Read Online Shelter Me by Mina Bennett - Free Book Online

idiots here. So my temper's kind of on a short fuse. I'm normally a lot nicer than that. Hahahaha." He actually enunciated the sounds, like he was reading off of a script and had never heard an actual human being laugh before.
    "Haha," I agreed, halfheartedly. "So, I was looking for something during the day, mostly, although I can be a little bit flexible with nights..." After waiting a few moments for him to interject, it became obvious he wasn't going to. "What's the position?"
    "Oh!" He seemed taken aback by the question. Some more papers rustled. "Well, we have a few options. Deli clerk...bakery manager...optometrist..."
    "Well," I cut in, "I'm just looking for something entry-level. You know. I don't have an optometry degree." I laughed a little, but he didn't seem to get the joke.
    "I can't seem to find your application," he said, after another long pause.  
    I was sorely tempted to ask where he'd gotten my phone number from, if that was the case, but I stopped myself just in time. "Well, like I said, you know, just something that doesn't require any special skills or training. So, you know, nothing in management. Or anything that requires a medical degree."
    He didn't laugh at that one either. "Why don't you just come down for an interview? We can deal with all the details then."
    "Okay," I said. "What time works for you?"
    "How about now?"
    I paused. "I can be there in...ten minutes?"
    "Well, all right," he said, sounding irritated. Then, he hung up on me.
    I had a distinct feeling that I shouldn't bother, but I decided to push through and go to the interview anyway. Maybe he was just in human resources, or something, and I'd never have to talk to him again. Worst case scenario, it would certainly be a good story.
    So I hopped on my bike and rode down to the store, trying not to think about how much less time I'd have for riding if I actually did get this job. That didn't matter right now - what I needed was something to take my mind off of Marissa, and earn some money while I was at it. After I got to the store, I realized I had no idea where I was supposed to go, or who I'd even spoken to.  
    I coasted to a stop in the parking lot, then locked my bike to one of the columns out front and considered my options. I'd come all the way here - might as well give it a shot.
    I had to wait for a while at the customer service desk before I could even talk to someone, but when I finally did, I couldn't think of anything else to say except:
    "I'm here for an interview."
    "Oh yeah?" The clerk smacked her gum. "With who?"
    "He, uh...he didn't give me a name."
    "Oh. Okay, I know who you talked to." She picked up the phone and dialed a few numbers, then waited quite a few rings for someone to answer. When they finally did, all she said was: "Get up here, you've got an interview. Yeah, an interview." She pressed the mouthpiece against her shoulder. "What time did you say it was for?" she asked me.
    "Um - right now?" I hazarded.
    "He says he was supposed to be here right now....I don't know...look, I can't do the interview myself, so you better come talk to him, okay?"
    She hung up, finally, rolling her eyes.
    "I swear," she said. "Sorry about that, he'll be with you in a minute."
    "Great," I said, with what I hoped was a convincing smile.
    After a while, I saw someone approaching the desk very quickly and meaningfully. He had a strange, unsteady gait, and he looked at the ground the whole time he was walking up.
    Finally, when he was standing just a few inches in front of me, he abruptly met my eyes.
    "So," he said. "You came in."
    "Uh, yes," I said. "Is now a bad time?"
    "It's always a bad time," he said, solemnly. Then he smiled. "Ha! I'm just kidding. Laugh when I make a joke. Come on, this'll be fun. Follow me."
    Against all my best judgments, I did.
    He led me into a small, cramped room with several dying plants, used coffee mugs, and piles of papers several inches high across every otherwise-unoccupied surface. The whole