Two Steps Forward, One Step Backward Chapter 1: The Dropout
The sun arose on another warm, spring day. The stillness and the quietness we suddenly taken over by the hustle and bustle of people running to their cars for work, kids running to the buses for school, neighbors out for a run and jog, and birds flying out for their worms. David Seville slowly shuffled out of his house, and down to the end of his driveway, to pick up his morning paper. He pulled the paper out of the plastic bag, and unrolled the rubberband to open up the paper, while Miss Miller also stepped out of her house, for her own paper.
"Mornin', David!" Miss Miller called out.
"Morning, Miss Miller." Dave responded, somberly, without looking up from his paper.
"David?" Miss Miller asked. "Are you alright?"
Dave broke from his paper, and sighed, while screwing a smile on his face. "Why, of course I'm fine... why wouldn't I be?"
"It's just, you've never seemed quite the same since the boys left home months ago." Miss Miller pointed out.
Dave nodded. "I admit, I do feel a little lonely at times... them not around as much as they used to... but, they chose to follow their own pathes, so I had to respect that."
"Exactly, David," Miss Miller said, "it all a part of life."
Dave nodded again.
"You know what you ought to do, David?" Miss Miller continued, "You ought to take you up a new hobby for yourself... something to take your mind of everything, something that you would enjoy doing, other than sitting around in your house, all alone, writing sad songs like a cowboy."
Dave turned his head, and observed his property. "I will admit... I have been wanting to kind of spruce this place up abit..."
"Why don't you?" Miss Miller asked.
"I would love to do something with that backyard... it's been a mess for the longest time... I'd like to be able to use that old gazebo again from time to time... and I wouldn't even mind growing some fresh vegetables."
"There's alot you can do for yourself, David." Miss Miller said.
Again, Dave nodded, "You're right, Miss Miller... I think I'll spend some time fixing this place up."
"You do that, David," Miss Miller said, about to turn in, "would you like to come in, and have some breakfast?"
"Oh, no thanks," Dave said, "I think I'll catch that special down at the diner... if, you know what I mean..."
Miss Miller smiled, "I do. Take care, David."
"You too, Miss Miller." Dave said, as the two of them went back into their houses.
Moments later, Dave stepped inside the diner, where he was greeted by a waitress, with a cup of coffee, as he took a seat at the counter.
"So, what'll it be?" The waitress asked. "The usual?"
"The usual." Dave smiled.
"I'll let him know." The waitress said, as she stepped back into the kitchen.
Dave added his usual amount of cream and sugar to his coffee, when an employee from the kitchen stepped out to see him.
"So, you want the usual?" Dave heard a familar voice speak out to him.
"Would you expect anything else?" Dave asked.
Theodore smiled. "Boy Dave, I don't know what I'd do if you didn't come in here all the time."
"Well, I figured you could use a best customer." Dave said, with a smile.
"You're certainly the best customer anyone could ever have... I'll go get your order ready." Theodore said, before stepping back into the kitchen, while Dave sipped his coffee.
Theodore was working his way through chef's college, but was still short on funds for his tuition, so he got a job at the diner, as a cook on the morning and afternoon shift, to earn an extra income to further fund his fees. With Dave's regular visits, and the generous tips he leaves, Theodore was confident that he would finally be able to enroll the following semester. Back at Miss Miller's house, she had set two bowls of oatmeal on the kitchen table, and called upstairs.
"Brittany!" She called. "Brittany! I hope you're not lazing about up there again, breakfast is ready!"
Brittany rolled over in her bed, and slowly opened her eyes to the sounds of her mother calling for her. "Coming!"
Shortly later, when Brittany joined Miss Miller for breakfast...
"Brittany, I love you..." Miss Miller began.
"I love you too, Miss Miller." Brittany interrupted, as she dunked her toast into her oatmeal.
Miss Miller shook her head, "You're missing my point... I need you to understand that it's time... it's passed time, that you got yourself a life, and did something with it."
"Well, I check the want-ads..." Brittany said, "but there's nothing out there for me!"
"I'm sure there is, you're just not looking hard enough." Miss Miller said.
"Nope." Brittany said, with a sigh. "If only there was something out there for me, but nobody wants me."
"How do you know?" Miss Miller asked. "I don't see you going out, and looking for a job."
"No, but I call all the record producers in town," Brittany said, "but nobody wants me unless my sisters are signing on too..."
"Perhaps it's time you decided on a new career." Miss Miller said.
"If there was something good out there." Brittany pouted.
Miss Miller was about to continue the conversation, but received a knock at the door.
"I hope it's not the censors bugging us again." Brittany said.
"It's census," Miss Miller corrected her, "and that was a year ago."
"Oh." Was Brittany's simple response.
Miss Miller excused herself from the table, and went to answer the door. When she opened the door, she was pleasantly surprised to see who had arrived, "Well, there's my little darling!"
Miss Miller reached down, and embraced her middle daughter, Jeanette.
"Hi, Miss Miller," Jeanette said, softly.
Miss Miller nudged Jeanette into the house, "It's so good to have to pop in from time to time." Miss Miller brought Jeanette into the kitchen. "Care for some breakfast, dear, or have you already eaten?"
"Oh, no thanks, Miss Miller," Jeanette said, "I'm not very hungry."
Brittany reached her arms out. "And?"
Jeanette smirked, before she embraced her older sister.
"Man, I've missed you!" Brittany said, squeezing her little sister, tightly. "I feel like I haven't seen you in three years!"
