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“Do we already have a new manager? I have a new boss?”
“Yes, he’s been here today. He’s got a different style from me, but I’ve told him how amazing you are. He’s eager to meet you.”
“Cindy, this is a lot to happen on my vacation.”
“I know! The timing was bad. But there will now be an official head teller position, with many of the responsibilities I was absorbing. That could be you!”
“But I don’t know if I want to be head teller for anyone else but you.” What am I saying? I’m not even going back. Am I? Maybe I should talk to Drew. I need to be sure.
My safety net swoops out from under me. What if Drew thinks me working here is a bad idea after the weekend we just had? If we break up, am I out?
And now my old boss is gone, so I’ve lost the security in my position at the bank. I have no place to live in Alabama while I figure that out.
I don’t dare simply quit my job and move in with my sisters. Tillie barely pays her bills. What if Lila needs more money to get by? I have to be able to feed her and the baby.
My hands start to shake.
The old terror comes over me, the one I spent all those positivity trainings working to keep away. I’m five years old. Mother isn’t coming home from the hospital. Dad won’t come out of the bedroom. Lila is crying. And the baby needs a bottle. Garrett leaves and doesn’t come back. There’s no dinner. No help. All the clothes are dirty.
No. I’m fine.
I’m an adult. I have options. I have skills. I will manifest a future that leads me into the light.
Be positive. Believe.
No. Forget that. Positivity doesn’t pay the bills. Hedge your bets. Be safe. Be smart. Don’t close any doors.
I draw a shaky breath. “I need to finish things out here in Atlanta,” I tell Cindy. “If I can figure out how to be at the bank a day early, I will be there.”
“If you can’t make work hours, there is a happy hour afterward as a farewell,” she says. “I can’t imagine not getting to say goodbye.”
I clench the hand not holding the phone into a fist to force the shakes away. “Don’t you have to pack your apartment still?”
“They’re packing me and moving me. They bought out my lease. I don’t have to do anything but look for a new place while they put me up in an Airbnb.”
“That’s some star treatment.” Some of the tension drains from me. I still have the bank job. I still have choices. I’m going to be all right. “What’s the name of the new manager?”
“Milton. It’s going to work out. I know it.”
I have to believe her. Cindy wouldn’t let me down. “Thanks, Cindy. And congratulations on the promotion.”
I end the call. Everything’s moving so fast. It’s almost as if all my paths were leading me to stay here. I don’t care if I burn a bridge with some random new manager. Maybe it’s the perfect thing to happen.
As long as things seem all right with Drew.
That’s what I have to figure out. And fast. I hold up my hand. No shakes. I’m tough. I’m resilient. I’m good to have this conversation with him.
I shove the last part of my sandwich in my mouth and toss the plastic wrap in the trash. I have to get back to my desk and think through how to approach him.
I whip around to rush through the door and run smack into Drew.
Oh God. How long has he been standing there?
His voice could make boulders crack in half. “Who was that?”
I think fast. I can’t lie. I won’t lie. “My friend Cindy back in Alabama.” That’s true.
“It sounded like you were talking about your old bank job.”
