Sorry for that cliffhanger ending. What, you didn't realize you've been suspended from the lip of a cliff all this time? You were. I'm not going back to Florida after, leastwise not yet.
Ten years earlier
Here's the deal. I stuck it to the man up at the Stanley as planned, packed up all my belongings, and left that overpriced mountain town in my Mazdan dust. During my "brief" stay in Parker I began searching hill and dale (of which there are none) for jobs in Florida. Nothing promising. Then I had this wise idea that I could prolong my summer in Colorado and remain in Parker with my brothers for a short time. It was all dependent on my not being able to find a job in Florida right away, and my being able to find a job in Denver right away.
No luck in Florida. And through a staffing agency here in Denver, I'm now employed full-time for the month of July. I'm working for a company called National CineMedia; they handle all of the advertising in the major theater chains. I'm basically a glorified secretary, save the glory. I sit in a cubicle and retrieve voicemail, then enter the data from said voicemail into a computer system. I prefer to think of myself as a professional sleuth. I have to fill in the puzzle pieces left (suspiciously!) out of the messages—things like addresses, zip codes, etc. I put the phone receiver to my ear and instantly become a detective, looking for clues wherever I can find them, and then searching the Internet high and low for answers to the diabolical riddles concocted by these hopeful advertisers of the big screen. It's thrilling stuff, really.
Oh, it's also really easy. I'm sitting here at work, listening to a film score and blogging. (Don't worry, Mom, I have permission.) It's a real treat to have this job, and it should enable me not only to survive out here, but also to put away a little of the old dough.
Wait! What was that sound? I thought I heard a door open upstairs...
What will happen to our favorite Search Engine Sleuth? Tune in next month for the thrilling conclusion!
