IN THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS (2 page)

“My legs got tired from standing so long so I walked to the mall. I was walking around aimlessly when this little guy spoke to me.” He said referring to the teddy bear. “He said that he could help me win over the most beautiful woman in the world. I knew that I needed all the help I could get so I brought him with me.

The flowers were his idea. He said that every woman deserves a dozen roses after a grueling day at work.” He explained with a chuckle. Ashley was speechless once again. No one had ever been so sweet to her.

CHAPTER:6

“So what do you think? Did my friend here convince you to dump the loser and go out with me yet?” he asked with a smile. Ashley knew after all of his attempts to win her affection, she couldn’t possibly tell him no. “Okay I’ll go out with you.” She said laughing and shaking her head at his boyish charm.

“Yes; I was hoping that you would say that. I was fully prepared to come back here tomorrow and wisk you away to Italy if you would have said no.” he said with a smile.
“
You would have taken me to
Italy? Well in that case sir I’m going to have to decline the offer to take me out until I get my trip.” Ashley joked. Joe’s jaw dropped to the ground until he realized that she had been joking. “Just for that I’m keeping the bear. If you ever want to see him again you’ll have to see me too.” Joe said with a grin. Just then his cell phone rang and his mood seemed to change in the blink of an eye. He went from not being able to wait to see her to not being able to get away from her fast enough. “Sorry honey that was my work. I got to go. I’ll see you tomorrow night for dinner though right?” he said as he tossed the bear to her. “Sure I guess.” Ashley said and then he was gone almost as though he had never been there at all. Had that been it? Had she never really met him? Was he some part of her imagination that was desperately seeking affection? She would have believed that if she didn’t have the bear and flowers to prove otherwise.

No matter how
strange her day was turning out to be
;
she
had no intention of going home. After all if she went home it would just be more of the same old same old. Her dad would drink himself into oblivion while her mom would nap and complain about everything. Ashley was in way too good of mood for any of that. Instead she decided to go to the mall. Walking around by herself would be better than going home and dealing with her dysfunctional family any day. Her only intention was to pass as much time as she possibly could. With any luck she could hang out long enough for her parents to be in bed when she got home. She fumbled through some of the clothes that were in style. She didn’t see anything that was really too appealing to her
;
e
xcept for a beautiful black sweater. She would have loved to been able to buy it, but it was out of her price range. She couldn’t imagine spending a hundred and fifty dollars for any article of clothing let alone a sweater.

After overpowering the compulsive urge to just buy it. She put it neatly back on the rack were it had been hanging. Sometimes she wished that she allow herself to be compulsive just one. However she knew that if she did. It would cost her and her parents there home that she had come to love. It wasn’t a mansion or anything. It was a ranch house with a white picket fence. It was red brick.

The front of house was covered with every kind of flowers imaginable. Her mother used to love to garden. That was until her mental illness started to get the best of her.

CHAPTER:7

Her mother was a paranoid schizophrenic. She had it under control for a little while. That was until her father lost the job that had health coverage. He found another job, but he wasn’t lucky enough to find one with health care.
After a while
her disease got to the point that she could no longer control it. She just refused to leave the house anymore. All the things that she had once loved had no meaning anymore.

She spent
all evening wondering aimlessly through the mall. Looking at everything from clothes to music Ashley finally felt confident enough to go home.  She walked as slowly as she could the two miles that it was back to her house. She wanted to make sure that her parents would be in bed when she got home. It was a gorgeous summer night. She could feel a warm breeze blowing across her skin. It was nights like this that made her not mind that she hadn’t bought herself a car yet. She could hear the saccades humming a song off in the distance.
It was
a
completely peaceful night except for the occasional hoot of a screech owl. She found herself wishing that she didn’t have to go home at all. If only she could just stay in that peaceful tranquil moment forever her life would have been perfect.

When she finally made it home her parents were not in bed. They were not even home. That was more than a little weird to her considered her mom refused to go anywhere. She pushed the thought out of her mind and headed to her room to turn in for the night. She had no trouble falling asleep that night. All and all the day hadn’t been nearly as bad as she thought it would be. Matter of fact in her mind it was kind of perfect. She woke up earlier than usual and to her surprise her parents hadn’t returned overnight like she thought they would. She was starting to worry, but there wasn’t anything that she could do until she heard from them. Even though she was worried she welcomed the peace and quiet.  She decided to take advantage of being alone and fixed herself some breakfast.

