The Lonely Hearts Job

They finished breakfast & before Andi could get up Elliot started clearing away the table. ‘I can do that’, she said. ‘Nah, I got it, you made breakfast, let us clean up. That means you Hardison, get up’, he said glaring at his friend who was still shoveling in pancakes. ‘Yeah in a minute’, he said. ‘No now’, argued Elliot. ‘Alright, alright, geez, sorry’ said Hardison swallowing his pancake whole, as Andi was putting away the last dish Nate came down with his. He set it in the sink & before Andi could swoop it up Elliot had it in hand & was washing it, ‘Ya know, you could be more considerate’ ‘Yeah sure, okay guys come on gather around’ Andi knew this was her moment to leave. ‘Well I have a video chat with Trina, so I’ll just go than’ She went to the stairs & before she made it to the top step she felt a hand on her back, she turned around & it was Nate, ‘Thanks for breakfast, enjoy your chat’, he said. ‘Thanks’ she waited for him to kiss her but he didn’t he removed his hand & went back to the meeting. She closed the door behind her & got the laptop setting it up on her bed she waited for the incoming call from her sister. As soon as it came up she couldn’t hit Answer with Video fast enough. The image of her sister & niece came into view & she smiled, was the first time she had since she had woken up. ‘Hi’, said Andi, ‘Say good morning Aunt Andi’, said her sister. ‘Good morning Aunt Andi’, said Jakole who was now 3yrs old. ‘How are you baby girl’, asked Andi. ‘I good, how are you’, asked Jakole. ‘Better now’, she said with a smile on her face. Her sister got a look on her face & Andi knew she would ask her about it once Jakole was gone. Another minute of talking with her niece & she was off, running to find her Daddy. ‘What’s going on’, asked Trina. ‘Nothing, how about you’, asked Trina. ‘Were all good here, you know what I mean. What was with that answer’, she asked. ‘It’s nothing really I’m fine’ ‘you don’t seem fine, did you ask him yet’ ‘No. he’s been distracted’ ‘that’s what you always say Andi’, said Trina. ‘I know, but they just got a new job and’ ‘And you don’t want to bother him, yeah, yeah I’ve heard this all before. We miss you, Jakole’s getting tired of seeing her aunt through a web cam. She asks me every day when your coming to visit, it’s been at least three months now’ ‘I know Trina and I want to come, but’ ‘But what, you don’t want to come without him. If this were me you’d be telling me to come anyways’ ‘No I wouldn’t, you and Jacob are married I wouldn’t ask you to come without him’ ‘You guys aren’t married’ ‘I know but I still don’t like doing things without him’ ‘So than ask him, how much longer is this job going to take’, Trina saying job with quotes in the air. ‘I don’t know, I’ll talk to him tonight, see if we can come down on Friday’ ‘Really, your going to ask him’, asked Trina. ‘Yes, it’s Tuesday now, their jobs don’t normally last more than two or three day’s, I’m sure by Friday we’ll be able to come down’ ‘Alright, I’ll take your word on it’, she said. ‘Okay, can we move on now’, asked Andi. ‘Yeah sure’, said Trina. The rest of their conversation went smoothly. After it was over she went downstairs, everyone was gone all but Hardison & Sophie. ‘How is Trina and Jakole’, asked Sophie. ‘Their fine, they didn’t need you I take it’, she asked, shocked that Sophie was still here because normally she’s out in the field. ‘Guess not, shall we go out’, she asked. ‘And do what’, asked Andi. ‘Anything, how about a shopping trip’ ‘No thanks, do you know how long their gonna be gone for’, she asked. ‘Nate said about three hours’, said Hardison. It was than that Andi realized why Sophie wanted to get her out of the apartment. ‘Let me get my purse, be right back’, she said going back upstairs. ‘She’s not happy’, said Hardison. ‘What do you mean’, asked Sophie. ‘She’s not happy, I’ve heard her talk to Trina on several occasion’s about wanting to go visit, she’s miserable here’ ‘I doubt that’, said Sophie. A second later Andi came back downstairs, ‘alright Hardison we’ll be back in a little while, if they get home early please text me’, she said. ‘Sure thing, don’t forget’ ‘I know, orange soda’, said Andi with a smile.

