Table Of ContentArtful Love
- A short summer love story -
by Jillian Leeson
www.jillianleeson.blogspot.com
Copyright 2013. All rights reserved.
It was around 3.30pm on a Wednesday
when I received the phone call that
changed my life.
“Jessie, darling, it’s me. I really
must talk to you. Did you see me in
People magazine?”
I sighed. It was Kate, my little sister.
“Little” was probably not the best way
to describe her—she was taller, prettier,
and worldlier. And she was in the midst
of fulfilling her childhood dream: to
become a famous actress. From talking
to her, you’d think she was well on her
way to become a big Hollywood star.
I took my mid-afternoon apple from
my drawer and said, “Yes, I may have
spotted your face in that party crowd
photo at the bottom of page sixty.”
Of course Kate completely ignored
what I said, as usual. “It’s been crazy
around here, you can’t begin to imagine.
When I finished shooting Fire Zombies,
the director loved me, of course, and
begged me on his knees to work on his
next project, Ice Zombies.”
I rolled my eyes and took a bite from
my apple.
Kate rattled on. “So I’ve been stuck
in Alaska for a month now. Can you
imagine me, suffering in the freezing
cold? I really, desperately, need new
clothes and more importantly, a new
mink coat, but there are no shops here
whatsoever. I can’t even get an internet
connection in this hell-hole. There’s
only so much I can bear.”
“It all sounds very vexing, Kate. But
I’m sure you’ll survive. Provided, of
course, you have a decent-looking co-
actor on set.”
“Ha! Count on my own sister to know
me best. I can’t complain in that
department, I suppose. That’s the only
thing keeping me warm right now.
Talking about warm, that’s why I’m
calling you.”
I stopped chewing. Kate usually
called me only when she needed
something. What the heck did she want
this time?
“I’d been planning to have a relaxing
break after this horrid shoot, so I booked
myself a luxury cruise to the Caribbean.
But just now my director told me that
we’re going to be stuck here for at least
another week. And after this, I’ll be
flying off to Fiji for my new movie.”
“So?”
“So I was thinking that my lovely
sister could take a break from her very
busy life, and take the cruise instead of
me.”
I wrinkled my brow. Did I hear that
correctly? Did Kate actually say I could
take the cruise in her place? “When is
this cruise? How long is it?”
“It’s a ten-day cruise, and it leaves
this Saturday morning. Everything is
included: wine, gourmet food,
entertainment. You can relax by the pool,
have your nails done, or enjoy a whole-
body massage, whatever takes your
fancy.”
“Coming Saturday? I can’t, Kate, you
know that. I have a full-time job. I can’t
just take a holiday whenever I feel like
it. My supervisor will never approve my
leave.”
Kate’s voice turned downright icy.
“You’re always worried about your
golden call-center career. Just go. I’m
sure your glamorous job will still be
there when you come back.”
“Really, I can’t. I’m not prepared. I
wouldn’t even know what to pack.”
“Darling, I’ve got it all figured out. I
know what you’re worried about. You
think your Walmart get-up won’t cut it
on the cruise. And you’re right. So I’m
going to courier you some of my old
rags. They’re still perfectly fine, just not
cutting edge enough for someone like
me. You should receive the parcels
tomorrow morning.”
“But—but—” I thought I was going
to choke on the chunk of apple that had
lingered in my mouth, unchewed.
“I’m also sending you a ticket to
Florida and the cruise details. You’re
going to have such a fabulous time,
darling. You may even think twice about
staying in dull-town USA.”
Before I could object, she had
already hung up the phone.
Typical of Kate. She couldn’t care
less about other people’s feelings,
especially mine. From when we were
little, she had been the center of
attention. With her pretty face and ultra-
charming personality, she always got
own her way by winding people around
her little finger. It was always about her,
and her alone.
In fact, it surprised me that she had
given me the cruise. She must have been
feeling guilty about forgetting my
birthday last month. And she knew I had
never been abroad, let alone on a cruise.
The farthest I had ever travelled from
home was when Kate had taken me on a
shopping trip to Chicago.
It would simply be insane to pack up
and take a tropical holiday. But the
thought was also thrilling, exciting—
something I hadn’t felt in a long time. I’d
been down in the dumps lately, worn out
from the daily grind. It was utterly
exhausting, answering call after call, day
after day. The worst was the
unwarranted abuse from rude customers.
It had made me throw my headphones
against the cubicle wall more than once.
A break would do me a world of
good; I just needed to get away from it
all. The least I could do is try to get my
leave approved. But as I had expected,
my supervisor was less than thrilled
with my request for leave.
“Jessica, this is an extremely busy
time. Especially now Practal has
launched their new beauty line, I need
every single one of you. There’s no way
in hell I can give you leave right now.”
“It’s only for ten days. I’ll make it up