Jeanette smirked again, "Well, you didn't see me for three years..." Jeanette took a seat at the table.
"So," Miss Miller began, as she sat back down at the table, handing Jeanette some orange juice, "how has college been so far?"
"Uh... yeah... about that..." Jeanette hesitated, while Miss Miller tilted her head, in confusion, "I... uh... well... I kinda... dropped out..."
Miss Miller dropped her spoon, Brittany dropped her toast, and both dropped their jaws. "Dropped out?"
Jeanette meakly nodded.
"What in the world are you talking about?" Miss Miller asked.
Jeanette shrugged. "I dropped out."
"That is, like, soooo unlike you!" Brittany said.
"Jeanette... you have some explaining to do, young lady," Miss Miller said, "your tuition is roughly $35,000! That's money down the drain."
"It was filthy money..." Jeanette said.
Miss Miller sighed, knowing that Jeanette meant that the money put towards her college education was actually from the earnings she made when she was a brainwashed prostitute. "Still, that's money down the drain, Jeanette... you're not going to make it in this world without a diploma..."
"It's okay, Miss Miller," Jeanette interrupted, "I applied for a job at the Waldenbooks a few blocks away, I go in for an interview Wednesday."
"An interview for what?" Brittany asked. "How good you are at stacking books? How fast you can stock shelves? How many copies of the Twilight Saga can be fit into an SUV?"
"They have a few positions open," Jeanette said, "the interview is to see which position they feel they can best use me in."
"But, you still haven't answered the question, Jeanette," Miss Miller pressed, "why did you drop out of college?"
Jeanette hung her head. "I just can't do it."
"Do what?" Miss Miller asked.
"You name it... I can't concentrate on my work, I can't concentrate on my studies, I can't will myself to get out of bed every morning, meanwhile my dormmate hates me..."
"So, what's the problem?" Miss Miller continued to press.
Jeanette nudges her glasses above her forehead, so she could press the palms of her hands up against her eyes, "It's my past... my past keeps coming back to haunt me... I don't like to look down on other people, but that college has it's share of alot of shifty characters... I kinda feel like I'm reliving those godawful days of when..." Jeanette's voice broke up, as she fought back the tears of reliving her rocky past.
Miss Miller and Brittany shared sympathetic looks with one another. Jeanette had alot of trouble readjusting to life as she once knew it, but she had the fullest support of her family and friends behind her. The problem was, Jeanette had good days, and she had bad days. College life had been the source of an increasing number of bad days.
"Jeanette," Miss Miller spoke up, "darling, I know you went through an unimaginable ordeal... but, you have to understand something... what happened in the past is past... you mustn't keep dwelling on your past..."
"I try not to," Jeanette said, "but I can't help it... sometimes, the memories just pop into my head, and they continually haunt me... and college just isn't helping me... if anything, it reminds of that... that awful place they kept me in for all those years."
"But what about your future, Jeanette?" Miss Miller asked. "What about your life?"
"I'm revaluating my life right now, Miss Miller... and right now, I just wanted to get out of that environment, and do something for myself... that's why I applied for a job at Waldenbooks. I'm surrounded by reading material, that feels natural, and comforting to me."
"You can say that again." Brittany said of her bookwormish sister.
"I can work a typical shift, make an income, and I'll have it made in the shade, for right now." Jeanette said.
Miss Miller nodded. "Uh huh... so you've got a living, with an income... just what did you think you were going to be doing as far as shelter is concerned?"
"Hey, won't bother me if she decides to move back in," Brittany said, "I could use a little company!"
"Brittany..." Miss Miller mumbled.
"Oh, don't worry about that Miss Miller," Jeanette assured her mother, "I've got shelter."
"Where?" Miss Miller asked.
"Simon's going to let me live with him." Jeanette said.
Miss Miller raised an eyebrow. "You and Simon are going to be living together?"
"Uh... yeah..." Jeanette responded, a little more nervous. "See... he's got himself a dayjob, while he attends night school... with both of us working, and bringing in moneyflow, we can split the rent and utilities and such..."
"I don't like the idea of you living with a man, Jeanette." Miss Miller said.
"But... Simon's my best friend..." Jeanette said, "plus, you know him... it wouldn't be like if I was moving in with a complete stranger."
"Nevertheless..." Miss Miller said. "I think I'd just as soon let you move back home until you had the money to find a place for yourself."
"Yeah, I been keeping your and Eleanor's sides of the room spic, and also span, all this time." Brittany added.
"We can work it out, Miss Miller," Jeanette insisted, "I promise."
Miss Miller didn't like how things were shaping up. She knew Jeanette was destined for bigger, and better things, with her talent, and her intelligence. But, she also knew that Jeanette was a broken person, and is still occasionally haunted by her shady past. Jeanette was a grown woman now, and she had the right to make her own decisions, even if they weren't the best.
"Alright," Miss Miller said, "you do whatever you think is the best for you, Jeanette."
Jeanette slowly revealed a half smile, "Thank you, Miss Miller. Um... I would, however... like to... at least spend the weekend here with you and Brittany."
"Yay!" Brittany squealed.
"That will be fine," Miss Miller said, "you can bring your linens down here to wash them, so you can sleep in some clean sheets."
"Yeah, and we can push our beds together, and tell each other crazy stories like we used to when we were kids!" Brittany said.
Jeanette smiled even more. Through her eyes, things were, indeed, shaping up.