April 25, 2009
Perris, California
Jack sat at the computer, searching through job websites. Two and a half months after being laid off from Vandekar Publishing, he still had not succeeded in finding another job, and the family’s financial situation was growing more and more worrisome.
The rent was due in a few days, and although they would be able to cover their share, it wouldn’t leave much to cover other necessities, such as food. They had taken to buying their food at the local Big Lots, and at a seventy-five percent off grocery discount store, but it still wasn’t always enough, especially since Rose had lost her job with Starcrest. Even when they spent as little as possible, it still took a fair amount of money to feed the three of them, especially Lizzy, who was a growing child and couldn’t go as long without food as the adults could.
Mari had offered repeatedly to help them, but she didn’t have much money herself, and neither he nor Rose really wanted to take charity, although they accepted her help where Lizzy was concerned for the child’s sake. For the most part, they simply tried to make do, making every penny stretch as far as they could and allowing nothing to be wasted.
Jack sighed, looking at Rose’s sleeping form in the bed they shared. It was past eleven, but he wasn’t ready to go to bed yet. Not while there was still time to look for work. As Rose turned over and opened her eyes, smiling sleepily at him, he saw the framed drawing that he had given her as her birthday gift hanging on the wall above the bed.
Today was Rose’s twenty-fifth birthday, an event he would have liked to have celebrated in grander style than they could. A quarter of a century of life was an important event to mark, but there wasn’t the money for him to have taken her out as he would have liked to. Instead, they had had a small party in a local park, with Mari providing the food and cake. Jack had given Rose the drawing and Lizzy had given her a bouquet of flowers that she had picked out of someone’s garden when no one was looking. Jack had apologized for not being able to give her a bigger party, or take her to dinner, but she had waved it off, insisting that this was better—a picnic in the park on a warm late afternoon, with homemade gifts from they people she loved best.
Jack had accepted what she said, knowing that she was sincere, but he still intended to treat her to a night out when he could. He knew that it wasn’t especially important to her, but he liked to give her the best that he could, and he knew she would accept and enjoy what he would give her when their situation improved.
Rose sat up, yawning and stretching. It had been a long day, searching for work and then watching Lizzy while Jack was at the college for a couple of hours, followed by her surprise party in the park, but after an hour of sleep she was relaxed and awake. Smiling, she looked at her husband hunched over the computer. With the amount of effort he was making, something was bound to turn up.
"Are you coming to bed anytime soon?" she asked, letting the covers drop suggestively.
Jack looked over at her, smiling at the sight of her wearing the green satin nightgown he had bought for her the first Christmas they had been married.
"Soon," he told her, closing the Internet window and shutting down the computer.
Rose climbed out of bed and slipped on her robe. "I’ll be back in a moment. I must look like I’ve been sleeping."
"Yeah…but you look good that way."
She smiled and shook her head. "I’ll only be a minute, then."
Jack stood up, stiff from sitting so long, and stretched. As he got ready for bed, his thoughts turned again to the problem of how to support his family.
He had looked for work everywhere he could, sending out his résumé, applying for jobs in person, even going through the career center at Cal State San Bernardino. So far, he had gotten only a few interviews, and no offers, but it was a step in the right direction. At this point, he didn’t care what kind of job he took, as long as he could provide for his family. He had even applied at Starcrest, much to the shock of Rose and Mari, but they had taken one look at his résumé and turned him down as being overqualified—something Rose had gotten around by neglecting to mention her college degrees on her résumé and application. They had also noted that his last name was Dawson, and were unwilling to risk hiring anymore Dawsons for a while.
Jack slipped into bed, waiting for Rose to join him. He had also begun looking outside the area for a job, since he was having so little luck where he was. He didn’t know how Rose would react if he found a job that would require them to move, but at this point he didn’t have much choice but to take whatever might be offered to him. He had also looked into other universities that he could go to, since he wouldn’t be able to afford even the state-run college after this quarter if things didn’t improve for himself or Rose. Even with fee waivers, books were expensive, transportation was expensive, parking was expensive…and it would be a choice between paying the rent and going to college.
He knew that Rose would help him look for ways to stay in school—in only another year, if he stayed in college, he would have his Master’s degree, and be qualified for a lot more jobs in his chosen field, but things were tight as it was, and when it was a choice between educating himself and keeping his family fed and sheltered, his family won. He could always go back to school later if he needed to—there were many older students in graduate programs these days, and he wasn’t yet twenty-eight years old.
Still, maybe something could be worked out. He had applied for scholarships for grad students, and for grants and loans. He didn’t like the idea of taking out a student loan—he hated being in debt—but sometimes such things were necessary. He had also applied with other universities that offered some grad students scholarships, if they were qualified, and he knew that he had a fair enough chance there. After all, he had graduated at the top of his class from UCR, and the UCs were renowned throughout the country.
He looked up as Rose came back into the room, her hair brushed out and a fresh touch of makeup on her face. He held the covers up for her as she slipped into bed, snuggling down beside him.
"You get more beautiful every year," he told her, putting his arms around her as she pulled the covers up over both of them.
"You’re sweet." She kissed him, laughing softly.
"And honest."
"I think I look about the same as when we married."
"Yes, but you still get more beautiful all the time."
Rose laughed, reaching over to turn out the lamp. "Are you trying to seduce me?"
"I thought you were trying to seduce me."
They laughed together, the sound cut off as their lips met. Jack pulled her closer, pushing aside the thin straps of her nightgown.
"Happy birthday, Rose."
She laughed softly, sliding down under his welcome weight. "I love you, Jack."