Set Fire to the Rain

The rest of the story will be mainly in Eliza’s POV unless otherwise specified

Right after the kids and I had moved into the ‘apartment’, our landlord Harold, offered to help me find a job. The man has tons of connections because of his late wife, Mary. She had worked in the city at one time in the music business and when he heard I needed a job he asked for my resume and offered to forward it to his contacts there. I honestly wasn’t expecting much given that his wife has been gone for 10 years and he is an older man, a retired Marine as a matter of fact. Harold had suggested that since I had not worked since college, that I take classes for business or computers to get myself up to date on the latest programs, saying it would help with the interview process and the competition. I agreed with the idea and signed up for classes in both, but mostly the computer classes figuring they would help me out more in the long run. I loved being back in school again with people that were interested in what you had to say and sharing opinions with one another. Just to be back in the world experiencing normal things again was amazing. Yes, I would still get those feelings of unease, as if someone were watching me from somewhere nearby around, or around every corner there was, yet the feelings were always unfounded.

After I completed the classes, and Harold had sent out the resume, the phone calls for interviews started to come in. I interviewed with a business in Northern New Jersey first, and even though I thought it had gone well, the job had gone to someone else. I was crushed, because I really just wanted to go to work again. Plus, we needed the income and full benefits with Marguerite going to NYU and Jake getting ready to graduate high school soon enough. Things were changing and we needed the cash. After a few more failed interviews I had a call from a studio in NY and went in to interview with them. It was a fairly large corporation and very well-known especially among the music scene. I thought I bombed the interview, but the woman whom I interviewed with, Claire, who would be my manager, began to ask me questions about music, bands, and the like and we started to have a great conversation. It’s partly because of my kids and their love and involvement in music, that my knowledge is so vast, and maybe because of everything that I have gone through in my life my love for music and its expression and meanings have such great importance to me. I’m not exactly sure, I do know that before I was married, I loved music and listening to music. I admit that when Claire called, I was really surprised. I didn’t think that I possessed the qualifications that they required for the Receptionist/Secretarial position. She said that she had talked it over with upper management and decided that they loved my personality and positive attitude. Though, what really won them over was the way I talked about music and how my eyes lit up when I did. If I had to take extra classes for the computer programs they would work with me on it. I started the following week after all the drug tests, background checks etc. were done. It is a bit of a commute, but honestly, I don’t mind it at all, I actually love the time to myself. This is something new for me, so I am having a fucking great time doing it. Plus I am meeting fascinating people, and have made some amazing friends along the way. Some of them people I work with and others are members of bands that I have met along the way. My kids get a huge kick out of that! Claire and upper management are really happy with my work over this past year or so, and I have already had my first raise! That’s a huge fucking deal to me; I have never had one before! Go me! There is also a rumor going around that Claire is considering promoting me to her own personal Administrative Assistant, she’s that happy with my work ethic, and it’s hard as hell to impress her. Everyone told me in the beginning that she was a real hard ass, but I only see a hard worker. Being a woman in this business is hard enough, so sometimes you have to be tough. When I first met her I wasn’t sure if I should say anything to Claire and upper management about David and our history, but in the end, I decided I needed to be completely honest with her. I wasn’t taking any chances there. I give management and security a new photo every other month to keep them aware of what he looks like, I don’t need any surprises. Better to be safe than sorry. I guess you could say that so far things have things have been going really well here.

“Psst! Hey you” Kym whispered from the corner near the right side of my desk near the entry of the studio.

“Heya sexy. What’s going on back in the padded room?” I asked my best friend since day one, with a smirk on my face.

“It’s going great today actually.” She responded with a smile on her face, as her brown eyes sparkled with mischief and her long curly blond hair bounced behind her when she walked towards me.

“Really now, and why would that be my friend?”

“Well, it could be the fact that I have spent the past few hours sitting in on a meeting, in that room, video chat mind you, staring at the most fucking beautiful males ever created. Ahhh, if I ever get my hands on their bodies, what I wouldn’t do to them, or what I would do to them. It would be so,”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, ok, I realllly don’t want to know what you would do to those poor men, let alone who they are, but please keep those ideas in that gorgeous head of yours. I would love to remain happily ignorant on that!” I replied to her with a laugh.

“Come on Eliza, don’t you want to know who I want to fuck so hard they won’t”

“Just stop talking please! TMI! TMI!” I whispered loudly.

“Jakoby, from Papa Roach is just so... Oh my fucking hell! He is just sooooo yummmmy!”

“You do realize that Jakoby is a very happily married man, and you do have a boyfriend, don’t you?” I giggled.

“El, you love to take the fun out of all my dirty dreams and ideas don’t you! “

“Kymie, you can have all the dirty thoughts and dreams you want as long as I don’t have to hear about it in any way shape or form, please, I beg of you!” I begged quietly, as people walked down the hallway across from my desk. God knows what they hear when they walk by.

“Babe, you need a good”

“Lalalalalalalalalalalala” I sang with my fingers plugged into my ears like a 3 year old.

“Alright, alright, no more I swear. I give. But you know I can’t help myself. Besides its why you love me so much!”

“Yes, I know, and that’s precisely why I love you” I smiled and the phone began to ring, basically ending our conversation. “Ok, love, I have to get back to work. Love ya.”

“It’s ok, I have to get back to my desk, but I will check ya later chicka!” She said walking away from me with a bounce in her step and a smile on her face.