Her Best Laid Plans - part 2
Stepping from the stream of traffic, she rooted around in her bag for her phone. Dragging it to the surface, she clicked on the memo function to bring up “The Plan”. She’d written it six weeks ago at brand-spanking-ly-New-Year’s-Day
o’clock, boosted by several large cocktails in celebration of her brother’s new job with a firm of lawyers. That Mikey had challenged the hand he’d been dealt, and secured himself a fulfilling future had filled her with pride. But celebrating Mikey’s success as they welcomed in the New Year with all of their friends, it had suddenly dawned on her that if she didn’t make some changes to her own life, she was going to be left behind. While everyone had started counting down the seconds, she’d started thinking.
Mikey had already spent his late teenage years practically raising her. On the cusp of starting his new life, there was no way she wanted to be responsible for holding him back. With alcohol making her brave she’d whipped out her phone
and set about typing a three point plan.
1) Get a better, more challenging job that could turn into a career.
2) Move out into own place.
3) Do something with your photography.
The next day, faced with a familiar fear of change, she’d gone to delete her fledgling plan, only to thankfully remember that Mikey didn’t deserve to start worrying his sister was in danger of turning into a bit of a flake.
So, okay, she was a novice at changing the course of her life. And maybe the plan read a bit like a list. But for Amanda it was more of a resolution anyway. A New Year’s resolution to participate in her own life story. Scary as that
felt. Unsafe as that felt. Tempting fate as that felt. She had to try.
Now, scanning her eyes over the plan’s contents it was as she’d suspected. Nowhere on her new life plan did it say anything about Jared King.
Or acknowledging rushes of heat brought about by Jared King.
Her eyes flicked to the last entry: Do something with your photography. There was a reason it was at the bottom of the list, she conceded, noticing a text had come through whilst she’d been in the interview.
Pacing to keep warm she opened it and read: CODE RED. WHERE R U? J
o’clock, boosted by several large cocktails in celebration of her brother’s new job with a firm of lawyers. That Mikey had challenged the hand he’d been dealt, and secured himself a fulfilling future had filled her with pride. But celebrating Mikey’s success as they welcomed in the New Year with all of their friends, it had suddenly dawned on her that if she didn’t make some changes to her own life, she was going to be left behind. While everyone had started counting down the seconds, she’d started thinking.
Mikey had already spent his late teenage years practically raising her. On the cusp of starting his new life, there was no way she wanted to be responsible for holding him back. With alcohol making her brave she’d whipped out her phone
and set about typing a three point plan.
1) Get a better, more challenging job that could turn into a career.
2) Move out into own place.
3) Do something with your photography.
The next day, faced with a familiar fear of change, she’d gone to delete her fledgling plan, only to thankfully remember that Mikey didn’t deserve to start worrying his sister was in danger of turning into a bit of a flake.
So, okay, she was a novice at changing the course of her life. And maybe the plan read a bit like a list. But for Amanda it was more of a resolution anyway. A New Year’s resolution to participate in her own life story. Scary as that
felt. Unsafe as that felt. Tempting fate as that felt. She had to try.
Now, scanning her eyes over the plan’s contents it was as she’d suspected. Nowhere on her new life plan did it say anything about Jared King.
Or acknowledging rushes of heat brought about by Jared King.
Her eyes flicked to the last entry: Do something with your photography. There was a reason it was at the bottom of the list, she conceded, noticing a text had come through whilst she’d been in the interview.
Pacing to keep warm she opened it and read: CODE RED. WHERE R U? J
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