Page 64 of The Roommate Game
“I didn’t call him immediately. I had other options to consider and?—”
“What options?” she intercepted.
And here we go.
“I was offered a coaching job at Smithton High. The head coach of the Varsity program needs an assistant, and they’re looking for a freshman English teacher. I accepted and I’m…excited. As soon as it was finalized, I called Mr. Collinsworth to thank him. I had to leave a message. His secretary said he was at Martha’s Vineyard with his family. Not to worry, I was super polite. So…it’s all good.”
Silence. And not the pleasant kind.
“I didn’t raise a fool. Don’t you dare act like one,” Mom snapped in an ice-cold tone that tore through my defenses in one fell swoop.
“Mom, I’m not?—”
“Don’t. Not a word. This has gone on far too long. You can’t stay in college forever, sugar. It’s not the way the world works. You need to earn an honest living. We taught you better than this. How do you think you’d survive on a teacher’s wage? Not well. You’ll have no money, no prospects. Women don’t want that. How are you gonna find a wife? How are you gonna support your children?”
“I don’t have a wife, I don’t have kids, and?—”
“I don’t know why it’s always up to me to talk sense into the boys in this family,” she continued as if I hadn’t spoken. “Your brothers did this too. Silly notions of being rock stars and professors are just that…silly. Use your education for good. That’s what your grandfather expected of you. It’s what your father and I expect too. So, let me tell you what you’re gonna do. You’re gonna call Derek Collinsworth’s office and assure him that you couldn’t be more excited to start that internship. I want this done today, you hear me, Augustus?”
A robin perched on a low-hanging branch, staring at me. Okay, maybe it didn’t notice me at all. But I liked this version better. This tiny bird had a…well, a bird’s-eye view of some spectacular Langley dysfunction and was probably judging the hell out of me.
Your move, Gus. What are you going to do?
I took a deep breath.Here goes nothing.
“Mom, I’m not calling Derek.”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me. I’m not going to be a lawyer. I’m using my education by coaching and teaching, and I feel really good about it. I’m sorry if you don’t agree, but I’m not discussing it with you any further. The decision is made, and it’s a done deal. This might not be what you want for me, but I hope you understand.”
The silence was arctic now.
“I don’t, and this is not okay. You could lose your inheritance,” she hissed.
“That’s not true,” I said wearily. “You know it’s not. But even if it was, this is my life, Mom. I have to do this my way.”
“Bless your heart. It’s nice that you think so. Listen up, I’ll call Derek myself and straighten this out and?—”
“No! This isn’t a joke, and nothing you say will change my mind. I’m hanging up now. We can talk later.”
“Don’t you dare hang up on me, Aug?—”
I hung up.
And honestly, I wanted to fucking throw up too.
The voices were back, louder than ever. I was an embarrassment, throwing away a good opportunity in the hopes I’d never have to grow up.
Oh, and the guy I was crazy about was someone else’s fake boyfriend. And I’d fucking encouraged him.
Fuck, I needed static. Now.
Shake it off, Gus, the voice urged.You know what to do.
Twenty minutes and at least as many missed calls from my mother later, I was at the liquor store, a bottle of Johnnie Walker in hand. I paid for it, and somehow resisted the urge to buy five more bottles and three cases of beer too.
Clear out the liquor store, send a mass group text for a big ol’ party at the house, and get high as fuck. So high you’ll still feel like you’re flying tomorrow. Just one more time. Go on.