After she was done eating she headed into the deli for what she knew would be a long day. She went through her usual routine taking her time to get into work. When she arrived she had another surprise waiting on her. Joe was standing out front patiently waiting on her. He was knelt down leaning against the brick wall. When Ashley came into view he immediately jumped up into the standing position. She could tell by his actions that he had been very there for a long time. “Good morning beautiful woman. I was beginning to think that you quit your job and left town to get away from me.” He said toying with an unopened pack of cigarettes. “No, I was just taking my time getting here. Besides if I quit my job I wouldn’t have any money to leave town with.” She said with a giggle. “Well that’s a good thing then. I would hate to have to spend my hard earned money tracking you down.” He said as the smile disappeared from his face. Ashley didn’t say anything but that statement had creeped her out.  After thinking about it for a while she decided that it was just his attempt at humor.

After studying her face for a brief moment Joe decided that it probably wouldn’t be in his best interest to say something else like that.

CHAPTER:8

He could tell just by looking at her that Ashley was very mature for her age. He could also see that she wasn’t one for playing games. He knew that if it came to games she would be gone in the blink of an eye. That wasn’t an option for him. He had already invested time on winning her over and he always got what he wanted. To him it would have been a waste of time investing in something that you might lose interest in. “Did you sleep well?” he asked attempting to lighten the mood. “Actually I did.” She responded. She thought a minute about telling him about her parents not coming home. Then she decided against it. She hadn’t mentioned the fact that she still lived at home to him. She was certain that if she mentioned that he wouldn’t want her anymore.

“Well I hate to cut this short, but I don’t want you to be late for work. We are still on for dinner tonight right?” He asked suddenly looking uncomfortable with his surroundings. “Sure, as soon as I’m off work.” She said. Just as she finished the sentence he was gone. Her only thought was how mysterious this man was from the short time that she had known him. That was okay though. She found his mystery attractive. She then walked into the deli prepared for what could be very well the longest day of her life. Today hadn’t been very busy especially for a Friday.
The only people that where there were just a couple of the regulars.
James Jenkins, one of the local farmers who had stopped for lunch because his wife was out shopping. Everyone knew him as the strong but silent type. I had never heard him speak of anyone. The only talking he ever did was of his farm. Other than that he would sit quietly and eat his meal. As soon as he was finished he would pay the bill and rush back off to the farm.

Nancy Peters, she was known as the town busy body. She knew everyone’s business before they did. She was a short stocky Christian woman. She always wore her grey hair up in a bun. She was sitting in the back booth gossiping to a few other towns folk which was nothing new. I always wondered if she was so Christian why she spent so much time degrading others. Apparently she had never heard the saying let he who has no sins cast the first stone. Surprising enough the day didn’t go as slow as Ashley thought it would. Matter of fact it seemed to fly by. She had just finished with her shift when she noticed a red camaro pull up in front of the deli. It caught her attention because it wasn’t a car that she had recognized. One thing when you live in a small town like Peter Springs you get to know everyone whether you want to or not.

Then the thought came to her head of old Nancy Peters and how she knew everyone’s business. She didn’t want to be known for that so she went about her business trying to put the car out of her mind. When she filled up the remainder of the ketchup containers she hung up her apron and headed out the door. As she walked out she noticed that the red camaro was still sitting there. The driver of the car which she couldn’t see because of the tinted windows then blew the horn. Ashley stood in the same spot as she was like her feet had been glued to the ground. She wasn’t about to walk over to a strangers car. Then after a brief moment the driver’s door flung open.

“Didn't you see me sitting here? I was waiting here for over an hour.” The driver said. It was then that Ashley noticed who it was. It was Joe. She could tell by the look on his face that he was more than a little annoyed by having to wait so long. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean keep you waiting. I finished up with work as quickly as I could.” She explains feeling uncomfortable with his anger. Joe could tell that Ashley had started to feel insecure. That wasn't his intention. “It's okay you don't have to explain anything to me. I was just worried that something might be wrong is all.” He said flashing her smile. He could see that Ashley's mood had finally lightened.

