Free Going Nowhere by K. M. Galvin

judgmental-“
    “Stop, it’s really ok-“She started, looking amused, but I would not shut up.
    “No, it’s not, I am an annoyingly curious person paired with no filter. It’s a dangerous combination. I’ve gotten into plenty a scrape because of it.” I cringed. What is with my word vomit and the Scott siblings?
    “Hon estly? I got pregnant at seventeen and had Mikey a couple months after my eighteenth birthday and high school graduation. The father has never wanted to be a part of our lives and good riddance too him. Thank god for Jase, though. He came home, gave up everything to help me out with Mikey and it really allowed me to get my degree. Now, I have my own home. It’s small but it suits us. I work at an up and coming online magazine called Twenty-Something’s.”
    “Seriously?! You work there? I love that magazine! You guys have the best music articles.” I lean forward on the table almost tilting the whole thing over in excitement.
    “Thank you.” She smiled . It took me a second to comprehend what she was implying, then my mouth dropped open, and the hero worship started.
    “Wait, thank you like ‘thank you on behalf of the entire magazine’ or ‘thank you I write that column’.” I asked excitedly, wanting my suspicions to be confirmed by her.
    “Thank you I write that column.” She smiled.
    “Shut the hell up! Girl, I worship you!” I’m practically bouncing in my chair.
    I cannot believe I am sitting across from E.L. Scott. Holy crap this world is seriously small. Twenty-Something’s was like hipster paradise. They didn’t watch trends; they started them. E.L. Scott was a music master; she had an ear for bands. I would go on online and see her weekly column about a new band and then a couple months later they would be everywhere. She was like Oprah, but instead of making books bestsellers, she made bands famous.
    “You seriously have the coolest job on the planet. Literally.” I gushed.
    “It’s pretty great. I worked hard to graduate early and I worked at my university newspaper reviewing local bands. It also helps when you’re brother is underground famous.” She says, air-quoting around famous.
    “No kidding?” I asked surprised.
    “Yep, he’s a festival favorite.”
    “Wow! I met the guys from the Boonies and they mentioned that he went on tour with them-” Then it all clicked into place. Jesus. Like this guy needed any help getting under my skin. I was going into full-blown crush mode.
    “And then he came home and helped me out.” She nodded, guessing my train of thought. “I love him, he’s the best person I know.”
    “He’s pretty great.” I muttered, still lost in thought.
    “Yeah, so the magazine wants me to start going to some shows to scout some bands.”
    “Which is where I come in.”
    “Correct. I’ll be gone maybe two to three nights a week sc outing bands for my column. I hope that’s ok. I’ll need you full time those nights and then part time the rest of the week. And you’ll have weekends. It won’t be every week. I’ll be travelling probably every other week.”
    “Like I said, best job in the whole world.” Still totally stuck on the information I just learned.
    “I know; it’s just hard. I don’t want to leave my son, but its really good money and I want to be able to provide for him, you know?”
    “No judgment here. I can tell you’re a great mom.” And I could, she had a light about her every time she mentioned her sons name.
    “I’m trying. You won’t be by yourself completely. Jason already said that he would stay at my house for those nights so you won’t have to stay the whole night. Just until he can get there from work.”
    “That’s not so bad.” I reasoned, taking a sip of my coffee.
    “It’s only for a couple months during festival season, and then it’ll cool down enough that the travelling will be more sporadic. It’s practically unheard of to travel as lightly as I do, but they just hired another