Thumbs Up ch 13

Back to the land of tofu

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          When I pulled into our yard on Vashon, Eve came out of the house smiling at me. “Hi sweet man, I have a message for you.” she said.

          “And what would that message be, Love?” I asked her.

          “Anna called. She hopes that you can start work at eight in the morning, day after tomorrow.”

          “Alright!” I said happily, “That was the coolest interview I’ve ever had, lots better than Sean asking if I got kicked out of the navy because of my cooking.” I laughed. “Hey, we get a discount on groceries too, that’ll save us some money.

          “Oh that will help us out a lot. I know it means that you have to commute off of the island but I’m glad you got the job Jeff, I think it’s going to be a lot healthier for you. You’re going to learn to cook all of those good deli salads and scones too,” Eve bubbled.

          “I definitely will be learning a lot there, I can see that just by looking at their salad case,” I told her.

          Just like that I was a commuter.

          It sucked.

          “Anna, this commuter thing is a drag. I’m not going to be able to do it five days a week. I’m ready to cut back to four and live with less money.”

          “How about four tens?” Anna asked me. “We could do that if it would work for you. You’d get an extra day on the island and still make your full pay and accrue full time vacation and sick time. Plus, I get you for forty hours. If you bake every day, I can bring you in as early as the ferries can get you here. You’ll get home earlier that way.”

          “You get the award for the best boss that I’ve ever had, Anna. Thank you, that’s a great arrangement.”

          She wrote the schedule so that I worked two days and then had one day off, then I’d work my other two before having my weekend on Sunday and Monday.

          Eve had a lot of time alone in the shop and with her dog. She produced sculpture in the morning and painted in the afternoon. She painted a number of views of Mount Rainier from different places on the island. She found a gallery that would handle both of her art forms and was well trafficked with wealthy patrons.

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