3| New Horizons

“Did you not sleep last night?” Barbara asked as soon as Summer entered. She felt sluggish and naturally irritated because, as much as she wanted to go back to sleep, she just couldn’t. And ended up thinking, or rather overthinking, about a person named Serena and the untamed wolf. 

Summer mumbled, “Not much.” She plucked the apron from the kitchen and tied it swiftly. “At least you could have covered it with some makeup,” the older woman grumbled as she carried batches of freshly baked cupcakes and cookies. Summer could have replied that she was in a hurry or she had forgotten, but she didn’t. In reality, she did not expect her to even notice that she had a sleepless night. No one did before. She mumbled an apology, but said nothing further.

The day went on uneventfully. Once they had served the last customer, Summer flipped the board that had the ‘closed’ sign and pulled the blinds. As she unknotted her apron, she blurted, “Are there wolves here?” Barbara, who had been noting down the day’s earnings, stiffened. Summer frowned. Did she ask something…odd? As the older woman continued to note down everything on her little notepad, her anxiety spiked. Why did she blurt out and ask such a weird question? Who asks about wolves out of nowhere, with no context? 

“I… um… I heard it somewhere, before...coming here. So…” she trailed off and started fidgeting with the apron. She peeked at the older woman, whose brows had furrowed and lips had thinned. Summer hurriedly amended, “I am sorry...it’s just—” 

“There are no wolves here. None at all. This place is for humans and why would you think a city would have wolves?” Her tone was sharp. Barbara did not look up from her work, though. Summer gulped and mutely shook her head. She hurriedly went into the kitchen where Liam was washing the trays, his back turned towards her. But she could see that his shoulders were tensed. 

She quietly but clumsily set the apron aside and started helping with the washing. She did it sometimes, even after Liam’s countless protests. But today, he was absurdly quiet. For some time, the clinking of trays, the running water and the sound of scrubbing prevailed in the room. Summer wouldn’t call it companionable silence. She figured that her question had somehow disturbed the couple, for whatever reason might be. 

Having completed the task, she mumbled a quiet goodbye and was both taken aback and relieved to find a packet sitting atop the counter. Liam did not say anything when she went out of the kitchen, and Barbara merely nodded in acknowledgement. Once outside the bakery, she sighed in relief. That was one tense and anxiety-filled evening. 

The air was cold, and the evening was darker than it should have been. She took her usual route, walking at a languid pace, not in a hurry to go back, no one to punish her for being late. Her mind wandered back to the house where she had grown up. What were they doing now? Were they creating chaos and searching for her only to humiliate and punish her for being a supposed ‘monster’ as they claimed? Or were they always on the lookout whether she would be back? She hoped it was the last one. 

Making a detour to the nearby convenience store, she bought a few necessary household items because waiting for an entire month seemed to cost her a lot somehow and some groceries. Coming back to a silent home sometimes made her feel...uncomfortable. She had never been engulfed by this much silence. Toeing off her shoes, she placed the groceries on the countertop and then deposited her purse on the bed. 

As she was about to make her way to the bathroom, she suddenly felt dizzy. Red eyes flashed in her mind’s eye. She plonked on the bed. What just happened? This is why she did not like silence. It drove her mad. It spiked her anxiety. She breathed out shakily. 

~~~~

Barbara acted normally the next day, even though Summer tried to be as vigilant with her words as possible. She must have done a good job because neither Barbara nor Liam had called her out on it. 

“What do you think about working in the HR of a company?” Barbara had suddenly raised the question. The three-tiered trays filled with macaroons had almost fallen down from her hands. “Huh?” she could only utter unintelligibly. Barbara made a noncommittal noise as she took the trays from her hands. “One of my cousins is in HR. The company is recruiting staff for the HR department, so I thought of informing you. They are going to have a walk-in interview on Friday. If you like I can give you my cousin’s contact number.”

Summer stared at her, slack-jawed. She almost asked why the older woman was telling her all this all of a sudden, but she restrained herself lest she should get the same treatment. “I….okay,” she acceded reluctantly. Barbara nodded and then they went about their work and before she left, the former gave her the number. 

~~~~~~

Her thumb hovered on the number. She had switched on her phone for the first time after coming here. Thankfully, Barbara never asked for her never and neither did she give her one. Now, though, she had to recharge her number. She had waited with bated breath as the device booted up. But thankfully, and to her slight disappointment, there weren’t any calls or important texts. Not even from Gloria. It was as if they had forgotten her. Only two weeks and not even Gloria remembered her. 

She swallowed back her disappointment. Biting her lower lip, trying to reach a decision. Was Barbara just being kind? Or was this a trap? But why would she trap her? Was she indirectly firing her from the work? Before she could think anymore, she pressed the call button, deciding to give this a try. 

The conversation turned out to be fruitful, more or less. Even though Summer had to hide certain facts about her home. Other than that the man asked for her work-related stuff and asked to come for the interview on Friday. 

~~~~~~

Friday came in the blink of an eye. She tapped her foot on the white-tiled floor as she waited for her turn. It was a little difficult to find the company. But she managed to reach just 5 minutes before time. She saw a lot of men and women were seated. Her gaze had subtly scanned everyone. She couldn’t help but feel self-conscious about her attire. Was this too shabby? Will they reject her? What if she stammers? 

She was pulled out from her internal turmoil by the receptionist. On wobbly legs, she entered the room. A panel of four was set up. The interview breezed through, and by the time she exited, she could only hope that she had been able to answer them more or less correctly. 

~~~~~~

She received an email from them and a call from HR on the following Friday, confirming her post in HR. She didn’t know that she was crying until she tasted the salt drops. The next day, she hugged Barbara, shoving down all the protests of her body. The couple looked happy for her and that day she even had dinner with them. 

When she came back home, she couldn’t help but think wistfully about having a home-like theirs, filled with laughter and warmth. But she was happy nonetheless. For once again, luck had smiled upon her. She looked forward to the new beginning.