A Great Whatever (blog story) 24

     Sometimes, when you need it the most, good fortune smiles upon you. It only took a week to find a job. You were polite, focused, and earnest in the interview. You got a job in the accounts payable department. It was not glamorous. In fact it was deadly boring, but the pay was decent. It was at least enough to pay your bills.
     The people seemed genuinely friendly. FTP is a multinational corporation with numerous holdings. It is too large to be cliquish. Unfortunately, with size comes anonymity. You spent your days in a corner cubicle reviewing expense reports that would in turn be reviewed by someone else and so on until they were paid. You were grateful to have something to do.
     Your home life was still recovering from the shock of your mother’s death. Heather was excited by your new job and pleased that you hadn’t been drinking. She still hovered over you though. She watched your every move. You wanted to know what she was thinking. You wanted to tell her everything is going to be alright. When you’d try to talk to her she’d shut down. Something was on her mind.
     Your father, on the other hand, called you every day. He had never been so accessible. He had never shared so much of himself before. He was thrilled you found work. He’d give you pointers and suggest self-help books. He talked about what he was doing and he’d reminisce about your mother. Often, he’d be the last person you’d speak to at night and the first call you’d receive in the morning. He was becoming a friend.
     It is a fact that most people don’t grow up because they want to, they grow up because they have to. You felt challenged and you were rising to it. The boy you were a year ago barely resembled the man you were today. For the time being you think you have everything figured out.