An hour later Sophie & Andi were walking in the mall both holding bags full of things they knew they didn’t need but bought anyways. ‘How is the wedding plans coming along’, asked Sophie trying to break the silence, ‘We’ve stopped talking about the wedding’, said Andi. ‘I’m sorry to hear that’ ‘Well he’s just so busy and when I even approach him about it he’s all ‘we’ll talk next week about the wedding’ than next week comes and nothing’ ‘Yeah he’s been a bit’ ‘Distracted, yeah I know Sophie, I found myself saying just that to Trina today and even I don’t believe it anymore’ What do you mean’, asked Sophie. ‘I mean he always say’s he’s distracted, but I remember when we first got together and he had all kinds of time for me, he would do his job come home and we’d do things. Go to movies, out to dinner, to the theater, okay only one time but still. Now it’s as if he has no time for me at all, were not even married and yet we act like were an old married couple and my parents are that married couple and even they do things’ ‘Wow’, said Sophie. ‘Sorry, I just I don’t know, I just feel ignored I guess’ ‘Why don’t you tell him any of this’, she asked. ‘Because he just doesn’t listen or maybe I just talk too much’ ‘I doubt that’ ‘Well I have to talk to him tonight because I want to go see my family this coming weekend, he keeps putting it off and putting it off and I’m tired of only seeing my family through a web cam’ ‘What are you going to do if he say’s he doesn’t want to go’, asked Sophie. ‘Than I guess I’ll go by myself’ ‘You would go without him’ ‘I have before, what difference should it make now’, she asked. They finished their shopping trip & went back home, by than everyone was back & of course hungry again. Elliot set out to help Andi fix dinner. It was nice, but she remembered a time when Nate helped her fix every meal, now all he does is ask when it will be ready, she tried to carry on a conversation with Elliot while they made dinner but the truth was she wasn’t listening. ‘I think we’ll have this job done tomorrow, at least I hope so anyways’, droned on Elliot. When she didn’t respond he went, ‘Hey Andi, you still with us’ & it was than that she snapped out of her trance. ‘Um yeah, sorry, what were you saying’, she asked. ‘Just that I think we’ll be done with this job tomorrow’ ‘That would be nice, mind if I go upstairs and lay down, I have a bit of a headache’, she asked. ‘Yeah sure, I’ll have someone come up and get you when it’s done’ ‘Thank you Elliot’, she said patting him on the shoulder as she made her way out of the kitchen. She had been lying down for about 5mins when she heard the door open, ‘You okay’ asked a voice. ‘Yeah fine’, she said eye’s closed. She heard the person move closer & than sit on the bed. ‘I think dinner will be ready soon’ ‘I’m not hungry’, she said. All of a sudden she felt a hand touch her own hand & she opened her eye’s to find it was Nate. ‘You sure you’re okay’, he asked. ‘Yeah fine, just a headache, I took some Aleve I think I’ll be fine in a few minutes’, she said happy that he had come to check on her. ‘How was your day’, he asked. It surprised her but made her even happier, she felt the headache slowly make its way out of her head. ‘It was okay, talked to Trina, Sophie and I went and did some shopping’ ‘Sounds like you two had a great day’, he said. ‘I suppose’, she said. ‘Are you sure your okay, you don’t seem yourself lately’, said Nate. At this she sat up, ‘Yeah I guess I just miss my family’ he turned away because he knew what was next. ‘Yeah Sophie said Trina had asked if we could come down this weekend’, she felt a surge of excitement go through her body but she knew a but was coming. ‘I just don’t think we’ll be done with this job by Friday’ ‘Elliot said you guys would be done by tomorrow’ ‘We’ve only been working on this job for two day’s Andi’ ‘Yes I know and most of your job’s don’t last beyond three day’s, so why couldn’t we go’, she asked. ‘We’ll see’, he said. At that moment her headache came back & she ripped her hand out of his, ‘I’m tired of seeing my family only through a web cam Nate’, she screamed at him. She got up off the bed & he stood up. ‘I’m sorry, but’ ‘But, but, that’s all I ever hear out of you! I’m so sick and tired of hearing that