Chapter 16: No Ordinary Jo

Saturday, January 21, 2012 6pm.

Jesse wondered just what attracted him to Joanna English. Other than the fact that they were of similar age, so far the main reason was physical. Both appeared fit and reasonably intelligent; Jesse at six foot one and a hundred-eighty pounds, while she was six inches or so less and probably sixty pounds less. Her hair and her pretty face were the first things that he noticed, but their brief stop at the coffee shop that Sunday morning also revealed a very attractive female form.

Now, as she became more comfortable around him, a sense of humour began to emerge. This first real date was Jesse and Joanna’s opportunity to discover just what they had in common. When Jesse had called her on Thursday to ask what she would like to do on their Saturday date, she suggested dinner and a movie to start with. Pretty ordinary, Jesse thought, but it was a start.

“Right on time,” Joanna smiled as she answered the door.

She was wearing a conservative navy knee-length skirt and a wool pullover top in a cream colour that revealed a modest amount of cleavage. Small gold earrings and a matching simple gold necklace were her only jewellery. Her choice of simple clothes was very appealing to Jesse.

“You look very nice and I wouldn’t want to keep the lady waiting on our first proper date,” he smiled.

“True, that’s a woman’s prerogative,” she grinned, “and thank you for the compliment. You look very nice yourself.”

Jesse had chosen his navy blazer, tan slacks, and a pale blue dress shirt ... no tie. That was in his pocket if he felt it was needed. He was confident now that it wasn’t.

“I’ve picked a nice restaurant I believe. Nothing exotic until I know more about what you like and don’t like.”

“As far as food goes, I like pretty much anything, Jesse. I’m sure it will be fine.”

He escorted her to the Toyota and held the door for her. Joanna looked at him, thinking it was something too few boyfriends did for her. Jesse was raised with good manners, or perhaps was just on his best behaviour.

Jesse had chosen a restaurant on the south slope near the Burnaby border. It wasn’t the fanciest restaurant in the city, but it was consistently rated as a very good choice for a medium budget. They reviewed the menu posted at the entrance and he could see the smile on Joanna’s face.

“See something you like?” he asked.

“Oh yeah ... rack of lamb. I haven’t had that for ages,” she enthused.

“Good choice. I might have that too.”

Jesse indicated they were in no rush since he wanted to get a chance to talk with Joanna. He ordered a glass of wine for each of them, then settled back.

“Now that Sue has given away all my secrets, it’s time for you to tell me about yourself. You said you were from Penticton. How long have you been here in Vancouver?”

“Going on two years in May. I finished high school, spent a year at a lousy waitress job in my home town, then decided to try my luck in the big city. I was lucky. I found a job almost right away at a women’s wear store. I get a base salary, plus commission on sales. I won’t get rich there, but I like the woman who runs the place and the rest of the staff. I also get to use some of my sewing skills on alterations.”

“Good for you,” Jesse smiled. “Sounds like you’ve found the right kind of job. Do you think it’s something you’d like to do long term?”

She shrugged. “That’s a question I’ve been asking myself. There’s enough variety to keep me interested, and most of the customers are upper middle class, I’d say. Every once in a while you run into someone who isn’t so nice, or impossible to please, but that doesn’t happen very often. I guess I’ve got the right kind of temperament for the job because my boss says I handle difficult customers well. I’m due a raise in a May, which will be welcome.”

“Forgive me for being too nosy, but I got the impression that money was tight for you. Does the job pay well enough for you to live comfortably”

“You are being nosy,” she grinned, “but ... yes it does if I can keep from doing foolish things. I’m still kicking myself for getting involved with Eric. He didn’t just steal from me, he ran up some credit card debt on me. I must have been stupid to put up with his shit, but I did and to my shame I put up with him far too long.”

“How long had you been together?”

She looked thoughtful for a moment before, “About six months. I will take me almost that long to pay down my debt. I sometimes wonder just how smart I am when I let people take advantage of me that way.”

“What was the attraction of him?” Jesse wondered.

“My roommate talked me into trying out a ‘bad boy’ to liven up my social life. Eric was bad alright, but the wrong kind of bad. I don’t know if he really had a job, or just pretended. He never seemed to have any money and usually came to me when he wanted something. Stupidly, I usually gave in. The next thing I knew, he’d run up some charges on the Visa card. I made sure he couldn’t get at it again. But by then, I knew I had made a big mistake and last weekend was the last straw. He’s gone now and I’m looking back on it as I real lesson for me in being too trusting. I’m off ‘bad boys’ for good,” she said with a snap of her fingers for emphasis.

Jesse listened sympathetically, wondering just what this ‘bad boy’ attraction was for women.

“I can see the question on your expression, Jesse,” Joanna chuckled. “You’re wondering why I’d want to get involved with a loser like Eric. The truth is, I’d had a couple of boyfriends in Penticton who were pretty boring. They didn’t want to do anything that was even slightly interesting to me unless it was a car race or some action movie. Then they were all for it. That, and of course sex was always on their minds. I’m no saint, but I want something more than sex out of a relationship.”

“That’s pretty honest of you,” Jesse said, somewhat surprised at her forthright comments. He still wasn’t used to how blunt people were these days.

“I guess I have to plead guilty to being interested in cars too, but usually older sports cars. I’ll try not to inflict that on you,” he grinned.

“What do you do for entertainment?” she asked.

“I love playing baseball. I joined a beer league team last summer and we play twice a week. I like riding my bike when the weather is nice. It’s good exercise and I can go places that the car can’t go. I ski when I can in winter, and I read quite a bit. Other than that, I’ve got plenty to keep me busy each day.”

