The Free Brontosaurus by David Berkeley

Author:David Berkeley
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rare Bird Books
Published: 2015-10-01T00:52:46+00:00

So began the process of breaking ties that should have been long broken. The childhood bedroom. The home-cooked meals. The high school boyfriend.

Within a few months of deciding it was time to go, Eliza was sharing an outdated two-bedroom with a woman and her cat. The place had an old gas stove that she lit with a match. Eliza had a stack of blank composition books and a pencil case of ballpoints. Her closet was full of silky gowns and lacy bustiers.

Eliza hardly saw her roommate. The woman worked nights and slept late. Her cat, on the other hand, was always around. A black Persian, which took quickly to Eliza.

Plainview was a welcome relief at first. People didn’t stare. People didn’t talk about her behind her back. Soon Eliza forgot she was in character. It just became who she was. She didn’t break out of it ever, even at home with the shades drawn.

“It’s like, I don’t know, like I’ve come out of hiding or something,” she told her mom on the phone not long after moving. “No offense, but I had to get out of there.” Her mom didn’t say anything. “I’m not the weirdest one on the street anymore, Mom. Not by a long shot!”

But the honeymoon was short-lived. Although there were a lot more people in Plainview than her hometown, Eliza felt more alone than before. She cooked meals by herself. She went to yoga classes at the YMCA by herself. She tried to write by herself. She didn’t make any real friends. Her ex stopped taking her calls. Eliza only had that cat. And even the cat, Eliza knew, just liked her because she fed her.

Eliza couldn’t handle the weather. Cold and clammy. Every day started out the same shade of gray. “Like my hair,” she told her mom. “So you think it’s going to rain. I could get into that. You get an umbrella. Maybe you make some tea. You wear a sweater. But it never rains! By, like, eleven, the skies clear. It even gets hot. Then you have this sweater you’re carrying around the rest of the day.”

“That doesn’t sound that bad,” her mom offered.

“Yes. It is that bad! It’s annoying. It’s misleading. It’s depressing.”

Eliza had a hard time finding work. The obvious places weren’t hiring: the gaming store, the party store, the tattoo parlors, the novelty shops.

Eventually, Eliza found work at the local library. The director said he liked the idea of having someone work the circulation desk who looked like a fictional character. He claimed not to be worried that she might scare off the children or be a distraction to those doing serious work. Eliza decided later that he just found her sexy.

“It’s like having Catherine from Wuthering Heights right here in the library,” he said. “Good for business.”

Eliza thought the reference wasn’t quite right, but she took the job. In addition to working the desk, Eliza helped with the weekly story time in the library’s little story nook. The children loved her.

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