"All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."

— Leo Tolstoy

/ / e v e l y n / /

My hands grip on the edge of the sink as I stare at myself in the bathroom mirror. I want to break the mirror. Hell, I want to hold a pillow to my mouth and scream. Why does this have to happen to me of all people? I've been in college for nearly ten years. If I can't get a job on the first try, what makes it so sure that I can on the second? Dr. Sanchez should have given me a second chance. I would have done so much better with Annabelle. 

I know it.

Removing one hand from the sink, I reach up and open the medicine cabinet. The bathroom light above me constantly flickers on and off, letting me know it's time to change the bulb. I scan through the different bottles of vitamins and prescription medication until I find the familiar orange bottle that I'm looking for. I pull it down from the cabinet and pop the top off. My name's in bold on the side of the bottle and I turn the bottle over in my hand, desperate not to look at it.

The sink water is on and I cup my hand underneath the cool liquid. I tilt my head back and put the pill in my mouth which is soon followed by the water. I swallow the pill without a second thought and put the pill bottle back in the cabinet. As I exit the bathroom, I turn the flickering light off and place a lock of hair behind my left ear.

My apartment is quiet just like it was when I first arrived fifteen minutes ago. It's quite peaceful and the only thing I want to do right now is take a nap. I deserve it. After everything I have been through today, I do not deserve a nap. I deserve time to hibernate and do absolutely nothing for eternity.

Instead of walking across the room to my bed, I leave my bedroom altogether. A yawn escapes my lips as I walk down the hallway and I stop once I get to the guest bathroom. The light is on and the door is closed. I was not aware Joe was home.

Joe has been my roommate for the past three years and he's been my boyfriend for longer. Technically, this is my apartment because I am the only one who pays the bills around here. He told me he would move out as soon as he was done with college. I didn't believe him because he graduated two weeks ago. All he does now is sleep on the sofa, watch television, and eat all of the snacks I buy. I don't mind that much, though. He's great company.

Without thinking, my hand reaches for the doorknob and I turn it. The door opens but not because of me. Someone opens it from the inside. There, standing in the doorway, is Joe. He's holding a white towel in his hand and when he sees me, he moves it behind his back. I try to look behind him but he blocks my path, "Eve! I wasn't expecting you to be home this early! How are you, beautiful? You look ravishing! Want to tell me about that interview?"

His blonde hair sticks to his forehead and he's breathing harder than usual. His amber eyes watch me cautiously and underneath his hair, I can see how high his eyebrows have risen. He's wearing a plain shirt and basketball shorts. His feet are bare and I can see his socks laying on the floor in the corner of the bathroom. They stand out in the darkness like a pair of sore thumbs. Joe's smiling but I don't buy it for a single second. His eyes are slightly wide, making me believe he's indeed up to something.

"The interview was cut short." I say, without going into full detail about what happened. "What are you doing?"

"I was taking a shower."

"Why do you have one of my towels? You have your own."

"I guess I forgot to wash mine. Yours are really soft, though."

I point to his forehead, "Is that sweat?"

"No, it's not. It's simply water," he murmurs and wipes his forehead with the back of his hand. I don't move from my spot. If Joe's hiding something from me, I'm going to find out what it is. We both stare at one another and I raise my eyebrows. I breathe in through my nose and nearly vomit. I bend over slightly, holding my stomach, and gag. "Evelyn...Eve?"

"What is that awful smell?"

"What smell? I don't smell anything." Joe says and I stand up straight. I notice how he's still trying to block my path into the bathroom."

"Move," I demand.

He shrugs, "Why? There's nothing to see."

"Joe, move."

"There's nothing to see!"

"If there was nothing to see, you'd let me into the bathroom." I challenge him and he stares at me. I stare back and my lips turn upside down into a frown. I tap my foot and he sighs with defeat. Slowly, he moves to the side and I step into the bathroom. The light's off and my bare foot steps onto something wet. I let out a scream and jerk my leg upward while turning on the bathroom light. There is a puddle on the floor where my foot had just been. It's a huge puddle and it reeks. "Joe, what the hell is this?"

