Read Groomless - Part 1 for Free Online

I took that long subway ride and passed out samples of lotion to participants of the Coney Island Polar Bear Plunge.”
    “Hey, you saved them from getting sunburn.”
    “They were jumping into freezing water! Sunburn was clearly the last thing on their minds.”
    We both laughed.
    “Just remember, it can be worse. Remember when you had to wear the big, fluffy wedding dress and hand out flyers in the hot, scorching sun for hours?”
    “I sweated off all my makeup, and that bridal company had an absolute fit. See? That’s my point. It seems like those gigs are the only jobs I can get. I didn’t expect to be a top model overnight or anything, but come on! It’s been a while now. I hate struggling so much. Maybe I should peruse acting. At least Ann has a gig, even if it is just a scream queen part that makes her flop her boobs all over the place while she’s running from some guy with an axe.”
    “Just give it a little more time. We can’t give up on our dreams. I’m struggling as well. Sometimes my boss goes a week before assigning new shoots to me, and that hurts, since I’m not salary or hourly.”
    “We just have to fight harder,” she said.
    “Exactly. We won’t let New York City eat us up and spit us out.”
    “Okay. Well, thanks for the pep talk. Have a great day. Catch ya later.”
    “Bye,” I said.
     
    Chapter 3
     
    After work, I stopped for a quick visit with my dad. Riverside Nursing Home was a 420-bed skilled nursing facility, situated in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, near Columbia University.
    The elevator opened, and a smiling nurse greeted me at the nurses station. “Hi, Julia,” she said.
    “Hello.”
    “Love the ballerina bun.”
    I smiled. “Love yours too.”
    “See? It’s the perfect hairstyle for any female powerhouse. It’s feminine yet strikingly authoritative. How’s the world of fashion today?”
    “Very…hectic.”
    “What was on the agenda for today?”
    “Designer jeans. We had some hot male models, with the most gorgeous bodies I’ve ever seen in my life.”
    “Mercy! I’ll take that kind of hectic. Can we please trade jobs?” She leaned over the Formica counter and whispered, “The hottest body I see in here is Mr. Graves, and that’s only because he’s always got a fever and insists on taking his clothes off so he sticks to his wheelchair!”
    I laughed. “Hot guys or not, I’d rather have a steady paycheck every week. So… How’s Dad today?”
    Huffing, she closed the chart. “Stubborn as ever! I love that man to death, but some days…”
    “Playing tough guy again, huh? Refusing his pain meds?”
    “Uh-huh, and he needs more than pain patches. Can you talk to him?”
    I pointed to myself. “As if he listens to me. That man has a mind of his own.”
    She shook her head and chuckled. “You’re preachin’ to the choir on that, girl.”
    I walked down the corridor with my heels click-clacking on the gaudy tile and my stylish skirt swishing from side to side. When I knocked on the door, my dad invited me in. “Hi, Dad!”
    “Hey! I’m so happy to see you,” he said, raising the head of his bed up and shutting off the small television. “How was work?”
    “Chaotic. My boss went ballistic on me. I had a dozen models at the studio, and two of my assistants called off. I did the best I could.”
    “That’s all you can do, sweetheart. When life gives you lemons—”
    “Yeah, yeah. Make lemonade,” I finished. “Anyway, how was chemo? Are you feeling okay?”
    He shifted in bed, adjusting his white pillow. “It was a walk in the park. Also, you can save your breath.”
    “Huh?”
    “I know that nurse put you up to talking to me about taking those pain pills, but I’m not gonna do it. I’ve never needed them in my life, and I’m not gonna become a drug addict now.”
    I squeezed his hand. “Whatever you decide, Dad, we’ll get through this together.”
    He shot me a victorious look. “Right. I lost your mother, and I survived. I