Josie Guerrero is focused on one thing: getting accepted into the prestigious art studies program within the Art School at the University of Southern Washington. With thirteen weeks to create her sophomore portfolio, she knows she can't afford any d...
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I've almost fallen off this rickety, old wooden step stool three times already, but when I cap the red expo marker and lean back to get a better look at the finished specials board that I just decorated, I know that it was worth it.
The huge whiteboard hanging on the wall behind the bar top at Over Easy is a new addition, but since our specials change every week with a new USW theme, decorating it has quickly become my favorite part of my job.
This week's theme is centered around the football team who are set to play their first game this Saturday. I wasn't scheduled to work tonight, but when Nancy, the diner's owner, texted me that Kelsey called out last minute and she was in dire need of another waitress for the closing shift, I couldn't say no. I would have come in to help anyway because I adore Nancy, but the fact that I need to start saving up for my plane ticket to see my parents this Christmas also helped convince me. I see them two or three times a year, usually for a few weeks at a time, but even though it's been almost four years since they made the move to Italy, I'm still getting used to them not being in Winter Hill for holidays.
I was supposed to move with them when my dad received his job offer. It wasn't even a question, especially since I was still a sophomore in high school. But after crying for three weeks straight before we were set to leave, Halle and I devised a plan for me to stay — for me to move in with her moms and finish up school here. I wasn't expecting my parents to agree. I was already planning on crying the entire plane ride there, and for however long my body would produce tears after that, but after my parents sat down with Halle's moms' for a few hours to work out the logistics, they reluctantly agreed to let me stay. I think it was partially because my dad didn't know how long-term his new art curator position would hold, and if they were going to end up moving back in a few months anyway, it might be better for me to stay. But those few months turned into years, and now, four years later, he's the senior museum curator of one of the largest art museums in southern Italy.
I spend all my summers with them unless they opt to come here instead like they did this year, and most holidays, if I can afford it. They offer to pay for my flight every time, but I can't help but feel guilty accepting that money because the ticket isn't cheap, and I know it's an expense they wouldn't have to worry about if I had just gone with them. Which is why I have to start saving now.
"That looks amazing, Jo." Lacie's voice pulls my attention away from the sign. She's grinning up at me as she finishes mopping the floors near the back tables. We're still two hours away from closing, but Thursday nights are notorious for being slow, so we usually cheat the system a little and start our closing tasks early.
"I could shade it properly to give it more dimension." I consider the board for a second before capping the marker and stepping down the stool. Nancy probably wouldn't appreciate me spending that much of my shift working on this display board. When I reach up to drop the marker in the basket under the board, I wince as a dull throb aches deep in my shoulder.
