Forever: Chapter 3

A week later, early in the morning, Tessa called Valerie to tell her that a letter from some magazine from New York had arrived for her at their parents' house. Last year, while Valerie was searching for a new apartment to live in with Timothy, she gave her parents' address to every place where she applied for a job. If someone decides to reply to her, the risk of losing the mail is smaller if she gives her potential employers a permanent address.

Valerie left her breakfast unfinished on the table. She just grabbed her bag, and all excited, she left her home. "Finally, someone replied", that is what she was thinking of, all the way from her apartment to her parents' house. It never crossed her mind that this could be one of those letters where they inform her how much they regret not being able to offer her a job at the moment, but they will reconsider her application in the future. She had some sort of inexplicable feeling that this time, the news would be good.

When Valerie arrived at her parents' house, Tessa was already waiting for her in the front yard. Tessa was smiling, and she was waving with an envelope in her hand. She knew her sister well, and she knew that Valerie would arrive as fast as she could.

"Hey, sis! You came very fast!"

"Tess, is that my letter? Give it to me!" Valerie said, looking at the small white envelope.

"Not so fast!"

"What are you doing, Tess? Give me my letter!"

"First, we need to talk. If I give you the letter, what will I get in return?"

"What?" Valerie asked, not understanding what her sister was trying to say.

"Tonight, I'm going to a huge party with the girls, and I was thinking, can you borrow me your new purple dress? You know, the one you bought last month from Los Angeles."

"No way!"

"In that case, I can't give you the letter."

"That letter is mine! Give it to me!"

"Sorry sis, no dress - no mail!" Tessa said, and she hid the letter behind her back.

"Okay! You may have everything you want; just give me the letter!"

"It's a real pleasure doing business with you," Tessa said satisfied.

When Tessa gave her the letter, Valerie ripped off the envelope, and she started to read fast. She read it twice because she couldn't believe in the content of the letter after she read it the first time. Suddenly, in the middle of the street, she began to jump and scream.

Their neighbor, Mrs. Jackson, who lived across the street, and was always well informed about everything that was going on in the entire neighborhood, showed up at the window of her living room to see what was going on outside, and who was making the noise. "Oh, these English girls again," she said to herself, and she returned to whatever she was doing earlier.

"Oh my God! Oh my God! I can't believe it!"

"What is it?"

"This magazine, I don't remember when I've sent them my CV, they offered me a job, and I'm starting this September! Can you believe it?"

Tessa grabbed Valerie's hand, as she was doing when they were little, and they went into the house running. The girls wanted to share the joyful news with their father, who was working in his office at home.

"Dad, guess what?" Tessa said while she was trying to catch her breath from running on the stairs.

"Girls, how many times do I have to tell you that just because I work from home doesn't mean you can come in and interrupt me at work whenever you want? This room is my office, and when I'm working, imagine that I'm not at home, but I'm at my office, somewhere out of our home. If it's not something urgent, you'll have to wait for me to finish my job."

 

"Yes, I know! Sorry dad, but Valerie has very important news to share with you! Don't get too excited, she is not pregnant, and can you imagine? After ten years of dating, her boyfriend, Tim, doesn't want to propose to her. I don't know if he ever will."

"Dad, I was offered a job as a photographer in a magazine in New York!" Valerie had to stop her.

"Val, your first job as a photographer! I knew that this day would come very soon! I've always believed in you. Congratulations, Val! I'm so proud of you," Phillip said, he got up from his chair, and he kissed his daughter's forehead.

"Well dad, it's a job for a magazine I've never heard of."

"Whatever!" Tessa said.

"Yes, Tessa is right. Everyone has to start somewhere! We must call your mother. She will be thrilled," Philip said.

When Philip took the phone in his hand, at the same time, and Tessa's cell phone began to ring. She ignored the call because she thought it would be inappropriate to chat with her friend about irrelevant things while something important was happening in her sister's life.

"Sorry about that. It was Stephanie, probably something about tonight's party!" Tessa apologized.

"Tess, there are only five weeks before your final exams, don't you think that it will be better for you to spend more time with your books?" Philip asked her, very seriously.

"Don't worry, dad! Everything is under control."

"I'm sorry, but I can't agree with you. Every single day, your mother is coming home from work angry because every single day, her colleague professors are complaining about you. Tonight we'll study together, and forget about the parties until the final exams are over.

"What?"

"End of the conversation! You should start thinking about your future, young lady. You are not a child anymore, and you must learn what responsibility is."

"Dad, please, just tonight! I promise I'll study harder!"

"I said no! Your mother and I are tired of hearing the same song every single day."

"Dad, please..."

Tessa made a sad expression, the one she was always making when she wanted something to get from her father, and she looked at him. He thought that she'd begin to cry at any second. Philip couldn't stand his daughters to be unhappy. And he knew that it was pointless to stop Tessa from going to a party with her friends. If he stops her from going, she won't be focused on her studies.

"All right, Tess, but just for tonight. If I don't let you go, your mind will be at that party, and you won't be able to study, anyway. And remember, there will be no more parties until the end of the school year. I mean it!"

"Thanks, dad! You're the best dad in the world! Listen, Val, I forgot to ask you, are you gonna take all your clothes to New York?”

"Tess..."

"What? I was just wondering. You have a lot of beautiful pieces of clothes, and you can't take them all with you to New York. I mean, you can leave them to me. I will take good care of them."

