A Necessary Evil (AKA: NED) — Chapter 4: Perspective (The Conclusion)

Note: This was originally published on Simily, Jan. 3, 2023

Note: This fictional story is part of the Insight Timer journaling course, Journaling For Greater Wellbeing, Mindfulness And Creativity. Find it HERE. To learn more about me and my work as a nationally board-certified positive psychology and mindfulness coach, visit www.DaniellePalli.com.

Prefer the Audio Version, narrated by Danielle Palli? CLICK HERE. Miss Chapter 1? CLICK HERE.

There was a loud knock at the door. “Jillian!” a familiar voice called from the outside of Jillie’s front door just two days after Miles Endecott’s arrival. Kevin had fixed the roof, as promised, but her doorbell was now on the fritz. This was minor, by comparison.

“Maxine,” Jillian opened to door to greet her friend and former co-worker. “What are you doing here? Is everything okay?”

“Can I come in?” Maxine asked.

“Of course,” Jillie backed up long enough to let Maxine through the door.

“I tried to call first, but for some reason, a strange voice kept telling me that the number was no longer in service. It had me a little creeped out, so I figured I’d come and check on you. Hope everything’s okay.”

Jillie’s phone number was fine. Ned, Jillie thought. Jillie hadn’t seen the demon all day, but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t somewhere causing trouble.

It was only then that she noticed Maxine was carrying a large cardboard box.

“I’m fine… Er, is that heavy? Do you wanna put that down somewhere?” Jillie asked.

“Yeah,” Maxine agreed, setting on the kitchen counter. “Thanks.”

“Want some coffee?” Jillie offered.

Just then, Miles appeared from his room down the hall. He shuffled past the women wearing a bathrobe and brown slippers. Miles blinked tiredly and let out a yawn, seemingly oblivious to their presence as he made his way to the coffeemaker. He pulled a cup from the cabinet above the coffeepot, smiling at discovering that someone had already brewed a fresh pot.

“Am I interrupting something?” Maxine whispered to Jillie.

After his first sip of the hot beverage, Miles perked up enough to realize there were other people in the room. “Oh, g’mornin’.” He greeted.

“This is my new tenant, Miles,” Jillie explained. “Miles, this is my friend Maxine from work.”

“Nice ta meetcha, Miles,” Maxine answered.

“Likewise,” Miles yawned.

“So, uh. No to the coffee, but… could we talk a minute… privately?”

“Sure, let’s sit in the living room,” Jillie offered. “Miles is busy anyway. He’s promised to put in a good word with his boss for me today about a job.”

“Oh!” Maxine answered, encouragingly. “Well, that’s very nice.”

Miles rubbed his forehead and took another sip of coffee. Somehow, it was that last sip that did the trick. “That’s right,” Miles smiled, reaching into the pocket of his robe and pulling out a pair of small reading glasses. With one hand still holding the coffee cup, he managed to open the hinges of the glasses with one hand and put them on. He shifted his weight to his right leg and turned his torso toward the kitchen sink.

“What did you want to see me about, Miles?” He asked to no one in particular, in a voice that wasn’t his own.

He pulled the glasses off his face and shifted his weight to the left, turning his torso away from the counter. “I’m glad you asked, Mr. Endecott,” he spoke in his own timid voice. “There’s a writer I know who I think would be a great asset to our team.”

Miles put the glasses back on, shifted his weight and torso to the right, and spoke in a deeper voice. “Really? Does she know anything about environmental city planning? Eco-transportation? Walkability in semi-urban areas?”

He removed the glasses and returned to his “Miles” voice. “No,” he confessed. “I don’t think she knows any of those things — ”

From the couch where Maxine and Jillie now sat, they eyed Miles with fascination.

“What’s he doing?” Maxine whispered.

“It appears he’s talking to himself.” Jillie answered.

“Does he have multiple personalities?” Maxine asked.

From the kitchen, Miles continued. “I’m pretty sure she doesn’t even recycle.”

“I recycle!” Jillie called from the couch.

Miles acknowledged her response and said to his imaginary boss. “She recycles.”

