Butcher, The Baker, The Candlestick Maker by Portnoy Suzanne

Author:Portnoy, Suzanne [Suzanne Portnoy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ebury Publishing
Published: 2066-06-07T16:00:00+00:00

9. BACK TO RIO’S

Daniel moved back in, carrying the suitcase I’d thrown at him just a few days before. As he unpacked and began hanging his clothes in my wardrobe, I thought, Why don’t I just tell him to go now, while his bags are still packed? But I said nothing. Maybe it was guilt. For all his bluster, Daniel was helpless, and I had come to suspect that what he had confessed several times before – that he had nothing without me – was true. I felt guilty that I’d stopped feeling the same way about him. Maybe I figured it was better to have a man around for my kids – even one who was an unemployed alcoholic smoker – than no man at all. I’d got used to Daniel, even if I knew the situation was probably unworkable. And I’d put a timeframe on this new stage in our relationship, so figured I had my get-out clause. ‘We’ll give it two months,’ I said. Meanwhile, I figured, I’d get laid.

We’d been together ten months at this point and he hadn’t written anything besides a few press releases through one-off jobs I’d got him through contacts at work. Journalism was a dead end for him. I rewrote his CV, as I’d done for David ten years earlier when he was on the dole. David got a fabulous job soon after, and I hoped the same might happen for Daniel.

‘But I don’t know what else I’d do if I didn’t write,’ he protested. ‘That’s what I do. I’m a writer.’

I wanted to say, ‘Yes, you write a fantastic shopping list.’ Instead, I said, ‘C’mon, don’t be defeatist. There’s plenty you can do.’ The two-month window I’d given him stretched to six, during which I concocted so many career possibilities for him I contemplated starting my own job centre, ChangeYourCareer.com.

‘How about Hack Ltd, a freelance-writing agency aimed at getting PR stories into the national press?’ I suggested one day, ticking off items on my list. ‘Or Charm School for Boys, a workshop for men on how to pick up women. You’ve certainly slept with enough women to be an authority. Or See-Through Windows. Everybody needs window cleaners and you’re enough of a voyeur you might get some perks, in addition to the cash.’

He actually tried all three, and many more besides. He’d start each career enthusiastically, but within a month he’d dump off, complaining, ‘It’s just not going to work. There’s no money in this.’

‘Every business needs time to grow,’ I said, sounding like a life coach and cringing at the clichés coming out of my mouth. ‘You can’t expect it to be an overnight success.’

He didn’t have the patience or dedication to give anything a few more weeks. Then one day I came home from work and he said, ‘I’ve got a great job! It’s selling corporate video services and the commission rates are really high. If I play my cards right, I could be pulling in twelve grand the first month.

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