Please note: this happened to Jolene back nine years before the present, back in 2011.
Jolene got the final box out of her tiny Kia, then walked it up to the front door. The new house still looked empty and lonely from where she was standing. The cool night air was keeping her from getting too sweaty.
She pushed her way into the front door, then left the box in the hallway. She hoped that Phoenix was going to be different. She would be far enough away from Brent Mossing for now to allow herself to focus on her new goals. Her divorce from her husband was finalized, and she was relieved that he would be rotting in jail for now.
Jolene stepped up into the kitchen area. She hoped that she could get her hands on some decent furniture soon. At least the house came with appliances. She gave a small kick at one of the other cardboard boxes, trying to push it along the floor. She sat down and rested her head on the box.
Jolene had a lot to think about. Her new job started in two days, and she was nervous about doing commercial sales. The residential market seemed easier to her. Austin was a challenging market as it was.
She let her hand run down her leg. She felt so strange now, slimming down and tightening up. It felt good to have a goal to achieve for once. She got up, then tried to haul the cardboard box to the bedroom. She grunted and strained as she lifted the box. "Ugh! I need to get some muscle."
She decided to push it along to get it into the bedroom. Sweaty from the moving, she pulled off her shirt and pants. She looked down and sighed. "Someday," she muttered. She was still pleased with the weight loss.
Jolene got the sleeping back out of its satchel and unrolled it. She climbed in and propped her head up with her hands. She was feeling overwhelmed with the abrupt change in her life, and started to cry helplessly. "Brent," she whined. "I will always love you, sweetie." Jolene sniffed and whimpered for another fifteen minutes, then drifted off.
The next day, Jolene went exploring her community. She had only been to Phoenix twice just to close on the duplex. Given her financial troubles, she was glad she got such a great deal on the place. She got on her cutoff jean shorts and a pink t-shirt with her sneakers.
As she went out to her car, she noticed the neighbour next door coming out. It was a young blonde lady, holding a toddler on her hip. The woman looked as if she was struggling. Jolene dashed over and stood on the stoop.
The woman looked shocked, but Jolene smiled and did a cute little curtsy. "I'm so sorry!" She offered her hand but took it away quickly. "I'm Jolene Wyman. I just moved in next door."
The young woman got a look of comprehension and nodded. "Yeah, I though I heard someone moving around last night. I'm Twyla." She gave her toddler a hike up. "This here's Brylee."
Jolene squatted down and held her hands on her knees. "Hi, Brylee!" Brylee hid her face. "Let me take your bags, at least." Jolene took the bags and helped Twyla out to her car. Jolene was surprised at the size of her SUV, although it did look like an older model.
As Twyla helped Brylee into her car seat, Jolene could not help but notice how busty Twyla was. She had a unpleasantly coloured tattoo right down along her right boob, which Jolene found to be a turn-off. She clearly had surgery, and her breasts looked tight and probably uncomfortable.
Twyla took the bags and threw them next to her daughter. "Thanks...uh, Jolene, right?"
"That's right!" Jolene stepped away from the curb as Twyla got into her car. "Have a pleasant day!"
"Oh, Jo!" Twyla lowered the power window. "Come by sometime. You a drinker?"
"I can manage," Jolene giggled. She waved as they pulled away. Jolene went to her own car and headed out.
She came across a gym not too far away from her house. She ventured in and bought a day pass, then went to have a look around. She walked into the main room and checked out some of the more advanced equipment.
Jolene fixated on a large, muscular blonde woman with a deep tan. She looked ridiculously ripped, almost looking like a man in her face. She tried to focus on something else as she stood there.
"Hey!" barked the muscular woman. "You, in the pink."
Jolene froze and looked away. The muscly woman made her way over and stood within inches of Jolene.
"Hey," the woman said. Her long blonde hair was tied up in a ponytail, and seemed to flip back and forth a lot. "Never saw you here before. You thinking of signing up?"
Jolene acted as if she did not notice the large woman up until now. "Oh, hello," Jolene said to her. "Yes, I was interested. I'm trying to watch my weight."
The woman licked her upper lip and smiled. "Yeah, I can see why. Listen, tell the front desk you know Carol, and I'll get you your first three months off for a yearly membership."
Jolene's mouth went went. "Wow, really?"
"Yeah," Carol replied. "Hey, who knows? Maybe you'll look like me someday. Check it out." Carol flexed a bicep right in Jolene's face. "Go ahead."
Jolene reached out slowly and stroked the veiny muscle. "Wow," Jolene said admiringly. "I must admit, that is impressive."
Carol smiled and put her hand on Jolene's lower back. "Stick with me, girl," she whispered into Jolene's ear. She walked off and went to do her bench press, pushing off a smaller man as she racked up.
Jolene had a shudder as she pivoted and walked toward the front desk. She figured she would take Carol up on her generous offer and sign up. The attendant was able to help her out, and the discount was genuine. Jolene decided she would come by tomorrow and try out the facilities. Her muscles were still sore from lugging in all of the boxes.
Jolene realized that she had almost no dishes due to a bit of a clumsy spell on her part, so she went to the department store to get some new plates. She was in the housewares aisle, bending over to examine patterns, when she felt a presence nearby.
"Whoa," said the figure in a low voice.
Jolene sprung up and looked to find a slender young man in a red smock holding a pricing gun. He looked terrified when Jolene locked eyes with him.
"Oh, hi!" Jolene gave a soft smile. "I'm glad you're here. It says these are thirty percent off. Can you be a lamb and check that for me?"
The young man kept staring as he got his price gun and bent down to scan the barcode. "Uh...yeah, it's just like you said." He got up again, still staring at her.
Jolene rested her hands on her hips and slunk to one side. "Well, aren't you helpful..." She examined his nametag. "...Craig." She held out her arms. "I'll just take those, then."
Craig mechanically handed over the box of dishes. Jolene accepted them, then gave a smirk. "Why, Craig! If I didn't know better, I would swear I was making you nervous."
