Building Bridges

Chapter Three

Guess what?

By midnight, while working in the station, I saw my sister, my stepsister I mean, and she was with a bunch of her friends in a suv, and she was seemed so happy.

And contrary to what I thought, the people she is frequenting aren't that bad, they seemed quite descent, and not the dangerous kind.

So, to not embarrass her, I did as if we didn't know each other.

So she is having a life of her own!

She deserves it, because being trapped in such a house with such a family isn't that cool at all.

I've never been to school before, so, I never had friends or experienced what normal kids do, but I am grateful for what I have.

I finished my shift and headed to the bakery, but I was way too early, so I waited in the alley beside the dumping, it was freaking cold, and so I fell asleep, but woke up in time to see the backdoor opening so I rushed up and walked to it.

-"Hi there!" The owner said with a smile.

-"Hello" I greeted and went in.

-"Your friend is going to be late" he said and went to do his work like last time.

-"Oh!" Was all I could manage to say as I put on the apron.

It was getting warmer and warmer, the ovens were releasing high temperatures that warmed my bones.

I ended up taking off my sweater and staying with my black wife beater under the apron.

Just as I finished covering the dough, I heard the backdoor opening and closing, and I turned in time to watch a tired boy my age stumbling in.

-"Sorry I'm late!" He apologized sheepishly.

-"It's okay! Come in" the owner said with a smile.

I observed him as he took off his jacket and wore his apron, walked to the sink, washed his hands and walked to me while wiping his hands in a towel, with a smile showing his dimples.

-"Dylan" he greeted while taking his place in front of me by the other side of the working space.

-"Steve" I said and went to check on the dough as if I didn't just covered it to let it rise.

-"Sorry! I left most of the work on you" he apologized again.

-"It's okay" I said and went to prepare some puff pastry since the owner prepared the dough already.

-"Let me make the croissants, you make the Jalousie" he said as he took half the dough.

-"The what? You speak french?" I said surprised.

-"Sorry! Make the croissant, I'm gonna make the Jalousie myself, and yeah, I speak french, and Five other languages that my mother forced me to since I started talking" he said with a sigh.

-"Wow!" Was all I said as I started spreading the dough and cutting it in long triangles to make the croissants.

After finishing, we shaped the bread dough and let it rise again.

By seven a.m, we finished cleaning our work space and changed ready to go, but not before the owner gave us fresh bread, croissants, muffins and Jalousie, it was enough to feed an army, even when we tried to refuse he threatened us to get angry and never talk to us again.

Steve insisted on giving me a ride, but I refused, he seemed so tired, so I send him home to rest.

I headed home, and to my surprise, I found my older sister by the sofa with a luggage by the side of the sofa.

-"Vivian" I greeted and she looked surprised to hear me, she was in deep though to even notice my presence.

-"Dylan" a tired smile morphed into her face.

-"So you are leaving for good this time?" I asked while dropping my head.

-"Yeah, I finally found my way, the life that I wanted for so long" she said as she stood up to walk to me.

-"Is that boyfriend of yours that amazing?" I pouted.

And I watched her freezing mid action as she was bowing down to get her luggage.

-"What?" She asked in surprise.

-"You are leaving to live with your boyfriend" I stayed calmly.

-"No! That time I was angry, that's why I said that, the truth is that I've never had a boyfriend! I'm leaving with my friends, we are starting our business in the capital, we are going to have our own magazine and journalists careers, we are finally going to do something good" she said and I was amazed.

-"Wow! Congratulations! Vivian...God! I'm so happy for you!" I said and rushed to engulf her in a warm sincere embrace.

She seemed to freeze for a moment, but then, she hugged me back.

-"Are you for real? Aren't you angry?" She said in surprise as she pushed away from me to look at me with suspicion.

-"What? No! I'm happy that one of us is finally going to have a life of their own away from this shithole." I said and she smiled with tears in her eyes.

-"I'm sorry Dylan! I shouldn't leave like that" she said and we heard horns outdoors.

-"That must be your ride, here, this is some fresh bread and muffins for the road, take care" I said giving her half the muffins and a baguette of bread and helped her with her luggage.

She left with her friends, three cars, one road, and one goal.

I returned inside to find my siblings coming downstairs one by one, I fed them and sent them to school, then, took the toddler to the kindergarten and returned home to flop down on the sofa after tossing my clothes away to fall asleep on my boxers.

I opened my eyes to the sound of keys, looked up from the sofa to find my brother entering the house with our new next door neighbor that seemed to be his age, they were both holding a toddler.

-"Isaac! What are you doing here with the toddlers? Is it already time?" I said disoriented.

-"They called in the middle of studying to tell me the caretaker collapsed and to come take the toddlers since you don't have a phone, and I met Sam in the way here, he saw me struggling with the twins so he helped me" he said as he walked to set the sleeping toddler beside me on the sofa.

-"Hello Sam! Sorry for the bother" I said while rubbing my eyes and standing up to go to the kitchen.

-"I'm hungry brother, I wanna eat something" Isaac bitched from the living room.

I prepared some coffee and cut the Jalousie, put half into a plate and preserved the other for Sam to take home with some bread.

I entered the living room with a tray to find them playing Xbox by the sofa.

-"Here! Eat something before you starve to death" I teased him and they both turned to look at the table to be amazed at the viennoiserie.

-"What's this?" Isaac asked as he stuffed his face with a share.

-"Jalousie"

-"Wow! It's so yummy!" Sam said while chewing.

-"Isn't it? I saved you a share to take with you home" I said and watched his face brighten.

-"I gotta take the toddlers upstairs to sleep" I said and lifted the twins and walked upstairs.

By time the kids came from school, I fed them and started preparing dinner, Sam left before dinner after refusing politely my offer to stay.

After cleaning everything and putting everyone to bed, I went downstairs to watch something on TV before leaving for work.