The gravel crunched under my feet as we passed through the small gate marking the entrance to the park. We sat on a bench as far away from anyone else as possible. A few men were still playing various games with balls in the dirt on the far side of the park.
He angled his body toward me and took my hands in his. “So, what’s this all about?”
“My dad is super sick. I came here to get money to help and I have. I mean, I send them money each week, something I couldn’t do back home, but now—my mom fell, and my dad’s having a really hard time taking care of her. I can’t afford to get them a healthcare worker, so I’m going to have to go home.” I leaned back in the bench.
I could see the panic in his eyes. He was working hard to find a solution.
“But you’re doing so well as a picker. You should wait a bit. I can give you an advance on your earnings to get someone to help your parents.”
I shook my head. “It will never be enough. It will never be enough.”
Desperation crossed his face. He was starting to think I was going to jump ship and quit.
“I mean,” I continued. “I don’t want to be ungrateful. You were the only good thing that’s happened to me since I got here. But I’m sorry, I have to be there for my family.”
He was struggling to keep calm. “Listen, I’m going to tell you something that very few people know.”
I sat up and took in a hard, shaky breath. Had he fallen for it?
“My parents wanted me to take over the family business back home,” Kamal said, “and I wasn’t about to. So I left. And becoming a picker was the best decision I ever made.”
I thought he was going to tell me about Marni. “No one leaves a good home to become a picker. Why would you choose that over a good job?”
“I have an artistic bent, and my father didn’t like it. He wanted me to spend all my time doing stuff I hate. I will never become like him. I will never be an accountant or a lawyer and sell my soul for money.”
That made absolutely no sense to me because I thought that was exactly what he was doing. “What about taking over the business and becoming the boss?”
“No. It’s not me. I’m an artist and if I’d stayed, I’d never have been able to do it. With picking, I get good money and I get to paint.”
“But you’re a leader here. Why not in the family business?”
He raised his voice a little, his cheekbones becoming more angular, rigid. “It’s just not me. That’s all. I’m an artist. Anyway, this isn’t about me. It’s about you. You have a gift. You’re the best picker I’ve ever had on my team. You’re smart enough to see that this could be very lucrative for you. Do you realize you’ve earned over two hundred euro this week already?”
“It’s not enough. Not if I have to hire someone to care for my dad full time.” I pouted.
“That’s the other thing. You’re official now. You get thirty percent.” He was pulling out all the stops. He was desperate.
“Big deal. Triple of a tiny bit is not that much.” I shook my head in disgust. I wasn’t sure how hard I was going to have to push to get him to tell me about his girlfriend, but I had to keep going no matter what.
“It is, considering how well you do and,” he lowered his voice, “in less than a year, you could be earning a lot more than that.”
“What are you talking about?” This was a turn I wasn’t expecting.
He looked around the park as if someone might be listening in. I took a gander too, wondering if I’d catch a glimpse of one of the guys supposedly tailing me.
“Well, you work for me, and I plan on taking off in less than a year. I’ll give my spot to you if you want it.”
“Like you get to make that decision. I’m sure your boss will want to know who your replacement is, and what if he doesn’t want me?”
“No one will be vetting you. I’ll disappear and you’ll take over. It’s as simple as that.”
“What, they won’t notice that you’re gone and I’m doing your job all of a sudden? I want you to tell them when it comes time. I don’t think they’d like me surprising them like that.”
He shook his head. “No. You don’t understand.” His voice was a whisper. “No one quits this job. No one. Once you’re in, you’re in for life. But I can’t be in it for life. I have plans, and they don’t include picking forever. And listen Eva, you can never tell a soul about this.” His eyes narrowed and he tipped his head toward me, emphasizing he was serious.
“But then how do I get out when I’m ready?” He’d given me something even better than Marni. It would be good not to involve her. Now I could get him to talk about the business side of this picking operation. If I was slated to take his place, he’d have to train me and give me all his knowledge.
“You do what I’m doing. You set up someone to take your place.” He leaned back.
“Why would I or anyone else want to take your place?” I leaned back too.
He leaned into me. “Because I have seven pickers under me. I make almost 150,000 euro a year doing this.”
My eyes popped wide in pretend surprise. “You’re kidding right?” So, he lived on fifty thousand euro a year. Pretty nice.
“No. You see, I get forty percent of what I pick and ten percent of what you all pick. I’m like midlevel
