the cafe.
“ Thank you.”
Julie looked around the interior. When
Austin and she had dined there, they ate outside. The inside was of
a rustic design and had polished redwood tables scattered
throughout along with the booths lining the edges. A beautiful
glossy bar with a mirror back sat along the far end with stools in
front of it.
The woman came back with a piece of paper.
“Here. Fill this out and if he is not busy, he'll come talk to
you.”
Julie nodded and accepted the application.
It was a basic form with no complicated questions. Just as she was
signing the bottom. A shadow darkened the page. She looked up to
see a man of about thirty-five years of age with short dark hair.
He wore black denim pants and a black short sleeve shirt. Julie
could see a partial tattoo peeking out from underneath one sleeve.
He was very muscular.
“ Wilma said someone sent you. Who?”
The man asked.
“ Cindy,” Julie replied, a bit unnerved
by his gruff mannerisms.
He took the application and scanned it
briefly. “Stand up.”
“ What?” Julie asked.
“ Following simple instructions is
paramount to getting the job. Stand up.”
Julie stood and folded her arms. She
was somewhat put off by his demeanor. She watched his eyes scan her
body and got angry. She endured this kind of harassment her whole
life and had had enough. “You know what? I don't think I want this
job. I'm a person and expect to be treated as such. You can take
this job and –”
“ You're hired.” He
interrupted.
“ What?” Julie was confused.
“ You're hired. You got spunk. You're
going to need it. Some of these guys, once they get a little booze
in them, they get fresh and have to be put in their place. You'll
do fine.”
Julie was taken aback by the change of tone
and direction that Dave displayed. “I... I don't have experience.”
She was trying to understand what was happening.
“ On the job training. You'll learn as
you go. You good for nights and weekends?”
“ You're really offering me the
position?” She was still trying to grasp the situation.
“ Be here at six. We'll work out a
schedule then.” He turned and left her alone.
Julie wasn't sure how she felt about
suddenly having a real job. She knew there were a million questions
she should have asked. She left the cafe and decided she would at
least come back at six and see just what was involved. Then she
would decide if it was a good fit for her. “That was bizarre.” She
decided to head on back to the hospital. Along the way she passed
by the Laundromat where Austin worked and peeked in to see if he
was in there with his mother.
Earlier, Austin knew he was going to have to
not be so pushy with Julie. She was dealing with her own
revelations as well. He just felt that she was the only one who
could understand what he was going through. He walked into the
Laundromat that his family owned. He saw the woman he thought was
his mother. Her back was to him. He sighed and moved closer to her.
When she turned around and saw him, he spoke. “Hey.”
“ Austin! You... you're
back.”
When she moved towards him, he took a few
steps back. “I guess we should talk.” He said, mindful of customers
in the shop.
“ Let's go into the office,” she
suggested.
Austin nodded and followed her into the
backroom that served as an office. Silence permeated the room
before he spoke. “Why? Why was I lied to my whole life?”
“ Austin, that's unfair. I met your
father when you were only eight months old. We planned on telling
you together when you turned eighteen.”
“ I turned eighteen over a month
ago.”
“ I wanted your father
here.”
“ So, like what? You were just going to
wait until he felt like coming home?”
“ I called him. He is coming
home.”
“ Yeah, well it's a little late for
that.”
“ Austin, you don't
understand – ”
“ You're right. I don't understand. I
don't understand how you could go on pretending for as long as you
did.” Austin
“ Thank you.”
Julie looked around the interior. When
Austin and she had dined there, they ate outside. The inside was of
a rustic design and had polished redwood tables scattered
throughout along with the booths lining the edges. A beautiful
glossy bar with a mirror back sat along the far end with stools in
front of it.
The woman came back with a piece of paper.
“Here. Fill this out and if he is not busy, he'll come talk to
you.”
Julie nodded and accepted the application.
It was a basic form with no complicated questions. Just as she was
signing the bottom. A shadow darkened the page. She looked up to
see a man of about thirty-five years of age with short dark hair.
He wore black denim pants and a black short sleeve shirt. Julie
could see a partial tattoo peeking out from underneath one sleeve.
He was very muscular.
“ Wilma said someone sent you. Who?”
The man asked.
“ Cindy,” Julie replied, a bit unnerved
by his gruff mannerisms.
He took the application and scanned it
briefly. “Stand up.”
“ What?” Julie asked.
“ Following simple instructions is
paramount to getting the job. Stand up.”
Julie stood and folded her arms. She
was somewhat put off by his demeanor. She watched his eyes scan her
body and got angry. She endured this kind of harassment her whole
life and had had enough. “You know what? I don't think I want this
job. I'm a person and expect to be treated as such. You can take
this job and –”
“ You're hired.” He
interrupted.
“ What?” Julie was confused.
“ You're hired. You got spunk. You're
going to need it. Some of these guys, once they get a little booze
in them, they get fresh and have to be put in their place. You'll
do fine.”
Julie was taken aback by the change of tone
and direction that Dave displayed. “I... I don't have experience.”
She was trying to understand what was happening.
“ On the job training. You'll learn as
you go. You good for nights and weekends?”
“ You're really offering me the
position?” She was still trying to grasp the situation.
“ Be here at six. We'll work out a
schedule then.” He turned and left her alone.
Julie wasn't sure how she felt about
suddenly having a real job. She knew there were a million questions
she should have asked. She left the cafe and decided she would at
least come back at six and see just what was involved. Then she
would decide if it was a good fit for her. “That was bizarre.” She
decided to head on back to the hospital. Along the way she passed
by the Laundromat where Austin worked and peeked in to see if he
was in there with his mother.
Earlier, Austin knew he was going to have to
not be so pushy with Julie. She was dealing with her own
revelations as well. He just felt that she was the only one who
could understand what he was going through. He walked into the
Laundromat that his family owned. He saw the woman he thought was
his mother. Her back was to him. He sighed and moved closer to her.
When she turned around and saw him, he spoke. “Hey.”
“ Austin! You... you're
back.”
When she moved towards him, he took a few
steps back. “I guess we should talk.” He said, mindful of customers
in the shop.
“ Let's go into the office,” she
suggested.
Austin nodded and followed her into the
backroom that served as an office. Silence permeated the room
before he spoke. “Why? Why was I lied to my whole life?”
“ Austin, that's unfair. I met your
father when you were only eight months old. We planned on telling
you together when you turned eighteen.”
“ I turned eighteen over a month
ago.”
“ I wanted your father
here.”
“ So, like what? You were just going to
wait until he felt like coming home?”
“ I called him. He is coming
home.”
“ Yeah, well it's a little late for
that.”
“ Austin, you don't
understand – ”
“ You're right. I don't understand. I
don't understand how you could go on pretending for as long as you
did.” Austin
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