Seeking Happiness

JOLENA

“Jolena, table four is ready to order. Jolena!” Michelle, the boss at The White Rose, was trying to get her attention. “Jolena! Table four!”

“Uh, yeah. Sorry, Michelle, I was lost in thought. Table four, right?” Jolena shook her head, trying to refocus, and headed towards the waiting customers.

Once the last patrons of the night had left, she collapsed into a chair. It had been a hectic shift, with every table occupied and two coworkers calling in sick. Her feet ached from all the running around.

Michelle approached Jolena. “Are you okay?” she asked. “You seemed off today.”

“I’m okay. Just didn’t sleep well last night, that’s all.”

“Head home, Jolena,” Michelle said, her eyes filled with understanding. “You’ve done enough for today.”

“But there’s still so much to do. I can’t leave you to clean up alone,” Jolena argued.

There was a mountain of cleaning left. Dishes needed washing, tables had to be reset for the morning shift, and the floors required scrubbing.

So, there was still a lot to do before everyone could call it a night.

“No, we’ve got this. You’ve never taken a sick day or a day off in all the years you’ve been here.

“Go home, that’s an order,” Michelle said, handing Jolena her coat and purse, and gently guiding her towards the exit.

“Alright then,” Jolena conceded. “If you insist.”

After parking her old car in front of her apartment building, she stared out the windshield, lost in thought. She’d been at the restaurant for seven years. But she was exhausted.

Exhausted from the mundane job…she knew she was capable of more than just waiting tables. And exhausted from the constant worry of making ends meet, which always seemed like an uphill battle.

She’d started working nights when she was just sixteen. She’d had to juggle school and work at the restaurant, striving to maintain good grades.

Her parents had tragically died in a car crash just before her sixteenth birthday. With no relatives to take her in, she’d ended up in foster care until she was old enough to fend for herself.

She’d worked to pay for college. Her parents had left her a small inheritance, but it wasn’t enough to cover four years of tuition. Somehow, she’d made it work.

She’d graduated two years ago but was still at the restaurant. She was on the hunt for a job that aligned with her degree, but opportunities were few and far between. And the restaurant job barely covered her bills.

Sleep eluded her; every time she closed her eyes, she saw bills piling up. It was a recurring nightmare that kept her up most nights. A knock on her window snapped her out of her thoughts.

“Jolena, what are you doing? It’s three in the morning!” her roommate called out.

Joe and Jolena had been sharing this small two-bedroom apartment since their sophomore year in college.

They’d both grown tired of the dorm life during their freshman year. They couldn’t stand the raucous parties and the perpetual mess, so they’d opted for a cheap apartment nearby.

Jolena grabbed her keys and purse and stepped out of her car. Joe held the door open for her.

“I should be asking you that,” Jolena retorted as she locked her car and started towards their apartment building. “Weren’t you supposed to be in bed early?”

“Yeah, I know,” Joe replied, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “But I met this girl at the bar where I was hanging out with friends and, well, one thing led to another. You know how it is.”

As they climbed the stairs, he began to tickle her waist.

“Oh, you’re incorrigible,” Jolena laughed, darting up the stairs to escape his tickling fingers.

“You promised me last week that you’d take it easy with the girls. What happened to that promise?” She placed her hands on her hips, pretending to be annoyed. She knew he wouldn’t be able to keep his promise for long.

“Can’t help it, Jo,” Joe confessed, his hand on the door, swinging it open for her. “I’m a sucker for a pretty face. If I don’t chat up a girl, I feel like I’m missing something.”

“It’s like I’m not myself if I’m not flirting. If I can’t have you, I need to get my fix somewhere else. You know how it is for us guys.”

He loved to rile her up with such talk. Their bond was purely platonic. Anything more would be weird.

Jolena headed towards her bedroom, throwing a smile over her shoulder. “I think I’ll hit the sack and pretend you didn’t say that. See you in the morning.”

“Sleep tight, Jo,” Joe replied. He moved towards his own room, pausing at the door to look at her with genuine warmth. “Hope you have a good night.”

“Night, Joe.”

The next morning, she struggled to get out of bed. It was the same old story. Long hours, late nights.

Trying to sleep, but instead lying awake, worrying about the mounting bills until her eyes finally gave in.

She shuffled into the kitchen to brew some strong coffee and make a sandwich, noticing Joe had already left. She opened her laptop—a luxury she’d scrimped and saved for. It was essential for her college assignments.

She began scanning job listings that caught her eye. After half an hour of fruitless searching, she closed the laptop, put on some tunes, and headed for the shower.

Emerging to find Joe back home, deep in conversation on the phone.

“Yeah, I get it,” he was saying to the person on the other end.

Jolena flopped onto the couch, pulling out her phone to play a game.

“Actually, I might know someone who’d be perfect for that job. I’ll check with her and get back to you, alright?”

He kept talking, but his eyes were on Jolena, a grin spreading across his face as he tried to catch her attention, waving his hand in front of her.

“Sure, I’ll call you as soon as I know. Bye, Adina.”

He dropped into the armchair next to the couch, turning to Jolena. “I think I’ve found the perfect job for Ava. My sister just called. They need a nurse at her workplace.

“Adina’s a nurse at a clinic in Miller Creek, nestled in the woods at the foot of the Grey Mountains. It’s about a three-hour drive from here. There’s a whole community living there.

“It’s pretty isolated. Ava loves a good adventure—this could be just her thing.”

Ava was a friend they’d both met in college. Like Jolena, she was job hunting, but finding a nursing job in the city was tough.

Joe was spot on about her adventurous spirit. During lunch breaks, she’d regale them with tales of all the places she wanted to visit once she had the money and was done with college.

After graduation, she’d gone to China, and they’d yet to hear the end of it.

“That job sounds like it’s made for her,” Jolena agreed. “She deserves a good break. Why don’t you give her a call?”

Jolena was genuinely happy for her friend. “Any chance they have a job for me too?”

“Good idea. I’ll call her after you leave for work. You’re heading out in half an hour, right?” Joe asked, his tone gentle. “I don’t think they have any other vacancies, though.”

He’s such a sweetheart, always looking out for me, she thought. He was always there, making sure she took care of herself. He truly cared about her.