Sam

Work has been very slow the past few weeks, which means reduced income, which means financial worries, and I’m so tired of having financial worries. I really liked working at the spa on salary for a year or so before it changed hands. I made a decent wage and it looked like I would be able to get ahead, and then it all changed. That sucks so bad. I wish I had any good ideas to drum up more clients. I’m used to summer being my busy time, but apparently that’s not true of the physiotherapy clinic, which is where most of my time is scheduled. I had NO clients yesterday, and only one booked in for today–and she just cancelled. Fuck. It stresses me out. I need to come up with something else I can do on those slow days to bring in more money, just so I can survive. I don’t really want to have to move back to Weymouth into my house with my daughter and her family. I can’t live on nothing, and I have bills to pay with nothing to pay them with. It sucks.

***

Sunday morning, a few days after the researchers’ visit with Tyler, found Sam at the start of the "fun run" he had promised to take part in. An unfocused dread made his stomach churn. He should have stayed home and made a cash donation. It wouldn’t have been as much as he would get from all his sponsors, but at least he wouldn’t be here trying to look everywhere at once, and it could only get worse once the run began.

"Hey, Tanaka!" Darren elbowed his was through the crowd to join Sam.

"Kelly," said Sam. "Thought you didn’t do 10K runs."

"First time for everything," said Darren. He looked hard at Sam. "You don’t look so hot. You feel okay?"

Sam gave an embarrassed chuckle. "Oh, nothing really. I saw Crazy Sally the other night and she warned me about the run. Said to be ready to run faster than I ever ran before." He glanced away, then back. "I keep thinking about Brenda and her romantic date in the park, you know?"

Darren looked sober all of a sudden. "Yeah. She called that one. But come on–what can happen with this many people? Brenda and Nashir were only two and they were in a remote area. You can’t believe that anything is going to happen out on the streets to — what? — three thousand people?"

"Yeah, I keep thinking about that, too," said Sam. "But, well, I’m not so sure."

"Tell you what. We’ll stay together, pace ourselves for the first six or seven K and if everything is okay, we’ll up the pace. And if any beasties come after us before that, we can turn on the afterburners and get our asses out of Dodge, to mix my metaphors."

"There goes setting a new personal best time," said Sam. "I’ll be pissed if nothing happens." He thought a moment. "I guess I’ll be more pissed if something does." They grinned at each other.

"Set a record next time," said Darren. "Come on, it’s almost time."

***

I’m so bummed about the cancellation tonight. Tomorrow is my day off. It’s nice having a long weekend when you plan one, but it sucks when you want money coming in. Oh, well. There’s nothing I can do about it right now, so I might as well get some writing done.