Night Burn

Chapter 2

I kick my driver's door closed and lock the car before tucking my key into one of the cargo pockets along the side of my right leg. Peering around the parking lot, I see a few of my coworkers tricking into the building while many remain in their cars. A few of them are sound asleep in their driver's seats, catching their last few Z's before start of shift.

I've never been able to sleep in a car, and I pass by their blissful slumber with trace amounts of envy, as I move towards the building's entrance. Nearing the door, I dig my hand into my pocket, where I feel the firm plastic of my ID badge. Pulling it out, I clip it to the waistband of my pants.

I bump my hip against the badge scanner and pull the heavy door open when I hear the responding 'click'. I've been repeatedly informed that I am not allowed to clock in more than four minutes before my start time, so I walk over to the long wooden bench between the provided lockers in the front lobby. Dropping onto the hard seat, I place my head into my hands and ground the heels of my palms into my tired eyes.

"Buenos Dias, Larke. What's on the agenda for today?" a lightly accented voice asks. Looking up, I see Juan hanging a small bag in a locker a few feet away. With a large yawn, I mentally comb through my day.

"Today is Biology lab, then Psych, then Stats... and Econ," I begin, ticking my classes off on my fingers.

"I'm opening at the restaurant tonight, so I have to be there at 4. I'm not sure if that's a good or a bad thing, but I'm not hating that I'll be out of there earlier. It's only Thursday, so hopefully, things won't be too busy."

Juan turned to me with a frown.

"You couldn't pay me enough to go back in time and work through college all over again. That sounds awful."

"'Tis. How's Katie?" He scratches the side of his bearded face and leans against the metal lockers.

"She's doing good. Hating being pregnant and waking up alone but appreciates that I can at least be home in time to take over things after she gets Luis on the bus."

Katie, Juan's wife of many years, is pregnant with their third son and works overnight from home as a Customer Service Representative for a large retail company. This schedule had fit perfectly into their life because Juan could be home during the day to manage their 3-year-old son Diego, "affectionately known as Didi", and get Luis off the bus while Katie catches up on much-needed sleep.

"How much time does she have left before she goes on maternity leave?"

"That is the question of all questions. She's right on the cusp of having enough time to be eligible for leave. If the baby comes too early, she won't be able to get the time she wants. We are crossing our fingers that the little guy doesn't come any sooner than expected. If that's the case, it will be about 3 more weeks." I watch as he rubs his hand across his eyes in both physical and mental exhaustion.

"That's so shitty. I can't believe an organization as large as hers is so far behind with the times. But at least you know you have an amazing babysitter available to you when ever needed," I offer sweetly, fluttering my eyelashes and lacing my fingers coquettishly under my chin.

Rolling his eyes, he hoists himself off the lockers and flicks me on the forehead.

"Alright, 'super-nanny,' it's time to clock in."

I follow him as he walks over to the time clock and scan my badge after he does. Before I push through the metal turnstiles, I see Vanessa racing through the front doors. She skids to a halt in front of the lockers and tosses her oversized purse into one of the empty ones, latching it quickly with her padlock.

I bite back a smirk and push through into the main work area. In the center of the big warehouse is a large metal conveyor with slides around it to drop packages that could be sorted into the containers. I see a few people walking back and forth at the top of the conveyor pushing the few remaining boxes from the last shift down to where the loading containers sit empty.