Her first few weeks in her new place were a bit frantic. She had to notify Paul of her leaving and that went better than she had imagined. He was angry but seemed to be less bothered about her leaving than concerned with what she took. When she told him she left everything, he seemed to take the rest of it better. She told him she needed time and didn't plan on filing for divorce right away. He agreed to that and she knew his kindness had motive. He had a hefty 401 k and they had money in the bank. She had printed their bank statement and grabbed his latest 401 k summary the day she left, so if he tried to put the money elsewhere, there was proof. He didn't know that but she assumed his being nice was him hoping he could get her to agree to letting him keep that.
So with having to deal with Paul, ordering things for the house and trying to stay focused on her job, things were a bit chaotic.
She also had to get a vehicle. She was tired of borrowing Janie's car and taking the bus. John had found a guy selling an old Jeep Wrangler for next to nothing because he was also going through a divorce, so John had set up a meeting at a local brewery for them to all meet that evening.
"Hey Pearl!" John said, giving her a big hug. "So the guy only had a couple of minutes to talk and show the Jeep. I took it for a spin and looked it over. It looks like a great deal. I gave him what he was asking and figured you could just pay me when you got here. I also negotiated it down 500 bucks. Hope that's ok. I didn't want to lose the Jeep."
"No! That's fine! Thank you! I have the money right here. Let's go check it out." Pearl said, grateful to have a friend in her life like John. He was a good man and she was very happy to know him and his wife. She never would have made it out of her marriage without him.
The Jeep was perfect and she dragged John back in to celebrate. "I'd like to buy this man a beer!" Pearl said to the bartender. "What would you like, John" the seemingly shy man asked. He was young, maybe in his mid to late twenties. Medium length, dark blond hair with a goatee. He had a quiet demeanor and seemed like he should have been doing something far greater with his life. Not that beer brewing was a bad thing. He just seemed to be on a higher level by his presence.
"You two know each other?" Pearl asked.
"Yes. This is Dylan. He's a brewer here and a great guitar player and song writer. He also had published some poetry. We have been throwing around the idea of starting a band." John said, smiling at Pearl. "And we don't have a lead singer yet." He winked.
"I'm not that great and I'm not exactly jumping at the idea of being a martyr on a stage for over sexed party girls and men trying to get laid." Dylan responded dryly.
"Ok, wow Dylan. That's a very passionate statement. And John...no. Not me. I was out of that phase in college. Plus I'm too old." Pearl said, sipping her beer and rolling her eyes.
"What are you, like 27?" Dylan asked, almost sounding annoyed.
"I'm 34. Going to be 35 next month." Pearl smiled. "But thanks for the compliment, if it was one. Hard to tell with this guy John, he seems to speak in sarcasm."