The Vision. Linda Blum
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looked at her watch. “I better get going or I’ll be late for my interview.”
She got up, grabbed her coat and purse and headed for the door. Hope shouted out to her as she was leaving.
“Call me later.”
The traffic was busy, but flowing smoothly and quickly. Judy felt like she was always in a race whenever she drove on the highway. It wasn’t until she passed construction signs, that the traffic slowed down and actually drove the speed limit. She was just getting used to driving this new pace when she noticed vehicles up ahead putting on their brake lights. Judy eased on her brakes and began crawling along with the other cars. Once she was out of the construction zone, the drivers resumed their normal racing speed. Thankfully she got to her destination with time to spare.
Her interview was with a business in the downtown core of the city. Kitshener was a mid size, once German, city with a population that was quickly on the rise. Many different ethnic groups came to live here over the years, but even with its melting pot of cultures, Kitshener still remained a German town with its heritage intact.
Judy had lived here her whole life and had watched, with unsettledness, the growing pains the city had gone through. Some of it was good, some bad. At times she wished it would remain the small peaceful town it once had been.
The one thing about living here was it was difficult to get around, especially for a person like Judy who was directionally challenged. The zigzag-like lay out of the roads left travelling very confusing and difficult. Certain roads may be deemed east, but in actuality they were southeast. For most people, especially newcomers, they relied on landmarks to get to where they were going instead of referring to compass directions. People often wondered why the roads were not mapped out in a grid-like pattern, like most of the surrounding cities, but it appeared that the settlers developed roads based on waterways and landscape. When they settled on a piece of land, and had to get from one area to another, they just made a road, which was not necessarily in a straight line.
It had been awhile since she had been downtown and it amazed her how much things had changed. At one time the downtown was home to the drug lords, prostitutes and strip joints, just one of the negative consequences of a city in the midst of urban sprawl. Now, it was full of professional buildings, banks and a market. The politicians really cleaned it up like they said they would.
She passed a business called The Love Connection. On the front of the window was a sign that said, “Need a date? We’ll help you find your mate.” Right beside it was the business she was looking for, “All Smiles Photography Studio”.
The owner, Martha Quinn, greeted her when she entered. She was a tall, thin brunette who always smiled. In fact, throughout the whole interview she had one permanently glued to her face, making Judy wonder if she was for real.
Martha gave her a tour of the studio, letting her watch a photo shoot with a small child. It amazed Judy how the photographer could make even the shyest of children smile. It seemed to take a lot of skill, patience and creativity to achieve the best picture.
“In no time at all, you’ll be a fully fledged photographer too,” Martha commented joyfully.
I could do this. I love children and am a big kid myself so maybe I found a job that I will actually like, Judy thought. The more Martha explained what the job entailed the more interested she became. Until a sudden nagging feeling that all was not right in photography land came over her. Judy tried to tune into her feelings to find out what was going on, but got sidetracked when Martha started asking questions.
An hour later, Martha offered her the job and Judy accepted, however, something inside her was setting off warning signals.
Judy was the first one home and was greeted by Sam with the customary butt and crotch sniff. As she stood in the hallway warding off the dog’s welcoming, an unsettled feeling came over her. She realized this was due to her new job, a job she probably shouldn’t have taken. She sighed as she headed for the den.
When Ren came home, sounds of music drifted through the house. Over the years he got to know how Judy was feeling by the music she played. Based on what he was hearing he concluded that the interview hadn’t gone well. He followed the music to the den where he found Judy sitting by the bay window. Her arms were wrapped around bent knees and she was absently staring out the window.
“Well? How did it go today?” he asked reluctantly.
Judy turned to look at him and sighed. “I got the job.”
“Boy, you seem really enthused,” he said sarcastically. “I knew something was up when I heard your choice of music.”
Judy told Ren about the job and also about Martha.
“She’s hiding something,” Judy said.
“Why did you accept the position then? You know when your intuition tells you something is wrong, then something usually is!”
“We need the money,” she replied flatly.
Ren shook his head. Here we go again, he thought.
“Judy, I wish you wouldn’t do this. Why don’t you hold out for a job you like instead of taking the first one offered to you? You know you usually quit ”
“How am I supposed to know what I like? Life doesn’t offer you a chance to go after what you want when you have bills to pay and have a child to take care of,” Judy sighed. “Besides, this job pays well, offers a good benefit package and we could use both of those right now.”
“I hear what you’re saying, but face it, you want more than a good paying job with great benefits. You want to make a living doing something that you like.”
“We have very little money and a lot of expenses for me to hold out for something I like,” she shot back.
“We’ll get by we always do, so stop worrying.”
“I’m trying to, but it’s not easy with all the bills piling up.”
“I get paid next week.”
“They’re due now.”
“They’ll just have to wait.”
“I don’t like doing that.”
“Neither do I, but that’s all we can do.”
Ren felt like he was playing a verbal tennis match with Judy. She served him with a worry thought, he returned with a solution, she shot back another worry and he returned with yet another solution. Ren watched as Judy paced. He could tell her mind was working non-stop, trying to figure out a comfortable solution.
“Jude, calm down. Everything will be all right,” he said reassuringly.
“Yeah, yeah,” she replied.
He couldn’t stand watching her pace anymore, so he took her by the hand and made her sit on the couch beside him.
“You’re impossible to reason with when you’re like this. What do I need to do to make you stop worrying?” he asked.
“Just shoot me! Then my brain will stop.”
“Where’s the gun?” he said teasingly.
Judy glared at him.
“I have a better idea,” Ren said.
Gently he knocked her down, pinning her on the couch in a wresting hold. She struggled to get up, but he was too strong for her.
“Are you going to quit worrying?” he asked.
“Let me up,” Judy whimpered.
“Not until you agree to stop this nonsense.”
“All right already,” Judy whined.
Ren got up and pulled Judy in his arms.
“You should be banned from watching wrestling,” Judy said rubbing her arms. “It seems to be influencing you.”
“No