6. （QUEST）ion
VERENA
6
Click—the lock to my New York apartment echoed, sounding like my sanity snapping. My heart was doing the cha-cha-cha because I’d just flung my career out the window with all the subtlety of a circus elephant. “I quit my job,” I whispered, the words tasting strange, like they belonged to someone else. Maybe if I screamed it from the rooftop of my Manhattan apartment building, it would feel real. Verena Williams, the perpetual planner, had just made an impromptu life choice.
I mean, was it impromptu, though? I’d been daydreaming about it for years. I once even ordered a cake that said I Quit. I never gave it to Jae, though. Instead, I ate it while sobbing at my desk. It was one of those decisions that had been building up, but I never had the balls to actually do it.
Until today.
I guess getting older gave you less fucks.
I flicked on the lights and—bam! My Zen, minimalist apartment had transformed into party central. Balloons bobbed around like tipsy guests, streamers dangled with careless abandon, and right in the middle of it all was my mom, decked out in what could only be described as fashion anarchy. “Happy birthday, baby!” she exclaimed, a vortex of sparkles and enthusiastic prints.
Her eyes glowed with mischievous delight, echoing the shimmer of her chaotic ensemble. Her hair, once dark, now boasted smears of gray she wore like a crown, styled wildly as if she had just spun through a windstorm of joy.
“Oh wow, a surprise party…and I just quit my job.” The words slipped out before I could stop them. Maybe saying it out loud was my way of proving it really happened.
“Wh-what?” Mom asked.
I scanned the room, catching sight of my two best friends. Laura, my quirky neighbor and confidante, stood frozen mid-bite, a bright pink cupcake clutched in her hand. Her blonde hair was piled into a messy bun, frosting smudged on her lip. She wore a bright yellow sundress that clashed wonderfully with the cupcake, making her look like a walking, talking burst of sunshine caught in a moment of paused confusion. Her eyes were wide as saucers, clearly torn between celebrating and comforting.
Then there was Luke, my childhood partner in countless escapades. His real name was Lucia, but only his mom called him that. He was your classic Jersey Italian, with dark curls that refused to be tamed and a naturally tanned complexion. In the middle of offering me a colorful balloon, his actions halted as my words hung in the air. The balloon slipped from his grip, floating upward in a lazy, almost comical spiral until it met its dramatic end with a sharp pop against the ceiling. The sound filled the room, mirroring the shock of my announcement with perfect, unintended timing.
“You did what?” they exclaimed in unison, a chorus of surprise that would’ve been comical under different circumstances.
“I quit,” I reiterated, the words feeling more real with each repetition. “Handed in my resignation.”
Luke recovered first, his initial shock morphing into an intrigued smirk. “You quit your job? Like, for real quit?”
Laura, setting her cupcake aside as if it suddenly held the answers to life’s questions, rushed toward me. “When did this happen? What made you decide right now?”
My mom, always quick to the punch with the practicalities of life, chimed in with a dose of reality. “Verena, how are you going to pay your rent?”
The questions flew fast and thick, a barrage that felt like being pecked by a very concerned, very nosy flock of birds.
“Yeah, I really did it,” I said, trying to wrangle my emotions. “Today. Just felt like now or never, you know? And, well, I don’t have a grand plan.” I glanced at Laura, whose follow-your-bliss philosophy suddenly seemed very relevant. “I’ve got some savings, but not a treasure chest.”
Luke let out a low whistle, shaking his head with a mix of admiration and disbelief. “Man, Vee, that’s bold. And totally unlike you. But hey, if you’re looking for a new adventure, my company’s hiring.”
I raised an eyebrow, unable to suppress a laugh. “Yeah? Remind me again, what exactly do you do? You change jobs so often I can barely keep up.” Last month he was a bartender; the month before, he did food deliveries. The man had an engineering degree but hated structure.
He grinned, a sheepish look on his face. “Well, technically, right now I’m a Waste Management Specialist. But let’s be real, I deal with the city’s garbage. Pays well, though.”
Laura giggled. “Yeah, Vee, you should totally go work with Luke. Nothing like bonding over bags of trash and the sweet smell of rotting leftovers. Are you planning romantic drives with Vee in your garbage truck, Luke?”
Laura liked to tease Luke for his…well…obvious crush on me. I mostly ignored it.
Luke shrugged, his dark curls bouncing. “Hey now, it’s a dirty job, but someone’s gotta do it. Plus, the overtime is killer. Think about it—city benefits, hazard pay, and the glamorous life of waste disposal.”
I laughed, shaking my head. “Thanks for the offer, Luke. I’ll keep that in mind if my dreams of becoming a bestselling author don’t pan out.”
He shot me a thumbs-up, still grinning. “Anytime, Vee. Just think about it—you, me, and a mountain of garbage. What could be better?”
Laura changed the subject. “This is huge, Vee. I bet Jae is freaking the fuck out. Do you think he’s”—she paused—“drowning his sorrows in green smoothies and spreadsheets?”
“He’s probably writing passive aggressive emails,” I deadpanned.
My mom sighed. “I’m happy for you but also slightly freaking out. Anyone else?”
Luke sprang into action, a playful grin on his face. “I’m getting the booze.” He winked and headed to the kitchen.
Laura leaped up, grabbing a fork with a dramatic flourish. “We’re eating this cake barbarian style—no slices. Just dig in. It’s a metaphor for your new life, Vee. Sweet and messy, eh?”