“Well, that’s just fine,” the imaginary Mr. Endecott replied. “But what would we hire her to do, exactly?”

“I was t’inkin’ we need some publicity… ya know, educate the people as to what we’re doing here and how re-vamping the public transportation system around here is not only practical and cost efficient, but it would help reduce air pollution and the need for an overabundance of cars on the road.”

Miles put the glasses back on, paused to sip his coffee, and continued. “Do you think she has the ability to do that?” The imaginary boss asked.

“I can do that!” Jillie called from the couch.

“She can do that,” Miles acknowledged, smiling to himself. Finally, he turned to Jillie and said. “You’re hired.”

“What the heck are you talking about, Miles?” Jillie was confused, and somewhat alarmed. What kind of weirdo did I just let move in with me? She wondered.

“Er,” Miles ran his hand through his hair, “Probably shoulda been more honest about that,” he confessed. “When I said I’d put in a word with my boss, I shoulda said it was me?”

“You’re the boss?” Jillie clarified. “But you came here saying you were starting a new job.”

“I am, yeah,” he nodded. “I was contracted by the city to make recommendations for a more environmentally friendly transportation system. That’s why I was on the bus that day. But I can hire anyone I need to to support the project. So… yeah. You’re hired.”

Maxine covered her mouth to fight off a laugh.

“But I’m in the way of a good chin wag, so I’ll go get dressed, and you can give me a holler when you’re ready to talk more about the job, yeah?”

“Uh, okay,” Jillie wasn’t really sure how else to respond.

With that, Miles nodded to Maxine and shuffled back down the hallway to his room.

Once they heard the door to his room close, Maxine turned to Jillie and whispered like an excited chipmunk. “He’s adorable!”

“What are you talking about, Maxine? He’s demented.” Jillie retorted.

“No, he’s not,” Maxine shook her head. “He’s funny! That whole stunt with pretending to have a conversation with his boss that was really him… That’s the cutest thing I ever saw.”

“You have a strange sense of humor,” Jillie answered, flatly.

“And you could do with one, Jillian,” Maxine lifted her chin and chest defiantly before dropping back into the chipmunk voice. “He’s an adorable, kooky intellectual. I could just put him in my pocket and carry him around with me all day to see what he’s gonna say next.” She grinned widely.

“Maxine, I think you might be a little crazy, too. Maybe you should work for him. Or better yet, ask him out on a date. He strikes me as the chronically single type.”

“You are just awful, sometimes,” Maxine shook her head. “But it’s okay. You’re my friend, and I love you anyway.”

There was a long pause before Jillie asked, “So, why are you here, again?”

“Oh, right. Well, speaking of dating…” Maxine wrinkled her lips.

“Maxine,” Jillie asked, suspiciously. “What’s going on?”

“Okay, but don’t get mad.” Maxine held her hands up. “But Darren stopped by to see me last night.”

“Why was that freeloader stopping by to see you?!” Jillie’s face grew red. “Did he tell you about the money he stole from my bank account?”

“Yes, he did.” Maxine answered. “Can you please calm down?”

The surest way to get Jillie riled up was to tell her to calm down. Jillie sucked in a breath to avoid saying something to her friend she might later regret.

Maxine continued. “The box on the counter are the other half of your dishes… the ones he took when he left.”

“Why did he give them to you?” Jillie asked.

“He wanted to give them to you the other day, but you kicked him out before he had a chance, too. Darren said he knew they were your mothers, and he just took half of them out of spite on account of being hurt that you dumped him.”

“Well, that was petty.” Jillie grumbled, folding her arms.

“He thought so, too. That’s why he wanted to give them back.”

“So, he showed up at your apartment to do that?” Jillie was unconvinced.

“Not entirely.” Maxine took a deep breath. “It was Darren who put the feds onto Joshua’s illegal activity.”

“What?” Jillie unfolded her arms. “That doesn’t make sense. His brother’s company was his meal ticket.”

“He didn’t know his brother wasn’t on the up and up until recently. Darren didn’t know what to do. On the one hand, he didn’t wanna rat out his brother. On the other — ” Maxine paused.