CHAPTER:9

That put him at ease.

“So I remember you saying something about wanting to go to Italy. I know this is short notice, but my dad has a private plane. If your game we can go. That is if you want to.” Joe said studying Ashley's face. Ashley just giggled. She thought for sure that he had been joking. After seeing the look in his face and seeing that he never cracked a smile she knew it wasn't a joke. Ashley had no idea what to say. She was flabbergasted by his impulsive nature. “It's so far away. That isn't a trip that you take just like that. Something of that magnitude requires preparation.” She explained to him. He seemed to be annoyed by her hesitation. “I know that. I guess I just get sick of playing by the rules all the time. For once in my life I just wanted to be impulsive instead of worrying about everything.” He explained to her staring at his hands.

    Ashley was completely speechless. She didn't think there was another person in this world that felt the way that she did. “I'm sorry I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable. We can find something else to do, but I promise you we are going to Italy.
We might not go tonight
, but soon. I got you a present. Hopefully that will make you feel a little bit better. It's in the backseat.” He said as he started the car. Ashley recently the backseat and grabbed the bag. When she opened it she couldn't believe her eyes. It was a sweater. Not just any sweater it was the exact same sweater that she had fallen in love with. Soon as she looked at it she started to cry.

    Joe was confused by her reaction. He thought for sure sweater would make her happy not make her cry. “If you don't like it I can take it back. You don't need to cry about it.” He said trying to console her to the best of his ability. “It's not that. I love the sweater. It's just that no one has ever done anything like this before for me.” She explained as she wiped the tears from her eyes. “Sorry to hear that. You deserve that and then some. If you were my girl I’d do stuff like that all the time.” He said giving her a chuckle. “Since you won't allow me to take you to Italy tonight
;
how about we find an Italian restaurant instead.” He said focusing on his driving. Ashley thought about that for a moment. She didn't want to tell them no, but there was only one Italian restaurant in her small town and it was expensive. That was one thing that her parents taught her it was that money is hard to come by. “You have to do that. We can find something cheaper. I was just joking about the whole Italy thing anyways.” She explained hoping to deter him. “I don't understand. You don't want to go to Italy, or you don't like Italian? You are speaking in riddles to me.

CHAPTER:10

You have to be more specific.” He snapped. “It's not that. I would love to go to Italy and Italian food is my favorite, but it's expensive.” She explained hoping to calm them down. “Is that all
this is about
is money? If it is then you have nothing to worry about. I have a lot of money. You didn't ask me to use it I offered. There's a difference.” He explained. Ashley knew there would be no point in arguing so she reluctantly agreed. One thing was for certain. He seemed to be so similar to her yet different as well. It would definitely take some time for her to get use to his behavior. The rest of the night turned out picture-perfect in Ashley's eyes. He seemed to have finally loosened up enough to at least give her a glimpse of him. However there was still a lot that she didn't know. She figured that given enough time he would feel comfortable enough to let her in completely. She wasn't sure what it was, but something in his life had tried to break him as well. As hard as he tried to hide it she saw right through the cover-up. After they finished their dinner they paid the bill and headed out the door. Ashley thought that that would have been the end of the night. Joe however had other things in mind. The day didn't go as perfect as he had hoped and he wanted to make sure that he had an opportunity to make it up her. There was a place on the outskirts of town that he used to go when he had a bad day. In his mind it was the most beautiful place on earth and he wanted to share with her. “If it's okay I have another surprise for you.” He said hoping that he hadn't blown any chance that he might have had with her. To his surprise Ashley agreed without hesitation. They drove for what seemed like forever without speaking a word. After what seemed like the longest drive of her life. They finally arrived at their destination. Joe put the car into park and sat there for a minute and then he spoke. “I come here sometimes when life gets the best of me. I don't know why, but it seems to make me feel better. I hope it does the same for you.” He told her with a smile. Then he opened his door and walked around to the passenger side to open her door for her. Ashley couldn't believe how perfect this man was turning out to be. He then delicately took her hand in his and led her down the path. The first thing that caught Ashley's attention was a sound of the water in the distance. Then she saw the most amazing thing that she had ever seen.