What Am I?

Chapter Four: Returning the Favor

BOBBY

"Are you alright?" Aretha asks me.

"It's just a headache, I'll be fine." I said. I remembered about asking her if I could stay the night.

"Aretha, I've been meaning to ask you." I said.

"What is it?"

"Can i stay for the night? I'd be glad to do the night shift also if you'd like. I ran away from home-"

"Of course." She smiled, "Im glad that you got away from Lucy. I am so proud of you." She says as she hugs me.

It was one warm hug, she was like the grandmother I never had. She treated me like I was her family and I will be forever grateful to her for that.

"Are you sure you can handle another shift?"

"Of course." I said determined. I looked over at Trent's table and saw that he was gone along with Dylan and Hayes.

I worked my shift very efficiently until 12 o'clock. Me and manny had lunch which was Fried chicken with Mashed potatoes for lunch then proceeded to work until 5 o'clock in the afternoon. It was Manny's turn to cook and my turn to serve tables.

"Girl! You are so hardworking!" Manny praised.

"Got it from you." I said smiling at him.

"Aww." He said clearly touched, "We do it for the money to live."

I nod at him, it was hard to get by to be honest. You do anything and everything to get money so you could have the things that you need and work a little harder for the things that you want.

I don't even know if manny still sleeps at night to do all the work that he's been doing.

"By tomorrow i promise, Iq'll find you an apartment." Manny said.

"It's alright." I said. "You don't have to."

"I want to." He said. "Everything for you,bobby babe."

Bobby babe

"I'm sorry, it just stuck." Manny said sheepishly.

"It's fine. " I said as I wiped a tear. " She's in a better place, right?" I asked.

"She is." Manny replied.

We heard the door of the kitchen open we turned around and it was Aretha, "close up the stores momentarily." She said.

"Why?" We both asked at the same time.

"It's Gina's burial." Aretha said.

After the last customer went out Manny washed the dishes while i sweep the floor and cleaned the tables. Aretha put up the Closed sign.

Manny and I took a bath-not at the same time of course. We then wore black shirt and pants and shoes, we rode Aretha's old pick up truck to the cemetery.

When we got there I saw her boyfriend and her mother Susan. Her casket was open, Gina looked like she wasn't even dead. She looked like she was just sleeping. She had full make up on and a beautiful dress.

"Ohh, Bobby and Manny." She said hugging us both. "She was gone too soon."

I saw Manny cry a lot of times before but never this bad. I was bawling my eyes out too, Susan was right. She was gone too soon.

As Susan,Aretha and gina's boyfriend Jeff was done talking it was Manny's turn.

"I can't do it." He said crying and was out of breath.