“On the other — ” Jillie encouraged.

“He didn’t want us to end up as scapegoats.”

“What are you talking about?” Jillie was confused.

“Apparently, Joshua had his business dealings set up in such a way that if he was ever caught, it would look like we employees were up to no good, and he was innocent in all of it. He was ready to throw us all under the bus if things went south.”

“But we had nothing to do with any of it. Hell, we thought we were legit writers for a legit company!” Jillie raised her voice.

“I know that! And you know that,” Maxine continued. “But until Darren got the feds involved, no one else woulda known that… He did it to protect you, Jillie.”

“Then why didn’t he tell me?”

“He probably wasn’t allowed to say anything,” Maxine defended.

“And the money he stole.”

“Getting arrested was part of his cover. You and I are the only ones who know about this, Jillie. And Darren only came to me because you wouldn’t listen to him.” After a long pause, Maxine added. “He’s gonna get the money back to you. The feds promised that as part of his agreeing to help them take down his brother. I just don’t know how or when that’s gonna happen.”

“And you trust Darren?” Jillie was unsure.

“A lot more than you do, it seems,” Maxine confessed. “And you were his girlfriend.”

“Hey!” Jillie whined. “That was hurtful.”

“Look, maybe you’re right and he’s lying to me. But if you try to take legal action now about the money from your account being missing, if he is telling the truth, it’s gonna blow up in all of our faces and his cover will be blown.”

“And so my mother’s China was a peace offering?” Jillie questioned.

“It would seem so.” Maxine answered quietly.

“If only there were some way I could be sure,” Jillie answered. “That’s an awful big risk for me to take, only to find out he took the money and ran.”

“Could I interject something?” Ned appeared, standing on the living room carpet in his usual burnt-orange suit.

Jillie jolted in surprise.

“Is something the matter?” Maxine asked, looking at Ned, confused. She couldn’t see him.

“Eh, no,” Jillie stammered. “Maxine, thank you for stopping by. Would you mind if I took a little time to reflect on everything you told me?”

“Oh, sure,” Maxine answered, encouraged. She stood. “I gotta git anyway. Darren got me an interview with an eye glass company looking for a marketing expert.”

“Darren got you the interview?” Jillie clarified.

“Yeah,” Maxine nodded as she headed for the door. “He might not be the evil demon you make him out to be.”

“Well, goodbye Maxine. Thanks for the dishes.” Jillie closed the door behind her friend.

“I resent the implication that all demons are evil,” Ned sulked.

“Stereotypes are hard to overcome,” Jillie agreed. “You can come out, Miles. Maxine has gone, but not Ned is here!”

Moments later, Ned shuffled down the hallway. This time, he was dressed in black jeans and a matching t-shirt. “Hey, Ned,” he greeted, as if saying hello to a neighbor you might see when collecting your morning paper.

“Hey, kiddo,” Ned greeted cordially. “Left you coffee this morning. Figured you’d need the pick me up.”

“That was you?” Jillie and Miles said, together.

“I may dish out some hard lessons,” Ned explained, “Pardon to the pun — ” he motioned a head toward the box that Maxine had left. “But it’s nothing personal.”

“So, Ned.” Jillie turned to the demon. “What was it you were going to say earlier about Darren?”

“I was simply going to suggest that — ”

Ned paused as a curious Rufas peered from around the corner, where Jillie’s bedroom was located. Upon hearing his three favorite humans, he sauntered out with all the confidence of a cat who is certain he knows more than you and is fully prepared to lord it over everyone. Rufas wove between the ankles of Ned, Jillie and Miles, purring as he rubbed up against them.

“Achoo!” Miles sneezed. “I’ll just… achoo… allergy meds,” he pointed as he ran back to his room.

Ned shook his head. “Where was I… Right, I was going to suggest that you give it a little time, just to see how this all shakes out.”

“Why do you think that, Ned?” Jillie asked. “What do you know that you’re not telling me?” She squinted her eyes at him.

“Believe it or not, I’m in the dark about many things,” Ned confessed. “But let me ask you a question. Had Darren not owned up to borrowing your money from your account, when would you have figured it out for yourself?”

