Free Cast & Fall by Janice Hadden Page A

wanted.
    One
time, as we were passing by a boutique shop, he caught me admiring a
beautiful sweater. I never asked for it, but a week after, he
surprised me. When I came home from school, a bag was on top of my
bed. He did things like that all the time. Sometimes I question why
Steve is still single. He is the most eligible bachelor with the most
amazing heart. Having to deal with my mother’s death, his wife,
I don’t really know how he coped with her absence.
    “ So,
how’s your new job?” How was it working with
Becca?…what‘s the name of that place again?”
    “ The
Blue Lagoon. It was a long night last night, my first day, I got some
good tips, though,” I said excitedly. He didn’t seem to
share my enthusiasm. If anything, he seemed glum. He sighed deep.
“You know, Kat…you don’t have to work. I mean if
you want to, you can. I just don’t want you to get overwhelmed.
Many times kids take in so much and end up not accomplishing
anything. I could take in extra shifts and pay for your car,
insurance and whatever else you need if any of the other resources
aren’t enough.”
    “ Oh…I
know Dad, I thought I’d try to pay my own way for a change and
maybe save up.”
    “ Okay,
just know that I’m here for whatever you need and make sure if
it gets too hard, your job has got to be the one that has to go. I
mean, it’s still your decision but know that school is too
important.”
    School
is too important. I’d been going since I was four, how can it
not be important .
Steve always reminded me that my education needed to match my
lifestyle and that my career should reflect what I value. It sounded
like a cliche and maybe it was, but it‘s still true. Many times
and I quote, ‘kids waste so much time thinking they have
forever to go to school, but in reality, you grow up faster than you
think. I don’t want you to regret anything, thinking I could
have done this, I could have done that. Time is precious. It’s
one of the most important things that you have. don’t waste
it.’ As much as it sounded like a lecture—he was right.
Steve would have been as happy if I decided to become a farmer or
even join the military if he knew that’s what I wanted, and as
long as I was happy with what type of life that would give me.
    Which
is why I decided to go to pre-med. It really wasn’t a long and
hard decision. I really wanted to help people; It wasn’t one of
those, oh-I-just-knew-I-wanted-to-be-a-doctor-since-I-was-little.
This is who I had become and this is who I want to continue to
be—make a difference. I have volunteered two years ago at the
convalescent home. Needless to say, Steve volunteered me when a
friend of his, mentioned that they were in desperate need for someone
to spend time with the elderly. It all sort of took off from there. I
had always been involved with fundraising, but dealing one on one
with patients really connected me more with what I wanted to do.
    “ Okay,
Kat…have a good day. Maybe we’ll go to the dealership
tomorrow if you're free.”
Steve headed out bringing a brown paper bag with him. I remembered my mother
packing the same brown bag for him and I. She used to write notes
with a happy face. Steve always brought that same brown bag even to
this day. It made me smile.
    The
rest of the day had been relatively fast, and the following day, even
faster, but maybe because I didn’t have to work tonight—a
privilege that I took advantaged off. With my job taking most of my
week, I couldn’t afford to waste any time that I was free.
Well, technically I wasn’t really free. I decided to study at
the library at Andrews and meet Sam.
    I
passed two buildings to get to the massive architecture that
resembled a medium sized castle. It sat across a beautiful lake full
of swans. Colorful and vibrant roses anchored in alternating rows,
snaking all around the perimeter. If I didn’t know any better,
I would have thought the backdrop looked like it came out of a fairy
tale story