章 4: Keeping Busy
Claire did her best to keep busy when she wasn't at work by trying as many new hobbies as she could. She knew how to decorate those fancy sugar cookies with royal icing, cultivate an indoor herb garden, and play the piano. All self-taught using online tutorials.
Her latest attempt at keeping busy was trying to learn how to draw but she wasn't very good at it yet. Dimensions and poses were the hardest part. And hands, ugh. How did real artists draw hands so well every time?!
The only reason she got into this at all was because of her abiding love of anime and a desperate need for a new distraction. She had never been all that great with the whole 'making friends' thing even when her mom was alive so doing solo hobbies was her best option.
Drawing was frustrating her too much right now though, which was why she had gone back to trying to find a new show to watch. She debating rewatching one of her old favorites but figured it might be better to get some fresh air instead.
The weather was really nice right now but it wouldn't be that way for long. It would transition from 'cool' to 'cold' within the next month or two so she had to take advantage of the great outdoors while she could.
Lifting an indignant Daisy off of her, Claire headed upstairs to change out of her pajamas. She was going to head into Boston and get a cannoli from her favorite bakery before walking around the public gardens. Maybe she could feed the ducks too while she was at it.
She did own a car but the traffic in Boston was always so terrible (not to mention the parking) that if she went into the big city she usually took the subway. It wasn't like the extra time between transfers was worth anything; she had nowhere else to be.
When she arrived at the famous pastry shop, the line was out the door as usual. Tourists and locals alike loved this place so it was always crowded.
Claire had a hard time deciding what she wanted once inside so she ended up getting three different flavors: chocolate cream, limoncello, and mint chip. She added a lobster tail to her order too for the heck of it, which was exactly why you shouldn't come to a place like this hungry.
She wept internally at the price but reminded herself that payday was just around the corner so she should be fine. With her bounty in hand, she took a different subway to get closer to the public garden.
Tons of people walked, jogged, rode their bikes, or simply sunned themselves on the grass once she arrived. She plopped herself down on a park bench and indulged in the mint chip cannoli first.
Mint and chocolate together had always been irresistible to her. During that special time of year where Girl Scouts sold their cookies Claire boosted her local troop's sales exponentially by hoarding boxes of Thin Mints meant to last her the rest of the year. They never lasted more than a month and a half.
Once she finished her treat she walked around the park for a while. Most of the people here seemed to be in a group or at least a pair. She was the lone weirdo who did everything by herself.
Most of the time Claire didn't mind her solitary lifestyle. She had her cat and plenty of things to keep busy with. What more could she want?
But sometimes when she was out and about like this and saw families and friends having fun together she missed her mom. They only ever had each other so they had always been close, even if they did fight sometimes.
Losing her had been devastating. Keeping busy was the only thing that got Claire through it.
She was too busy with school and working—she did have to have a job in order to be emancipated—to hang out with anyone so the few friends she did have didn't stay in touch. She never quite got around to making new ones.
At least her coworkers were nice. They never hung out after work but having some human interaction during the week was better than nothing. But not by much.
Claire sighed. Being here was depressing her; she would be better off at home trying to figure out what to watch again. It was getting dark too.
She headed back to the subway station and began her trek back home, involving a train transfer or two. On the last leg of the journey she realized that there was only one person in the train car with her.
He was sitting several rows away and was reading one of the advertisements above the seats. His face wasn't visible from where she was at.
If she was a more outgoing person, she might try striking up a conversation with him since they were the only ones in here. But she wasn't so she looked away and ended up playing a game on her phone.
The guy got off at the same station as her and disappeared. Claire headed back to her car—at least they had parking in Lexington—and started to drive home. Her stomach growled on the way and she rolled her eyes. That cannoli hadn't been enough; she needed real food.
She should probably go pick up some more toothpaste and shampoo anyway; she could get a rotisserie chicken or something while she was at the store. She pulled into the Market Basket parking lot and headed into the store, unaware of the two people who were tailing her.
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