First Impressions

"I just don't understand!" Mrs. Bennet nearly wailed later that week. The same phrase had been uttered several times from the same lips, as well as those of many in Longbourn since the Chi-Townies had suddenly up and left Netherfield.

"It's hardly the beginning of July; they were supposed to stay for the entire summer," she continued, recalling the well-known facts to Lizzie as they wrapped silverware in napkins for the cafe. "I don't understand what could have been SO important that they had to cut their stay short. And my Jane- oh, my poor darling!"

Jane was, to put it frankly, wallowing. She hardly ate. She slept in almost every morning since Patrick departed, and barely left the house. It wasn't helping that Mrs. Bennet made sure to heighten the dramatics of the situation to everyone who asked, and would constantly pester Jane for an update on her wellbeing. 

Finally, Lizzie had it.

"Mom, maybe you should stop acting like Patrick was the only reason left for Jane to live," she snapped. "Of course Jane is upset, but she's only going to stay that way if you press the issue!"

"I'm only looking out for my eldest daughter," Mrs. Bennet looked at Lizzie as if she could care less about her sister's emotions. "Don't you think this is terrible?"

"Of course I do!" Lizzie exclaimed vehemently, shaking out her dark curls in frustration. As to not upset a currently sleeping Jane upstairs, she lowered her voice to hiss, "But let her be!"

"Well, you have nothing to worry about in this situation," Mrs. Bennet sniffed, snatching a fork out of her daughter's hand. "In two months time you'll be out of this town, and where will your sister likely be? Here, still heartbroken from losing an opportunity of a lifetime."

Typical of her mother to turn the situation on her, Lizzie rolled her eyes. But just as Mrs. Bennet had hoped, she felt a twinge of guilt. She was right; if Jane failed to find a job by the end of the summer, Lizzie would be the only one abandoning Michigan to pursue a career. At least Patrick's presence had brought Jane some hope that things were still right in the world. 

"Maybe she's not looking in the right place," Charlotte suggested when Lizzie visited her at the Lucas residence that afternoon.

"Where else would she look to find a curating job besides a museum?" Lizzie furrowed her brow at her best friend.

"Well, from what I've seen, Jane's looking for a job at one of those smaller, specialized museums where they don't have a lot of funding," Charlotte explained, rolling her computer chair towards her desk. "So of course they wouldn't give her a job- she's overqualified and wouldn't be able to afford her."

"But she doesn't have enough experience to work at the Guggenheim or Metropolitan or places like that," Lizzie pointed out. "She's fresh out of college."

"What about an internship?" 

Lizzie opened her mouth, but paused, warming up to the idea.

"A good internship will pay just as much as what Jane's looking for," said Charlotte, already browsing Google. "And it's a perfect stepping stone to where she deserves to be."

"I suppose...are you finding anything?"

"I'm looking," Charlotte's face leaned into the laptop. "Okay here's one! Oh-" Pausing on a page, she glanced at her friend apprehensively. "This one might be interesting..."

Curiously, Lizzie pulled a chair over to the desk to get a better look, and instantly understood Charlotte's demeanor. 

CURATOR INTERNSHIP, ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO
Time Span: 9 MONTHS, SEPTEMBER-JUNE

"Jane won't apply; she'll think it'll look like she's chasing Pat down," Lizzie sighed. 

"Well all of the internships listed here have due dates already passed," Charlotte scrolled upwards to positions open in other museums. "The Art Institute is still taking applications for another few days."

Lizzie bit her lip. At the rate at which Jane was going, she could barely do anything, let alone put together a pristine application. 

"I can get her resume and portfolio," she said slowly, eyes darting cautiously to Charlotte. Her friend nodded in approval.

"It's not guaranteed she'll get it, but it's the best chance she's got," Charlotte assured Lizzie. "We can't let this go."

Summer passed slowly. Longbourn settled back into its sleepy state, making the town unbearable for Lizzie. Mrs. Bennet incessantly prodded into everything, Lydia remained wild and carefree enough to give her a headache, and Jane was as subdued as ever. By late July, Lizzie was dying for an early exit. 

Jane's condition improved in time, Lizzie noticed. Still, her eyes displayed the raw heartbreak to anyone who looked close enough. It was as if she would never be the same, Lizzie thought sadly. 

"I can't say I'm not bruised," Jane told her one day as they lay their towels out on the beach. She turned her head to give Lizzie a reassuring smile. "But time heals, isn't that what they say?"

"Has he called? Texted?" 

"No," Jane replied hollowly. "He's busy; I can't blame him." 

"Aren't you upset?"

"There's no use in being upset at someone you'll never see again," Jane only reasoned, and Lizzie took that as a cue to end the conversation. 

"I've been offered a position," Jane changed the subject. "They called this morning."

"That's great, Janie!" Lizzie exclaimed, feeling happy for her sister. Her thoughts flickered over the application she sent earlier in the month to the Art Institute. "Where at?"

"San Diego."

"Um, California?"

"Yes, what other San Diego is there?" 

"That's so far," Lizzie found herself visualizing a map of the country, swallowing hard at the thought of the long line she drew between the Upper Peninsula and the southwestern coast. 

"It's a little under what I hoped for a starting salary, but it's a respectable job and it's a beautiful city," said Jane. She smiled, "I could go to the beach everyday if I wanted to."

And they didn't have hockey in San Diego, thought Lizzie.

"I told them to give me a couple days to think about it," Jane continued. "But I'm going to take it."

Lizzie nodded, but her mind kept floating back to the Art Institute. Please, please, please, she begged. Let some sort of word from them come in the next 48 hours.

"I need change, Lizzie," her sister tried to appease her. "And I can't spend another year just waiting tables and living off of Mom and Dad!"

"I know, I know," Lizzie said in a small voice, burying her face in her towel. "But does it have to be so far away?"

"It's the only shot I've got."

The sun was beginning to set, so the sisters rolled up their towels and put on their coverups, heading back home. 

"Jane!" Mrs. Bennet cried as they walked through the door. "A letter came for you, from Chicago!"

"From Patrick?" Jane asked, with more hope than Lizzie ever heard her have in the last month.

"I don't think it's what you're expecting..." Lizzie warned her, as Jane's face dropped in disappointment as she read the return sender address. Then, it twisted in confusion.

"Why is the Art Institute of Chicago writing to me?"