Cammi's Story #1

Here's my fantasy entitled, "Cammi's Story." I'll start to upload it to this blog in order to get you excited for when I publish it in the next couple of months.

Here it is:

“YOUR POSITION HERE AT THE library is being eliminated, Cammi.”
Cammi stared at Caroline with wide eyes. “What do you mean?”

“I’m afraid we have to let you go due to our county’s budget constraints.” Her boss sat back in her chair and crossed her hands in front of her on the desk.

“In other words, I’m fired.”

“No. You’re not being fired. You’re being laid off.”

“What’s the difference?” Cammi tried to hold herself together. It wasn’t the time to cry.

Caroline reached for a folder in front of her and opened it. “The difference is your severance package.”

Was that supposed to make it better? “When is my last day at work?”
“Yesterday was.”

Cammi stared at the woman with narrowed eyes. “Gee, thanks for the heads up.”

“I’m sorry, Cammi, but it’s nothing personal.”

“Maybe not to you, but it is to me, Caroline.” Cammi’s eyes shifted to the floor. “I’m 31 years old and have been here for 8 years. What do I do now?”
Caroline handed Cammi the folder containing the severance package. “You always wanted to own your own bookstore. It seems to me this might be the perfect opportunity for you.”

“I’ll take that into consideration. I guess I’ll go clean off my desk and get going, unless you have more to say before I go.” Cammi stood and held out her hand to Caroline when she did not respond. “For what it’s worth, I really did enjoy working here. Thanks for everything.” Cammi held her head high as she turned to leave the office.

She kept her emotions in check while she headed to the storage room to grab an empty box. Well, this is great. Where do I go from here? Just as she reached her desk, she heard the vibration of her cell phone. She looked at the caller I.D. It was Kristen, her older sister. “Thank God you called.”

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“What are you doing for lunch?”

“Do you want to go to the Riverwalk?”

“Sounds good. I was just laid off from my job and I need an ear.”

“Ouch. Sorry to hear that. I’ll pick you up at your place, Cam. Lunch is on me.”

“Give me an hour.”

“See you then.”

“Thanks, Sis.” Cammi closed her phone and took one more look at her office before she began to pack her things.

CAMMI HAD JUST BROUGHT THE last box into her home when her sister showed up. “Knock, knock,” Kristen said with an air with apprehension. “How ya doin, kid?” She approached her sister with her arms open. “Come here.”

Cammi wrapped her arms around Kristen. Her crestfallen state became evident when she broke into sobs. “Kristen, where do I go from here? How much more can I take?” She began to pace. “What a year it’s been. First, I find out Charles had an affair. Then, the divorce. Next, I find out he got her pregnant while we were still married. And now, I lost my job. What’s going to happen next?”

“Next, we’re going to lunch.”

“Kristen, you know what I mean.”

“Yeah, I do, but you’ve gotta take care of yourself. It seems to me we have a reason to celebrate.”

Cammi stopped in her tracks and stared at her sister. “How in the world can you say that?”

“You never cared for that job anyway. We both know what your dream is anyway. You keep procrastinating, but I think it’s time you gave it a try. At this point you’ve got nothing to lose.”

It sounded right. “Why do you always have to be so positive?”
“Because I’m older and wiser. It’s my job.”

“A whole three years.” Cammi rolled her eyes. “But, you’ve got a point.”
“When’s the last time you did anything for you? The beach is less than three hours away. When was the last time you were there? It’s August. You need to go before it cools off.” Kristen bent down to pet Cammi’s dog, Sunny. The Golden Retriever sniffed her hair and licked her face.
Of course, her sister knew her well. When was the last time she went to the beach? Cammi was not sure. “I haven’t felt like doing much of anything for a while now.”

“Yeah, I know. That’s my point.” Kristen took a couple of steps toward Cammi and put her hand on Cammi’s cheek. “You need to take some time for you.” The gentleness of her voice was followed by a tear rolling down Cammi’s face. Kristen wiped it away.

Cammi smelled her sister’s perfume. A Shade of Purple was also what their mom wore. “How am I going to tell Mom and Dad?” She whispered and her shoulders fell forward. Her tears fell to the floor.

“They will understand more than you think, kid. They know you’ve been miserable at the library. They recognized you didn’t care for the people, but you loved the job. But you know something, Cam? You’ve learned all kinds of valuable lessons there and they can be applied to running a bookstore, so it wasn’t a complete waste of time. We thought it was only a matter of time.”

“So, I take it you’ve had long talks with the folks about my situation.” Was she that obvious? How could they know she was so miserable even though she loved the work?

“We knew you were unhappy and wished you had better.” Kristen shrugged like it was no big deal. Cammi sighed and opened her mouth to retort. Her face became flushed and her forehead wrinkled. “Easy, Cam. We want you to pursue your dream. They’ve done you a favor. You may not think so, but in time you’ll see it in a different light.”

“Krissy, my heart’s breaking. I gave the library my heart and soul for almost a decade.” Her sister pushed her a little too much.