Chapter 4

Brie

Present

My first two weeks as a California girl have been a whirlwind. Dawn and Kelsey have taken me shopping, helped personalize my room, introduced me around to their large, extended friend group, dragged me out for cocktails and dancing, and taken me to eat amazing food all over the city, and we have spent several lazy days on the beach. Needless to say, they took their responsibility of introducing me to my new home very seriously. It's been exhausting and wonderful.

I didn't have a lot of close friends back home. Only one really. My very best friend and partner in crime, Adriana. She is one of my dad's business partner's daughters I met when we were ten years old, and we were inseparable. She helped me get into and out of a lot of trouble through the years. Until now, that is. There is no way out of my latest trouble.

Even though she is one of the people I'm most angry with, leaving her behind is one of the hardest parts of leaving for good. I miss her every day. No more so than now as I stare at the doors of California State University.

Today is the day that I start working toward my future goals. I have always dreamed of having my own restaurant. When I was a little girl, I would be under my mamma's and my nonna's feet as they cooked these delicious meals for our large, loud famiglia. I'm the baby of five. I have four older brothers, and my father's parents moved to America from Italy decades ago to live with us. So, dinnertime was always an event in our home. When I was younger, I was completely enthralled with the whole process-from growing the vegetables and spices in the garden to making pasta by hand, creating homemade marinades and sauces and baking cakes and cookies from scratch.

So, I find myself here, taking boring business classes because knowing how to cook is the easy and fun part of having your own restaurant. Time for me to settle in and do the work to learn the hard parts of owning your own business.

Somehow, I managed to complete enough classes the year before last and earned a few hard-fought online credits over the last ten months to enter the current year as a junior. I will buckle down and get this degree. No distractions. I can't allow myself to get off track ever again.

The first day is a success. Turns out, Dawn is in two of my classes, and Kelsey and I have the same lab hours. It is great to have familiar faces in class. All of my professors seem amicable. I took a full course load, trying to play a little catch-up. It will be a tough but hopefully productive year.

Now, onto the job search. I secured a position as a nanny for a four-month-old baby boy before I arrived. I have communicated with his parents and made all the arrangements via phone and FaceTime. Although I look forward to every moment with that little guy, that job will not pay the bills. So, I have a meeting at the local country club this evening. They are in need of a tennis instructor, and being as I taught youth tennis at our club back in New York, I was able to get Una to have my old boss call in a recommendation for me under my new name as a favor to her.

I really hope I get this job. I'm in desperate need of it. Everything else is falling into place so well. Landing this would be the icing on the cake.

"Hello, Ms. ..." Mr. Cloniger, the head of HR for the club, extends his hand as I enter his office.

"Miss Masters. Brie Masters, but please call me Brie," I fill in for him as I take his hand.

He is a plump older gentleman with a graying comb-over and kind eyes.

"Yes, Brie, it is nice to meet you. Stan Morgan over at New York Golf and Country had a lot of great things to say about you."

We sit across from each other at his massive desk, and I wipe the sweat from my palms onto my slacks. I don't know why I am so nervous. I think because a lot is riding on this job. I only have enough money to last through the next two semesters. I'm not comfortable with living so close to the edge. When I was growing up, money was not something I worried about. My father did quite well in his business, and he lavished our family with all the comforts one could want or need. Choosing to move out here on my own without any help from Papa was something I had to do, as scary as it was. I do not want his money or his business tainting my new life.

"I see you worked predominantly with youth, ages eight to twelve years old. Our need here will entail much of the same but a little broader age range from about six to sixteen years old. We have need of instructors for classes of four or more and then for a few one-on-one private instructions for adult beginners and youth. The classes pay a salary, as we discussed over the phone, and the private lessons are commission-based. We only offer insurance benefits for full-time employees, but we do have an opt-in 401(k) available for both full- and part-time. I understand you are in school as well."

This is where I am a little unsure. Are my schedule limitations going to be a problem?

