“Mom said it’s all right for us to go. She wishes you a good recovery, Jen. She’s worried about you.”
“Your mother is a gem,” Jennifer said.
They carried on driving until the sun began to fall. Linda booked into a hotel, and they stayed the night. In the morning they climbed back into the car and started driving.
“I wish I could offer to take the wheel,” Jennifer said.
“Please, don’t. Cars are not your forte.”
Jennifer chuckled. For a few minutes she could forget about everything else. She pressed a hand to her stomach, but it was completely flat. It was like a baby had never even been part of her.
“Are you sad?” Linda asked.
“I thought we’d really be able to make a go of it. When I first moved in we were really trying, and then it was like he changed and became a different man. He changed before my eyes. Then he said I was rushing everything, which pissed me off. I didn’t rush anything. I wanted to be prepared for the future.”
“Relax, Jen. Relax and rest.”
They made it to the beach house later that afternoon. Linda had stopped several times so they were able to move around and stretch their legs. Jennifer followed behind Linda as she opened the door.
“Mom phoned ahead and asked the staff to get it ready for us. She also requested they leave and not return until she gave the call. We’re free and alone here.”
“Is it wrong to feel happy about that?” she asked.
Jennifer pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and saw there were over thirty missed calls. She turned the device off and put it on the side.
“No, not wrong. You need to rest, and we can all appreciate that.”
“Thank you for bringing me here, Linda. I’ve got a lot of good memories.”
Linda stayed close to her that night. They shared the same bed and watched movies well into the morning. Jennifer let her friend sleep while she stared at the ceiling. Sleep eluded her. She rolled over and glanced at a picture of her with Linda at the beach. They were fifteen with their whole life ahead of them.
You’ve still got your whole life ahead of you. The doctor said you could still have children.
When the sun came up, she climbed out of bed and started making Linda breakfast. The food looked good, but her appetite had disappeared.
“You’ve got to eat something,” Linda said.
“I will.”
She sipped her orange juice and watched her friend eat.
“We need to go shopping. We’ve got no clothes or anything,” Jennifer said.
“I’ll finish this, and then we’ll go shopping.”
The days passed by without any event. She cooked for Linda and nibbled on food herself. For the first time in her life she was starting to lose weight, and she wasn’t even trying to. It made her laugh as her clothes began to loosen around her waist and chest.
They’d been at the beach house a month, and she knew they’d have to return to the city soon. Her mother phoned, and she took the calls. Linda took the calls from Patrick. Jennifer didn’t want to speak to him and listened with half an ear as Linda handled them.
All the time they were away at the beach house she started to miss something. The long walks on the beach and the shopping had started to lose its appeal.
She watched the sunset while Linda was typing away at her computer. Her friend had found plenty of inspiration at the beach house and was over three quarters finished on her manuscript. Jennifer sat reading each page as she typed it out and printed it.
Now that her story was taking hold of her, Linda was more than happy to stay at the beach house. They were away from their families and finally living free. The allowance they survived off was a welcoming relief.
One day walking through town, Jennifer saw a sign in the shop window advertising for a waitress. Feeling inspired by Linda’s energy in writing, she walked in and got an application form. Later that week she started her first shift and began working. She didn’t care if her family cut off her allowance. The work waiting tables took her mind off everything else.
The weight dropped off her in no time.
****
Patrick glared at his computer screen. Linda had sent him photographs of Jennifer, and he didn’t recognise her. Her curves were gone, and the smile didn’t reach her eyes. The woman he stared at was a shell of the woman he’d left in this house over two months ago.
He’d tried to get her on the phone and had even gone to the police station in an attempt to find his woman. Jennifer had left the hospital against doctor’s orders. He’d been worried in case anything happened to her.
Linda, the friend who despised him, had phoned him and let him know everything was fine. She sent him weekly updates and pictures via email of how Jennifer was getting on. From the emails, Patrick knew she was worried. Looking at the picture of Jennifer, he wasn’t surprised.
“She’s waitressing in a coffee shop down by the sea front. Jennifer says she’s happy, but I know she’s putting on a brave face. Patrick, you need to see her and talk. She works seven days a week, and we can talk before you see her.” He read the email aloud and frowned. Linda had typed the address of where they were living. The beach house was owned by Linda’s family. He knew it was because he’d tried to buy it a few years back.
Packing up his stuff, he was on the road and heading towards the love of his life. In the last few months he’d been doing a lot of soul searching. He’d joined a private organisation that only had fathers with children and who were expecting children. It was local, and he’d joined a class to help deal with loss.
Losing the baby had affected him deeply. While he’d been dealing with his grief, he’d finally come to terms with how he felt about Jennifer. He was completely in love with her. Sitting in the gazebo late at night he’d been unable to forget about her. He looked at the ground where they’d made love and remembered every little detail of her around him.
He pulled up outside of the beach house. Linda walked out of the front entrance. She looked tanned and beautiful but not the woman he wanted to see. From the expression on her face, he knew she was relieved to see him.
“Did your drive go okay?” she asked.
Patrick grabbed his case out of the boot of the car. “Where’s Jennifer?” he asked.
“She’s working. You just missed her. She walks to work and back. I’ve not driven her in a long time.”
He nodded his head and followed her into the kitchen. “How is she handling everything?” he asked.