Tragic Love Friday: A little less talk, a lot more action

Well, not really a lot more, but enough to make up for the lull in the storyline these last couple of weeks.

Before I get into that, though, I wanted to thank you all for the great comments you've left the last two days, specifically the ones focusing on my blogging class and maternity leave. Since Luke and I leave for Michigan soon and I still need to wash up, I'm going to skip out on responding to everyone individually and address all the questions/suggestions right here.

Blogging Class

Since the class is offered through Saint Joe's English department, it has to be focused more on the trends and cultural ramifications of blogging and less on actual maintenance. I knew from the very beginning I'd require each student to have a blog, and there will most certainly be discussion of the elements of good design, how to navigate through the blogosphere, proper etiquette, the various technical aspects a blog can have (widgets, RSS feeds, Flickr, etc.), but I can't spend an entire class period on the ins and outs of html code or how to create a podcast, though I will do my best to point them in the right direction if they're interested in those things. The formation of blogging communities is also a topic I had planned to cover, especially since it'll be addressed in a couple of sessions at this year's BlogHer conference, so why I didn't include it in my list of bullet points I don't know.

Somebody asked about how much information I'll share about my own blog, and seeing as its existence is the main reason I was invited to teach in the first place, I've decided to let them know I have one. If they want the URL, I'll provide it, and I'll be happy to share my own experiences when an appropriate opportunity presents itself, but that'll probably be the extent of it. After all, a professor with a book in the works wouldn't pass out photocopied chapters to the class for review.

Maternity Leave

Your stories are continuing to blow me away, so keep them coming, if you can. The suggestion to get my deal in writing was a good one, but with the way the FLMA law is written, I'm automatically guaranteed my same position with my same pay scale and benefits. If they revoke that, they're breaking the law. I don't think they want to break the law. It's still a smart idea, though, and I may just do it, anyway.

The part-time issue is tricky. I could probably go that route and stay with the company but not in my current position as communications director, which means Luke would have to pick up the slack with a part-time job of his own, which means there's a good chance we'll have to foot the bill for some sort of daycare, which is exactly what we're trying to avoid. Plus, I don't think either one of our companies offers insurance to part-time employees.

My work week already has the potential to be pretty flexible, and that will continue once I return from leave. I'm strongly leaning towards cramming all of my hours into a four-day time span so I can enjoy an extra day at home with my family. Telecommuting is also an option, of course, but if I'm honest with myself, I'd probably be too distracted by my husand and the baby to get any actual work accomplished. It'll be fine every once and a while, but my gut is telling me that on the days I'm not at the office, I should be fully present at home.

As far as using vacation days to supplement my leave, I'm completely against it, at least for myself. I understand going that route if you can't afford to take the time otherwise, or using accrued time to extend your absence beyond the twelve weeks, but since Luke and I can prepare ourselves for my lack of income, you better believe every single minute of paid time off I have will be used before December 10th. I earned those days, dammit, just like I put in the time to be eligible for FMLA, and I will use them both the way they were intended. I don't know what it is about using vacation time to replace maternity leave that gets me so riled up. Probably the fact that companies make out waaaay better in that scenario than the employee.

(Take a deep breath, Frema. It'll all be OK.)

Let's move on, now, to learn more about two ladies who soon just might benefit from a little FMLA time themselves.

(OK, Katherine won't because she's only in high school, but that was a great segue, you have to agree.)

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CHAPTER NINE - MICHAEL

I was at home when Jenna stormed through the door.

"You're home early," I commented. "How was your presentation?"

"I don't know. Ask my former boss," she replied angerily, her eyes glassy. I went and wrapped my arms around her waist, and she tightened her arms around my neck. She gazed at me with sad eyes.

"I screwed up, babe." She started to cry, burying her face in my shirt.

