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Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days Aren't Far Off
Apr. 6th, 2009 04:26 pmParker talked to Grandma Lee at least once a week. Sometimes it took some doing, working around two busy schedules and a three hour time difference. But they managed to squeeze in a chat every handful of days. So Parker was not surprised when her phone rang one evening, and it was her grandmother calling from Richmond.
“I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” Grandma Lee asked.
“Nope,” Parker replied, capping her highlighter and relocating from her desk to her bed. “Just going over some notes for English. How are you?”
“Still kicking.” Parker smiled—it was her grandmother’s standard answer. “Listen, honey. I have a question for you. Do you have plans lined up for the summer yet?”
Parker raised her eyebrows. “Um, no. Not yet. Working somewhere. Either in Denver, or maybe in Neptune, but that would involve having to find a place to crash here for three months. I haven’t had time to put out many feelers yet.” Need to get on that, Parker added, mentally.
“What would you think about spending the summer in Richmond?” Grandma Lee asked.
“Richmond?”
“My doctor has scheduled some minor surgery for me at the end of June,” Grandma Lee said. “Nothing serious,” she added quickly, as if she could, from the other side of the country, see the look of mild alarm on Parker’s face. “He just wants to get that problem with my shoulder taken care of. And he thought it would be a good idea to have someone come stay with me for a while so I’m not all alone in the house, especially in the evenings. And I thought that you might be interested if you didn’t already had plans.”
“Now, I know you need to earn money for school,” Grandma Lee went on before Parker could answer. “And I think I have an answer for that, too. Do you remember my friend, Sophie Beale?”
Parker mentally flipped through her directory of her grandmother’s friends. Grandma Lee certainly had a lot of them. “It doesn’t ring a bell,” she said.
“Well, she goes to St. Stephen’s with me,” Grandma Lee replied. “Lovely woman. Beautiful alto voice. She sings in the choir, you know. Anyway, she owns and runs a little shop down in the Libbie-Grove area called Everything Nice. Do you remember it?”
“I don’t think so,” Parker said. She’d been to the area several times on visits to Grandma Lee’s house. Grandma Lee lived within a mile or so of the little shopping area. There were a number of small, upscale boutiques there, along with some restaurants and an old movie theater that dealt in the ‘slightly off the beaten track’ films. Many of the stores Parker remembered sold decorative house wares or women’s clothing and accessories. Everything Nice sounded like it could be either one.
“Oh, you’d remember it if you’d been there. But I’m pretty sure you’ve never been. Sophie started it up several years ago after her divorce. Sank most of her settlement into it, and she has done incredibly well for herself. Far better than Tom Beale made out, that’s for sure. She runs it with her daughter, Katie. But Katie’s expecting her first baby this summer and wants to take some time off, so Sophie’s going to need some help from June through August. Well, I thought of you right away, and told her I’d talk to you. It would pay a good hourly wage, plus you’d earn some money on commission. And an employee discount of course. Would you be interested?”
Parker could certainly think of worse summer jobs than selling overpriced lamps or beaded handbags. It didn’t necessarily sound interesting, but if Grandma Lee was recommending it, Sophie must be decent to work for. And a summer with Grandma promised to be fun and relaxing.
“Yes, definitely. I’d definitely be interested,” Parker said. “And she’d need me to start the first of June? That’ll give me a couple of weeks at home with Mom and Dad before I come out.”
“That’s what I was thinking,” Grandma Lee said. “Oh, wonderful. So, I’ll tell Sophie you’ll take it. And we’ll have such a good time this summer.”
Parker grinned. “Wild parties and debauchery as far as the eye can see?”
“Don’t tease me, child, unless you plan to deliver on that. I’m going to give Sophie your email address so she can send you the particulars on the hours and the pay and your responsibilities. Just so you can look it all over before you formally agree.”
A summer in Richmond. It would definitely be lazy and hazy. Probably less with the crazy, but Parker didn’t mind. Nowhere was it written that every summer had to have exciting twists and turns.
She’d always have Milliways for that.
“I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” Grandma Lee asked.
“Nope,” Parker replied, capping her highlighter and relocating from her desk to her bed. “Just going over some notes for English. How are you?”
“Still kicking.” Parker smiled—it was her grandmother’s standard answer. “Listen, honey. I have a question for you. Do you have plans lined up for the summer yet?”
Parker raised her eyebrows. “Um, no. Not yet. Working somewhere. Either in Denver, or maybe in Neptune, but that would involve having to find a place to crash here for three months. I haven’t had time to put out many feelers yet.” Need to get on that, Parker added, mentally.
“What would you think about spending the summer in Richmond?” Grandma Lee asked.
“Richmond?”
“My doctor has scheduled some minor surgery for me at the end of June,” Grandma Lee said. “Nothing serious,” she added quickly, as if she could, from the other side of the country, see the look of mild alarm on Parker’s face. “He just wants to get that problem with my shoulder taken care of. And he thought it would be a good idea to have someone come stay with me for a while so I’m not all alone in the house, especially in the evenings. And I thought that you might be interested if you didn’t already had plans.”
“Now, I know you need to earn money for school,” Grandma Lee went on before Parker could answer. “And I think I have an answer for that, too. Do you remember my friend, Sophie Beale?”
Parker mentally flipped through her directory of her grandmother’s friends. Grandma Lee certainly had a lot of them. “It doesn’t ring a bell,” she said.
“Well, she goes to St. Stephen’s with me,” Grandma Lee replied. “Lovely woman. Beautiful alto voice. She sings in the choir, you know. Anyway, she owns and runs a little shop down in the Libbie-Grove area called Everything Nice. Do you remember it?”
“I don’t think so,” Parker said. She’d been to the area several times on visits to Grandma Lee’s house. Grandma Lee lived within a mile or so of the little shopping area. There were a number of small, upscale boutiques there, along with some restaurants and an old movie theater that dealt in the ‘slightly off the beaten track’ films. Many of the stores Parker remembered sold decorative house wares or women’s clothing and accessories. Everything Nice sounded like it could be either one.
“Oh, you’d remember it if you’d been there. But I’m pretty sure you’ve never been. Sophie started it up several years ago after her divorce. Sank most of her settlement into it, and she has done incredibly well for herself. Far better than Tom Beale made out, that’s for sure. She runs it with her daughter, Katie. But Katie’s expecting her first baby this summer and wants to take some time off, so Sophie’s going to need some help from June through August. Well, I thought of you right away, and told her I’d talk to you. It would pay a good hourly wage, plus you’d earn some money on commission. And an employee discount of course. Would you be interested?”
Parker could certainly think of worse summer jobs than selling overpriced lamps or beaded handbags. It didn’t necessarily sound interesting, but if Grandma Lee was recommending it, Sophie must be decent to work for. And a summer with Grandma promised to be fun and relaxing.
“Yes, definitely. I’d definitely be interested,” Parker said. “And she’d need me to start the first of June? That’ll give me a couple of weeks at home with Mom and Dad before I come out.”
“That’s what I was thinking,” Grandma Lee said. “Oh, wonderful. So, I’ll tell Sophie you’ll take it. And we’ll have such a good time this summer.”
Parker grinned. “Wild parties and debauchery as far as the eye can see?”
“Don’t tease me, child, unless you plan to deliver on that. I’m going to give Sophie your email address so she can send you the particulars on the hours and the pay and your responsibilities. Just so you can look it all over before you formally agree.”
A summer in Richmond. It would definitely be lazy and hazy. Probably less with the crazy, but Parker didn’t mind. Nowhere was it written that every summer had to have exciting twists and turns.
She’d always have Milliways for that.
