Maybe. One Day

I awoke early the next day. I took a shower, got dressed, and headed out the door. The path to the edge of my property was a long dirt road. And at the end of that road was the garage my father held dearly. I passed by and noticed something different out front this morning.

A shiny black motorcycle. It stuck out to me because it was probably the newest machine out there. All the other bikes brought to the garage were almost always older and dirtier. 

Though it was semi-normal to see a nice vehicle come through his garage, it still shocked me to know people trusted Rick with anything. Let alone something as beautiful as this bike.

Seeing it brought back memories of a ride I took with a boy I was once good friends. His father brought him a bike at the tender age of fifteen. He rode it to school every day. One day he gave me a ride home. I remember feeling the wind curving around my body. I was free for all of ten minutes.

A reminder of how chained I was to this house snatched me from my memories. I could hear Rick whistling down the road and decided to get moving.

I wasn't completely honest with Rick when I said it took me 2 hours to walk to and from school. The school was only 4 miles away. Making the walk a little under an hour and 30 minutes. The other 30 minutes I spent filling out job applications. And today was no different.

Some of the stores hiring were further in town. So instead of walking to school, I walked to the nearest bus stop and hitched a ride to a popular area.

Today I stopped at a trendy coffee shop. I wasn't into drinking coffee. And I wasn't into trends. But a small Now Hiring sign called to me from the window.

As soon as I entered the joint, my knees almost buckled. The smell of muffins invades my senses.

"Are you okay?" I heard a girl’s voice call out.

I closed my eyes for what I thought was only a second to savor the smell of warm, sweet food.

A woman a few years older than me was staring from behind the counter.

"Sorry." I let out a nervous chuckle. "It smells good in here," I admitted.

"Can I get you something?" She asked catching me staring at the muffins in the display case.

I wanted to say yes. I needed to say yes. But I had to reply. "No, thank you."

She gave me a suspicious look but continued. "Okay. What can I help you with?"

"My name is Danica. And I would like to apply for the open position."

The girl stared once more. Then she shuffled to the back.

"How old are you?" She asked coming back with a paper in hand. Her eyes were glued to my backpack.

"I'm eighteen."

"OK great. I'm looking for someone who can work some nights. But what I really need is someone who can work all weekend next month. Open to close. And most parents won't allow that."

I was confused and she readily explained.

"I'm going out of town next month and I need someone who can handle this place. I don't really need a full-time employee. Just someone who can work some nights and then a full weekend while I'm gone. I figured if I hire someone early then I can get them ready for my absence."

"Oh. Okay. That makes sense." I took the application to the corner of the shop and began filling it out. I kept checking the time to make sure I left with enough time to get to school.

When I returned the paper to her, she caught me eyeing the muffins again.

And before I knew it, she was stuffing a tiny bag in my hand. "Now you can tell everyone at school how good it is." She smiled.

I couldn't help feeling like today might be a good day.

School was the most boring part of my day. With only two months left before I graduate, there wasn’t much left to learn. I almost decided I wasn’t going to continue to come. And if Rick worked anywhere but our house, I would have skipped every day. There was almost no point in me coming to school.

It was apparent that I wouldn’t be attending college. There was no money for it. For now, school was just a haven for me to escape home. Until it wasn’t.

The bell rang just as I dropped down in my seat for the first class. I sat back and watched as other students talked amongst themselves. They barely noticed I was there and that’s how I liked it.

My first few classes of the day were like that. Me keeping to myself. For lunch, I always ate outside under a tree alone. A few times my lab partner, Grace, would join me to talk notes. She was nice and quiet.

Occasionally Grace would invite me out to watch movies or go to the mall. But I would refuse each time. Movie outings led to restaurant outings. Which always led to parties. And parties led to overnight stays. I couldn’t risk her getting close to me and finding out what an ass my father was. So I rejected her every time.

Maybe after I get my own place I would take her up on that offer. Maybe one day we could be friends.