Free to Love, page 5
“No, I’m taking the bus. I know there is a terminal not far from here that has that shuttle. I should be able to get a ticket with my small fortune,” Julie smiled broadly. She heard Phil say something in Spanish to the cook who whipped up the food but never peeked over the counter. Within minutes Phil had a huge white sack filled with a BLT and fries and two cans of Cola.
Again, Julie bit her tongue to keep her emotions in check.
Barbara gave her a big hug, and Phil shook her hand.
“Stop by and visit us some time!” he yelled as she pulled open the door.
“I promise I will!” Julie said, waving back with her backpack slung over her shoulder and the big white sack in her other hand.
“Thanks again!”
The sun was up and climbing up the sky in the east. It was going to be another sunny day. Julie couldn’t believe what had just happened to her until she was walking toward the Powell Street Bus Station. The noise of the city was just starting to come alive as she was able to hear her own thoughts and go over the night’s events. She waited tables. Of all the things she could do like speak fluent Italian, play the piano, play tennis and a list of a dozen other useless talents, she never expected to work tables. It was exhilarating and humbling all at the same time.
She barely even realized how much her feet hurt and her back strained from standing for so long. She strolled to the bus station feeling as if she were going to be climbing aboard a royal chariot to take her to her next destination, her next adventure.
The bus station was just a ticket window with the words Powell Street Bus Stop in big bold white letters on a green background over the top and a bench that was already filled with people waiting for their ride to arrive.
Julie stood at the glass window, her mind still reeling over what had happened over just the last twenty-four hours. She didn’t notice the portly man staring at her through the glass.
“I’m sorry,” she babbled a little wildly. “I’m just a million miles away.”
The man continued to look at her seriously. He was all business.
“Okay. I’d like one one-way ticket to Los Angeles, please.”
The man pulled out a couple pieces of paper, quickly folded them down a tiny perforated line, ripped them apart, stamped them quickly with the date and then again with a red destination stamp before uttering the words “That’ll be thirty-five dollars.”
Julie pulled her neatly folded bills from her front pocket and gave the exact amount to the man behind the glass who gave her a ticket in exchange.
“Thank you,” she said, still smiling and managed to get the tiniest upturn from the right hand side of the man’s mouth as he nodded and turned back to take a seat at his desk and finish his coffee.
As luck would have it, within ten minutes after Julie had purchased her ticket, the bus to Los Angeles pulled in front of the Powell Station, a stop that was really just a hole in the wall. She found a seat by the window, stuffed her backpack between her feet and placed her lunch on top of it. Taking a deep breath, she leaned back in the seat. It could have been covered with nails and Julie would have thought it felt like floating on clouds. Her feet screamed with gratitude at having her weight taken off them and her back began to instantly unwind as she sunk into the soft seat.
The bus didn’t make it three blocks before Julie was fast asleep.
Quite a few miles went by without Julie noticing them. When she opened her eyes, she looked at her watch and saw it was almost noon. The trip would take about nine hours, so she was just about halfway there.
She stretched a little and casually looked around the bus. She didn’t even remember anyone else getting on after she took her seat and fell asleep so quickly. Now she stretched a little and looked at the young man next to her who was reading a book.
The Entrepreneur Mind: 100 Beliefs, Characteristics and Habits of Successful Entrepreneurs.
“Is that book any good?” she asked the man. He was taller than Julie and as thin as a rail.
His face lit up as he turned to her to respond.
“It really is. It gives examples of people who have become successful as their own bosses and what things they all have in common as well as what makes them different. I especially like the chapters on their failures. How many times do we give up not knowing if we just would have stuck with it one more time, we would have succeeded, right?”
Julie smiled back at him.
“That is a scary thought,” she replied.
“Kind of. But I find it comforting. I’ve failed at a million different things. I’ve succeeded, too. I don’t plan on working for someone else my whole life. I find these true stories to be very inspiring. When I feel like giving up, I just read about all the times some of the greatest businessmen failed, and I know I’m in good company.”
“Oh yeah? What do you do?” Julie said, pulling the white sack onto her lap. Her stomach was going to be extremely vocal if she didn’t put something in it soon.
“Right now, I sell carpet. That’s why I was in San Francisco. Now I am on my way back home to my wife and three kids in L.A.” He beamed as he spoke about his family.
“Want to see a picture of them?”
“Sure,” Julie said. And for the next thirty minutes the man next to her told her about his beautiful wife and three children all under the age of seven and showed her pictures from when they were born to the current year. Julie couldn’t help but laugh. The children were beautiful to her. Two little boys who looked just like their father and a most roly-poly little girl who had just learned to walk on her little, stubby legs.
“They are adorable,” she said, handing the pictures back to him one by one. “It must be hard to be away from them.”
“Sometimes. But I don’t work so hard that I don’t get my daddy time in,” he smiled confidently. “Someday I’ll be in books like these,” he said, raising the book in his hands. “And until then, I’ll just find the inspiration in those who have already done it.”
