Some days I think I’ll never make it, but I know I’ll come out on top eventually and grow from this whole mess of an experience.
I feel tears cascade down my cheeks as I stare at the ocean, reliving the memory, and wipe them away. I would give anything to have my mom back right now for some more words of wisdom, but that’s not an option.
I have no idea how I’m going to get through this, but sometimes I wish the rain would just stop. Because at this point it’s not just rain coming down on me, it’s a fucking monsoon.
Chapter 11
Lucas
