I walk down the street to the bus stop and get there right as the bus driver pulls up. I pull out my zebra print wallet and show the drive my bus pass and walk down the aisle to the back of the bus and sit next to the window. I watch as the cars pass by wishing of a better life. Why do things have to be like this? None of it’s fair.
5 blocks later, I end up in West End and get off the bus. I head down the street to GeorgeTown Cleaners on the corner of Macy and 3rd street. I’ve been working there for a year now. It’s the only way to help moms out with all the bills we got. It pays good and I don’t got to worry about it getting shot up and robbed. Got the best damn security system in West End. Lots of girls at my school work in West End; whether it’s to babysit or an actual job because all the girls in West End have parents to pay for they every need. And you aint gotta worry about getting shot.
I punch in and grab my new schedule. I look down at the blue sheet and get disappointed. Man forget this. Hours cut. Again. I walk down the hall to my bosses office. Julie’s sitting at her desk looking down at some papers.
“Boss, come on now with the hours.” I say to Julie, my boss. Julie’s a middle aged women who looks pretty damn good for being 57. She keeps her hair on lock and skin wrinkle free. She claims she don’t use botox, but no one believes her.
“Look, we just hired on two more full time people. I’m sorry, Celina.” She says to me without looking away from her paper work.
“Boss, but I gotta pay for bills and stuff. I need this job.” I reply. Julie takes off her glasses and looks at me with pain in her eyes.
“I know, honey, but I need people working when you’re at school.”
“Why can’t they be part time then? Leave when I get here? Come on! I walk here all the way from East End. How’s I supposed to pay for bills and savings for college if I aint got money?” Julie pinches the bridge of her nose and shakes her head before looking at me again.
“Why are you so young and paying for bills already? Your mother needs to get her things together and do what a mother is supposed to do. You are a teenager. You are supposed to get hours cut and have it not bother you or cause a ripple in your life. Look, everyones hours got cut, Celina.” She says to me. I look down trying not to cry.
“Yeah, well I need this job more than anyone here.” I whisper. I turn and leave before Julie can say anything more to me.
I walk out back to the smoking section and spot my boyfriend, Robbie. I take a deep breath and calm my voice before walking to him.
“Hey can I bum a smoke off you?” I say as Robbie wraps his arms around either side of my waist and kisses me.
“Don’t have any.” He says in between kisses. “What’s wrong?” He asks. I put my face in his chest and breath in his scent of Dolce and Gabbana, weed, and Newport menthols.
“Work.” I say to him. I listen to his heart beat. The soft thuds of each beat slowly start to calm me. I let my head move out with his chest with each drag of the cigarette and collapse with each release of smoke.
“What happened this time?” He asks before taking another drag. I take the cigarette from him and take a huge drag from it. He blows the smoke away from my face.
“Hours got cut.” I say as smoke flows out of my mouth and nostrils. Robbie shakes his head and starts pacing.
“That aint right though. She knows that you can’t afford for your hours to be cut like that. Just wait til my dad hears about this, he’ll do something.” I roll my eyes at him and sit at the picnic table and take another drag of the cigarette before handing it back to Robbie. I scratch at the wooden table.