Julie pulled out a Cola and offered it to the man. He happily accepted as he went back to his book. Julie devoured the lunch Phil had given her. Even though the fries were cold and the sandwich had gotten a little soggy, she was sure she hadn’t tasted anything so delicious at any five-star restaurants she had ever been in.
Once her belly was full, she sank back into her seat. The truth was she was starting to get nervous. The bus would be arriving at its final destination soon enough, and she had no idea what she was going to do once she got there. Her gut was filled with fear, excitement, anxiety, and hope all at once.
It was as if she was going off to war. She imagined how soldiers must feel leaving everything that is familiar, carrying everything they own in a bag on their backs to go somewhere strange, surrounded by strangers and total uncertainty in front of them.
Then she remembered the argument with her mother. How she could take James’s word over her own daughter’s was a mystery to Julie. What kind of spell did he have over her? What could make her parent want to push her down the aisle toward a man she no longer loved?
Money or no money, Julie had survived her first night. The world was not all squeaky clean and perfectly manicured, but it wasn’t the horror her parents had tried to make it out to be. It wasn’t some desolate place where if you weren’t in a certain zip code, you were in the gutter.
Looking down at her nails, Julie noticed her thumbnail polish was chipped. It would be a long time before she would be able to afford a manicure again. No matter. They were just nails and chipped polish didn’t affect how well they worked. Her hands worked just fine. So did her brain.
The gap between the bus and L.A. became smaller and smaller. Julie looked at the man next to her who had fallen asleep with the book laying against his chest.
“I find it inspiring,” he had said about the stories of failure before ultimate success.
Inspire, she thought. That was it. Inspiration Point. Newport Beach. That was where she would go. It wasn’t the greatest plan, but it was as good a place as any to start. She would make her way to Inspiration Point and see what God had planned for her from there. The truth was that Julie had always wanted to see this place having read about it, seen it in movies and on television, but had never been there.
Taking a deep breath, her nerves settled a little, long enough for her to catch another catnap before she had to do a lot of walking again.
When the bus came to a stop, she shook hands with the budding entrepreneur and wished him safe travels back to his family.
When she stepped off the bus, she looked around and saw a donut shop across the street. Sneaking into the bathroom, she washed her face and hands, slipped into a fresh T-shirt and combed her hair back, pulling it into a ponytail. She looked in the mirror and thought she didn’t look very glamorous, but at least she looked clean.
Stepping out, she got herself a small coffee and a chocolate long john and headed back out into the world.
There was no telling what Newport Beach would bring to the table, but Julie refused to believe her destination was called Inspiration Point for nothing. She hopped onto another bus, and after navigating several confusing transfers, she finally made it to the coast three hours later, eagerly anticipating what God had in store for her.
Chapter 4
Mark Stewart couldn’t help but notice the pretty blonde girl staring out at the sea. She had caught his attention when she pulled the band from her ponytail and let the ocean breeze blow through her long hair.
He whispered to his best friend, a golden retriever who responded to the name Tobie and was ready to attack anyone who came within his leash distance with slobbery kisses and a beating with his wild, wagging tail.
“So, what should I do? I think she’s alone. What if she’s waiting for someone?” he asked the dog who sat next to his person and offered a pensive look.
“Who would keep a girl like that waiting, though, right? She’s probably alone. And what’s the worst she can do, right? Just tell me to take a hike. Or spray me with mace. Mark laughed to himself. “Either way, I’ll know that she isn’t interested, right?”
Still the dog made no indication he agreed or disagreed with his master.
“Okay, I’ll go talk to her. If there is a lull in the conversation, you take over.” Tobie barked one hushed yelp.
As Julie stood on a small incline that overlooked the beach, she wasn’t sure if she should laugh or cry. Two nights ago, she slept in the huge soft bed in her parents’ house worrying about wedding plans. It felt like a week had passed instead of just a little under forty-eight hours. Her life had shot off in a totally different direction than she ever would have guessed.
She had managed to find a lunch for under five dollars. It was an order of fries with iced tea, and she had several glasses of iced tea since the refills were free. So she still had about one hundred dollars in her pocket. To everyone she knew that would be pitiful and cause for serious head shaking and clicking of tongues in disappointment. To Julie, she felt like a million dollars. Looking out over the sand as the sun began to set, she saw the wonder of God’s hand as tiny white clouds turned golden and pink on their bellies while their tops turned dark grayish blue. They sailed across the setting sun that happily threw pink and orange rays from its center, complementing the light blue sky that was slowly turning purple.
The water was calm, and millions of facets winked at the shore, displaying a rainbow of colors reflected from the sky. The air was fresh and blew gently in Julie’s face, pulling her hair away from her face.
How could anyone want to spend so much time at a country club or fancy houses when a view like this was just a walk away? And it was free.
But as much as Julie wanted to be confident, there was a tug of uncertainty that would tweak her heart just as she was forgetting her troubles. Did she do the right thing? Or was she wrong?