[How sad is this marriage? Poor Jenna, so defeated, with no fight left, and poor Michael, so secretly macking on another woman. I received a comment on a post from part one earlier this week, on the one where Michael first professed his undying love for Jenna to the Internet, and I started to miss the old days where the biggest problem was a pregnant woman getting hit by a car. It's much more fun to write about the misguided antics of naive teenagers than the self-destructive ones of grown adults.]

"What happened?" I asked once she settled down.

"That bitch Agatha took my presentation, and that was it. Crawford canned me." [Don't you like how lil' Frema believed that all employees referred to their bosses as "sir" or their last names?] Jenna let out a shaky breath. "What are we gonna do, Mike? How are we gonna live?"

"Oh, we'll be fine. We can live in those brown boxes behind the garage, and we can spend quality time as a family picking through our neighbor's garbage." She smiled. "Don't be silly. We can live in the car." We both laughed.

"Don't worry, Jen. You'll look for another job, that's all."

"I guess." She pulled out of my embrace and put on a pot of coffee. "How come you're home early?"

[Do you know that question put this story at a standstill for at least a month? Lil' Frema couldn't figure out a plausible reason that Michael wouldn't be at work. Her brilliant solution was...]

"I didn't go at all. Wasn't in the mood."

Jenna cocked her head to the side, looking at me thoughtfully. "Yesterday?"

"Yeah," I lied. She kissed me. "I really am sorry about what happened."

"So am I."

We just stood there, and after a few minutes, I realized the silence we were experiencing was inappropriate and tense, and I didn't want to deal with it. I guided her to our room. "You've had a rough day, and I've got some things to do. Get some sleep and I'll see you at dinner." Her body flinched and her shoulders sagged. "OK," she said softly. She leaned against the woodwork, her back still to me. I let her go. Suddenly she looked very old. I tried to shake the image as I headed out the door.

[Man, my wife is such a drag. Does she think her life is a sequel to Working Girl? Maybe if she bagged cans at the local Pick 'n Save, she wouldn't have such tired skin and poor posture. My mistress is beautiful and smart and reflective and doesn't look a day older than 31. She isn't concerned with piddly matters like career advancement.]

[Also, mad props to TasterSpoon for planting the Working Girl reference in my head.]

* * *

Kay was dancing when I arrived at her house. She laughed as she grabbed my hands and spun herself around me. The radio was playing an old Beatles song. "Money can't buy me love, can't buy me love," she sang. I pulled her to me and dipped her.

Life was fun with Kay. We went out all the time, or when no one was home [like the night her son was raping my daughter], we stayed at her house. Just last weekend we put up her Christmas tree.

[Because baby Jesus loves it when adulterers come together to honor his birth with flashing lights.]

A slower song came on, and we swayed to the rhythm. [Name that tune! I vote for "That's the Way Love Goes" by Miss Janet Jackson. What? It could totally follow a Beatles song!] "You're not well," she said.

"No," I agreed. "But you help me a lot." I hugged her. "Thank you."

"Cass is mad at me. She says I'm breaking up your family."

[Cass! Kay and Cass! Michael, why have you allowed your throbbing penis to drown out the warning sirens that should be ringing in your ears?]

"My problems with Jenna started long before you met me."

Kay stopped and stood still. "This isn't gonna work, is it." It was a statement, and she sounded sad. "We're never gonna be able to be together without hurting our families."

"Don't say that," I cried, dismayed. "We CAN be together." I paused, then said slowly, "I think I'm in love with you. You can't leave me now."

She stared at me for a few moments, her expression unreadable. Finally she smiled and kissed my cheek. "Thank you," she said.

I carried her in my arms and went to her room. I laid her on the bed gently and held her. We were both a little nervous. Kay voiced our thoughts. "I'll understand if it's because of Jenna that you don't want to," she whispered, running her hands over my chest. I shook my head and kissed her passionately. She didn't pull away.

[Surprise, surprise.]

We came together for the very first time. She fell asleep in my arms, and I was happy.

