Dear Neighbor, Drop Dead by Saralee Rosenberg Read Free Book Online Page B

fine. If you don’t want my help, I won’t call. Just don’t come crying to me when you’re not picked to be the speaker.”
    “I DON’T CARE ABOUT BEING THE SPEAKER,
    OKAY?” Jessica ran out of the room screaming, “You’re the only one who cares so you can brag to all your little friends at the club. You’re the worst mother evah!”
    “Well excuse me if I happen to like being proud of you,” Beth hollered back, then pulled the covers over her head.
    So unbelievable! After devoting her life to these girls, the little ingrates were turning on her with their big mouths and bad attitudes. She did not deserve to be subjected to such snotty, obnoxious behavior. They were the worst daughters evah!
    Dear Neighbor, Drop Dead
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    And what of her demanding parents? Even from their condo in Palm Springs, they made it clear that in exchange for their generosity over the years, they expected frequent calls, visits, and annual travel plans that included them.
    On top of that, Richard was making life impossible. Blah, blah, blah, money was tight and they should let Marina go. But this business about letting the girls make their own decisions about their extracurricular activities was crazy. It was never too early to be thinking of college applications. If he didn’t let her handle this, they would both end up at one of those no-name New York State schools. Not happening. Her car would have a Brown or U.Penn decal if it killed her!
    But what was really getting to her was Richard’s constant harping about updating her résumé and meeting with headhunters. She had zero interest in returning to the work world, which would feel like a prison sentence, not to mention, what would the neighbors think?
    Fortunately, the opportunity with Downtown Greetings came along, and Beth was able to convince him she could submit the winning entry in her sleep. “I know what they’re looking for,”
    she’d said. “They’re like every other client. They want new and improved only exactly the same.”
    Richard laughed, relieved that Beth hadn’t lost her uncanny business intuition in spite of her long sabbatical from her days as an assistant art director. Sure enough, she received the letter informing her that she’d made it into the first round of the competition and handed it to Richard.
    “Read this. I think you’ll be quite impressed.”
    “Excellent.” He examined his receding hairline in the mirror.
    “Split a hundred g’s and get a one-year contract. Now all you have to do is win.”
    “Oh, I’ll win, because I’m sure as hell not getting a job. Everyone would think we were in trouble.”
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    Saralee Rosenberg
    “We are.” He winced. Had his six-foot frame shrunk?
    “Oh, please. My parents are loaded.”
    “That’s right. They are.” He stretched to prevent further ero-sion. “We’re not.”
    “So? They just gave Brad fifty grand to open a business. Which if I know my brother, he dropped half of it in Vegas already. I’m sure if we’re in a jam, they’ll be happy to match that.”
    “We don’t need handouts, okay? We live better than ninety-five percent of the people in the world.”
    “Forgive me. I forgot you’re Jimmy Stewart, I’m Donna Reed and it’s a wonderful life.”
    “That’s right, it is! But we’ve got the girls’ bat mitzvahs coming up, college to save for, you keep talking about buying a place down in Boca, and now if Allstate says your car is totaled, who has to come up with the down payment for a new one? You? No me. So all I’m saying is be reasonable. You’ve got very market-able skills. Help me out here.”
    I do help him out, she thought as she f lipped on the TV. I’m raising our children! God! This was not what she had bargained for at this stage of life. They should be comfortable by now, not needing her to return to a career she hadn’t pursued in fourteen years. Besides, what ad agency worth its billings would be interested in a forty-year-old mom whose greatest success