"Yes, sir. I'm in classes three days a week. On those days, I can take on any evening classes or private lessons you have. The other two days, I'm available for either morning or evening sessions, and I'm flexible all weekends. I'm also working as a nanny for a couple in Santa Monica, but the mother is a stay-at-home mom, and she is very flexible. I can work a schedule out with her once I know what your needs are. If you choose to hire me, that is."

He places the paperwork he was perusing on his desk and looks up at me. "I am going to be frank. Your rŽsumŽ is impressive. Stan highly recommends you, but are you sure you want to take on this job? You are young and new in town. You are in college. Working a job already. Don't you want a little free time to hang out with friends and just enjoy life a little?"

Do I ever, but that is not an option for me at this point. Dawn and Kelsey both have parents paying their rent and tuition, so they can concentrate on both school and partying. I don't have that luxury. I am all I have.

"Trust me, sir; I will still have plenty of time to participate in the joys of life. I just really need this income. I promise, if you give me the opportunity, I will work very hard for you and do the best job possible for your members."

He thoughtfully stares at me for a few moments, and then he smiles. "You remind me of myself. I, too, had to work my way through school and climb the ladder all by myself. I respect that. Okay, young lady, you start Monday. I will get all the paperwork filled out and emailed over to you this weekend. Welcome to the team."

I fight the urge to release the tears of relief I feel at the backs of my eyes as he stands and rounds the desk. He extends his hand, and I ignore it as I reach up and give him a tight hug.

"Thank you, Mr. Cloniger. I promise, you will not regret this."

He pats me on the back and tells me to enjoy my weekend and to get ready for the madness. I leave his office, feeling lighter than I have in weeks ... months actually.

* * *

When I arrive home, I open the door and walk into what can only be described as a Mexican luau. Mariachi music is blaring from Bluetooth speakers, and Dawn is dancing in the living room in a two-piece bathing suit and grass skirt with a colorful plastic lei around her neck and a huge sombrero on her head. Daniel is sitting on the couch with a bemused look on his face, and the aroma of tacos is wafting through the air. I think my roommates might be high. Do they get high? That's one question I never thought to ask.

"You're home!" Dawn shouts over the music and flies toward me as I close the door and walk inside.

"Yes, and you're drunk," I reply as I catch her in my arms.

"I'm not drunk. I am pleasantly tipsy. Welcome to our celebratory Taco Tuesday! Well, I hope it's celebratory. How did the interview go?" She expectantly looks at me as she teeters backward toward Daniel.

"Good. It went really, really good. I start Monday."

She throws her hands in the air, giving the rock-'n'-roll horns as she shouts, "Celebratory Taco Tuesday it is, Kels. Woohoo."

Kelsey, who is dressed in the same attire, comes walking in from the kitchen, carrying a pitcher of margaritas and a glass for me. "Awesome. We always do Taco Tuesday here, but this time, we added a little extra pizzazz just for you. Hence the leis and the pineapple-glazed pork tacos. After all, it is your introduction to the tradition."

Dawn produces a sombrero from beside the couch and ceremoniously perches it atop my head. "Now, go throw on a bikini and start drinking as fast as you can. We are about two pitchers ahead of you."

Daniel smirks at me and explains, "The girls love tacos and margaritas, and Tuesdays are kind of an undeclared holiday around here. You will get used to it."

"Used to it? She will love Tuesdays as much as we do. It is an unwritten hard-and-fast roommate rule," Kelsey yells from the kitchen.

I decide right then and there that I will in fact love Taco Tuesdays, so I down my first margarita as fast as I can to catch up with everyone. This is just what I needed. Normal, everyday twenty-two-year-old shenanigans. I think I have felt thirty-five since the day I turned sixteen years old. It has been exhausting.

Stuffing the burden of my secrets down deep, I exhale and make the decision to try to be as exuberant as my new friends when it comes to life. I can do this. I just have to keep my head and my heart firmly in the present.