Page 45 of Semi Sweet
I did not want to lie, but I also wasn’t close enough to the woman to tell her all the dirty details, either. The burn on my hand throbbed as I came up with a story. “I’m dealing with a family emergency and had to move across the city for a bit. I left in such a hurry that I left the packet you sent me behind. Can I give you the address of where I’m staying?”
“Why don’t you just stop by the office?” Chloe suggested. “We can just fill it out in person.”
I told her that worked and we agreed I would stop by in a couple of days. Using the same family emergency story, I emailed my professors to let them know I would be missing class for the rest of the week but would still submit my work without issue. That left only one possibly awkward phone call.
I wasn’t sure how Evan was going to proceed. I wouldn’t put it past him to pretend nothing was wrong, hoping I would come back in a few days after I cooled off. On the opposite side of the spectrum, I could also picture him stationed at the store waiting for me to call out or show up so he could confront me. But I had paid time off hours I could redeem for extra cash, so I dialed the Cash Value Market number and asked for human resources.
“Hello, Victoria speaking. How can I help you?”
I swallowed hard. “Hi, it’s Olivia Hale.”
“What do you need?”
No mention of Evan or where I was. “I know I have a lot of paid time off hours. Can we cut a check with what I’ve got?”
“Of course we can,” Victoria replied. “Though don’t you want to save them for when you and Evan go on your honeymoon?”
Once more I had to bend the truth. “I want to use the money towards my wedding dress budget.”
Victoria made a noise that reminded me of children when they saw baby animals. “Oh, you are going to be a beautiful bride, but what budget? You’re marrying a Quittero! Either way, it will be in your account next payday.”
I ended the call and I decided I was not going to miss that. I hoped whoever I dated next, if I ever dated again, had parents who were nobodies.
So this was really it. I was never working at Cash Value Market again. I was finally doing something that worked toward the plan that I’d made years ago. That thought sent me scrolling through my contacts to a number I hadn’t called in years. For several minutes, I just stared at it before I entered the digits to block my information and pressed call. I shook as it rang. No one would be there right now, but I didn’t know what I would do if anyone answered anyway.
“You have reached the Hale family. No one is available to take your call, but if you leave your name, number, and a short message, we will return your call as soon as possible.”
The beep sounded and I ended the call without saying anything. I’d been strong in the face of everything that had happened, but hearing my father’s voice reminded me of how stupid I’d been. I finally let myself go, crying as I realized I’d lost more than just material things during all of this. I’d given up my family. I wondered if my younger sister Elenore even lived at home anymore. I’d denied myself memories as well as my dreams trying to be happy with Evan. I’d sacrificed my happiness, and for what? I wiped tears away, wishing I had a better option than relying on someone I barely knew. But at least it was an option.
Sean came home around six-thirty. By then, I’d started watching an episode of an anime on my laptop. I sat cross-legged with Bear snuggled up next to me.
“You two didn’t take long to get friendly,” he commented as he locked the door behind him.
“I think he knows I need the attention,” I admitted as I gave the dog a back rub. “Any issues at work?”
“None that had anything to do with you, if that is what you are asking,” Sean replied, heading into the kitchen. At that moment, the girl in the anime made a dramatic cry because the boy she had her eye on was walking arm in arm with someone else and Sean laughed softly.
I looked up and raised an eyebrow. “What?”
Sean looked at me with an amused face. “Her Sempai is with another girl.”
“You know what it’s saying?”
“You don’t?”
I felt like he was messing with me. “Not confidently without subtitles.” For several seconds we just stared at each other. “You know Japanese?”
“Hai, watashi no yujin,” Sean answered. Just like with Russian, his pronunciation was near perfect. When my jaw hung open, he smirked. “You didn’t know I was adopted by a Japanese couple?”
“You are being a punk.”
“I am one hundred percent telling the truth,” he contested. “I will prove it right now.” He whipped out his phone, punched the number in, and hit the speakerphone button. “Kon'nichiwa Mama.”
“Sean, are you trying to rip my heart out?” a distraught female voice replied. “I don’t hear from you for weeks and when you finally call, you do it in Japanese?”
I shut my laptop and crossed one leg over the other as Sean’s face flushed. The show I’d been watching had been good, but this was unexpected entertainment.
“I’ve been very busy–”
