Discombobulate

Chapter Thirty-One

"Ellen and I have another meeting planned for Friday. We both like where the story is going. I have almost six chapters now." The words rushed out of Denise's mouth. She could barely contain her excitement.

"Are you on drugs?" Andy joked on the other end of the phone. "I can feel you bouncing around from this side of the phone." 

Denise threw her head back and let out a laugh. "I'm not on drugs, I'm excited! I think the last time I was excited, it was the beginning of my book tour. I think I'm going to knock this out of the park." 

"And you're sure you're not on drugs?" Andy inquired. 

"Why would I be on drugs? Let me share my excitement with you." 

"And you're not drinking either?" Andy continued. 

"I'm not drinking or on drugs. You'll be happy to hear, I'm trying to stop smoking. I haven't had a cigarette in a few days." Denise rolled her eyes feeling a little annoyed at her friend. 

"That's great! You should do something to celebrate your progress. Put on a fancy dress and go out somewhere." 

"I don't own a dress. The last time I wore a dress, I was eight. I hate dresses, remember?" Denise glanced at the clock above her head. "I didn't realize how much time had passed. We've been on the phone for a while. It's almost supper time, I should let you go." 

"You should still celebrate. Order a pizza or something. You should be proud of yourself. I'll call you again in a few days. I love you!" 

Denise responded and ended the call. Andy was right, she should do something to celebrate; something out of the ordinary. 

Going to Opal's wasn't an option. She had been there almost every day for the past month. Opal's was part of her daily routine. She needed something different. 

Opening her phone, she dialed the number she memorized years ago to place an order. There was only one pizza place in Brimington. Susan Houghton ordered from there every Friday night until her death. 

Every Friday night, Denise could expected to have a slice of Simon's Pizza. The small pizzeria buzzed with people on Friday nights. It was their busiest day of the week. 

Simon stood in the back running the place along with his wife. One answered phone calls and ran the cash register. The other made all the pizzas and side dishes. They had a few other family members that helped out occasionally. For the most part, they were running the place themselves. 

The brief phone conversation ended within two minutes. Within a half hour, Denise would have a large Hawaiian pizza delivered. The last time she had one, it was when she made it with her mom. 

A half hour was plenty of time to catch up on Jennifer's Journal. If she started writing the day Denise left, there couldn't be many more entries to go. Denise left Brimington for thirty-five days. 

One entry had been read. Knowing Jennifer, she didn't write every day. There was only thirty-four entries at the most. Denise picked up her sister's journal and turned to the second entry. 

I don't know how people to do it. I don't know how people pick a career and they stick with it for years. Some people follow that path their whole life. 

I know I'm young and I have time to choose. I like so many things. I wish I could be more like our family. Dad knew what he wanted to do before he graduated high school. His dad taught him the basics and he became an electrician. Mom went into nursing school after she graduated. When that didn't work out, she went to study psychology and became a psychologist.