that every month?”
“Uh-huh.” Jani grinned. “I remember my first check when I moved off campus. I thought I was loaded. Till I paid rent, utilities, food and whatever else I had. It didn’t last long. I took summer school this year so I got checks in the summer, too.”
It seemed crazy to be getting money to pay for living expenses. However, Jani was right, if she lived in the dorms, it would be paid for and she’d have a food plan that she would never eat from. She was glad she chose to move in with Jani. They were going to be soul sisters.
Chapter 7
Track athletes crowded together, laughing and talking, inside the living room by the tiki bar and also outside in the backyard. Jani had dragged the antique tin tub out of the garage, hosed it off and filled it with ice to keep drinks cool in it.
Friday’s workout had been a killer one as if Coach Anderson knew they were going to need something to tire them out. He gave them Saturday off. The only Saturday they would have off until indoor track season started, and then it would be track meets instead of workouts.
It looked like most of the team had shown up by nine o’clock. Chrissy stood behind the tiki bar making and serving drinks to anyone who wanted something. Sean offered to help continuously and Aileen laughed at how Chrissy smoothly told him to get lost every time.
She stuck to drinking the homemade lemonade she had made earlier. They had found a large punch bowl at the charity shop and filled it with lemonade. Chrissy had then gone and poured a bottle of vodka into it and labeled it “alcoholic.” She set two tall thermos containers on the side of the punch bowl table and marked them “drivers” and “the responsible.” Everyone was told to put their keys into a fish bowl by the door, with their nametags added to the keys. When someone wanted to leave, Aileen was in charge of making sure they were all right to drive.
It was the perfect job for at the beginning of the evening because she got to greet everyone who came into the house and learn a few more names. She doubted she would remember half of them, but having the excuse of writing their names on the tags they had made up helped a lot. By nine-thirty, she decided the trickle of the newcomers had slowed and she was free to move about.
She carried the fish bowl to Jani’s room and closed the door behind her. Jani’s place had been hit by a tornado. A lazy bones tornado. Clothes lay on the floor, on the bed and hanging on the chair of her desk. Aileen had cleaned her room in case someone walked in. It hadn’t taken long, she liked things tidy and organized. Just being in Jani’s room gave her the itch to start picking things up and folding them, but she had no clue what was actually clean or dirty. She set the fish bowl full of keys on the desk and turned to go. She paused and grabbed a shirt off the floor, tossing it overtop so no one would notice if they came into her room. Maybe the mess was to discourage anything from happening in her room.
She slipped out, closing the door behind her.
“Aileen!” Sean hurdled over a lawn chair sitting in the living room and grinned. “Not bad for a distance runner, hey? Think I should change events?”
She laughed. “Hmm… think you should stick to the running thing.” She made a tiny measurement with her thumb and finger. “A little too high. It looked more like a deer leap than an actual hurdle.”
He leaned back and grabbed his chest. “That breaks my heart, kid! Maybe you could teach me?”
She shook her head. “If Coach Anderson refuses, then I am going to have to side with him.”
Sean laughed. “Actually, I’m going to be adding steeplechase to my list of events next outdoor season. I may have to ask you for a bit of help on getting over those two by fours. They are not soft and gentle like the hurdles you use.”
“My hurdles are soft and gentle?” She raised her eyebrows thinking about all the bruises she had earned
“Uh-huh.” Jani grinned. “I remember my first check when I moved off campus. I thought I was loaded. Till I paid rent, utilities, food and whatever else I had. It didn’t last long. I took summer school this year so I got checks in the summer, too.”
It seemed crazy to be getting money to pay for living expenses. However, Jani was right, if she lived in the dorms, it would be paid for and she’d have a food plan that she would never eat from. She was glad she chose to move in with Jani. They were going to be soul sisters.
Chapter 7
Track athletes crowded together, laughing and talking, inside the living room by the tiki bar and also outside in the backyard. Jani had dragged the antique tin tub out of the garage, hosed it off and filled it with ice to keep drinks cool in it.
Friday’s workout had been a killer one as if Coach Anderson knew they were going to need something to tire them out. He gave them Saturday off. The only Saturday they would have off until indoor track season started, and then it would be track meets instead of workouts.
It looked like most of the team had shown up by nine o’clock. Chrissy stood behind the tiki bar making and serving drinks to anyone who wanted something. Sean offered to help continuously and Aileen laughed at how Chrissy smoothly told him to get lost every time.
She stuck to drinking the homemade lemonade she had made earlier. They had found a large punch bowl at the charity shop and filled it with lemonade. Chrissy had then gone and poured a bottle of vodka into it and labeled it “alcoholic.” She set two tall thermos containers on the side of the punch bowl table and marked them “drivers” and “the responsible.” Everyone was told to put their keys into a fish bowl by the door, with their nametags added to the keys. When someone wanted to leave, Aileen was in charge of making sure they were all right to drive.
It was the perfect job for at the beginning of the evening because she got to greet everyone who came into the house and learn a few more names. She doubted she would remember half of them, but having the excuse of writing their names on the tags they had made up helped a lot. By nine-thirty, she decided the trickle of the newcomers had slowed and she was free to move about.
She carried the fish bowl to Jani’s room and closed the door behind her. Jani’s place had been hit by a tornado. A lazy bones tornado. Clothes lay on the floor, on the bed and hanging on the chair of her desk. Aileen had cleaned her room in case someone walked in. It hadn’t taken long, she liked things tidy and organized. Just being in Jani’s room gave her the itch to start picking things up and folding them, but she had no clue what was actually clean or dirty. She set the fish bowl full of keys on the desk and turned to go. She paused and grabbed a shirt off the floor, tossing it overtop so no one would notice if they came into her room. Maybe the mess was to discourage anything from happening in her room.
She slipped out, closing the door behind her.
“Aileen!” Sean hurdled over a lawn chair sitting in the living room and grinned. “Not bad for a distance runner, hey? Think I should change events?”
She laughed. “Hmm… think you should stick to the running thing.” She made a tiny measurement with her thumb and finger. “A little too high. It looked more like a deer leap than an actual hurdle.”
He leaned back and grabbed his chest. “That breaks my heart, kid! Maybe you could teach me?”
She shook her head. “If Coach Anderson refuses, then I am going to have to side with him.”
Sean laughed. “Actually, I’m going to be adding steeplechase to my list of events next outdoor season. I may have to ask you for a bit of help on getting over those two by fours. They are not soft and gentle like the hurdles you use.”
“My hurdles are soft and gentle?” She raised her eyebrows thinking about all the bruises she had earned
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