Page 74 of Crash
During the daytime, she kept herself busy with fixing her resume and looking for jobs around the city. There were dozens of positions she was more than qualified for, but nothing seemed appealing. The idea of going back to long hours in the clinic, followed by long hours working from home every night, didn’t seem appealing to her.
She realized losing her job was a blessing in disguise. It pulled her out of a haze of her own making. The burnout she experienced was so pervasive, she assumed it was a normal part of her life. Except when she worked forGriffin at his shop. Only then did she realize what it was like to actually enjoy what she was doing. Not to mention, her creative juices started flowing again.
Quynh recalled a time when she wanted to be a writer. She spent some time writing short novels and fan fiction, but when her aunt became ill, she realized a career as an author was not what would help pay her bills. Having close proximity to her aunt’s declining health and then her mother’s subsequent demise opened Quynh’s eyes to the role of nurses. At first, she went to nursing school and worked in the field for a couple of years before deciding to further her education to get her master’s degree. She’d landed a job as a nurse practitioner before she even graduated at a prestigious practice affiliated with the local major health corporation.
She’d tucked her head down and soldiered on despite her unhappiness. Through her years of hard work, she squirreled away a healthy nest egg. It was a bonus her employer paid to move her and for her housing. Her lease would be up at the end of the year. She’d have to figure out her next steps soon. She couldn’t push it off any longer.
Sitting in her living room with her laptop open to the job listings, Quynh resisted the urge to scream. All she wanted to do was lie in bed with a tub of ice cream and mope. But doing so meant she’d have to think aboutGriffin and how much she missed him. She missed everything about him.
How can I miss someone I barely know so much? How much time is appropriate to get to know a person?
Her mother and father’s courtship was brief before she ended up pregnant, and look how well that turned out.
Did the passage of time dictate how well you knew someone? Or, is it true ‘when you know, you know’?
It wasn’t like either of them was in their early twenties anymore. At this stage in her life, Quynh knew what she wanted out of a relationship. And, right now, that person was Griffin.
Thoughts of what their future might have looked like if she were brave enough to stay taunted her. She imagined what it would be like to be a permanent resident of Willowbrook. To be within walking distance of everything she needed. She imagined herself still working at Griffin’s auto shop while writing during the downtime. Maybe she’d be able to finish the book she’d been thinking about writing for the past few weeks. Her parents’ tragic love story inspired her to rewrite their history.
What if they ended in a happily ever after instead of how it really turned out?
Her mother’s translated journals added some necessarybackground historical and cultural elements to their story.
She’d been so excited at the thought of writing a book. It was a small and humble dream, but it was hers. Reality was a much harder pill to swallow. Eventually, she’d run out of funds to fuel her passion. She didn’t want to consider being broke, homeless, and living off of ramen again.
Her stomach gurgled at the thought of food. She’d forgotten to eat breakfast, and now it was nearing lunchtime. The fridge was empty of any fresh food, and all she had were some stale chips and Pop-Tarts. The thought of eating made her queasy. She missed Griffin’s home-cooked meals.
She missed Griffin.
Her thoughts always circled back to Griffin.
Pickles let out a grumble as she flopped back on the couch. She let out a big sigh as she stared up at her popcorn ceiling.
What a fucking mess.
Just as she was contemplating whether she should just woman up and call Griffin, there was a loud buzzing at her door. Frowning, she swung her legs off the couch and got up. The buzzer sounded again. She rarely had visitors unless it was for food delivery, but she hadn’t ordered anything to be delivered today.
Pressing the talk button, she leaned in to speak into the speaker box.
“Hello?”
“Quynh. It’s me,” a deep, gravelly voice sounded through her apartment.
She knew exactly who ‘me’ was. Griffin. He was here.
He was here! Wait, why was he here?
thirty-six
QUYNH
“Quynh. Let me up.”
She tried to suppress the shiver going through her at the sound of his low voice. With a deep breath to steady her nerves, she pressed the button quickly before she could change her mind. She heard the faint click as the lock disengaged.
Oh, God. He was really here.What do I do?
Quynh bit her short nails and paced the small walkway. She lived on the third floor, so it would take Griffin some time to find her apartment. She was thankful for the extra time, using it to take deep breaths and shake the tremor from her hands, hoping to calm her racing heart.