“While ‘borrowed’ is a nice way of putting it, I would say,” Jillie thought a moment. “In about two weeks. That’s how often I deposit money into my savings account.”

“Two weeks,” Ned repeated. “Therefore, had Darren not told you, he would have had a good two weeks before you would have responded.”

“What are you saying, Ned?” Jillie challenged.

“I’m saying that while his actions may have been devious, he could have chosen not to warn you at all. After all, doesn’t him telling you and then Maxine what was happening put him at great risk?”

“I suppose so — ”

“All I’m saying is, give him a chance at redemption.”

Just then, the Jillie’s cell phone rang.

“Hi, this is Jillie speaking,” Jillie answered.

“Jillian!” Shawna gushed on the other end of the line. “I’m so glad I caught you. Do you have a moment?”

In all honesty, Jillie really didn’t want to give Shawna a moment, but given that her husband, Kevin (Jillie’s brother) had fixed her roof free of charge at Shawna’s behest, she thought it more polite to answer, “Of course. What do you need?”

“I just wanted to let you know, Jillian,” Shawna began. “That while it was hurtful, I took what you said to heart.”

Jillie’s stomach lurched a little. She hadn’t realized that anything she’d said could have penetrated Shawna’s heart. That made her feel something she would have rather not felt — guilt. “What did I say?”

“When you mentioned my not having a job in five years and — ”

“Listen,” Jillie interrupted. “I shouldn’t have said that, Shawna. I’m sorry.”

“But you were right. I’ve been drifting. So, I took it to heart and got a job.”

“A job… you?” Jillie caught herself. “I mean, that’s wonderful. What are you doing?”

“Well, it’s volunteer for now as I try it on for size. But, get this, I’m helping out three days a week at an animal shelter. I figure I love animals, so maybe I could see if that’s my calling.” Shawna’s voice was a mix of apprehension and hope.

“That’s a great idea, Shawna,” Jillie admitted.

“And this will probably make you laugh, Jillian,” Shawna added. “I know you think I live high on the proverbial hog, so to speak. It might interest you to know that my first day on the job was spent scooping kitty litter and hosing out dirty dog kennels.”

Jillie bit back a laugh. “Starting from the ground up, I see.”

“You know it. Oh, and one more thing, Jillian?”

“Yes?”

“I talked to Kevin, and he agreed to go to couple’s therapy with me?”

“But I thought — ”

“I know what you thought, Jillian,” Shawna confessed. “And I let you think that. But the truth is, I do run away from messy problems. What was it you said about stress resilience?”

“Again, I shouldn’t have — ”

“It’s okay,” Shawna reassured Jillie. “I’m glad you did say it.”

“Well, for what it’s worth, I’m happy about your volunteer work, and happy that you guys are going to talk to someone… And, thanks again for looking out for me, too.”

Jillie could hear Shawna’s smile across the phone lines. When she ended her call, Ned bit back a smile.

“Not everything is as it seems, is it, Jillian?”

“Sorry about that.” Miles resurfaced. Rufas rubbed against his ankle, purring. This time, Miles’ allergies had settled.

Once again, there was a knock at the door.

Jillian opened it to reveal a small, rotund older woman with thick, gray hair and deep-set eyes. She was carrying an oversized carpet bag with a large floral print on it.

“Hi,” the woman greeted enthusiastically. “I’m here about the car.”

“What car?” Jillie asked, eyeing Ned, who had turned his gaze innocently away.

“Aren’t you selling this compact car?” The woman held up her phone, revealing a picture of Jillie’s new car in a lineup of one’s for sale on a site she’d never heard of… Ned’s Auto Bazaar.

“Am I?” Jillie looked at Ned, suspiciously. “I really don’t know anything anymore.”

“Better for the environment, wouldn’t you say?” Ned rolled his eyes in Miles’ direction.

“That’s true,” Miles agreed.

“Hmmm,” Jillie thought a moment. “Fine, let me open the garage so you can look at it. Let’s go out front.”

