The Shape of Love

#7 Sunday Evening "Debt"

Lacey hadn't seen Marie in a week. Not since Marie offered her a loose invitation to visit her place. Just the thought fueled a week of late nights, well that and the sound of crickets chirping from her empty bank account.

Her infatuation with Marie was almost enough to distract her from the impending deadline. Seven days to go until her year was up.

Pulling out her phone for the millionth time she scrolled through the app. Twelve bookmarks for jobs she didn't really want. But at least she qualified for them - barely. Wishfully, she typed in the words 'managing or assisting editor'.

The same three applications greeted her, the only three she'd applied to. They were now closed, a part of the online archives. She tapped the last one, posted July 14th of last year.

It'd been a lie when she'd told Marie she was zero for three on interview call backs. There'd been one. The one Lacey submitted her application to the day it was published, July 14th.

The company had called her sure enough, but she didn't find out until a week later when she finally had the energy to check her missed messages. The voicemail was time stamped for 7:58am, July 18th. The morning after the worst night of Lacey's life.

She'd never called them back, figuring they'd found someone better to take the job. And even if she had, how would she begin to explain why it'd taken eight days for her to return their call?

How could she admit to them what she struggled to come to terms with herself?

It was too late.

Lacey was too late in many respects. Too late to make her rent, too late to find a job, too late to figure out her life as it whisked past her.

The shop was quiet. An hour to close Lacey's boss, Tanya, had left early. Tommy was feeling better and since Tanya's oldest Theo had won the junior high spelling bee, the entire family was traveling North to the next county for the second round of the competition.

Lacey didn't mind working alone, but as the evening approached, squeezing out the last bit of sun she felt her stomach turn. Maybe she could close up early. Would Tanya notice? Lacey's conscious shook its head. No, she would have to stay until the clock struck nine.

She would be ok, Lacey tried to reassure herself. She'd walk quickly, like she did every other night. Her shaking fingers turned back to her phone as she aimlessly flipped through job offerings, maybe she could pick up a second job in construction. She could squat in a half finished corporate building couldn't she?

"I'm going to have to tell your boss to write you up for this." Marie's bright voice filled the shop as she strode through the door. Each of her entrances seemed perfectly timed to catch Lacey in a poor light.

"Good thing she's not here then." Lacey quipped, stuffing her phone into her back pocket.

"Managing the store all by yourself then?"

"Seems like it."

"Good thing they have you to watch over the rowdy bunch." Marie held out her hands indicating the smattering of people oblivious to her comment as they focused on their work, headphones blocking the white noise.

Lacey laughed, the first genuine one in a few days. Marie seemed to have that effect on her. Each interaction allowed Lacey to forget the worries that kept her up at night. To her, Marie was a musician. Her voice music to Lacey's ears as the sound blocked out the dreaded knock of her landlords fist on the apartment door.

"So what have you been up to?" Lacey had wanted to avoid the question as it sounded so basic. The kind of thing she would say to a vague acquaintance, not a woman she wanted to impress.