Lauren Takes Leave by Gerstenblatt, Julie (ebooks children's books free txt) 📕

own little peace-love-marijuana world while I try to tellher the specifics of my vacation plans.

Jodi may not have been the best person to entrust withthis after all.

“I’ll just e-mail you with the info,” I decide. “Like whatplane we’re on and the name of the hotel in Miami…”

“Wait! We’re? Miami? Who is this ‘we’ and why are‘we’ going to Miami?” Nothing like a secret to snap Jodi back to reality.Before I can even reply, she’s guessing. “I know…it’s that guy. From highschool. MC Loser or whatever he calls himself. You’re jetting off to have anaffair with him in Florida!”

“Nice that you think so little of me, but no.”

“Oh. Sorry.”

“S’okay.” I smile, because it’s not like I haven’tfantasized about it. “Kat and I are going to enjoy an impromptu mini–springbreak.”

“Oh. Really.”

From her tone, I realize just how big I’ve screwed thisup. “Jodi…it’s not like that. Don’t get mad. We didn’t exclude you on purposeor anything…we just decided tonight! We were a little bit drunk! At this crazychick’s sex-toy party…”

“Oh, really.”

“Ugh,” I groan. “You don’t know her! You weren’tinvited!”

“I guess I’m just a third wheel to you guys, now that Idon’t teach with you two anymore. I knew one day you’d just discardme. I just didn’t know it would come so soon.”

“Jodi, you haven’t taught with us for eight years.” Ah, thedrama that is Jodi Moncrieff. I backpedal and sidestep and do all sorts offancy verbal dancing, but it seems to be of no use.

Finally, I just appeal to her mothering instinct, Jodi’skryptonite. “Jodi, how could you go to Miami? And leave your threeprecious girls like that? You can’t stand to be away from them for even oneday, you know that. Plus, Lee wouldn’t let you. He’s kind of controlling,right? Likes to know where you are all the time, likes you home, cooking mealsand stuff…”

“Fuck Lee!” Jodi shouts, waking her dozing husband. I canhear her muffled conversation with him. “Not you, babe. It was something oncable. Go back to sleep. Lauren, are you there? I’m taking the phone upstairs.”

The cabbie pulls into my driveway and I ask him to let thecar idle while I wrap up this call.

“You know, I’ve got a grandmother in Miami,” Jodi says,back on the line.

“That’s a nice non sequitur.”

“Yes, whatever that means,” she says. She slows down herwords and pronounces each distinctly. “I’ve. Got. A. Grandmother. In. Miami.”

“That’s. Nice,” I try, playing her game.

“She’s very old. So old that she might die. Any day now.”

“That’s too bad,” I add, aiming for a sympathetic tone.

“I think I should visit her. One last time. Because she’spractically on her deathbed, you know.”

My heart starts beating fast.

Of course!

Jodi is the best liar I know.

“Lauren, are you there? I better wake Lee and tell himthat I just got this awful call from my grandmother. She’s verysick. She wants to see me one last time. I have to go to Miami…”

“Tomorrow!” we shout, united in blissful deceit.

Midlogue

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I could bore you withthe details of how I managed to sneak out of my house at 5:30 a.m. thatThursday morning, deceiving the Hadley School District, my husband, mychildren, and my babysitter, among others. Lawyers could postulate an in-depthanalysis about how I felt about it all. A psychiatrist could lecture toyou about women and their midlife crises, the way completely respectable,law-abiding citizens could just turn all Thelma and Louise at the meremention of Botox.

But I’ve been a juror, remember, and I know that your timeis precious.

So, I’ll just tell you that, in the movie version of mylife, the Clash’s “Should I Stay or Should I Go” would be playing as I enteredmy dark and sleepy suburban split-level home at approximately 11:22 p.m. onWednesday evening, having just finished making the call to Jodi. That one callthat turned her from a mere witness to an actual accomplice, I guess you couldsay. But that’s for another jury to decide down the hall, and so I will not speculate.

Instead, I will admit that I packed a small carry-on as bestI could in the darkness. And although I could not locate my favorite beachcover-up anywhere, I eventually went to bed. I awoke and dressed in the blue-graymorning fog, left a note on the kitchen counter next to my car keys, and slidout the front door to await Kat’s arrival in my driveway.

You see, once the decision to bolt was made, everythingjust fell into place. The old Lauren, the me from the time before jury duty,would have kept ongoing lists on her iPhone of the pros and cons of such anadventure, had she even entertained the thought at all. She may have surfed theweb in the school library, searching for online support groups for teachers onthe verge. She would have asked other people’s opinions, stopping coworkers inthe faculty lounge to ask if they had ever taken leave of their senses. Whendid they do it, and for how long? What were the consequences?

But here’s the funny thing about taking leave: you just doit. All the thinking and planning and worrying and wondering grabs its wingsand takes flight. And you know what? Watching all of that day-to-day samenessfly right out the window?

It feels really fucking good.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I would prefer to admitthat I feel some remorse.

I regret to say that I do not.

I would like to say that I have reflected on, and learneda great deal from, all that has occurred.

I regret to say that I have not.

And so, without further ado, I shall submit into evidencean accounting of the rest of my week.

Or what I recall of it.

And, Your Honor, I would just like to mention here thatall songs from the soundtrack of my life that week are listed on my Facebookpage and are available for purchase through iTunes. Enjoy!

Chapter 15

Thursday

“I have a surprise for you,” I say with a smile, gettinginto Kat’s Mini Cooper and throwing my luggage in the backseat.

“Jodi called. She’s running late.” Kat glances over at me.“Was that your surprise?”

“Yes! Why’d she call