Genesis' Lack of Patience #1

Here's the first installment of Genesis' Lack of Patience, Chapter 1:

AUBREY MANCEAUX FELT LIKE SHE had been kicked in the gut. She fell forward in agony. Then she felt as though someone took their elbow and jabbed her back with it. It was as though she was kicked while she was already down. She found out she didn’t get the job with the West Finlaw Publishing House. The double slam resulted when she discovered that her ex-boyfriend, Tyler Kylberg, got the position she knew was hers.

Aubrey was about to complete her Masters Degree in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing. The publishing company was to be her dream-come-true; her top pick for her career of choice. She wanted to be an editor for a publishing company and working for West Finlaw was her only dream. It had been for the last ten years. However, it was now her shattered dream and she felt all the pain that went with such a huge disappointment.

How had Tyler gotten that job when he had far less experience than she and had a far less GPA than she had? Her letters of recommendation were superior as well. This whole episode was a mystery to her. She didn’t think it was fair and it hurt how he had decided to go for the position at all. When they were together, working for West Finlaw was all she ever talked about. Tyler was not interested in it at all. So, why had he applied? How was it that he was the one accepted?

Up to this point, she was guaranteed the position so she hadn't applied for another job anywhere else. The president of the company, Jerry, accepted her for the position, informally, and told her he would make the official announcement at this time. She just needed to wait three months before he announced his decision.

What happened? Why had it changed?

What made Jerry Finlaw change his mind and give the job to someone else? Had Tyler betrayed her even more than she ever realized? Was there something wrong with her? Had Jerry betrayed her? Had she failed somehow? In what way? Why did the West Finlaw Publishing house not find her worthy enough to hire her?

How was she going to break the news to her family? This was probably the most agonizing question of all.

Or, maybe it was the question of what was she supposed to do now which caused her the most agony. She needed a job and needed to make money in order to eat, have a place to live, and start her life at last. Aubrey had been in school since she was four years old. She was now 25. Was her 21 years of education now for nothing? In her mind and heart at that moment it seemed so.

Why did life have to hurt so much sometimes? And why did it have to be so complicated?

Before she could arrive at any conclusions, her cell rang and she glanced at the screen. Great. It was her grandmother, Anna. If there was anything she was sure of in this life, it was that she couldn’t hide her emotions from her grandmother. Her Granny knew her well and knew when she was upset. However, Aubrey also couldn’t exactly hold her emotions in when she spoke with the woman who meant so much to her. Anna always made everything better in her world. Granny was her rock of support.

Should she ignore the call so she didn't have to deal with the family yet? She wasn't sure what she thought about the whole thing yet. Consequently, she wasn't sure if she should answer Granny Anna's call or not.

At the last possible second before the call would go to voice-mail, Aubrey decided to answer the phone. "Hello?" She decided to play dumb at this point and hoped her voice didn't give Anna the impression of how upset she felt.

"Hello, my angel." The moment Aubrey heard her Granny's voice, she felt the strong connection between them. It made her feel foolish for wanting to ignore the call.

Anna continued, "I had the sense you needed me and could use some TLC, prayer, love, and support. Are you okay?" Anna was always perceptive; needless to say, it didn’t surprise Aubrey when she said it.

Aubrey was well aware of the cause. She didn’t need to ask her grandmother how she knew she was hurt. Anna always just seemed to know. After all, she was a woman of prayer. This was no exception. When an individual is close to God, he gives him or her great insight and discernment. "I'm not well at all, Granny, truth be known." Her voice trembled as she spoke.

"What is it, dear?" Anna sounded concerned. Aubrey didn't mean to upset her Granny, but her emotions betrayed her in that moment.

Where should Aubrey start? It was a rather long story, but she realized if she made it too long, Granny Anna would be troubled by the time she was done telling the story. Consequently, Aubrey summed it up as much as she could. "Well Granny, in a nutshell, I didn't get the job for West Finlaw." She tried to keep her voice flat and not express too much at this point. She wanted to summarize the situation and not keep her Granny's tension too high.

There was a long pause before Anna responded to the news. "Oh, no."
"Yeah." Aubrey thought how her grandmother’s reaction was a little too short and sweet. "It's pretty lousy."

"I can’t imagine how you must feel. What a letdown." Anna shared some of her own reactions to the same situation.

Aubrey felt better when she heard the concern in her Granny's voice. "It is."
"How can that man do that to you? He promised you the position." Granny Anna's voice displayed her confusion.

Aubrey took a couple of deep breaths and tried not to be overwhelmed by her strong emotions from her Granny's question. "Jerry Finlaw broke his promise, pure and simple. I have no idea why. I feel like I've been hit up-side the head with a baseball bat. I was betrayed and wonder why. Did I do something wrong?"

Aubrey's tone made it clear to Anna how upset Aubrey was from this new turn of events. "It's what you do with it that counts, dear. You know that."
Aubrey didn’t need the lecture. She recognized the truth in Anna's words.

Nonetheless, Aubrey felt as though she needed to deal with her emotions and let them go. Once she did that, she could try to make some sense of it all. "Tyler got the job, Granny." She realized this admission would silence her grandmother as it did her as Anna would go into shock for a moment.

"Excuse me?" She sought clarification.

"Tyler was the one they gave the position to and I know for a fact he never wanted it. I'm far more qualified. How is this happening, Gran? What does it mean? And, what am I supposed to do now?" She was fearful. Aubrey thought she had her life figured out, the direction it would take, and who she was as an individual. However, she was not sure of any of it at the present.

Anna boiled the situation down for her. "What's the first rule?"

"To always keep the faith no matter what. To never be swayed, to never give up or in, to believe, have hope, and be active in faith," Aubrey recited. This was the lesson Anna pounded into their family from day one. She wanted to make sure they knew the rule of thumb. It was the rule from which they were never to stray or deviate.

"Precisely. With faith and tenacity, you can get through anything. I mean it, too. Nothing is ever as bad as it seems." It was another reminder to Aubrey. Anna was deliberate with her words and made them count.