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sat in the small living room.
    “You’ll live. It’s happened before.” Len got up and went into the kitchen, opening the refrigerator and taking out a beer. Pulling the pull tab, he heard the familiar pop and then the carbonation took over. Lifting the cold can to his lips, he took a big gulp as he walked back into the living room and sat down with a sigh.
    The front door opened and closed, and he heard his mother come inside. “You’re going to be late for your dinner if you don’t get a move on.” Len stood up and met her in the kitchen. “I got laid off today.” He showed her the letter and told her what they’d said.
    “I’m sorry, hon. Maybe you should call Janelle and cancel.” Something inside Len bucked him up. “No. I can’t let this get me down. I made plans, and I’m going to stick to them. And on Monday, I’ll start looking for another job. I’ve been through this before, and hell, I’ll probably go through it again.” Just saying the words helped him feel better, so he put the last of the beer in the sink and went to his room to change clothes.
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Love Means Courage
    A half hour later, he was in his car on the way to the restaurant. Pulling into the parking lot, he noticed that Janelle had just arrived and was walking toward the door. Pushing his worries back, he steeled himself and got out of the car, meeting Janelle by the door. “You weren’t waiting, were you?” “Oh, no.” She smiled as he held the door for her. “I just got here.”

    “Good.” He took her jacket, and one of the waitresses led them to a table. The restaurant wasn’t fancy, just a small family-style restaurant, but the food was good and plentiful.
    “Hey, Janelle, Len, what can I get for you?”
“Hi, Lacy.” Len said as he looked to Janelle to let her order first. “How are things going?”
    “Not bad.” Her smile faded just a little. “I heard about your job. You’ll find something better, I know it.” Len remembered Lacy from one of his early college classes. She hadn’t done well and had given up after a semester, but she always had a smile and never seemed to let things get her down. Len had to admire that.
    “Thanks.” Len watched the surprised look on Janelle’s face along with something else he couldn’t quite read.
Janelle put down her menu. “I’ll have the fish special and a Diet Coke.”
“And I’ll have a burger and fries.” Lacy gave him another smile, and then she went to place the order.
“What happened, Len?”
    “Business has been slow, and they needed to cut back. I was the last one hired, so they let me go.” He shrugged and tried to stay positive, while at the same time marveling just how quickly news 34

    Andrew Grey
    spread in town. “On Monday, I’ll start looking for another job.” He tried to sound casual. “Don’t worry about it. How have you been?” She started telling him a whole litany of things that had happened in the last week. “I got a job at the telephone company in customer service and billing. I start Monday.” She was so excited, and Len did his best to be happy for her. It certainly wasn’t her fault that he’d been laid off, and she had every right to be excited. “When Papa died, he left me his life insurance money, but I’ve wanted to save it for emergencies, and now with my own job, I can be fully independent,” Janelle explained. Their conversation quieted as their food arrived, but as soon as Lacy left, Janelle picked up where she left off.
    Len listened and smiled as she told him all about her new job, the woman barely stopping to take a breath or eat, she was so happy. When her father had died, she’d taken it quite hard and even moved out of the family home to live with an aunt. Len finished his dinner and listened as Janelle talked.
    “Say, Len, I just had an idea.” She’d finished eating and was sipping her coffee. “My brother could use some help on the farm. He’s short-handed and needs people he can rely on.”
    “I