CHAPTER TEN - KATHERINE

I clutched the toilet on my knees, feeling my breakfast leave my body again. I felt dizzy and weak, laying on the bathroom floor when it was all over. The light blinded my eyes, but I didn't bother to cover them. "God, if you're there, I need you now," I whispered.

The time between now and the rape was still kind of blurry. I went to school but couldn't concentrate. Shannon couldn't figure out my mood swings. My mother found a job at the local Burger King and was putting in tons of overtime, so although she noticed me, she didn't see me. [So deep!] Dad's been acting funny, too. He's never home, and he's always showering when he comes home. I think he's having an affair; I can tell Mom does, too, because she doesn't kiss him anymore when he comes home from work anymore. They never go out. It's like watching two strangers interact. My sister doesn't seem to care. Leigh's always out with her friends since no one's home to check on her. Lucas just looks confused. I do what I can, but I have my own problems. He watches reruns of 'Growing Pains' and 'Family Ties' and seems very, very sad.

[If ever a family belonged in the Dr. Phil house, it would be this one.]

As for me, I'm sick. Throwing up all the time, eating like a pig, crying constantly. It'd be easy just to deny it, but that would be stupid, and I'm not a stupid girl. [Except for when I missed seeing my own damn name on those hidden adoption papers.] It's better to face things head on. Those were the thoughts swimming in my head as I picked myself up off the floor, put on a jacket and headed to the store. I spent my last twenty bucks [!] on "First Response" and managed not to be seen.

[When I was a kid, I saw an after-school special on HBO about a girl who thought she was pregnant but was too embarrassed to pay for a test at the register, so she snuck one into her jacket and left a ten-dollar bill in its place. Is it wrong that I thought that was cool?]

At home, I checked the time. 9:30 A.M. Screw school. [Like father, like daughter!] No one was home to make me go, and my future was much more important. I read the directions. I had to pee on a stick (provided by the box, how thoughtful). [Honey, that stick is the test. Peeing on anything else just means you're weird.] A plus meant to expect a new addition. A minus meant better luck next time. Seeing as I had nothing left in my system, I couldn't see how I could manage to do the first part. After five glasses of OJ, though, I succeeded. When I finished, I set the stick on the bathroom sink. I didn't want to look. I couldn't be a mom; I was 15! How could I go to school? Have a life? Tell my parents? Face Kyle?

My body flinched when I thought of Kyle. Never had my heart ached for (and hated so much) one person. It was terrible. We ignored each other at school; I couldn't stand to look at him.

It was hard for me to breathe, and I shook uncontrollably, but I didn't cry. I hadn't shed a tear over anything that had happened, and for that I was glad. It made me feel more in control.

I needed someone. Shannon came to mind. I missed my best friend, but there was nothing she could do. I had to be strong for myself. I grabbed the stick and stared at it, long and hard. I blinked, shook my head and pinched myself, but the plus sign didn't change.

For the second time that morning [actually third, but who's counting?], I vomitted.

-------

I leave you with that pleasant image as I prepare to embark on my four-day vacation, with promises to eat lots of fudge.

Comments

[Molly]

Ooh first comment!

And,

holy hell, Katherine!!

It's interesting to see Michael's affair happen, and how his relationship with each woman progresses. It's interesting to see, and easy to forget it was written by a fifteen year old. Good job, lil Frema.

Also, the baby Jesus Christmas lights comment? Awesome.

[Molly]

Isn't it interesting to see?

I make it a policy to never proofread before noon.

[VirginiaGal]

Oh, oh, I vote Jenna gets pregnant next - from the pre-presentation marital moment. Because it is so awesome when a mother and daughter are pregnant at the same time.

And I love that Jenna is now working at the Burger King. It's so classy.

[David McNelis]

Michael is an idiot. Just a flat-out muther-flobbing idiot. I mean....Cass and Kay doesn't ring a bell? In this case I support the neutering of people too stupid to rear their own children and recognize their daughter's mother. Have you seen the (albeit absolutely terrible) movie Idiocracy? That is what our world is going to if Michael is allowed to continue to procreate!