Her eyes looked down along the shore, and she saw dozens of couples walking along the beach. Some were holding hands, others were arm in arm. Some even stole a playful kiss on the cheek. It made Julie smile, but she couldn’t deny the seed of jealousy that made her ask herself, What is wrong with me? Why can’t I have that? Or did I, and I threw it away?
James was a completely different person when they first started dating. He seemed to want to do everything to impress Julie and make her feel special. At first, he seemed to act as if he was just a regular guy, not a trust fund baby. Not a guy who would never have to worry about money. He was generous and thoughtful.
It was when they went to pick out that ring that Julie noticed the first signs of James changing.
It was supposed to just be for fun. They went to a jeweler in San Francisco. The place was called Shreve & Company. Like most jewelry stores, you needed to be buzzed in two separate security doors to come see any merchandise. Normally this place only opened up for reservations, but James said his name into the little intercom box like it was a magic word and the doors were opened.
Julie remembered being overwhelmed by all the sparkles. It was like tiny fireworks were exploding beneath the pristine glass display cases on either side of her. The owner, a well-dressed man in an impeccable suit, came rushing out from somewhere in the back of the gallery to shake James’s hand and inquire about his parents.
When they both looked at Julie, James did not introduce her. Instead, he announced “we’d like to look at your engagement rings” as if he were Ebenezer Scrooge announcing “God bless us” at the end of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Julie was a little put off. When he had suggested they look, she did believe that he loved her and that she loved him. James said it would be fun. He said he wanted to know what she liked. And that made her feel all warm inside.
As she cruised the counter, there was one small, elegant little band that caught her eye. It had a very vintage feel to it, and the diamond was not overwhelming. She loved it and with a smile pointed it out to James.
“I don’t think so. Looks like something you’d find in a second-hand store.”
Julie’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
She looked at the woman behind the counter, who didn’t flinch at all over James’s harsh criticism. She had jet black hair pulled tightly back from her face and thin dark red lips. Instead, she stepped forward and gave an understanding smile.
“This is from an antique collection. It is a replica of the pinky ring worn by the Queen of England when she was first welcomed into Buckingham Palace over six decades ago.”
“That isn’t quite what we are looking for,” James interrupted and pulled Julie down to where the more contemporary styles were. James chose the ring she had worn on her finger up until the night she left home. He bought it right then and there.
It wasn’t that the ring wasn’t beautiful. When he proposed to her at Sutter Hill in front of her parents and his own parents, and half the eyes of the upper crust of San Francisco watching, Julie could swear she heard people at the back of the hall gasp in awe at the size of the stone. Perhaps any other girl would have done whatever it took to keep that ring on their finger. Or, perhaps any other girl with half a backbone would have knocked James back and said no.
But how could she? How could she embarrass her mother in front of the likes of Lisa Nardy or Mary Kathy Casey and that group of hens? Who did she think she was to turn down James Turner? It would be a scandal of cosmic proportion. It was better to just say yes. Take a chance that this was just a one-time bout of anxiety that James felt and the rest of the planning, the rest of the discussions, the rest of her life would be as smooth as silk. Anything was better than humiliating her parents.
But running away under cloak of darkness and leaving the ring behind was so much more subtle, right? she thought, almost letting out a loud chuckle.
The familiar sting of tears came to her eyes, and once again she bit her tongue to keep them back.
You’re tired, Jules. That’s all. You haven’t had a decent night’s sleep. You’re just tired, her mind told her. She nodded to herself and realized that that posed its own set of problems.
Everything was piling on top of her. She had nowhere to go and no money except what was in her pocket. Maybe she should go back. She could call her mother, have her come pick her up and take all nine hours to drive back to convince her that Julie was not going to marry James.
But then it would take away from the simple things she had done. She was proud of working a night with Phil and Barb. She liked taking the bus, talking to the carpet salesman, who wanted to be his own boss. Her mother would never understand. So, was that really what she wanted to do?
“I just don’t know,” she said out loud, “This is such a mess.”
“A mess?” she heard a male voice behind her. “Newport Beach really does their best to keep The Point looking nice.” Julie turned around and saw a handsome, brown haired man with laughing brown eyes looking right at her with a grin. She felt a warm tingle travel down her spine.
“Oh, gosh!” Julie jumped a little, grinning and blushing while she tucked her hair behind her ear at the same time. “I’m sorry. I was talking to myself about, gosh, just the idea of going back up state.” She was cautious about sharing the woes of her personal life with a complete stranger, even if he was attractive. “It would be a mess to do it now.”
By this time, Tobie was anxiously straining at his leash to let the pretty stranger pet his head and scratch his ears, his tail beating the man’s leg furiously.
“Who is this?” Julie asked, leaning down to pet the friendly beast that happily nuzzled his head under her hands.
“This is Tobie. He doesn’t get enough attention at home, as you can see. It’s led him down a bad path.”
Julie laughed out loud. It was the first time she had laughed at something really funny in a long time. She had forgotten how it felt.
“No. It looks like you’ve really been neglecting him in the pats on the head and belly scratches department. I think your master is telling fibs.” She smiled now using both hands to rub behind the dog’s ears and pat his beefy sides.
