Chapter 2.0 – Jonquil
My name is Jonquil, and I’m not very photogenic. Or I just have bad timing. Anyway, not too long ago was my eighteenth birthday. Finally! I’ve been waiting for this for about forever. It’s finally time for me to do my own thing. I’m tired of my dad always pressuring me about the garden. It’s not my thing. I wish he could see that. And it’s not profitable at all. Dad is getting up there now. If he’d only gotten a real job, our family could be rolling in money by now, but we’re still stuck in the lower-end of middle-class. Well, that’s definitely going to change now that I’m an adult.
The very first thing I did after becoming a legal adult…okay maybe the second thing after devouring a huge helping of delicious birthday cake…was to go online and search the job postings. To my luck there was an opening at High Products. I applied, and I got called back the very next day letting me know I’d gotten the job. I would be starting out as a measly coffee courier, but everyone’s gotta start somewhere, right? Besides, I knew I wouldn’t be a coffee courier for long. CEO, here I come!
Before I’d even gone in for my first day of work, I called my boss up to chat. I knew that if I befriended her, I’d be more likely to snag promotions. I’ll admit I was pretty much sucking up to her throughout the whole conversation, but I don’t mind if that’s what it takes to get to the top.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Dad got old. He’s got gray hair and wrinkles just like Mom now. You’d think he’d stop puttering around out there in his precious garden now that it pains his elderly back so much, but the crazy old man still gets up at the crack of dawn every day to go work in his garden. I truly don’t understand him. Gardening is such a waste of time and effort with very little profit. What’s the point in that when you can rise up the corporate ladder and make the big bucks?
The uniform they gave me for my first day of work as a coffee courier was definitely not fashion-forward, but I just kept reminding myself that soon I would on my way up to the top. I worked hard every day, harder than any of my other coworkers. My long work days often left me completely exhausted and frazzled by the time I got home, but it’s totally worth it. Whenever my boss needed someone to do an errand or work late, I’m always the first to volunteer. My boss adores me. I think I smell a promotion very soon…
I’m still living with my parents, but I told them that I was going to be doing some major renovations now that I was old enough. My mother wanted to know if I had asked Dad about this, but Dad just shrugged when I told him about it. It’s done now. Now the house doesn’t look like some beat-up barn. Thank God. When I have enough money, I’m going to be adding a second floor. I’ve also started remodeling the rooms inside. If I have to live here, it’s at least going to be classy and presentable. What if I have to invite my boss over for dinner or something? I can’t have her thinking I’m a poor redneck! I would just move out, but my dream is to be worth over 160,000, and I’ve already got a good start on that here. It’ll be easier for me to achieve my dream here. Once I do so, I’m for sure getting out of here.
Mom threw another party for Kale and Sage’s thirteenth birthday. For some reason, this crazy lady decided to climb onto our counter and start dancing! Excuse me? I just cleaned that. Get off! Mom’s friends…Honestly.
This isn’t some dive bar in Bridgeport, lady. I mean it. Get off my counter!
Kale’s a bit odd. He’s got this goth, emo look going on. Oh well. Whatever floats his boat, I suppose.
He seems to really love his new look. It does suit his personality.
Sage’s look is more mundane. He’s channeling that whole nice guy next door vibe. I feel for any girl that dates him though. Sage’s got this really crazy anxious streak a mile long. He’s always checking the sink and oven to make sure they’re off. Weirdo. The oven’s not going to explode. Chill out.
So apparently I’ve been neglecting my family or something. At least that’s what Ivy had the gall to say one morning before I had to go to work.
“You’re hardly ever home anymore, Jonquil,” accused Ivy. “Mom and Dad miss you. I miss you. But we hardly ever even see you anymore. You always work late, and when you do come home you hole up here in the office.”
“That’s not true,” I said.
Then Sage chimed in, Sage who I’ve always been closest to in my family despite all the flak I give him about his sensitive nerves. “Ivy’s right, sis. You do work too much. You’re always stressed out when you come home, and then you ignore us.”
Sage’s words hurt. I didn’t mean to ignore my family. Didn’t they understand I was working toward my goal, and that I had to achieve it no matter what? If I didn’t work so hard, I’d never get to the top. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices in order to pursue your dream.
A Different Path: The Shaw Family Legacy 