[Liza]

RE: using up all of your vaca days before the baby arrives.

I recommend against it. Save a few, at least. Even though Luke will be staying home with the baby, there will be times when you'll need or want a day or 2 before you've had much time to build them back.

There will be well-baby doctor visits, days when Luke and the baby are both sick, days when you'll feel like if you don't stay home and clean up now you may never see your floor again, or have clothing to wear to work....

[Nichole]

Re: Vacation days

The company I worked for when I had our daughter forced people taking maternity leave to use all of their accumulated sick leave and vacation days before taking unpaid time. I was so mad. It seems like that shouldn't be legal.

[Rachel C]

Wow. Good episode (entry? edition?) of TLF! Have a great weekend and eat a piece (or ten) of fudge for me!

P.S. That little Freke better like fudge!

[Lizarita]

You're KILLIN ME SMALLS.

[Silly Hily]

Yeah, Freke seriously better like fudge or, or, I don't know...he just better.
Clearly thoughts weren't the only things swimming around Katherine's body. Ba-dum-dum-ching.
Michael is such a whore. I just don't get how any married person could do that. A-hole. He's in love with Kay? What the hell happened to him. I guess the whole better or worse/in sickness and in health thing meant nothing to him. And growing old together? Hell, she's not even old yet and the bastard is already ready to leave her just b/c she's starting to look old? Hrmf.

[Rachel]

Poor Katherine! Seriously, I can't imagine what she must be going through. To be pregnant at 15 is bad enough, but, to have been raped and said child be a product of that rape? Holy hell!

Jenna and Michael seriously need to go their separate ways. What kind of relationship is that? Look what they're doing to their poor kids!

Also, [Because baby Jesus loves it when adulterers come together to honor his birth with flashing lights.]? I almost fell out of my chair when I read this one!

Oh, I totally saw that HBO special too!

[Operation Pink Herring]

My company also forces you to use up all your sick and vaca days when you're on maternity leave. I agree totally with Nichole, it's totally unfair and puts people in a terrible situation when they return. They have to take unpaid leave for every dr appointment (or if, God forbid, they actually get sick!), which requires special permissions and gobs of paperwork and the potential for being fired. Great policy!

[Fraulein N]

This was awesome. Well, not awesome for Katherine so much, but you get my drift. I also want to say that Lil' Frema manages the switching between first-person perspectives quite well.

Damn, Michael is dumb. (That should never go without saying.)

[Amanda]

I just finished my first Danielle Steele book last night, and here's my official commentary: She ain't got nothin' on Lil' Frema.

[Isabel]

My favorite part of TLF is Lil Frema's perception of grown up relationships. Maybe I'm jaded, but I've never had a man pick me up and carry me into bed so we can do it.

Jenna's OT at Burger King is leaving Michael with too much free time on his hands. Sounds like he's a busy man. While he can't find time to go into work, he manages to take a lot of extra showers.

[Anth]

"We came together for the very first time." That's just gross. The longer I read TLF, the more I picture Michael as Dwight Shrute: nasty, pale, and hairless.

[Professor Art Nerd]

"After all, a professor with a book in the works wouldn't pass out photocopied chapters to the class for review."

Breh? In my program, this happens ALL THE TIME. With our most notable profs! Including the one who can go into the Pauline Chapel (not everyone can go in there!) And this is when we're not writing chapters for her!

Ahem. TLF- Is Michael the one you pictured as Topher Grace? Because he's reminding me of his smarmy character in... Traffic, was it? EW GROSS MICHAEL. Shame!

[Professor Art Nerd]

Crap, never mind, that was David. Rest in peace, dude

[TasterSpoon]

It seems like only yesterday David was planning to take care of Jenna by flipping burgers.

Yep, she really lucked out with Michael.