“From what I understand, a situation like that is hard to get out of. Also, from what you’ve said she seemed to thrive on the drama of it.”
Nodding, Carrie closed her eyes and let her head fall back against the seat. “I learned from her how not to be. It was a scary but deeply embedded lesson.”
When his hand came down on her hand, she went still. “Tell me, what did she teach you?”
“Not to cling to a man or become dependent on them and if I’m ever mistreated by even being yelled at I’m out. Also, to always use birth control. Her next door neighbor told me that she had frequently felt trapped because she was afraid of being on her own with two small kids. Apparently, she had two miscarriages because he beat her so badly.”
“I take it then you have no man in your life?”
It wasn’t really a question, she nodded anyway. “I’ve been busy with the twins and even if I weren’t.” She shrugged, not able to say out loud how little she trusted a man enough to enter a relationship.
Her cell phone rang and she checked the display. Damn it, she had completely forgotten her job. She hoped they weren’t upset. “Hello?”
“Carrie? Are you okay? I was worried because you hadn’t come in yet.”
/> “I’m fine, Mario. I’m sorry you worried. I don’t think I’m going to be able to come in tonight after all. Is that a problem?” Desperately, she hoped he would say no. When he did, she sighed with relief.
“No problem, we aren’t busy at all. I’m sure Lupe will be happy you aren’t coming in. She just said she was relieved she managed to get three tables so far. Call me if you need anything, okay?”
“I will, thanks Mario.”
“Your boss?”
“Yeah, well, his son but he leaves it mainly to Mario to run. They’re so nice and easy to work with. Knowing Mario, he’ll probably bring over left overs for the night when they close.”
“Does he do that a lot, bring over food for you?”
“He does quite a bit I guess. Normally, I try to take it home when I leave but usually it’s quite a bit and he doesn’t want me to worry about dropping it. It’s a family restaurant and they really do seem like family. Mario’s mom is always so sweet, inviting me and twins to family gatherings.” As she said it out loud she wondered about how often Mario said it, even when there wasn’t much. He also usually managed to hang around for a while when he came by, even when it was late. Biting her lip she shook her head. Carrie didn’t like Mario like that, he had asked her out months ago and had been sweet about her turning him down. It was nothing, Mario was just being nice.
“Have long have you worked there?”
“Three months, it took a while to get settled and I didn’t realize I would be driving all over the metroplex. I had to ask to be limited to a handful of properties and it cut down on my hours. It wasn’t long before I figured out I needed a second job. At least the restaurant isn’t far from me.
I can’t believe I just thought about you. How are you going to get home? I shouldn’t have let you drive me home.”
“Do not worry about it. I have a car I can send for, it’s not a problem at all. Have you thought of trying to find something different from what you were doing before?”
Shrugging, she leaned back in the seat. “Of course, but I’ve done it for so long and I’m good at it. I also don’t know of many things that would pay as well without a degree that I would enjoy as much. The property I worked at in Austin, I’d been there for eight years. I practically managed it on my own, the manager, Tracy, was never there. Tracy was content to let me run it and only show up when the owner came by.”
“Why was she so lax in her responsibilities?”
“She had no idea what she was doing, how to run the reports or close the books for the month end. Tracy had never even worked as a leasing agent on a property before. She was the niece of someone who worked in the corporate office. When my old boss left to come to Dallas for her husband’s job Tracy was just supposed to fill in. Then when she asked for my help and I handled everything the owner asked her to stay. So she kept the job without knowing what she was doing. She was thankful for what I did without ratting on her. Which wouldn’t have happened because they wouldn’t have done anything about it. Although, it did work out for me. She kept giving me raises I wouldn’t have gotten any other way. When I left she promised she would give me a good reference when she got a call.”
“What do you mean they wouldn’t have done anything about it?”
“It was very much a, they don’t know or care what happens on the properties as long as leases are being signed. I’d never had any issues I thought needed to be reported before but I worked with other leasing agents that tried complaining about on site issues and they were patted on the head and ignored. If I had complained or let them know what was going on they would have at best ignored it or at worse replaced me with someone who was willing to do her work without complaint.
A few times I’ve thought about maybe getting my real estate license. Only there’s no security with it and after finding out how quickly my savings went in Austin, I just can’t make the jump without a net.”
“So the company you were with in Austin doesn’t have any properties in Dallas?”
“No, they’re mainly in Austin, a few in Corpus and several in Houston. I considered Houston except I’ve always hated the heat and humidity of Houston and didn’t want to go back.”
He followed directions easily and it felt like far too quickly he pulled into her drive way. As she went to get out of the car, he stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Let me handle them. I want to warn you now I’m not going to go easy on them and I need your support. They are going to hate the both of us for a little while, I need you to stand firm. In the end, I believe it is the best thing for them.”
Swallowing hard, she nodded. As hard as it was to give up control, the truth was she had failed already. Maybe Rafael wouldn’t.
“Good. Let’s go.”