• • • • •
I have one of those rare summer day shifts, so I’m biking to work wearing my black pants and black shirt. Except I’m melting in the suddenly-turned 100-degree day. Every second on my bike is like riding through a furnace. I will be a sweaty mess when I get to work. I can’t wait to own an air-conditioned truck.
Larry the manager mostly works during the days, and greets me with, “Glad you could join us for your shift.”
My shift starts in three minutes, and I’ve already clocked in. So I’m not sure what Larry is complaining about, and I don’t really care.
“Who works today?” I ask.
“Tammy. And she’s having ‘Billy trouble,’ so don’t get in her way. Made that mistake last night.” He clenches his jaw.
The afternoon shift manages to stay fairly busy. I hate being a busboy, and I keep trying to nudge my way into serving, but apparently there’s not a huge need for new servers.
“Don’t forget,” Larry says as he passes me with a sandwich and fries, “checks are in the office.”
“Oh, right. I’d love to get mine.”
“Give me a minute. Jesus.”
“I mean, when you have a chance.” My face is beet red.
Larry calls me back to his paper-filled office a few minutes later and hands me an envelope with my name on it. “There. Now you can go buy yourself whatever stupid video game is popular right now.” For being barely thirty, Larry is one bitter man. I wonder if he has a girlfriend.
“Larry?”
“What?” he asks as he looks at the top paper in a stack on his desk.
“Uh. Can I go on break?”
“Yeah, yeah. Go.”
I go to the hallway and hang up my apron. I open my envelope and see that I have a check for eighty-nine dollars. I’m rich! I smile as I go to the convenience store next door.
Scanning the bookrack, I don’t see the book I’m dying to have. I keep looking and swoop back for another attack. I move some books to the side and finally spot it. Thank god. I look around, making sure no one is watching me grab the store’s only copy of Montana UFO Sightings.
I try to hide my smile, but it’s hard.
* * *
I find myself back in the staff cubby space, with the time clock and some boxes to put belongings in. I’m reading the last of the book’s introduction before my break ends, and Larry walks in. “Whatcha got there?” He grabs the book out of my hands.
“Um.”
“Montana UFO Sightings, huh? Didn’t know you were into that sort of shit.”
“I’m—”
“Nut jobs, every single one of ’em.”
Luckily, Larry isn’t a Whitehall native and wasn’t here to know the story of my mom’s fall from grace. But I need to keep a low profile and keep from being seen in public with this book again—because if a Whitehall native sees me, well, not only would my dad be furious, but my life would get worse, which scares me, because I’m not sure how that’s possible.
Larry laughs. “You’re a weird kid, dude.” He shoves the book into my chest and walks off, laughing.
I let out a big breath, and quickly hide the book.