“What the hell are you talking about? You’re the one that has a great job and goes to some prestigious university. You’ve got the ideal life!” Wesley countered, perhaps a little jealously. Scott stared at his younger brother, basking in his admiration, but he shook his head.
“You got it wrong. Yeah, I look like I’m successful, but it doesn’t mean I’m happy. I’m doing this stuff to make Mom and Dad happy, not for myself. The truth is, you’ve got the balls to stand up to them. And your relationship with Toren is just another example. You know Dad’s gonna flip, but you’re all like ‘what the fuck do I care? I’m happy.’”
Wesley looked up and laughed. He had a slight grin on his face, and he turned and looked at me. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I am happy.”
“See what I mean?” Scott said, finishing his coffee. He looked at me but pointed at Wesley. “He’s been like this since he was a kid too. If he liked something, he went after it. If he didn’t like it, he didn’t bother. Even with school, he hated school, even in, like, first grade. He just did what he wanted to. Like math: he liked math. But, I don’t know, spelling? He doesn’t know shit—hell, he probably can’t even spell shit! He just wasn’t interested. And he’s still like that! Am I right?” Scott asked me, looking for support.
I laughed in spite of myself and nodded. It was true. I ran into that problem when we were studying for final exams. Wesley laughed too, probably because Scott’s characterization was so accurate.
The tension between the brothers seemed to disintegrate and we left a little while thereafter. Scott gave me shotgun on the way home and Wesley kissed me good night. I waved from the third floor of my building and watched them drive away. I was glad that Scott came out with us. I felt like I knew Wesley a little better than I did before. And I still got to kiss him before the night was over.
Chapter 17
“I NEED to find a job,” I said, holding my chin in my palm and taking a french fry from Wesley’s tray. “Do you know of any places that are hiring?”
“Not off the top of my head,” he answered and took a bite of his quarter-pounder with cheese.
“I just want something where I can work close to full-time now, and then work part-time when school starts,” I explained, taking another fry.
“I told you to get something and you said you weren’t hungry, but you’re eating all my fries,” Wesley complained with a smirk.
I hadn’t even realized I was taking his french fries. I looked around; it had been a long time since I was actually inside a McDonald’s. There was a deluxe play area that was twice the size of the seating area. I remembered a plastic talking tree and tables with mushroom stools from when I was little. Kids sure had it nice these days.
“So you wanna do retail? You could try the bookstore or a coffee shop or something like that. Or maybe that World Store place. You could do stock or work as a cashier.”
“Yeah,” I agreed, smiling sheepishly and taking another fry.
“Just remember, if you suddenly get hired, you can’t work this weekend. ’Cause it’s the Fourth of July. Okay?”
“I doubt I’d get hired that fast.”
“Just promise me,” Wesley urged, shoving the last piece of hamburger in his mouth. I nodded and he slurped his soda. He took a few fries and pushed the tray toward me. “You can finish those.”
“No, it’s okay. I told you; I’m not hungry,” I answered, pushing the tray back. Wesley laughed and rolled his eyes at me.
“Thanks for meeting me for lunch. But next time, I want something home-cooked and made with love,” he said, finishing off the fries and picking up the tray. “I gotta get back to work.”
I nodded and watched him empty the tray into the garbage. He was wearing a navy work shirt that actually had his name embroidered on it. I smiled to myself; I thought that was pretty cool. He wore matching navy pants, streaked with grease. Even though he washed his hands thoroughly, they were still dirty, especially around his fingernails. There was always something about his hands that I liked; they were big and rough, but they always held me so gently.
Wesley waited for me and we left together. He looked around and then rumpled my hair with his hand. I could tell he wanted a kiss, but there were too many people around. He said that he’d call or come over after work, and we went our separate ways.
I stopped at a couple different stores on my way home and filled out applications. I went to the World Store place, like Wesley suggested, and looked around a bit. They sold furniture, home décor, food, spices, beer, wine—a little bit of everything. I filled out an application and turned it in to the manager. I went home with a little hope that maybe I could work there.
On Wednesday, the manager from World Store called and we scheduled an interview for Friday morning. Mom helped me prepare for the interview, and we picked out an outfit to wear. I was glad that she didn’t think I needed to wear a tie. I felt pretty confident and when Friday morning came, I went to the interview full of hope. After an hour, I came home with a job.
Mom and Alycia were excited, but mostly because I got a 20 percent discount that extended to family. I couldn’t wait to call Wesley. I hadn’t told him anything about the interview because I wanted to surprise him if I got the job.
I changed into a pair of shorts and a T-shirt and heard a knock at the door. By the time I came out of my room, Wesley was sitting on the sofa, chatting with Mom
