A State of Jane (33 page)

THE FOLLOWING MORNING,
 
I logged onto my computer at work and after making sure Rob hadn’t sent me anything urgent, I
 shared my review of 
Gladly Never After
 on Twitter and the 
Pastel is the New Black
 
Facebook page. When all of the clocks in my immediate surroundings - computer, work phone, cell phone and watch, promised it was past 9:30, I called to wish my younger sister Erin a happy 25
th
 
birthday. She was currently unemployed, having been
 laid off from her position in Boston as an Assistant Buyer at Lord & Taylor, and didn’t wake up until at least 9.

When she picked up the phone with a froggy, “Hi,” I adopted my cheeriest voice and said, “Happy Birthday!”

“Thanks. You’re the first to call me.”

“Didn’t Gerry wish you a Happy Birthday?”

“Yeah, but he didn’t 
call.
 He said it to me in person this morning when he woke up next to me in bed. Duh!”

I rolled my eyes.
 
Silly me.
 
“Aha. Yeah, well, I hope you have a great day. Anything fun planned?” I looked towards Rob’s dark
 office. I knew he had an early meeting out of the office that morning but he would probably be in soon and I wanted to get in some reading time while I could.

“Gonna take it easy today. Maybe head to the gym later. Ger is taking me to Atlantic Fish Company for dinner.” Erin yawned and I pictured her stretching lazily in her bed.

“How’s the job search going?” Yes, it was her birthday and I probably could have refrained from being a nag, but the fact that she sat at home all day while I had to work irked me.

“It’s going. But I was actually thinking it probably makes no sense to get a new job since I’ll have to quit once I have a baby
 anyway.”

I sat up straighter in my chair. “You’re not even pregnant!” I knew I had said that very loudly when I heard a chuckle from Patti, the secretary who sat outside of the other partner’s office. Lowering my voice, I said, “Are you?” I felt a headache coming on and rubbed my brow.

“No. But it’s only a matter of time.”

“I understand.” I was proud of my restraint since I actually did not understand at all and 
wanted
 to suggest that the money she could 
make in the meantime could help pay for her child’s college
 education or at least designer baby clothes, considering my sister’s priorities. “Anyway, dinner at Atlantic Fish Company sounds fantastic. Get the lobster so I can live vicariously.” Atlantic Fish Company was where Gerry’s parents had hosted the rehearsal dinner the night before Erin and Gerry’s wedding.

“I probably will. Or maybe the surf and turf.”

I was happy we had moved on to a more agreeable topic of 
conversation. “Well, 25 was a great year. I’m sure it will bring all
 good things.” Actually, 25 had been kind of shitty. I spent most of it as an intern at an advertising firm running around fetching coffee and making copies. I still made copies, but Rob never asked me to make his coffee. And since I’d started my blog over a year ago, my lack of passion for my job didn’t bother me as much.

“I can’t believe I’m 25 already and been out of college for three years. Speaking of which, are you going to your high school reunion next month?”

“Yeah.” Bridget and I planned to go to the reunion only after getting wasted first. And I hoped to drag Jonathan too for some moral support. I didn’t hate high school so much as tolerate it as an unavoidable rite of passage. I had no desire to go back but there were some old friends I actually wanted to see. “Why?”

“Someone wrote on Hannah Marshak’s wall on Facebook that she was excited to see her at the reunion.”

There were so many things I wanted to say to this. Firstly, why
 
were Erin and Hannah friends on Facebook? They weren’t in the same graduating class and, to my knowledge, didn’t even know each
 other. 
And secondly, in order for Erin to see what other people wrote on Hannah’s wall, she’d basically have to stalk her. That part didn’t really shock me. I opened my mouth to say all of these things but stopped short. It was her birthday after all. “Well, yes, I’m going to the reunion.”
 
Fuck it.
 
“How did you guys become friends on Facebook anyway?”

“I saw her listed under people I might know and I friended her. She accepted immediately! I seriously cannot wait to read her book.”

“Wait. You know about Hannah’s book too?” I felt like I had been punched in the stomach.

“Of course, I did,” Erin said enthusiastically. “What do you mean by ‘too’? Who else knew? Well, besides everyone of course.” I could picture Erin rolling her eyes as she said that last bit.

“Jonathan told me,” I mumbled.

“Jonathan? You still see that pothead?”

“Yes, I still see him. And he’s more than a pothead. He’s also a graphic designer.” A freelance graphic designer who worked from home and smoked dope all day, but since Erin disapproved of him I was more inclined to defend him.

“Anyhoo, you know I don’t read chick lit, but if Hannah wrote it, it’s probably great.”

Normally I would defend “chick lit,” especially since Erin read almost all historical romances which did not exactly qualify as The Great American Novel either, but I was more bothered by the second half of her statement. “The book will be great because Hannah wrote it? Based on what? She wasn’t even in honors English classes in high school and as far as I know, has no writing experience.” She wasn’t in honors English yet managed to get into Brown. Of 
course
 she did.

“Well, she majored in fashion design and spent a semester in Paris and her book is about a fashion designer in Paris. Why do you hate her so much? I noticed you guys aren’t Facebook friends.”

Raising my voice, I said, “I don’t hate her, Erin.”

“What? You still upset that she made fun of your last name?”

“It was your last name too.”

“Yeah, but I’m not really short.” Erin giggled.

“Okay, so I called to wish you a happy birthday and I did. I should get back to work.”

“C’mon Kim. I’m only teasing. It was so long ago. She’s a
 sweetie 
now. But anyway, thanks for the birthday wishes. I’ll talk to you soon okay?”

Although I doubted Hannah was a “sweetie” now, I didn’t bother to argue the point with Erin. “Sounds good, bye.” I hung up
 the phone 
right in time to see the back of Rob’s head as he came rushing around the corner and into his office. Before he closed his office
 door, he gave me a little wave.

Good morning to you too, Rob.
 I took a deep breath and exhaled deeply. I squeezed my shoulders in an attempt to give myself a mini-massage. I glanced at my computer and switched from the Facebook blog page to my personal page. In addition to a notification that my friend Caroline liked my status, I had a friend request. I clicked to see who it was and sucked in my breath.

Hannah Marshak.

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