word’, she screamed. ‘Keep your voice down’, he said. ‘Why, they all know how miserable I am here, hell they pay more attention to me than you do’ ‘I pay plenty of attention to you’ ‘No you don’t! You do your job and you come home, we never do anything, you never want to go anywhere! I’ve tried to get you out of this apartment but no, you’d rather stay here and watch TV, well I’m sick of it Nate! Sick of it’, she screamed at him. ‘Alright, than what do you want to do’, he asked. ‘I want to get on a plane Friday morning and go see my family and stay for a week. That’s what I want to do’, she said, turning the volume down lower on her voice. ‘A week’, he said. ‘Yes a week, you can take a week off’, she said. ‘I don’t know about that, three day’s maybe, but not a week’ ‘Three day’s, really? That’s it’, she asked. She felt her blood boil & all of a sudden everything went red in her vision. ‘Andi, I know you miss your family, but were your family too’, he said. ‘Really, are we? Because this engagement ring still sitting on my finger would suggest otherwise’ ‘What’s that suppose to me’, he asked, anger now entering his voice. ‘It means, we’ve been engaged for an entire year and we’ve yet to get married. So are we really family Nate’, she asked. He didn’t know what to say & all of a sudden she felt even worse than she had before, she knew she had hurt him but she was angry & refused to take back her words. Just than someone came to the door, ‘Um, dinner’s ready’, they looked to see it was Hardison. ‘I’m not hungry’, she said. ‘You have to eat’, said Nate. ‘No I don’t and I don’t have to stay here’ it was than that she started towards the closet & grabbed a suit case. ‘What are you doing’, asked Nate. ‘I’m not waiting until Friday, I’m leaving now’, she said. ‘So that’s it, you’re just going to leave’, he asked. ‘Yeah, not as if there’s anything keeping me here’, she said, as she packed Nate stormed out of the bedroom leaving Hardison standing in the doorway dumbfounded. ‘Are you really leaving’, he asked. ‘I’m sorry Hardison; I’m just, I’m not happy here. I miss my family.’ ‘But were your family too’, he said, ‘I know hun and I’m really sorry, but I just can’t stay here. He’s impossible and I just need a break’, she said. Downstairs Nate rushed to the door but was stopped by Elliot, ‘Get out of my way’, he said. ‘Why, so you can go downstairs and drink yourself to death’, he said. ‘It’s none of your business’, he said. ‘She’s leaving isn’t she’, asked Sophie. ‘She’s not happy here’, said Nate. ‘Yeah because you pay absolutely no attention to her’, she said in response. ‘Yes I do’, he snapped at her. ‘If you do than why is she leaving’, asked Parker. ‘She misses her family, I can’t stop her from leaving and to be honest, I don’t want to. Now get out of my way Elliot’, he yelled. ‘If you let her go we all know you’ll regret it later’, said Sophie. ‘No I won’t’, he said and finally Elliot stepped aside and he disappeared out into the hallway. After a moment they all rushed upstairs, the door was closed & Hardison stood outside, ‘What’s she doing’, asked Elliot. ‘What do you think she’s doing man’, he said. Sophie stepped to the door & knocked, ‘Andi, he’s gone, it’s just us, please let us in’, just than the door came open & there stood Andi holding three suitcases, ‘I’m sorry, I really am, but I must go’, she said. ‘Stay’, said Sophie. ‘Why’, she asked. ‘Because your our family’, said Parker, ‘I’ve never had a family before and if you leave it’ll be like loosing a sister’, she said. ‘That’s sweet Parker, but I can’t’, said Andi as tears rolled down her cheeks. She brushed past them & they followed her down the stairs, ‘At least eat something before you go’, said Elliot. ‘Thank you but I’m really not hungry’, she said. A cab was already waiting for her when they all made it outside, no sign of Nate, which Andi was fine with. ‘Please call when you get there’, said Sophie. ‘I don’t think that would be wise for me to do’, said Andi, her back was now to them. ‘Why not’, asked Elliot. ‘Because I know all you guys would try and do is talk me into coming back, but I can’t. So this is good-bye’, she said, she couldn’t bare to turn around. ‘I love you all and will miss you all very much’, & with that she got in the cab & left.