She trailed off, and Maria couldn’t blame her, since even to her, the pieces simply didn’t fit.
Maria drove through heavy traffic to Mayfaire, an upscale shopping complex. As she drove, she tried to process the fact that she wouldn’t be heading in to work tomorrow, or even on Monday. The last time that had happened had been after she’d quit her job in Charlotte…
She shook her head, forcing the thought away. She knew exactly where it would lead, and the last thing she wanted was to think about Lester or the boyfriend or anything Margolis had told her, since it would lead exactly nowhere. Unless confusion was a place.
No more Ken, she marveled. No more weekends that Barney could ruin. In two weeks, she’d be working with Jill. And five months’ salary. On the career front, she doubted it was possible for things to get any better, and that called for a celebration of sorts, maybe even a splurge. She could trade in her car and get something sportier – as long as it wasn’t a red Corvette – but as quickly as the thought entered her mind, she knew it was just a fantasy. She was too frugal and she had no intention of trying to explain to her dad why she’d bought a car instead of paying down some of the student debt she owed from law school or opening an investment account. Or simply saving the money, since she’d probably need to buy into the partnership in a few years.
Lost in the events of today was the idea that she could actually be a partner at a law firm someday – in her early thirties, even. Whoever could have predicted that?
By the time she reached Mayfaire, dusk had settled in. She texted Serena that she’d get to the house a few minutes before seven, but not to hold up dinner on her account.
Seconds later, her phone dinged with Serena’s response. I’ll just get there late, too. I’d hate for you to miss any of the scintillating conversation!
Maria smiled. She texted her parents and let them know when she’d arrive, then headed toward Williams-Sonoma. It was always a bit challenging to get her mom something special – Carmen always fretted about money spent on her, especially by her children – but since a new car was out of the question, Maria figured she could splurge a bit on some new pots and pans. Despite the restaurant and her own love of cooking, her mom had never considered buying new cookware. What she did have had been around since Maria was in elementary school. Or maybe even longer than that.
The shopping expedition ended up being more of a splurge than she’d planned. High-quality cookware was expensive, but Maria felt good about it. Her parents had paid for private schooling, a used car at sixteen that lasted until she got the one she owned now, four years of college, and half of law school, and never once had she done something like this. She knew her mom might fret – her dad would say nothing – but she deserved it.
She loaded the gifts in the trunk, next to the box of personal effects. Thankfully, the traffic had mostly cleared out. Before starting the car, she texted Serena that she was fifteen minutes away, and then realized she hadn’t yet told Colin what had happened at the office. She still felt the need to celebrate and with whom better than him? Later, at his place or hers… Who knew that money could be an aphrodisiac?
Knowing he was probably behind the bar already, she texted him and asked that he call when he had the chance. He’d probably work until around ten or eleven, and that would give her enough time after leaving her parents’ to head back home, light a couple of candles, maybe even have a glass of wine. She knew it would end up being a late night, but he didn’t have class in the morning and she didn’t have to go to work, so why did it matter?
She set the phone on the passenger seat and headed toward her parents’ house. After turning into the neighborhood, she found herself wondering how many times in her life she’d made that exact turn. Tens of thousands, probably, she thought, which amazed her, as did the neighborhood itself. While people had moved in and moved out, the houses seemed largely unaffected by the passage of time, and every corner brought with it memories: lemonade stands or roller-skating, driveway fireworks on the Fourth of July. Trick-or-treating. Walking home with friends. Her phone began to ring, disrupting the flow of images. Glancing over, she saw Colin’s name and answered with a smile.
“Hey,” she said. “I didn’t think you were allowed to make calls while at work.”
“I’m not supposed to, but I saw your text. I asked the other bartender to cover for me for a few minutes. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” she said. “I’m almost at Mom and Dad’s.”
“I thought you were supposed to be there already.”
“I had to buy my mom a gift first and that took forever,” she said. “But hey – you’ll never guess what happened today.”
“Did Margolis call again?”
“No. It’s about work,” she said, and as she approached her parents’ home, she told Colin what had transpired. “Which means I’m kinda rich right now.”
“Sounds like it.”
“I bought my mom some fabulous cookware.”
“I’ll bet she’s going to love it.”
“Once she gets over the guilt, she will. But the real reason I’m calling is that I’ve decided that I’d like you to come over tonight. To my place.”
“Didn’t we already agree that I’d come over? And that I’d call when I got off?”
“Yes, but when we decided that, I wasn’t in the mood to celebrate. Now I am, and I wanted to warn you in advance.”