CHAPTER 9

    It was a Wednesday afternoon, and Helen sat on the edge of her bed, phone pressed against her ear as she chatted with Stephanie and their second best friend, and once favourite teacher, Mrs Wilson, on a conference call. "He's just amazing," she gushed about her new friend Alex. "We've been hanging out a lot, and he's shown me around the city. He's even taken me to meet some of his friends."

Mrs. Wilson's tone suddenly turned panicked. "Helen, you need to be careful. You barely know this boy. Have you done a background check on him? Has he introduced you to his family?"

Helen rolled her eyes, dismissing her teacher's worries. "Relax, Mrs Wilson. He's a nice guy, and I can take care of myself. Plus, he promised to help me find a job."

"Oh, that's great," Mrs Wilson said, sounding relieved.

"Is he cute?" Stephanie, who was getting a manicure at the moment and was struggling to focus, finally spoke up.

"I won't say he's charming, but he's one hell of a comedian. I can't even stop myself from laughing at his every word. Whenever he's around me, I feel so safe, I feel like there's nothing in this world called worry, cos he always has a way of making it disappear. And whenever he's away, gosh, I feel so incomplete. It's as if I've known him my whole life. Sometimes I can tell the words he's going to say before he says them. It's as if I hear his thoughts. Whenever it's time for goodbyes, I feel like tying him up on the couch, so he'd stay. I just want more of that comedian." Helen explained passionately.

"Looks like I should be getting ready for wedding news soon." Mrs Wilson laughed softly.

"Ouch come-on Ma, I'm still young, got a career to prepare for and a lot of rubbish to read so... marriage is the last thing on my mind right now." She blurted out.

"You shwa?" Mrs Wilson teased.

"I'm serious," Helen chuckled. "Although-"

"There we go." Mrs Wilson mocked.

"Ouch, why are you being mean?" Helen giggled.

"Cos I know that tone. I can tell you're falling for him."

"Nooo." Helen denied.

"Mmm, not love, right?" Stephanie interrupted. "You said he's cute,.funny and sweet aye. How about we share him? We're best friends, right? And best friends share everything so-"

"Hold your horses, young lady. Hold that thought before I inject your ass with a hot rod." Helen threatened jovially.

"Language Helen." Mrs Wilson cautioned.

"Ooh look who's being protective now, thought you didn't like Mr Charming that way." Stephanie teased.

"Goodness, it's always a bad idea talking to you two. I should get going, Alex hasn't called, and I don't wanna sit around without a job so catch y'all later. "

"Helen, wait!" Mrs Wilson hollered. "Have you been watching the news?" she asked.

"No, why? What's going on?" Helen replied, taking her finger off the 'End call buttons'.

Mrs Wilson went on to tell her about a recent crime spree in the area. Apparently, several homes had been burglarised, and the police were still on the lookout for the suspect.

"Thanks Ma, I'll be careful." Helen assured. "I have to go now so-"

"If you dare hang up the call without saying 'I love you', you'll have nightmares tonight." Stephanie threatened.

"Jesus, Steph, do you need one every time we talk? Get married already or go get yourself a boyfriend." Helen giggled. "Alright I love you Ma, and I-hate you twinie." She said, immediately hanging up the call.

She quickly got dressed, putting on a nice blouse and some comfortable jeans, and set out on foot to see if there were any "help wanted" signs in the windows of nearby shops. Since Alex had not given her a call, 'but he hadn't followed up on his promise to help.' She thought, but she could not blame him; he had been busy with work. Helen always forgot to ask him the type of work he did. He always had something to tell her, and it made it difficult for her to remember certain important things. Lately he had been occupied with work, and sometimes never called to check up on Helen. Whenever she called, they would talk for a maximum of two minutes or three, which was awkward.

     Anyway, as she passed by a diner downtown, she noticed a guy who looked like Chris, Alex's friend who recently held a birthday party. She paused to verify by looking through the window, but the person looked away, laughing with his friends over a plate of steaming hot wings. When she made the attempt to continue on her search, she heard someone call her name.

"Helen! Wait up!"

She turned around to see Chris running towards her.

"Hey, Chris! What's up?" she asked.

"I'm good, thanks. How about you? Settling in, okay?" he replied.

Helen smiled.

"Yeah, I'm doing alright. Just looking for a job, actually," she said, hoping he might have some leads.

"Really? That's perfect! Come on inside, I might have something for you," Chris said, gesturing towards the diner.

Helen followed him in, feeling grateful for the unexpected turn of events. Chris introduced her to the owner, a gruff-looking man with a bushy moustache.

"Hey old Memphis, this is Helen. She's looking for a job. Do you have any openings?" Chris asked.

The man looked Helen up and down, taking in her neat appearance and friendly smile.

"Well, we could use an extra waitress. You have any experience?" he asked.

Helen nodded eagerly. "Yes, I do! I worked at a café back in Burnington right after High School."

"Alright then, you're hired! When can you start?" the owner said, smiling for the first time.

"Tomorrow." She answered.

"Sounds perfect to me," he said as he reached out to the back and brought out an application to fill out. She quickly grabbed the pen attached to the side and scribbled her information onto the form. "I'll have your uniform readied." 'Old Memphis' assured.

"Thank you, Sir." She voiced out. She couldn't believe her luck, but also, Chris was worthy of the profuse thank yous he received from her, for getting her job on such a short notice. Helen hugged him tightly. "Thank you so much, Chris! You have no idea how much this means to me."

"Of course, Helen. I'm happy to help," Chris replied, returning the hug.

"What do you say to 'a thank' you dinner treat?"

"Sure," he responded. "If you'll come over some time, I'm sure Mom would love for you to try her magical fingers again. Plus, you'll get to see me cook."

Helen blushed, "You, a cook?" She tittered. "How many times have you tried cos it amazes me that your house is in such a great shape with you as a cook. Or we talking, 'not a great cook?'".

"Gosh, I take it back." He giggled. By now they were out of the diner, but heading nowhere. "I can't say I'm the best cook, but my house is in good shape, not caught on fire, it's only a few bowls that get broken when I cook so, yah, I'm sure I'm way better than my brother Alex."

"Okay, lemme know when I can come over to taste something salty and watch you burn stuff." She said, pushing his shoulder.

     After a few moments, Chris suggested they take a walk to show Helen around the neighbourhood. She eagerly agreed, and the tour began. Chris shared stories about the area, pointing out different shops and restaurants.

As they approached the river, Chris paused and looked out at the water. "You know, Alex and I used to come here all the time when we were kids. We used to swim in the river and hang out on the banks."

Helen looked out at the water, imagining a young Chris and Alex splashing around. "That sounds like fun," she said with a smile.

She noticed a group of people swimming and some others taking photos and was impressed by how beautiful it was, and the joy it brought to those around her.

"You know, Helen, you should come back here sometime and go for a swim with me," Chris said, noticing her interest in the water.

Helen hesitated at first. She had never been much of a swimmer, and the thought of swimming in a river made her a little nervous. But Chris' enthusiasm was contagious, and she found herself agreeing to his suggestion.

"Sure, that sounds like fun. Let's do it," she said with a smile.

Chris grinned. "Awesome! I can't wait. We'll have to plan it soon, but for now, it's getting dark. Perhaps I should walk you back home."

Helen nodded, and the pair spun around to make their journey back.