Judas Times Seven

75. Rumors were now circulating at work that Bruce was a must to avoid. And yet some who were told this were at the same time counseled to try and treat him right. This way he could be kept in the dark regarding what was going down and not get wind of it. It was, however, an excellent time for Janice, as her public persona increases as well as her power and leadership qualities. Her ability to orchestrate events at her workplace in a positive manner is enhanced. It is now true for her away from the job as well. Those involved in organizing a social function for this evening would find that plans fall into place just as envisioned. Janice arranged an outing at a club as a birthday celebration for one of her friends. The party lights shone brightly, and laughter and conviviality were in abundance as a good time was had by all those in attendance. Just about all who were invited had arrived by the nine o’clock start time, and few left much before closing time. When she arrived home a message awaited her from a man she has dated on occasion. He wanted to know if she could go out with him the following evening. To her it sounded as if he wanted to take her on some sort of magic carpet ride. While the offer sounded inviting, she knew that she would need to find a way to keep the children entertained if she wanted some romantic time with someone. She was nervous about leaving the girls with a sitter two nights in a row for fear that they would feel unwanted and neglected, much as she felt toward her own parents when she was a child. She was raised mostly by her grandmother, whom she really adores to this day. After sleeping on this overnight, she phoned him back in the morning and explained to him the circumstances and proposed an alternative—that being going for a walk during the afternoon. The sidewalks around her area were not exactly the boardwalk, but they would serve the purpose as a backdrop for conversation. During the walk the man would tell her over and over how much he would like for her to be his steady date instead of just the occasional get-together. In time he would sense that something may be wrong. Upon making the inquiry Janice would tell him straight out that while she enjoys conversing with him, he is not one who could sweep her off her feet and leave her breathless. She then explained to him that being the single parent of three girls made it hard for her to always be able to go out on the spur of the moment, that the younger set would be the center of attraction for her as a solo parent, and devoting time and energy to their pursuits can produce both joy and pride. Krystal, her oldest, seems already to have a promising future in the theatrical arts and also has made some pottery. Deep down inside Janice may feel as if she is just not ready for love, at least not in the encompassing way that he is proposing. Just a few days later things would turn in new directions. Daunted by the apparent backstabbing taking place at her current job, Janice would take a personal holiday during which she would use time to arrange an interview for a new job, while Krystal would audition for a theatrical role, and also sign up to speak at a public forum on current affairs. The school would request that she sign the permission slips. Considering that this could be a once in a blue moon opportunity, she had no qualms about doing so. Longing to do something to celebrate Krystal’s success, she then tried to figure out how to do so. The one thing that was certain was that whatever was to be on the agenda for entertainment tonight should bring pleasure and happiness. After making arrangement for the girls, Janice and a couple of friends would head for the subway to ride into the center of town to enjoy the scene. 76. After a pleasurable night on the town, positive trends continue for Janice, although recovering from last night could leave her a little lethargic, particularly during the morning hours. After laughing so much while out, her voice was cracked and hoarse. Therefore she would take it slow and by lunchtime she should be raring to go ahead with social plans that have been arranged. But a part of her was still full after doing the shuffle and other dances the night before, and she might have preferred to enjoy the comforts of home rather than going out to meet and mingle. Despite having made a pledge to attend this gathering, she chose the home option, thus notifying the organizer of this event of her decision. This would be a good time for her to contact the local handyman to make repairs around the house or check maintenance to ensure that everything is in good working order. As she hasn’t tested smoke detectors recently, this was time for that small but important task. Meanwhile, Bruce definitely would prefer the comforts of home over going out to meet and mingle. Things that have enveloped on the work scene have depleted his energy. Following his confession to Janice his former camaraderie with her obviously has crashed and she now seems reluctant to converse with him on anything not in direct correlation to the job at hand. For a few weeks she has built him up toward thinking that he could well be her buttercup. Yet about hearing what was conceived as being an affirmative on his end as well, she informed him that he would need to nip the attraction in the bud. In a lunchtime talk with a woman in his work area named Ruby, he expressed his concern that Janice was acting so weird toward him all of a sudden. She was of the opinion that she probably just had a lot on her mind due to the impending transfer to the new department which had been created and that she would head. He replied that he is sure going to miss her every day. 77. While he felt that the conversation he had with Ruby was agreeable, he still felt as though while Janice once told him that she thought of him as a good worker, he now felt as if she were taking him for granted. When she asked him to go with her into the lobby where she told him to curb his attraction toward her, he ascertained that he would need to be alert for some disagreements at work each morning. Clearing up some unfinished business or discussions might be important to him, so agreeing to listen would be a positive step in finding a solution that they both could live with. Yet an obvious darkness surrounded the whole environment, as he sensed that she was not about to reach out to him in any way. Could it be possible, he pondered, that she had the desire to be his friend and possibly lover, and that he did not respond in kind until it was too late? Was she the one who felt spurned rather than he, and does she as a result want him to get out of her life? Although coming from different areas, there was a fairly heavy rain this morning; so on this day both Bruce and Janice would leave a little earlier than usual for work to avoid rush hour or a delay caused by an accident. Both knew that the chances were very probable, and that the act of experiencing these types of problems can increase your frustration and stress. Also, Bruce in particular but to some extent Janice as well, needed to be careful not to vent bad humor on colleagues or other people who could be in the line of fire. If she was once attracted to Bruce as well as he was to her, she now appeared to be totally without pity. She did not even respond when he would say good morning or good night. He found this to be particularly disturbing as he knew that she didn’t like being treated that way herself. The rapport between them now wasn’t pretty and it would just be a matter of time before some sort of breaking point would confirm the crash. Janice would relieve some of her stress surrounding the situation in a different way, by going out to shop for clothes. She needed to keep tabs on spending, and especially when shopping with friends. She would be alert for bargains on last year’s styles.