"I took a shower, remember? It must be water that dripped off my body. You know, that sort of thing usually happens—"

I bend over and a strong, foul smell overwhelms my nose. "Is this pee?"

"No, it isn't!"

My finger pokes his chest when I turn around to face him, "It is pee! You told me you would handle your dog's potty training situation!"

"And I will!"

"When?" I ask. "Tomorrow? Next week? How about...oh, let me guess! Never?"

"Oh, calm down. Blue is just a puppy!"

"Puppies can be potty trained, Joe. This is why I shouldn't have let you bring him into this apartment! You should have gotten a cat."

"Cats aren't any fun."

"But they know how to use the litter box!"

"If it'll make you happy, I was cleaning his urine up before you got here!"

"I've been here for at least twenty minutes."

His eyes widen even more. I'm afraid his eyeballs are going to fall right out of their sockets. He sounds surprised, "Y-You have? Why didn't you come say anything to me?"

I pinch the bridge of my nose and breathe through my mouth. The smell of Blue's urine is making me sick. Joe drops the towel and the anger in me only rises some more.

"You used one of my good towels to clean up Blue's pee?" I shriek. "Why didn't you use one of my other ones? Or one of yours, since you forgot to wash them?"

"Look, I'll buy you a new towel. You can get them almost anywhere."

"With what?" I ask. "You don't help with anything around here!"

"I do help out," he frowns. "I give you whatever I have when it's time to pay the bills. I know I don't help out much, but I'm trying. Cut me some slack."

"You're practically living here for free," I remind him. "I provide a roof over your head, make sure you have food to eat and soap to wash your ass with! You could at least make sure Blue doesn't pee everywhere!" 

"He gets excited easily."

"Jesus, Joe!"

He only turns around and goes back to cleaning Blue's urine with my towel. I bite my bottom lip to keep myself from yelling at him some more. I'm not in a good mood. I don't need to add more fuel to the fire that has already formed. I simply walk away from the bathroom and go into the living room where the air freshener is.

As I spray the apartment, Blue trots out of Joe's room and stretches both his arms and legs. He has light brown fur, dark brown eyes, and he is barely a year old. He's actually a very cute puppy when he isn't peeing everywhere and he has his moments where I do appreciate him. Right now, though, I'm highly upset with him. I don't pay him any mind when I spray the apartment. He's the reason why I'm doing this. Blue follows me down the hall as I continue to spray and I frown, "Joe, come get your dog."

"Step over him."

"Joe. The dog. Come get him. Now."

"I'm kind of busy."

"Doing what?"

"Cleaning up his accident."

"How long does it take?"

He sighs from the bathroom, "I'm trying to make sure I don't leave anything behind on the floor that'll piss you off even more."

I smile, "Thanks, Joe." I step into the bathroom and sit the spray on the counter. "Spray when you're finished?"

"I'm finished now," he says while standing up.

"No, you're not." I argue. 

"Um, yes, I am. I just wiped the urine up with the towel."

"You have to mop the floor and then spray the bathroom."

"Where do you want me to put the towel?"

"Toss it out. I can't use that anymore." I tell him and look at the soaked towel sitting on the floor. The sight of it makes me want to gag all over again. "Please, when you're finished with everything, take Blue out for a walk. He needs to learn that he uses the bathroom outside and not in the apartment."

"We can get a dog door installed in the front door."

I cross my arms across my chest, "How are we going to do that?"

"Hire someone to come do it."

"Will you pay for it?" I ask and he stares at me with a blank facial expression. "We're both jobless, Joe. You can barely afford to buy your dog some food. How are we going to get a dog door? Besides, we'd have to talk to the people in the leasing office about doing that. We can't just go behind their backs. You know they already don't like us because we're always behind with the rent."

"You had your interview today. You have a job."

I close my eyes and lean against the door frame. "I only had the interview today. That doesn't mean I'm hired. And, if I'm being completely honest, I don't think I'm getting the job."

"What?"