My mom, ever practical, declared, “I’m getting your laptop. We’re job hunting tonight!” She bustled off to my bedroom.
I couldn’t help but laugh, the absurdity and warmth of the moment washing over me. “You all hated my job more than I did.”
“Duh,” they chimed in unison.
Laura set her cupcake aside with a flourish. “That job was sucking the life out of you, and not even in a glamorous, vampire kind of way.”
Luke nodded vigorously, handing me a balloon from the bunch. “Every time we talked, it was like listening to a robot reboot. I missed my adventurous friend who’d rather scale mountains than corporate ladders.”
My mom returned with my laptop, her eyes twinkling with determination. “I’ve watched you trade your spark for stability for too long. It’s time to find something that makes you come alive again. And you’re not getting any younger. I want to be a grandmother eventually.”
I ignored that statement, but she wasn’t wrong. My job made it impossible to date.
Laura, forking a generous portion of cake, started, “Remember that time Jae made you pick out suits for his date? And you had to lug around like fifteen bags of clothes through the mall?”
Luke, returning with a triumphant clink of beer bottles, cut in. “Oh, and let’s not forget the Tokyo trip. You got food poisoning, and Jae was too busy with back-to-back meetings to even check on you.”
I defended weakly, “Well, he couldn’t really skip them. They were important?—”
My mom, laptop now humming to life on the coffee table, interrupted, “Important? More important than my second wedding? You missed that because of work.” She paused for effect, her voice taking on a mock solemnity as she continued, “And my divorce party. And your brother’s baptism.”
“Mom, your chihuahua does not count as my brother,” I retorted, unable to suppress a grin.
“He is your dog brother, no matter what you say,” she shot back, the hint of a smile betraying her feigned sternness.
I burst into laughter. “You’re the only person I know who would baptize a chihuahua, Mom.”
“Either way, you missed it,” she sighed dramatically, “and it was very important to both of us. More important than my wedding and divorce party combined.”
We all giggled, mouths full of cake.
My mom, her expression easing, paused from the laughter. “You know, I’ve always had a soft spot for Jae.” She sighed, absently stirring her drink. “And now I have lunch with his aunt tomorrow. This is going to be awkward. What am I supposed to say?”
“Just act clueless,” I suggested, half joking.
She chuckled ruefully. “I can’t lie to save my life, honey.” Her tone shifted, more serious now. “But honestly, he’s changed since his company took off. I don’t like how he’s been treating you.”
Laura, ever the voice of reason, piped up, “You know what they say, never mix friends and business.”
Luke, always the joker, grinned. “Well, I guess working with me is off the table, then.”
“Yeah,” I agreed, feeling an ache at the truth of it. “Working with him completely ruined our friendship. Being his assistant, especially when he’s this world-renowned CEO…it just became about taking care of him. And along the way, he stopped respecting me. We stopped being friends, and that’s the whole reason I wanted to work with him in the first place.”
My mom reached across, squeezing my hand. “I’m sorry, honey. But maybe this is for the best. It’s time for a change. What do you really want to do?”
I hesitated, the enormity of the question and the crossroads before me suddenly very real. “I don’t know. I mean, I went to school for creative writing. I always thought I’d have written my first book by now. The plan was to make money and write on the side, but there was never any time for that.”
Laura leaned in, her eyes shining with excitement. “Well, you have time now. What if we move in together? I have a spare bedroom. It’d stretch your savings and give you time to write. Maybe even get a part-time job that’s less demanding.”
The thought was terrifying and thrilling all at once. “I don’t know. Starting over at thirty-two? Shouldn’t I be more…settled? Have a 401K and health insurance?”
My mom nodded thoughtfully. “Stability is important, but cutting expenses while you figure things out…that’s smart.”
Luke chimed in, “My place is always open, too. You wouldn’t have to pay rent.”
The room went quiet, all eyes on me, my mom giving me a knowing nudge. I knew what she was hinting at—Luke’s long-standing crush, an unspoken thread woven through our years of friendship.
Absolutely not. Eventually, he’d figure out that I was the same girl who saw him through his awkward phase, but until then, I just had to evade and distract.
“I don’t know, guys,” I murmured. “Everything just happened so fast. I need to figure it out.”
My mom, grounding us in the moment, clapped her hands gently. “Okay, let’s just take a minute to pause and really celebrate your birthday—and the fact that you’re free now. We have time.”
“Yes, I have time,” I echoed. “I told him I’d stay on for a month to train whoever takes over. Gives me a moment to breathe and plan my next steps.”
She nodded understandingly. “Okay, so there’s a window to figure things out. That’s good.”
I sighed, the reality of the situation settling in. “Yeah. Though, working alongside him for another month? I just know he’s going to be pissed.” The words hung in the air, a cloud of impending doom. “Or…do you think he’ll be…okay?”
Laura and Luke exchanged a glance, a silent conversation passing between them before they looked back at me.
“Verena,” Laura started, hesitant, “do you want us to be honest with you, or do you want the comforting lies?”
“Great,” I muttered, the sarcasm dripping from my voice as I slumped back against the couch, a sense of foreboding washing over me. The realization that the next month could very well be a torturous dance of awkwardness and tension loomed large.
“The next month is going to be hell,” I said finally, the words a quiet admission of the challenge I faced. But in the eyes of my friends and family, there was an unspoken promise—a vow that no matter what the next month held, I wouldn’t have to face it alone.