Him (A mafia story)

Chapter 2

It was nice to have my sister around again because it felt like I had someone to talk to. It had been a week since my sister had taken me out to lunch and we'd quickly grown into a comfortable routine. We'd have breakfast together in the morning, she'd leave for work and I'd read a book, and she would come home and we'd go out to dinner. I'd learned pretty quickly that my sister wasn't a very good cook.

"I've decided to look for a job." I told her over breakfast a week into living with her.

She looked up from her eggs, the only thing she really knew how to cook. "What for?"

I shrugged. "I can't stay here all day while you work. This way, I'll be able to afford groceries and I could cook dinner instead of us going out every night."

"Yeah, Okay. That sounds like a good idea." Haley agreed. "What'd you have in mind?"

"Well, I was going to check out a small bar about a mile away. It said online that they were hiring."

We finished breakfast and, while Haley left for work, I got ready for the day. Pulling on some converse and a shirt, I tackled the summer heat by foot. The GPS on my phone led me to a livelier part of New York City. There, I walked into the small bar that displayed its pastries in the front windows.

By the time I got to the bar, my forehead was damp and my face was red from the summer heat. I was relieved to enter the air conditioned building.

"Hi, welcome to Bennetts Bar, how can I help you?" The woman behind the register asked kindly, when I stepped up to the register.

"Hey, my name's Destiny. I saw your ad online and was wondering if you still had a job opening?" I inquired with a confident smile

"Let me just get you an application and then I can run in the back and grab my manager. Would you like to have anything to eat or drink while you're waiting?"

"Uh, Can I have a Manhattan and pretzels please?"

"Sure thing!" The barista chirped.

Once my order was ready, I took a seat in the corner of the small bar. I nibbled on my pretzels as I gazed at the people around me. New York City was so different from what I remembered and everything in Kentucky.

A man in one corner of the bar had a Yankees baseball hat on his head and he was arguing with a woman across from him about whatever he was eating. A woman sitting by herself had a shawl over her head and she was scowling angrily at everyone who walked by as she sipped her coffee. A group of friends were laughing and they had pushed some tables together to fit their whole group.

I couldn't help but feel alone at that moment. Besides Haley, I didn't know anyone in New York and all my friends were busy taking on life and enjoying themselves. I didn't have anyone to confide in and my aunt and uncle were probably angry I left. Not because they would miss me, but because they wouldn't have anyone to clean the house and cook anymore.

"Here's the application, my manager will be right out."

I thanked the barista with a smile and filled out the application. A few minutes later, the manager walked out. He was a very friendly man and gave me an interview on the spot. After talking for a half hour, the manager, who's name I learned was Tobin, gave me the job.

I walked home with a skip in my step, excited to tell Haley about my new job. The people seemed really nice and working in a bar wasn't the worst thing in the world. I slowed down when I realized she wouldn't be home for a few more hours. I could stop by the store and grab some groceries to make dinner.

A half hour later, I walked up the stairs of the apartment building. I balanced the grocery bag on my hip so I could search through my purse for my keys. They always seemed to disappear in the damn thing. I stopped in front of the door still looking for the keys when I heard something.