"Nothing. Don't worry about it." I leave it at that and turn around to leave. Blue blocks my way and every time I move, he moves. I move to my right, he moves to his left. I step to my left, he steps to his right. He stares at me with his tongue sticking out the side of his mouth. "Joe?"

"Yeah?"

"Come get your dog."

"I'm about to mop the bathroom floor. Just step over him like I said before. He isn't going to do anything," he says and I take a deep breath. 

I raise my foot to step over him and Blue stands up on his hind legs. I put my foot back down and he's back on all fours. I try again and he's back on his hind legs. I groan with frustration and his front paws land on my thighs. I take a step back and he's on all fours once again. He wags his tail and I frown. He thinks this is all some kind of game.

"Now. Come get him now."

"Now?"

"Now."

Joe comes out of the bathroom and I step to the side as he picks up his dog. Blue looks at me as he's carried into Joe's bedroom. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding and I place my hand on my chest. I fear dogs. Joe doesn't know that and I try my best to keep it that way. He really enjoys having Blue as company and if I get rid of the dog, Joe will break.

"Blue is nothing but a big baby once you get to know him." Joe says as he comes out of his room. I sigh in relief when he closes the door behind him. "I don't know why you're acting this way. You liked him when we first got him." 

"He didn't jump on me back then."

"Blue isn't a newborn anymore. Think of him as a child, Eve. Children have a lot of energy."

"Just mop the floor," I mutter and continue down the narrow hallway to the living room.

Blue's whimpers echo throughout the apartment and I know he wants out of Joe's room. My cell phone's in my pocket and I quickly pull it out. Turning it on, I frown. There aren't any missed calls or unread texts. I'm supposed to get a call within twelve hours and it's only been five. I toss my phone on the sofa as I walk by it. How can I wait seven more hours? It's highly impossible. I will probably die trying.

The kitchen light is off when I enter and I turn it on. Just like the bathroom light, the kitchen light flickers on and off a few times before staying on for good. I grab a glass from the cabinet and turn the sink water on. As I pour the water into the cup, I look out of the window straight ahead. It's beginning to rain and the raindrops loudly bang against the window. I glance down at my cup and notice the water is overflowing. I quickly turn the water off and pour some of it out of the cup before taking a few sips.

My back presses against the counter and I just hold the cup to my mouth, not taking any sips at all. Joe walks into the kitchen and goes straight for the refrigerator. On the refrigerator door, there are pictures of when Joe and I went to the photo booth at the local mall a few months ago. Before then, the refrigerator didn't hold any pictures. I watch as Joe pulls out a white wrapper and I raise my eyebrows as I point to it, "What's that?"

"The rest of my lunch."

I blink, "You are aware that it is almost dinnertime, right?"

"I'm hungry now," he whines.

"I planned on cooking." I tell him.

"Why?" he asks. "We can just order a pizza. It's a win-win for the both of us."

"How?"

"You won't have to cook and I'll have something good and cheesy to eat. And then I don't have to eat this," he explains and I shake my head. I need to cook. It will keep my mind off the job interview. "How about I order pizza for myself and you can cook dinner for yourself?"

"As long as you pay for the pizza."

"Of course," he smiles and places his leftover lunch back in the refrigerator. I follow him into the living room and he plops down on the sofa. I sit down beside him and he hands me my cell phone. "I almost sat on it."

"Thanks," I say, shoving it back into my pocket.

"You never told me how the interview went." Joe says and I frown. I was hoping he wouldn't bring it up at all. "All you said was you think you didn't get the job." He wraps his arm around my shoulders and pulls me close to him.

I fiddle with my hands, "It was horrendous."

"I'm sure you're just overreacting."

I laugh, "I could barely get the patient to cooperate with me. She barely said anything at all. Apparently, I wasn't trying hard enough."

"You talked to a patient?" Joe asks. "For your interview?"

"It's a long story." I murmur. "Her counselor pulled me out of there before I could get another word out. I did a terrible job. It was displeasing to the eye."

"Maybe it's not meant to be?" he suggests and I look at him. "I mean, for you to work at that specific place. There are plenty more to choose from. Perhaps you can call some tomorrow and see if any of them are hiring?"

