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Countdown to Graduation: 34 Days
Apr. 12th, 2010 01:30 pmParker had managed to get a grip and calm down about her classes and grades. At this point, she was trusting that sheer inertia will carry her through.
The job situation, though? That was getting downright discouraging.
The job that she had interviewed for independently back in Denver had turned her down. Neptune has turned up some possibilities, but none of them really paid enough for her to be able to cover expenses and be able to save anything. There was always the mailroom at her dad’s office. And Parker kept telling herself that it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, and would only be temporary.
If only she could convince her stomach to stop knotting whenever she thought about it.
There was something of an upside, though, to knowing that she wasn’t alone. A lot of her classmates were in the same boat.
“My parents are trying to convince me to go work for some of my dad’s cousins,” Lacy Burke was groaning to some of her friends when Parker cut through the common room to nuke some leftover Pad Thai in the dorm kitchen.
“What do they do?” Parker heard one of the other girls ask.
“They own this dude ranch out in Texas. Dad used to drag us out there all the time for vacations. It’s not even a cool one. You know, the kind that’s basically a resort? It’s like a real ranch where they send cows off to die and stuff. People actually pay to go there and do farm chores. And it’s Hickville. I mean, middle of freaking nowhere.”
“What do they expect you to do? Brand cows?”
“Well, it’s supposed to be an office job. Event coordinating, or something. The lady who was there got married and moved. But when I was there I was always seeing people get dragged off to do other stuff. Like go trail riding with a bunch of bratty kids, or help with something in the kitchen, or play cards with old people, or, I don’t know, building barns.”
Parker told herself that she wasn’t eavesdropping. She was just leaning more comfortably in the kitchen doorway, away from the whir of the microwave.
“And my dad is all, You can live in ranch housing and you’ll hardly have any expenses, and think how much money you’ll save! And I’m like, No way in hell, Dad. I’ll sign myself up for medical experimentation before I take that job. I don’t know what he’s thinking.”
Parker privately agreed with Lacy on that point. Vegan, indie-rock, misanthrope Lacy working on a dude ranch sounded like a recipe for a quick firing and years of strained family reunions.
“Anyway, there’s a new mall opening up near my parent’s place. They’re supposed to have a huge music supply store going in. I bet I can get a job there with no problem.”
“Oh, that would be cool.”
The microwave dinged, and Parker went to retrieve her food. When she came back through the common room, she paused by Lacy’s chair.
Lacy look up at her through heavily lined, slightly curious eyes. Parker and Lacy were cordial enough dorm mates, but they weren’t friends, and didn’t really hang out.
“Parker, hey. Was there something you needed?”
It was a little crazy, what she was thinking about doing. On the other hand, being a little crazy had stood her in pretty good stead for the last twenty-odd years.
And what did she really have to lose?
“Yeah,” Parker replied, with a nod.
“I was wondering if I could get your cousins’ email address.”
The job situation, though? That was getting downright discouraging.
The job that she had interviewed for independently back in Denver had turned her down. Neptune has turned up some possibilities, but none of them really paid enough for her to be able to cover expenses and be able to save anything. There was always the mailroom at her dad’s office. And Parker kept telling herself that it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, and would only be temporary.
If only she could convince her stomach to stop knotting whenever she thought about it.
There was something of an upside, though, to knowing that she wasn’t alone. A lot of her classmates were in the same boat.
“My parents are trying to convince me to go work for some of my dad’s cousins,” Lacy Burke was groaning to some of her friends when Parker cut through the common room to nuke some leftover Pad Thai in the dorm kitchen.
“What do they do?” Parker heard one of the other girls ask.
“They own this dude ranch out in Texas. Dad used to drag us out there all the time for vacations. It’s not even a cool one. You know, the kind that’s basically a resort? It’s like a real ranch where they send cows off to die and stuff. People actually pay to go there and do farm chores. And it’s Hickville. I mean, middle of freaking nowhere.”
“What do they expect you to do? Brand cows?”
“Well, it’s supposed to be an office job. Event coordinating, or something. The lady who was there got married and moved. But when I was there I was always seeing people get dragged off to do other stuff. Like go trail riding with a bunch of bratty kids, or help with something in the kitchen, or play cards with old people, or, I don’t know, building barns.”
Parker told herself that she wasn’t eavesdropping. She was just leaning more comfortably in the kitchen doorway, away from the whir of the microwave.
“And my dad is all, You can live in ranch housing and you’ll hardly have any expenses, and think how much money you’ll save! And I’m like, No way in hell, Dad. I’ll sign myself up for medical experimentation before I take that job. I don’t know what he’s thinking.”
Parker privately agreed with Lacy on that point. Vegan, indie-rock, misanthrope Lacy working on a dude ranch sounded like a recipe for a quick firing and years of strained family reunions.
“Anyway, there’s a new mall opening up near my parent’s place. They’re supposed to have a huge music supply store going in. I bet I can get a job there with no problem.”
“Oh, that would be cool.”
The microwave dinged, and Parker went to retrieve her food. When she came back through the common room, she paused by Lacy’s chair.
Lacy look up at her through heavily lined, slightly curious eyes. Parker and Lacy were cordial enough dorm mates, but they weren’t friends, and didn’t really hang out.
“Parker, hey. Was there something you needed?”
It was a little crazy, what she was thinking about doing. On the other hand, being a little crazy had stood her in pretty good stead for the last twenty-odd years.
And what did she really have to lose?
“Yeah,” Parker replied, with a nod.
“I was wondering if I could get your cousins’ email address.”
