A Strong Kind of Weak

Chapter 5

I was pretty tired when I got home, and my torso was in some serious pain, so when I heard my dad's footsteps, my heart sank. Hoping he was in a good mood, I turned to greet him, but froze at the frown on his face.

"Well, Nic? When were you going to tell me?"

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Tell you what?"

He held up a piece of paper I recognized as a notice from school. I thought I had kept it in my backpack, but it seemed it had fallen out.

"Parent-teacher interviews are on Friday. You didn't want me to come?"

"No! I just, uh, forgot about it. Sorry about that."

"Well then, I look forward to seeing your teachers then. Hopefully you aren't failing."

"Of course! Well, I should get going. My shift starts soon."

"Go on. I'm glad you take your job seriously."

My dad smiled and clapped a hand on my shoulder. I stood my ground, despite the pain from the burn on my shoulder. I couldn't help a smile from stretching across my face. My dad wasn't drunk, which meant I was okay.

 I nodded goodbye and grabbed my bag and a coke from the new box that was in the fridge. My dad must have gotten his paycheck this week. He worked at a factory nearby as it was the only place he could find work. It didn't pay much, but my dad would either spend the money on beer for him or pop for us both, depending on his mood. He seemed happy, and I couldn't help but hope it lasted a while. At least until after interviews.

When I got to the car shop, I went to the back to put on my coveralls.

"Hey, Nic! How's it going?"

I smiled at my coworker, Terry.

"I'm great! How are the kids?"

Terry smiled as she put away her coveralls for the day.

"They're good. They miss you, though. If you ever feel like babysitting a couple of demons, you know who to call!"

I laughed politely, although I knew I would never have time. "They aren't that bad. Give them my best."

"Of course. You have fun in there, and don't work too hard!"

"Alright, Terr. Have a good night."

"And you!"

She winked at me and left. I smiled to myself a bit as I entered the garage, ready to work.

"Hey, boss. What do you need for today?"

The owner, Carlos, pushed himself out from underneath a car, grease streaked across his face.

"Nic, thank goodness! I'm busy with this and there's a customer who's been waiting for a while. Can you go deal with that?"

"You got it, boss. Have fun."

"Nic, wait!"

I turned back and Carlos smiled at me. "Can you pass me that wrench?"

I laughed and did as he asked before heading towards the front, a slight skip in my step. At work, I felt really in my element. I would smile and make jokes with everyone instead of at them, because nobody expected anything of me other than to fix cars.

At home I had to be strong, and at school I put on the tough guy facade to compensate for my lack of self confidence, and it worked, but I felt that if I were to make any friends it could be seen as a weakness. At work, I only saw these people for three afternoons a week. It was like a little pocket separated from everything else.