"I guess."

"Hey," he forces me to look at him. "Turn that frown upside down. This isn't the end. It's only the beginning and beginnings are tough. Trust me. Once you get through it, it's smooth sailing, babe."

"Says the one who isn't out there looking for a job like I am." I mutter.

"I am looking for a job!"

"You haven't gone to one interview, yet."

"Evelyn, looking for the right job takes time. Right now, I'm still looking for the perfect job," he whispers before moving his head closer to me. "At least I found the perfect someone. Am I right or am I right?"

"Lame," I shake my head and he laughs. 

"Whatever."

Before I can get a word out, he presses his lips against mine, causing both of us to fall back on the sofa. His hand holds the back of my head to support me as our lips collide together. My arms are wrapped around his back as his body lays on top of mine. He reaches for my blouse and I quickly stop him, "What about dinner?"

"Screw dinner," he says, attempting to kiss me again.

"Not here."

"Where, then?" he asks and his breathing is heavy.

"Bedroom," I whisper.

"Mine or yours?" he asks and I think of Blue whimpering in Joe's bedroom.

"Mine," I say. "Definitely mine."

"Yeah, I think your room, too," he laughs as he gets off of me. "I don't think Blue would be very comfortable with us in the room he sleeps in." I laugh and stand up to my feet. Joe grabs my hand and leads me down the hallway to my room. He opens the door and we both stand in the doorway. "You know, this is probably going to be a long night."

"Probably," I say as Joe picks me up.

My legs wrap around his waist and he walks forward into the wall. My back presses against it and our lips smash together. As I attempt to run my fingers through his hair, I knock my lamp off of the dresser. It crashes onto the floor and I hear the light bulb breaking.

Joe stops kissing me and glances down at the broken lamp, "Well, that was fantastic."

"Oh, hush you." I say and his lips find their way to my neck. My hands press against his back and I'm positive my nails are digging into his skin. Just as I open my mouth to say something, my phone starts ringing.

"Are you going to answer it?" Joe asks me.

"Let it ring."

"What if it's important?"

"If it's important, the person will call me back." I say and stare into Joe's eyes. He opens his mouth to speak but I press my index finger against his swollen lips. "Let the phone ring, Joe. I'm sure it's not that important."

"And if they call back?"

"I'll answer it." I say and I place both hands on his shoulders.

"If you say so," he murmurs before going back to kissing my neck. Our breathing is heavy and that is the only sound I hear. I block out everything else as Joe reaches down to lift up my blouse. This time, I let him take it off of me. He tosses it across the room and it lands on the edge of my bed. I reach for the end of his shirt and pull it over his head. He reaches to unhook the back of my bra and my phone starts ringing again. Joe lets me go and I pout. "I think it's important."

"All right," I say. "I'm going to answer it now."

"Good."

I reach into my pocket and pull out my cell phone. The caller ID is not recognizable  and I hesitate before answering, "Hello?"

"Hello, may I speak to Evelyn Foster?"

"You're speaking to her." I murmur and walk across the room to my bed. I sit down and cross my legs. Joe, on the other hand, stays where he is. 

"Miss Foster, this is Dr. Sanchez."

My eyes widen and I stare ahead at the wall. Why would she be calling me? I know I did a horrible job. Is she calling just to tell me that?

"Oh?"

"I apologize. Is this a bad time?"

I look over at Joe and then back at the wall, "No, of course not. This isn't a bad time."

"Wonderful," she says. "I'd like to talk to you about your interview."

"What about it?" I ask.

"It wasn't what I was looking for."

"Oh." I frown. Of course it wasn't.

"But it's something and we need another person on board here. Michael didn't meet the standards of his interview and, well, you didn't either. However, you did a much better job than he did," she explains and I rise to my feet. "And I see potential in you. With a bit more work, I feel as if you'll do wonderful things here."

"What are you saying, Dr. Sanchez?"

"I'm saying you're hired, Miss Foster. I look forward to working with you."