The Book of Jane by Anne Dayton Page B

of glass littering my floor. The wind from the storm must have knocked the King over onto the skylight. He crashed through. And judging by the amount of water in my living room, it happened quite a while ago. I can’t move. I’m frozen in shock in the doorway as it begins to register that Elvis has crashed through my roof and destroyed my living room.

Chapter 10
    I knock on Lee’s door and prepare to meet Mary Sue. She’s a mom. She’ll know what to do about my roof. But when the door opens, I see Lee smiling at me.
    â€œLook what the Chihuahua dragged in,” he says and crosses his arms over his chest. “How is Mrs. Matt Sherwin doing today?”
    â€œCan it,” I say and push past him. I do a quick sweep of his apartment looking for Mary Sue. “Where’s your mom?”
    Lee strolls over to his sleek designer couch, now strung with a giant lace doily, and plops down. He’s smirking. “She’s not here, and you’re avoiding my question.” He pats the seat next to him. “Why don’t you come sit over here and tell me all about it. Is it true he had his teeth capped?”
    I walk over and collapse for a moment, my head spinning.
    â€œWell?” he says.
    â€œWhat?” I wish he’d stop teasing me. I’m overloaded. I need to think.
    â€œJane, you’re going to have to tell me eventually. You should just be glad I’m not mad that I had to find out from the tabloids.”
    â€œLee?” He keeps mumbling about loyalty and friends and telling each other all of our secrets. “Lee!” He looks up at me. “I am not with Matt Sherwin.” I take a deep breath. “My roof caved in. Tyson dumped me. I lost my job. Charlie is sick. My parents think I’m a failure. And I don’t know what to do.”
    He stares at me in shock.
    â€œYour mom didn’t tell you any of this?” I ask. “I saw her the other night, and she was a big help.”
    â€œShe mentioned you’d had a bad day and that I should call you immediately, but something was wrong with your cell phone, and I couldn’t get through. I guess she thought you’d want to tell me yourself.”
    â€œThat must have been my work cell phone. They confiscated it. Along with my Blackberry and my dignity. The way those people were looking at me that day…” I lose myself for a moment thinking about it, but then I remember why I came down here. “Lee, I need you. Come upstairs. Now.”
    As we open the door to my apartment, he gasps. “Well, I’ll be,” he says quietly. I flip on the light to better assess the damage. The plaster around the skylight is soaked and has started to crumble onto my wooden floors. The rain has soaked my couch, and from what I can tell, the books on my shelves. I can see a good inch of water on my bedroom floor. I walk over to the desk and pick up my laptop. Water comes pouring out and splashes onto my shoes. Lee takes a deep breath and finally speaks. “I’m so sorry, Jane. This is really bad. Historically bad. It’s almost like, like, you’re cursed. And that statue—I’m so sorry.”
    He’s so dramatic. “Lee, I’m not cursed.”
    â€œI don’t know, Jane. Are you sure you haven’t angered that God of yours that you’re always going on about?”
    â€œThis from the guy who won’t go outside if his horoscope is bad? Look, forget it.” I should have never come to him for help. I wish Mary Sue had been home. “Lee, I just need help right now. What should I do?”
    â€œLet’s go back down to my place and call the building manager. We’ll figure something out.”
    Lee and I call the animal hospital and arrange for Lee to pick Charlie up in an hour. The nurse reassures me three times that he is 100 percent better and out of danger. Then we locate Robert, the building manager, on his cell phone, and he gives me