Jillie escorted the woman around the front of the house, grabbing her keys from a holder by the front door. She hit the remote and the garage door opened to reveal Jillie’s pretty yellow car.

“My, that is lovely,” the woman commented. “And as good as new.”

“It is new,” Jillie answered. “It’s only about two months old.”

“It reminds me of a newer version of one I had back in the day. My late husband and I went on so many road trips together in that car,” the woman wiped a way a nostalgic tear.

“Would you like to take it for a spin?” Jillie hears herself saying, even though she originally had no intention of selling it.

“Not necessary,” the woman answered. “I took the bus. I don’t live far. I’ll test it out when I drive it home.”

Jillie was suddenly struck with a sense of dread. Was she really ready to part with a car she had just purchased? She rubbed her head. A conundrum for sure, she thought. Only, her thoughts sounded like Ned’s voice in her head.

“We haven’t even talked about price,” Jillie reasoned.

“Oh, well it says right here,” the woman pointed to her phone, “That it’s $51,000. Is that right?”

“$51,000?” Jillie checked.

“Yes, it says right here on my phone that it’s for sale for $51,000. I’m prepared to pay cash,” the woman reached toward her oversized carpet bag.

“But it was only $30,000 new,” Jillie protested. “And cars depreciate as soon as they leave the lot — ”

The woman eyed Jillie with the seriousness of a doctor giving you a really bad medical diagnosis. “The ad says what it says,” she persisted. “Do you want $51,000 or not?”

Ned and Miles stood outside the garage, watching with interest.

Suddenly, something clicked in Jillie’s brain. $30,000 for the new car, plus the $21,000 that Darren owed her… $51,000.

“Well, now that you mention it,” Jillie swallowed hard. “That sounds about right.”

“Well, good,” the woman answered. “Perhaps we could finish this transaction inside?” She suggested.

Ten minutes later, Jillie watched with some sadness as her car was driven away by its new owner.

“Don’t feel so bad,” Miles tried to cheer her up. “Considering the work we’ll be doing, kinda flies in the face of what we’re trying to accomplish if you’ve got that car, anyway.”

“Still breaks my heart a little,” Jillie answered.

“But you got your money back,” Ned pointed out.

“That’s true,” Jillie agreed.

“And your roof fixed,” Ned continued. Jillie nodded. “And your dishes back, and a newer, better job, and — ”

“I get it, Ned,” Jillie wrapped an arm around the demon’s shoulder. “You were my necessary evil… making me go through bad stuff for growth purposes. Are we finished now? Because I’m not sure how much more of this I can take.”

Ned picked up Rufas and snuggled the cat. “Dunno. Better ask him.”

“What?” Jillie eyed her cat. “Rufas is your client?!”

“Took me a while to figure it out myself,” Ned confessed. “Wiley, devil.”

“Funny thing to say, coming from a demon,” Miles offered.

Ned let out a boisterous laugh. “Love your humor, son. Keep it up.” To Jillie, he said,

“Well, I’m off.” He handed a smug Rufas back to Jillie, who held him over her shoulder, petting him despite the grief he’d caused. “Got a call from a house with a German Shepherd with a family that needs my attention.

“Go easy on them, Ned,” Jillie called, as Ned began a slow walk down the driveway that led to the main road.

“Who knows?” Ned called. “Maybe they’ll be able to see me, too.”

“Hey, Ned?” Jillie called.

“Yes?”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but… thanks for everything.”

****

COACHING PROMPT

ACTIVITY: In chapter 4, Jillie’s beliefs are challenged when her friend Maxine presents a different perspective about her roommate, Miles, and her ex-boyfriend, Darren. In Ned’s final lesson, he encourages Jillie to give people a chance, as nothing is ever quite as is seems. For today’s activity: Consider a time when you had a definite belief about a person or situation that you later learned was completely false. How did it change your perception? Alternatively, journal about a time when you didn’t get what you asked for, but you got what you needed–and it turned out to be better than you expected.

***

“A Necessary Evil” Copyright © Oct. 11, 2022 by Danielle Palli and Birdland Media Works, LLC