Page 13 of Family Secrets

Lisa waved her perfectly manicured hand toward the computer. “Nothing I can’t handle, but that bitch betta hope I don’t see her out in the streets. Imma fuck her up so bad her ma won’t recognize her.”

“You know Lisa, if I could help you out with work, I would do it in a second. I meant to call you yesterday when your flowers arrived, but…well, I’ve sorta been hiding from everyone.” Elizabeth dropped her eyes to the keyboard, her bottom lip trembling. “Granny had another stroke during one of the tests. The doctor showed me a picture of her brain and said nothing was going on there, the second stroke killed her. I signed papers to remove her from the machine helping her breathe.”

“Dio mio. Are you okay? Of course, you’re not okay. What can I do, Elizabeth? I know what it’s like to lose your Nona.”

Being a devout Catholic, Elizabeth didn’t need Lisa to translate Dio, meaning God, but speculated on the mio part, surmising she meant, oh my God.

“It’s still fresh, you know. I keep expecting her to come out of her bedroom asking me to put the fight on for her.” Elizabeth admitted through a watery smile.

“What about Jonah, is he giving you something to distract you?” Lisa questioned, wagging her eyebrows suggestively as the door behind her opened allowing the beat of the music to float out, making it impossible for either of them to hear the other.

“I haven’t seen Jonah since…”

“Oh, honey. Did the two of yas get into a fight?”

“If by fight you mean I told him to go ask Karen for gas money, then yes, we definitely had a fight.”

“You didn’t.” Lisa’s voice dropped as her eyes opened wide in shock.

“I did.” Elizabeth boasted proudly, having felt so much lighter where Jonah was concerned. “He didn’t bother to show up at the hospital or her funeral. So as far as I’m concerned, Jonah Kelley and I are finished.”

Lisa stared at Elizabeth for several seconds, tipping her head to the side. “Didn’t you mention your Nona was the only family you had?”

Elizabeth nodded her head, the stinging of unshed tears pricking the back of her eyes. “Yes, Granny took me in when my mother died.”

“So, what’s keeping you in Kansas? Unless you think there’s a chance you and Jonah will reconcile?”

“He blew his chance the second he failed to show his face at her funeral. Besides my job at the Co-op, nothing is keeping me here.” Elizabeth’s eyes shot to the envelope on the table. It had taken her a full day before she could bring herself to break the seal, afraid seeing what was inside would make her granny’s death more real. In reality, the contents were no more defining than reading a water bill. There was a letter explaining the policy Beatrice purchased more than ten years ago, a copy of the current tax law and a check made out to her for twenty-five thousand dollars.

“You said earlier you would help me if you could. I can’t promise you anything, but if you dust off your resumé and email it to me, I’ll show it to my boss and see if he’s interested.”

Elizabeth was torn, on one hand, she could cash the check and make it stretch while continuing as she’d done for years. The house they lived in was rented and while the payment was cheap, her salary barely covered it. Not to mention the tuition bill that came in the mail this morning would take a little over half of the check on the table. Then what? There was no guarantee she would find a job after graduation and she doubted Mr. Cullison would give her a raise. On the other hand, she could jump out of her comfort zone by doing as Lisa requested in sending her resumé, starting over in a new city with no bad memories constantly haunting her. Take the money and instead of paying tuition…her thoughts stopped abruptly, dread filling her chest.

“Thanks for the offer, Lisa. But I don’t have my degree, not for another year—"

“Neither do I,” Lisa interrupted. “These guys don’t give a shit about some fancy paper you hang on the wall so other people think you’re something. They want someone who can show up and handle their shit.”

Elizabeth studied Lisa’s words carefully. Practically every day she went to work and did just as her friend described. She couldn’t ignore the pull of something better for her out there, waiting for her to take a giant leap of faith and charge blindly into the unknown.

“You know what, Lisa, its time I lived life for me. Give your boss my resumé and if he needs letters of recommendation, I have two from my professors last semester.”

“I doubt you’ll need them but send them anyway. I’ll forward them to Sully and see what he says.”

Elizabeth nodded her head in agreement as she clicked on the file containing the documents. With her fingers crossed and a final goodbye to Lisa, she clicked on the tiny arrow, sending a small prayer to Saint Therese for guidance.

* * *

Dusthung heavy in the air as Elizabeth pulled yet another box from the attic. She’d managed four hours of sleep after talking with Lisa, but as the sun cast its rays through her window, her body came alive with the need to get the house ready for her possible departure. She’d checked her email at least three times this morning, chastising herself when it remained empty. Surely Lisa’s boss was a busy man and perusing her lackluster resumé wasn’t his number one priority.

Sitting the heavy box on the couch, Elizabeth pulled the knife from her back pocket, slicing fluidly through the ancient tape sealing the top. She’d found mostly junk hidden in the boxes cluttering the enormous space, a fact which shocked Elizabeth as her granny prided herself on how well she kept the house. Expecting to find yet another set of old cookbooks or broken Christmas decorations, her brow dipped sharply as her eyes landed on the dark-stained wooden box. Reaching inside, she sat heavily on the coffee table behind her as she flicked the metal closure open to find stacks of baby pictures. A smile found her lips as she recognized the eyes of the cherub baby in the photo, a flip to the back confirmed the identity as she recognized her granny’s elegant penmanship. When she reached the last photo, Elizabeth peered into the wooden confinement, surprised to see a tiny ring nestled in the corner. Retrieving the delicate piece of jewelry, Elizabeth twisted it back and forth, taking in the details of the dainty ring. She couldn’t understand why her granny would keep something so precious stuffed in a box in the attic and not in her jewelry box in her bedroom.

Before she could ponder any further, the alert of a new email filled the quiet room, causing her heart to race and drop the wooden box to the carpeted floor. She tried not to get her hopes up, it could be a spam email trying to scam her into buying something she didn’t need. With shaking hands, Elizabeth tapped the space bar on her computer, the screen blinking to life, revealing a waiting email from one Salvatore Vitale.

Ms. Smith,

First, I would like to extend my condolences on the recent loss of your Nona. Mona Lisa felt it important to share your sorrow with me as the moment I reviewed your resumé, I wanted to have you in the office immediately. Between the glowing praise of your character from Mona Lisa and the length of your current employment with the County Co-op, I would like to formally offer you an accounting position within our company. While the salary is negotiable, based on your experience we are prepared to present you with a starting salary of $112,000.00 annually. We also offer medical and dental insurance, as well as a company car to use at your discretion.

I look forward to hearing your counteroffer. Please feel free to contact me directly with any questions you may have.

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