Chapter 38

Jesse

Jesse woke groggily and groaned at the headache she felt pressing against the back of her head. She glanced over at the clock on her bedside table and shot up as she experienced a moment of panic on seeing that it was ten in the morning, and she was late. She almost leapt out of bed to hurry and get ready for work when she remembered that she was, as of yesterday, unemployed. \

With a relieved sigh, she laid back down and ran a hand over her face, gently massaging her temples to ease away her headache.

As she became more awake, she slowly began to remember the events of the previous night. She had gone next door to celebrate quitting her job where Tony and Mark had thrown her quite the party. Tony had cooked a dinner of excellent lasagna, and they had gone through several bottles of wine together, which certainly explained the headache she now boasted.

Still, she had had a good time with them, and she was grateful that she only lived next door. No sooner had she made it into her room than she passed out. Even now, she was still dressed in the clothes she had worn over there.

Jesse allowed herself to linger in bed for a while longer and then finally got up and moved into her bathroom to alleviate the pressure in her bladder. When she had relieved herself and washed her hands, she reached into her medicine cabinet, withdrew a bottle of pain relievers, then put a couple of pills into her mouth.

She turned on the sink, cupped her hands under the flow of water, and then brought it up to her mouth. She drank several handfuls of the water and then turned off the faucet and dried her hands. Satisfied that the medicine would soon offer her some relief, she turned on the water in her shower.

As the water heated up, she took off her clothes and tossed them into her hamper. Then, she adjusted the cold water so that the temperature was bearable and stepped into the shower, letting the water wet her hair and run down over her body. She lingered there for a while, letting the water trickle over her skin, then began the process of washing her hair and body.

As she bathed herself, Jesse allowed her mind to wander. She wondered what on earth she was going to do with the rest of her day and felt an unfamiliar sense of adventure and excitement with the knowledge that she could pretty much do anything that she pleased.

With that sense of freedom, though, came a little bit of dread. She now had no source of income. She had enough money put back to get her through the next couple of months of rent, but after that, she was in serious trouble. She knew that she needed to find another job and very quickly.

Jesse came to the natural conclusion that she would simply have to begin job hunting. She finished up her shower and then dried herself off, putting her hair up in the towel so that it would soak up some of the water, and then moved into her bedroom. She looked through her closet, seeking out attire that was professional enough for her to look both modern and professional.

As Jesse dressed, she began to experience regret about her decision to quit her job at The Edge. Especially knowing that she could have really progressed there if it wasn’t for all the events surrounding her latest assignment. She felt a sense of loss, knowing that if she had just produced a high-quality article, she could have had an incredible job somewhere with ease.

Now, she was basically back where she started. She would have to go to all manner of magazine offices, and whatever else she could find, with her resume ready to hand out, and little chance of being selected. She sighed as she felt her stomach tighten with anxiety.

She had felt so liberated, but now she was very sure that she had made a mistake.

Still, there was little she could do about that now. So, she finished getting herself ready, blow drying her hair and letting it fall however it liked around her shoulders. She brushed on a light layer of makeup and gave herself a once-over before deciding that she was content with her appearance.

When she was done getting herself ready, she strode out of her bedroom and crossed through the living room into her kitchen. She looked through her refrigerator for something to eat and eventually settled on an apple. She looked over at her usually ignored coffeemaker and figured that it was about time to make use of it. She figured she spent way too much buying coffee on the street when she could really just make it in her home. Now that she was going to have to start cutting back with her finances, she reckoned that was at least a good start.

She set her coffee to brew and took several bites out of her apple as she watched the stream of brown liquid drip into the waiting coffeepot. By the time she finished her apple, the pot was about half full, and she poured a cup for herself. It felt somewhat odd drinking coffee in her own home, and she sauntered over to her breakfast bar to sit down and try to enjoy her morning drink.

Jesse sipped at the dark liquid and went through a list of magazines and newspapers in the city that she would need to apply to. She knew that a lot of the applications were ones that she needed to fill out online, but it still wouldn’t hurt to go in and schedule some in-person interviews as well. She also tried to think of any connections that she had from the past and if they would be helpful for her in her search for a new job.

Jesse decided that she would likely end up asking Mark if he knew anyone that could be helpful in her job search. She knew that he probably had connections somewhere else in their line of work. He had set her up at The Edge, and he probably knew somebody that could help set her up somewhere else. She really didn’t know if there was anything available for her, but the least she could do was ask him to put his feelers out.

Jesse continued to ponder possibilities for her future employment as she finished up her coffee and rinsed out the mug in the sink. She then gathered up her briefcase with her laptop inside and picked up her keys, stepping out of her door and locking it behind her, wondering where she was going to actually go. She had been in a set schedule for so long that she felt somewhat uncomfortable with this kind of uncertainty. Still, as uncertain as she was, there was also a measure of excitement.

She entered the elevator, and when it let her out in the lobby, she left her apartment and began to walk aimlessly down the street. For some reason, she felt more than a little exposed as though people could somehow tell that she was unemployed, and she felt more than a little self-conscious. Jesse knew she was certainly being ridiculous and that there was no way for people to tell that about her, but her rationality couldn’t very well help her emotions.

After walking for a while, Jesse decided that she really ought to sit down somewhere and start her job search online. She thought about where she should settle down to start the process and figured that a library would be the most logical place to be for any length of time. So, she pulled out her phone and looked up libraries in her area. There was one quite a way away, and she vaguely considered calling a cab before thinking better of it. She couldn’t bring herself to spend the money on it, and it was a beautiful day so she wouldn’t mind walking.

Jesse set off toward the library and took in the sight of the city bustling around her. She felt strangely out of place next to the people who were undoubtedly headed straight to or from work. She felt helplessly aimless in comparison and was more eager than ever to get settled into a new job as soon as possible.

Jesse picked up her pace a little and settled herself with a deep breath. She had been in similar situations before and felt strongly that with a positive attitude and a lot of determination, she could get through this. So she pressed on down the sidewalk and tried to keep herself in a positive state of mind.