Maria drove through heavy traffic to Mayfaire, an upscale shopping complex. As she drove, she tried to process the fact that she wouldn’t be heading in to work tomorrow, or even on Monday. The last time that had happened had been after she’d quit her job in Charlotte…
She shook her head, forcing the thought away. She knew exactly where it would lead, and the last thing she wanted was to think about Lester or the boyfriend or anything Margolis had told her, since it would lead exactly nowhere. Unless confusion was a place.
No more Ken, she marveled. No more weekends that Barney could ruin. In two weeks, she’d be working with Jill. And five months’ salary. On the career front, she doubted it was possible for things to get any better, and that called for a celebration of sorts, maybe even a splurge. She could trade in her car and get something sportier – as long as it wasn’t a red Corvette – but as quickly as the thought entered her mind, she knew it was just a fantasy. She was too frugal and she had no intention of trying to explain to her dad why she’d bought a car instead of paying down some of the student debt she owed from law school or opening an investment account. Or simply saving the money, since she’d probably need to buy into the partnership in a few years.
Lost in the events of today was the idea that she could actually be a partner at a law firm someday – in her early thirties, even. Whoever could have predicted that?
By the time she reached Mayfaire, dusk had settled in. She texted Serena that she’d get to the house a few minutes before seven, but not to hold up dinner on her account.
Seconds later, her phone dinged with Serena’s response. I’ll just get there late, too. I’d hate for you to miss any of the scintillating conversation!
Maria smiled. She texted her parents and let them know when she’d arrive, then headed toward Williams-Sonoma. It was always a bit challenging to get her mom something special – Carmen always fretted about money spent on her, especially by her children – but since a new car was out of the question, Maria figured she could splurge a bit on some new pots and pans. Despite the restaurant and her own love of cooking, her mom had never considered buying new cookware. What she did have had been around since Maria was in elementary school. Or maybe even longer than that.
The shopping expedition ended up being more of a splurge than she’d planned. High-quality cookware was expensive, but Maria felt good about it. Her parents had paid for private schooling, a used car at sixteen that lasted until she got the one she owned now, four years of college, and half of law school, and never once had she done something like this. She knew her mom might fret – her dad would say nothing – but she deserved it.
She loaded the gifts in the trunk, next to the box of personal effects. Thankfully, the traffic had mostly cleared out. Before starting the car, she texted Serena that she was fifteen minutes away, and then realized she hadn’t yet told Colin what had happened at the office. She still felt the need to celebrate and with whom better than him? Later, at his place or hers… Who knew that money could be an aphrodisiac?