Scratch the Surface

Cheyenne was suddenly there in front of me, biting her bottom lip, holding a white window envelope and a folded piece of paper.

“You look like hell,” I informed her.

“It says in the letter they’re hiring shift managers,” she informed me. “But there’s only going to be two assistant managers, and one of Rita’s stipulations when she sold to Barrett was that Kent––”

“Brent,” I corrected her.

“Brent,” she echoed, “take one of them.”

I squinted at her. “Cheyenne, you have a new baby. Do you think it would even cross my mind to speak to Merrell about taking that spot? Seriously?”

Instant tears. “But you should.”

“No,” I assured her. “I have school, you have kids. It’s a no-brainer.”

“Then you can be a shift manager and––”

“I don’t think I can go from having all the power to checking in with Brent,” I scoffed, making a face at her. “C’mon, how would that even work?”

“But it’s been me and you for years.”

I opened my arms for her because she had tried so hard to mother me. I had been invited for every holiday but always declined; it wasn’t in me to take handouts. Why it felt like that with her, and everyone else at work, but didn’t with Cameron Gallagher, was a mystery.

I watched how people looked at me, saw the pity on their faces, heard them talking behind my back. “Poor Jeremiah, his mother abandoned him, and now he’s all alone.” The end of November through the first of January was to be endured, never enjoyed. But maybe, just maybe, this year would be different. If Cameron kept his word, I might have a place to be this year.

“It’s gonna be okay, Chey,” I soothed her, hugging her tight as Rita appeared beside her.

I let her go, and she stepped aside as Rita passed me my envelope.

“I put some extra on your check, Jere, because I know you, and I know your pride won’t let you take a demotion, or take the assistant manager spot from Cheyenne.”

She could have let me take Brent’s spot, but since I couldn’t work for Merrell anyway, it had all worked out the way it was supposed to.

“So the offer from the holding company, did you use that to sweeten the deal with Merrell?”

“I––yes.” Judging by the look on her face, I’d surprised her. “How clever of you to have deduced that.”

Like it was hard. “Well, good for you, Rita. I hope you and your family are pleased with this. Maybe Lance will take off for parts unknown now.”

“Oh no—” She chuckled. “—Lance will stay on and cook.”

She was deluded. There was no way in hell. Her son had been looking for a sign, and he’d just received it in big neon letters. Merrell was out a head chef, and he had no idea.

“Okay.” I wasn’t there to debate, so I took my envelope, checked the figures, and saw she’d paid me for twelve weeks of vacation time instead of ten. “Thank you, Rita, that’s very generous.”

Her face crumpled and she grabbed me. It was a surprise. I knew she liked me, but I had no idea how much until that moment. “Jeremiah, honey, please don’t disappear from my life now. Please come by the house and say hello, and when I see you on the street, don’t turn the other way.”

“I would never do that,” I assured her, hugging her back as she kissed my cheek. “You and your family kept me from being homeless; you made sure I ate, and made it possible for me to go to school. I will always stop and see you whenever I’m in town.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, easing back to look at my face. “Where are you going?”

“It makes sense for me to find a job closer to school, so I’m gonna work on that. But I promise, when I’m here, and if you’re around, we’ll have us a nice chat.”

She broke down crying then.

I eventually made my way back to the office to collect the few things I had there, deciding to leave the poster of the white sand beaches of Maui, when I turned to find several of my coworkers waiting for me. I was surprised so many wanted to hug me, and when I walked out to find Cheyenne and give her my keys, she cried all over me.

Standing at the bar, thinking about how I’d started there as a barback, I realized how weird it would be to never again walk behind it and serve drinks. So strange that such a huge part of my life had come to such an abrupt end.

Meeting Lance’s gaze across the room, I made a cutting motion and then tipped my head at him. I got a nod in reply and knew I was right. He was so gone.

I was walking out the back when I heard my name and stopped at the door. Merrell was there, scowling at me, arms crossed.