Valerie didn't stay for long at her parents' house. She couldn't wait to share the news about her job offer with Timothy. This morning he went to the job before Tessa called, and when he called her two hours later, she didn't want to tell him over the phone. Valerie wanted to see him and tell him in person because she was sure that her job offer would make him happy. While they were in college, they were often talking about moving to New York. They thought New York was the right place to be for a young photographer and an aspiring writer. For them, New York was the center of the world.

When she arrived at the furniture store, Timothy was busy showing a dining table to a young couple. She just smiled at him, and he smiled back at her. The first thing that Valerie noticed was a few pages written in Timothy's handwriting at the pay desk. She sat down, and she began to read with great interest the exciting new story Timothy wrote today. Out of nowhere, Valerie started to laugh loud.

The young couple looked at her with astonishment, but Timothy knew why she was laughing. He was glad because his new story made her laugh. That was a good sign. If she likes his story, maybe the others will too, or maybe not. Valerie was always laughing or crying at all his stories. She simply adored everything he was writing, including the messages he was texting her over the phone.

"Hey, Val!" Timothy said after the young couple left the store and he joined Valerie.

"Hey! This is amazing... It's really beautiful... And witty... And very funny... I'm speechless..." Valerie said, and she couldn't take her eyes off the papers.

"Oh, it's nothing, I just started to write something new... But, it would be nice if I could find a publisher who thinks the same and who will like my books as you like them."

"I'm jealous of you because you can find time to write at work."

"I don't have many customers. People are not buying furniture every day. Hey Val, you didn't tell me what brought you here?"

"I was at my parents' house, and it's too early for me to go to work, so I've decided to spend a few hours here with you."

"Excellent decision, Ms. Patterson!"

"And that is not all! I have something very important to tell you. This autumn, we are going to New York."

"What do you mean?" Timothy asked, confused.

"I've got a job in a magazine as a photographer."

"What? That's wonderful! Val, congrats! What have I told you? One day, someone will recognize your talent, and you'll get a chance you deserve," he took her in his embrace, and he kissed her.

"I'm sure you'll find a publisher for your books in New York very soon, and you'll make enough money from writing that you'll never have to work anything else in life but the job you love."

"I'm not sure about that..."

"But I am. Hey Timmy, are you alone?"

"Yeah!"

"Where is your father?"

"He went to the bank. When he comes back, please don't tell him anything about New York and your job. He will be furious. Please let me spend these two days in peace. We'll tell my family on Sunday."

"All right! If you want, we'll tell them after we move to New York. We'll just send them a postcard, and we'll let them know that we've become New Yorkers."

"Val, it's not funny."

"I'm not joking, I'm serious. We'll tell your parents when you'll be ready. I know it will be difficult for you to listen to your father how he will be trying to convince you to stay here. The later you tell him, the more peace you'll have."

"Okay. Thanks for understanding!"

"So, Mr. Salesman, are these the new beds who arrived last week?"

"Yeah, they are comfortable for sleeping. Maybe we should get one."

"And what about the other bed activities besides sleeping?"

"Well, I don't know, it's not written in the brochures."

"We can check it for ourselves."

"What? Here? Now? Dad can show up every minute. If he finds us having sex on the new beds, he will literally kill us both."

"Mr. Salesman, are you refusing to serve a customer? If I complain to your boss, you may lose your job," Valerie said as she sat on the bed, and she started to unbutton her shirt.

"That kind of service is not in my job description."

"Come on, Mr. Salesman! Do you want me to go down on my knees and beg you? Please..."

"Okay! Just give me a second."

Timothy went to lock the door as fast as he could. First, he looked on the street, and when he was sure that nobody was outside, he put the sign "Closed". With running, he returned to Valerie, and they made love fast because they both were afraid that Timothy's father could come back at any moment. It wasn't their first time to make love in the furniture store. Usually, they did it after working hours, when Timothy had to close the store, and they were sure that nobody would surprise them.

"The beds are very comfortable and perfect for all activities," Valerie said, with a huge smile on her face.

"I completely agree with you. Now we can add that to the brochures," Timothy agreed, and he kissed her.

"You do it! You are a writer, and you'll write it better than me."

They began to laugh, and they got up from the bed. After they got dressed, Timothy went to unlock the door of the store. While he was removing the sign "Closed" from the door, he saw his father on the street, talking with the guy from the grocery shop. Timothy felt relieved and thought about how lucky they were. If the guy from the grocery shop didn't stop his father, he would have found them in one of the beds that were for sale, and they would both be in trouble, especially him.

Today, Valerie and Timothy got a feeling that their lives were finally beginning to move in the right direction, and they were one step closer to everything they wanted. Of course, everything would be so simple and easy if life doesn't have to complicate everything. Anyway, it was a big day for Valerie, and Timothy wanted to do something special for her. Every Valerie's success was his success, and the other way round.

After work, Timothy bought a bottle of champagne, he ordered dinner from her favorite restaurant, and after Valerie finished with all her obligations for today, he invited her on the beach, where he organized a small party for two. They wanted to be alone and to enjoy a quiet evening by a bonfire on the beach they had loved since they were kids.

On the beach, they had a very special place just for themselves where they experienced the magic of the first kiss, and nobody else was going there. For hours, they could watch the endless ocean from that spot and talk. They always liked to joke that that was their private beach. On their "private beach", they spent the hot summer nights with their friends, and almost every year on the beach, they celebrated their birthdays or other important events. In a way, a lot of important things in their lives were related to that exact place on the beach, and the little part of the beach was their favorite place in the whole world.