“Sounds like you have lots to keep you interested,” she smiled. “I play slo-pitch softball, so we have that in common. I’m taking classes at night, just like you, and I have skis, but no one to ski with. Maybe we can try that some weekend?”

“I’d like that,” he said with a smile. “Sounds like we have some things in common after all. Slo-pitch sounds like fun. Maybe I’ll come and watch. When do you play?”

“Usually on Saturday, weather permitting. We can always use another player, you know.”

“My beer league games are usually Wednesday and Sunday, so that won’t interfere. Might be a fun thing to do,” he agreed.

“See ... look how much more we have in common than my other boyfriends. I’m glad I decided to have this date, Jesse. I think I made a good decision.”

“I’m glad you did too, Joanna,” he smiled.

He felt a little more confident that his instincts were correct and that this young woman could be girlfriend material. They had enough in common that they could share. He was also pleased that she was satisfied with her job. That would take the pressure off her to find something that was both rewarding and interesting. It did cause him to think that the book store was unlikely to be his longer term job. He felt he should have higher ambitions for his future.

Almost as if she had been reading his mind, Joanna asked him a pointed question.

“Have you decided what you want to do when you finish your education?”

“Ah, no, I haven’t. I’m not sure just what kind of skills I can offer a business. I know I’m a decent writer because a number of my teachers and others like Sue have told me so. But how to convert that into a good job is another question. Originally, I thought of journalism, but those jobs are shrinking ... at least the traditional ones. So, I’m on the lookout for something that might be a substitute.”

“You said you enjoyed working at the book store. Is that not an opportunity?” she asked.

“Not really. Grant is a great guy and I’m very thankful that he gave me a job, but he can’t afford to pay me the kind of money that would support me. That’s why he hires students. They need the income and usually have a tight budget to live on while they are in school. He has no trouble finding willing students and I can be replaced fairly easily.”

“Have you been looking?” she wondered.

“Every day I check the want ads to see if there’s anything. I’m going to have to spread my search wider. I’m going to try out one of those job search websites and see what they turn up. I’m not desperate, but I can’t go on living off Eve and her family forever.”

Joanna was shaking her head. “When I think of the difference between you and Eric, I wonder what in the world I was thinking when I got involved with him. You have ambition and a skill that someone can use. I’m sure of it. I don’t think you’ll find your career in the newspaper want ads. I think you have to put a snappy résumé together and sell yourself. That’s what I did and I found the kind of job I would enjoy almost right away. Give it a try, Jesse,” she smiled.

“You’ve talked me into it. I’d like to stay in the local area if it’s possible, but if nothing shows up, I’ll have to spread my net a little further.”

“This is a big city. I’d be surprised if there wasn’t someone looking for an ambitious, clean-cut young guy just like you.”

“Hey ... you should be in sales,” he kidded.

“It’s easy to sell something you believe in. I just happen to believe in you,” she smiled once more.

“Thank you. That’s very flattering considering we don’t know each other that well.”

“Jesse, I think I know you better than you realize. I’ve seen more I like about you in the last week than I have in any other guy I’ve known. I’m amazed that some girl hasn’t swept you up and kept you for herself.”

“Hah!” he laughed. “I think you’re getting a little carried away. I’m not perfect, believe me. If my parents were alive, they could give you chapter and verse about my imperfections.”

“Maybe, but from where I sit, you look pretty good,” she said seriously.

Jesse decided to turn the subject back to her.

“What was your plan when you came to Vancouver?”

“Well, to be honest, my first plan was to get out of Penticton. I didn’t see a future in a small town, and the unmarried male population didn’t impress me. So, I thought Vancouver would be a much better place to find a career and someone to share it with. I found my job fairly easily, and it could turn out to be a career. As far as someone to share my life with, it wasn’t going very well until a certain Sunday when a guy stopped to help me. I’m feeling much better about my future now,” she grinned.

“You have it all worked out that we are going to be a couple, eh?” he said, this time not in a light-hearted way.

She shrugged. “I know it’s early, but my woman’s intuition tells me you might be a serious candidate. I hope I’m not being too aggressive, Jesse. You kind of bowled me over when we first met. It took me a while to get my feet on the ground. I’m trying not to have rose-coloured glasses, but I am hoping,” she said seriously.

Jesse almost laughed aloud. Three clichés in the same breath. Instead, he smiled.

“I think that’s the wise thing to do. If we have a chance to get to know each better, we’ll both be better able to decide if we have a future. I’m in no rush to set my future goals yet.”

The subject changed again to a less serious topic. When Jesse looked at his watch, he was surprised.

“I may have kept you here too long for us to see a movie,” he apologized. “Sorry about that. I guess we got talking, and sometimes I don’t know when to shut up.”

“That’s okay. The meal was wonderful, and I really enjoyed the company and conversation. I feel like I’ve been talking with a mature adult, and that’s a nice change all by itself.”

“I’m glad,” he said simply as he paid the bill, leaving a reasonable tip.

“Why don’t we go back to my place? Marlie is staying over with her boyfriend, so we won’t be disturbed.” There was a sly smile on her lips as she made the suggestion.

Jesse smiled and nodded. “Sure.”

Fifteen minutes later they arrived back at the older home. Jesse parked in the empty driveway and held the door for Joanna as she got out of the car. He was wondering where this evening was headed, but he didn’t want to get his hopes up that it would turn out the way his first date with Sue had gone.

“I’ve got a little bit of wine if you’d like a glass. I’m going to have one,” she said, stepping out of her shoes as Jesse took her coat.