“Hey, Jason.” The blonde girl was the first to speak up. She looked thirteen or fourteen even with the excessive eye make-up and thick pasty lip-gloss.
“Sara, right.”
She smiled. “Yes, you remembered my name.” A giggle escaped her lips.
“Of course, you bought a lot of jawbreakers yesterday. Is that right?”
“Yes, I did.”
“I’m happy you didn’t choke on them.” He flashed a smile at these hookers in training and I swear they all found a new pimp. I need Jesus, Joseph, and Mary. Why was a calling these little girls hookers? Now I was the one laughing on the inside.
“These are my B.F.F.’s Mia and Charlotte.” The blonde pointed to each girl as she said their names. Charlotte was the redhead and Mia was the brunette. They were all cute girls but young.
“Hey.” The two new girls said in unison.
Sara leaned on the counter. She had confidence now and I looked down at my laptop no longer interested in whatever was coming next. I would bet the coming attraction was a few hair flips followed by a series of high-pitched cackles. This would be adorable if he was under eighteen. Twenty years old might technically be a child but legally it was an adult.
“I told Mia and Charlotte that you looked just like Jagger from Toxic Shock. What do you think Charlotte? Does he look like Jagger?”
“You do, you do, seriously, you look just like Jagger. But your nose and your hair are different. He’s like my favorite.” Charlotte admitted.
Who the hell is that? I thought.
“You’re taller than him, but you do look like him,” Mia added.
“I hear that all the time. I have to live with the face of a famous guy that looks better than me.”
“Jagger isn’t just any famous guy.”
“Right, he sings or something right?”
“He sings. He dances. He does everything.” The girl mused.
“Don’t cancel me but honestly I think his music kind of sucks.”
“Oh, my friggin’ God. Did you just say that?” Sara was appalled. They all were appalled. I would’ve been appalled too if I knew what they were talking about.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I can’t sing or dance. So basically I’m jealous of that guy. I have two left feet.” Somehow that solicited another giggle from the trio.
“Yeah, there’s only one Jagger and he’s the best at everything he does.”
“You think so?” Jason asked.
“I know so.” Sara countered.
“I don’t believe he can sell candy better than me.”
They all laughed. I wanted to laugh too. Jason was engaging and funny.
“So ladies, what Sweet Treats can I interest you guys in today?”
“I’m thinking I want some Smarties today,” Sara responded.
“Great choice. I’m thinking we have Smarties for sale today.” Jason joked.
My cell phone vibrated under the counter. I grabbed it and looked down at the screen. My son was calling. I answered before it stopped ringing. I hurried my over forty behind to the kitchen at the back of the store. I found a place where I was out of sight.
“Aaron.”
“Hey, Ma, what you doing?”
“I’m at the store working.”
“You got some customers?”
“Yes, but my assistant is helping them out.”
“That guy you were talking about.”
“Yeah, Jason. I wish you had come down here with me. There are a whole bunch of pretty White girls your age coming in here.”
“No thanks. There’s a whole bunch of pretty White girls right here in Naperville.”
“Oh boy, whatever. Is everything okay over with your father?”
“Yeah, it’s cool. I’m about to go up to open gym. I was just calling to check on you.”
“You were calling to check on me.” I chuckled.
“Yes, Ma, I gotta make sure you stay out of trouble.”
“You’re so funny.”
“Did you run into any of your old boyfriends?”
“I haven’t been here long enough to run into anybody.”
“Cool, look both ways before you cross the street, brush your teeth before you go to bed, no riding in the car with strangers, no twerking for a Gucci bag, this is not a hot mom summer.”
I sighed. “You sure you don’t want a career in comedy?”
“I gotta go. I’ll give you a call tomorrow.”
“Okay, Aaron. I love you.”
“Love you too, bye.”
“Bye.”
The cell phone call ended. I felt better. I felt guilty. I had been conflicted about leaving my sixteen-year-old son with his father. Erik was a good father but he wasn’t hands-on like me. The divorce didn’t change a thing. He hadn’t stepped up as a father or filled the void that our divorce made. Being in the same room with your children wasn’t the same as actually talking to them. Our parenting skills differed tremendously. My opinion on it didn’t matter then and it didn’t matter now. We were divorced. I couldn’t tell him what to do now or when we were married. Aaron was old enough and smart enough to take care of himself. That gave me some comfort. I cringed thinking about all the greasy fast food Aaron would be eating without me around to guide him from the drive-thru windows.
I left the kitchen and walked back into the store. All Jason’s little admirers were gone. It all seemed innocent enough. He didn’t seem interested in any of them. I still was going to keep my eye on him and them. They were underage and although he was just twenty years old, absolutely nothing illegal would happen to those fast ass girls on my watch.
Jason was leaning on the glass countertop looking out the front window of the store. His dark denim jeans fit him to perfection. I could see why these girls were so enamored. He must’ve felt me approaching because he whipped around to face me. I hadn’t made a single sound so it was odd that he felt my presence in the room.
“What happened to your fan club?”
Jason shrugged. “They probably had to hurry to the drugstore for more mascara.” He smirked.
“Right,” I said remembering the cluster of black mascara caked on the blonde one named Sara.
“I’m just trying to sell candy for my boss lady.”
