Who Is Ellen Jarvis?
A No Tomorrows Character Interview
Hello my dear readers!
Today we get to meet Ellen Jarvis. I hope this No Tomorrows Character Interview series will whet your appetite to know more about these interesting and somewhat dysfunctional folks who bang the walls in my head and keep me up at night.
Ellen Jarvis has been Annie Lee’s best friend since the fifth grade.
They’re still close, live in the same town, and attend the same church. But that’s just about where the similarity ends.
If you missed any other No Tomorrows Character Interviews, the links are at the bottom of this post.
She’s waiting on the line, so without further ado . . .
Ellen, are you there? Hm . . . not sure what happened . . . maybe she–?
Yeah, Deb, I’m here. Sorry I had to leave you for a moment, but I’ve been battling a headache for several days and I had to take some medication.
I’m sorry to hear that! Do you always have headaches . . . migraines or something?
Oh, no, nothing like that. Maybe I’d get more sympathy from my husband, Mark, if I did. No, I’m sure it’s something a bit more mundane, like having three boys under the age of fourteen.
What a handful!
I’m sure my readers will understand if we have to reschedule this.
I could switch your interview with Annie’s neighbor, Jake, if you need me to.
No, I’m fine. The medicine will kick in soon. So, what do your readers want to know about me? I can assure you, my life is pretty ho-hum.
Let’s start with your best friend.
Annie? What about her? Why would you ask me about her?
Best friends for awhile now, right? It makes perfect sense to ask you about her. I talked to her a couple of Thursdays ago.
She was getting ready to take Nora to the park.
You talked to Annie . . . bet that was an interesting conversation. She and Nora go to the park three times a week at noon like clockwork. It’s odd, though, for a Thursday. Anyway, I’ll see her tomorrow at the Mom’s meeting at our church and get the lowdown on it then.
Yes, it was interesting. She seems to be wound pretty tight.
Deb, you have no idea. We met in the fifth grade, and even then she’d remind you of one of Mark’s spring-loaded tools. You know, the kind that can take your head off if you don’t know how to use it.
I bet you know what’s behind all that.
Care to share?
Now, Deb, you know I can’t do that. All I can say is she is OCD in the extreme. Did she tell you she folds her dirty laundry before she drops it in the hamper? Says it’s one of the few things in life she can control. There, I told you one of her secrets. No more. She’s a good friend and I wouldn’t trade her for the world.
Sounds like you’re a good friend, too, Ellen.
I try, but I know I aggravate her a lot–always have. That reminds me . . . I need to spill my confession to her about Mayra’s essay.
Mayra’s essay?
What do you have to do with her essay?
(For those of you listening in, Mayra is Annie’s fifteen-going-on-thirty daughter.)
That’s a great description of her, Deb, but she’s a good kid. Anyway, Mayra had to write this weird essay, so she called her mother’s weird best friend to help her. That would be moi. I gave it to her straight, like I always do. Which most of the time gets me in trouble with Annie. So–oh, geez! I gotta go pick up the boys at school. Sorry, Deb.
Hey, thanks for your time. I’ll send you a transcript of your interview, okay?
I’d like that, Deb. If I’m still around . . .
But–
Just kidding, Deb. You know what they say, though. Tomorrow doesn’t exist until tomorrow, or something like that. ‘Bye!
And out the door she goes, my friends.
I hope you’re enjoying these meet-and-greets with the characters of No Tomorrows.
Here are the links to the whole cast of characters:
Happy reading, my friends!
Fun interview, Deb. I’m blessed to have a good friend who embraces me, warts and all. Our friendship broke in 2016 and we didn’t see each other or speak for four years, but praise the Lord He mended our relationship and it’s as though nothing ever separated us.
Thanks for reading, Deena! Yes, I think I can count on a few good friends who know me well, and love me through the mistakes I make. My prayer is that I can be that kind of friend, too. Have a great day . . . and I’m eagerly looking forward to guesting you on my website, my friend!
So, fun! Good job, Deb : )
Thanks for reading, Jody, and I’m glad you enjoyed it. The next interview, Jake Gruber, will take a different turn . . . sort of. Stay tuned!
Another great interview, Deb! I’m looking forward to hearing from Jake next.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Kay! You’ll like Jake . . . irascible, yes, but a soft heart is hidden there somewhere. 🙂
Hi Deb! I am new to your blog and really enjoyed learning a bit about Annie and Ellen! It is also nice to see that you have delved into writing after retiring from a career in healthcare. I am doing the same. I am wondering what type of work that you did. I am an RN and worked in Hospice for most of my career. So much of my writing is influenced by the love, courage and beauty I have been blessed to have witnessed over the years.
Hi Anita! Welcome to Debo Publishing. Good to connect. I worked in healthcare for about 30 years in various capacities. In the mid-nineties, I was an MA for an orthopedic surgeon-the best doctor ever! I was his MA for 6 1/2 years and was with him when he retire. In 2003, I started working in oncology, and stayed with that group until 2020. I was administrative for them. The best time there was as New Patient Care Coordinator. My mantra became, “If you need encouragement, talk to a cancer patient-they have a gift for seeing the positive.” I’m sure the same is true in your career in hospice.
Thanks for reading and commenting. I hope you continue to read and comment; and if you sign up, you will receive my blogs and once-a-month emails to your inbox. (Shameless plug, I know . . .) Have a great day, my new friend!
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