Just Starting Out
1.11 - Munch On That
Kayla slowly pushed her squeaky shopping cart down the aisle of the supermarket, searching for some dry noodles to cook for dinner that night. Every time John went off somewhere and left her by her lonesome, she put no effort into her cooking. She didn’t see the point.
She turned into a frozen food aisle on her way to the carbohydrate section, and stopped when she saw a box of popsicles. Might as well treat herself. Her hand was on the handle when a vaguely familiar voice called her name.
She turned around and saw the woman who’d been at her book signing who’d flown in from Windenburg. What was she doing here?
“Ms. Brooks!” the woman gasped heavily in her thick accent, hands on her knees. “I saw you from across the shopping plaza and I knew I just needed to talk to you again! So I ran all the way over here to say hello!”
Kayla couldn’t remember the woman’s name, so she went for the next best thing to say. “What are you still doing here? You had, uh, kids back in Windenburg, right?”
The woman laughed heavily. “Oh, goodness no! A new husband, the kids come later. And it was tragic, my plane flight home was canceled last minute, so I thought why not extend my little rendez vous to Newcrest? So here I am!”
Kayla nodded slowly. She got why celebrities stopped going out to stores to buy their own groceries. If she was going to go out, not prepared to present her best self, and be hoarded by people who admired her, she didn’t want to bother. And Kayla’d be damned if she wasted time dressing up to go to the grocery store.
“So… what do you want?” Kayla asked. “Here, uh, give me your book, I’ll sign it again for you or something.”
The woman grinned and pulled it out of her purse. Kayla’s mouth dropped as she took it, and slowly opened it up to the signed inside cover. This woman was crazy enough to bring her signed book out with her shopping? Her signature definitely wasn’t worth that, it didn’t even vaguely resemble her name. At least she knew the woman’s name was Mila now.
“Do you need a pen?” Mila asked, assuming that her lack of a pen was causing her odd silence.
“Yes, please.”
Kayla took a pen that Mila produced from her purse, and thought a long while before quickly scribbling a thank you for spending so much time in Newcrest. She handed both back to Mila, and her eyes rapidly ate him Kayla’s words.
She grinned. “Thank you!”
“Anyway,” Mila said, shoving both the book and the pen back in her purse. “I was hoping you could tell me any future secrets that might be in your next book. I’d love to start using your tips even earlier than the rest of the world.”
Kayla smiled awkwardly. “I, uh, I don’t think my publisher would allow me to…”
“Oh, come on! Your publisher would never know!”
Kayla actually hadn’t even started on her next book yet. It was something she hadn’t told either her publisher or John yet because they’d both worry. Everyday, Kayla sat in front of her writing desk and wracked her head for ideas that never came, a document from her last book open in the background for her to quickly switch to if John walked into the room. She couldn’t really tell this woman what she didn’t know.
“I really shouldn’t, Mila, I’m sorry,” Kayla lied apologetically.
Mila frowned. “Oh, alright. Just uh…” she quickly pulled a business card out of her purse and passed it to Kayla. “Please call or email me.”
“Okay…” Kayla said, looking over the card, which advertised a catering service for private events.
Mila’s phone rang, and she looked at Kayla, wide eyed. “That’s my husband. I really hope I run into you later, I’d love to get more ideas out of you.”
Mila ran back down the aisle, and Kayla leaned against one of the freezers, exhausted.
Kayla took her chart to checkout and bought what she had, deciding that she didn’t want to ruin her diet with popsicles. She stuffed the food into cabinets at home, then immediately grabbed her workout clothes and boarded the tram for Melody’s. She really needed a break, even that short talk with Mila had been exhausting.
“Kayla?” Melody asked, seeing her walk in. “You’re here early, what’s wrong?”
“Just had a crazy day,” Kayla sighed.
“Here, uh… classes don’t start for another hour, so sit with me.”
Melody pulled two chairs out of a storage closet and set them on the ground in the middle of the yoga room. “You know how I always wanted to be therapist… studied for it in college and everything. Well, I’m ready for you, Kayla, talk to me.”
“Well… John’s out of town, he’s with Malcolm, who I definitely feel has other things he wants out of his relationship with John, but John’s just not perceptive enough to recognize it, cause he can be really fucking stupid at times. And then, just today, I ran into that fan from Windenburg that was at the signing, and she drilled me for the ideas that I haven’t even began to start writing yet because I have no inspiration. I’m just tired, Melody…”
“Hey, hey…” Melody said softly. “First off, you should stop stressing about John and Malcolm. That’s their business, and there’s no use worrying about what John’s not interested in and Malcolm’s clearly not bold enough to initiate.”
“But he’s my brother. Shouldn’t I worry about him?”
“Not if it’s going to negatively affect your mental health, Kayla, that’s what most important right now. How are you going to write if you’re stressed all the time?”
“Yeah… I guess you’re right there.”
“Now, let’s move on to that,” Melody said, taking a deep breath. “Mila is just evidence that people truly love what you’re writing. Just try to take that as encouragement to keep writing. And, from there, I really do believe that if you stop stressing about John and fans, and of course, do some light yoga, your mind will be clear enough for you to do what you need to do.”
“Thanks, Melody,” Kayla smiled. “I really think you should try to found that therapy business.”
“You think? But thanks, Kayla. I’m looking at Willow Creek right now, the population is a lot bigger over there, and I know I could quickly make up the huge cost I have to pay moving there and investing in a business in one of the nicer parts of town.”
“I could help you with that, you know,” Kayla suggested. “I spent most of my life there, and thanks to my mom’s experience as a real estate agent, I know where the best places to buy over there are. You know, the areas that are nice, but not the insanely wealthy parts of town.”
“That’d be incredibly helpful, Kayla, thank you,” Melody grinned. “I’ll let you know when I save up enough to move.”
That night, Kayla sat down in front of the computer and took a deep breath, trying her best to push whatever John and Malcolm could be doing far from her mind. With a new, clear mind, Kayla started to type.