Hearts, Scars & Horseshoes

Chapter 21 - Toby

I wiped the sweat from my face, my breathing labored as I came to a seated position on the pink mat below me. I think my mom was trying to punish me. For what, I wasn't sure.

"That was good today Tobias." She said, calm and cool as ever.

I would normally insert some complaints into the conversation about how I was certain she was killing me and how 45 minutes was way too excessive but my thoughts were elsewhere. Where exactly were they? On Faith. We hadn't set any concrete plans for seeing each other again but I owed her a better dinner than Taco Bell. I needed to figure out a way to bum some extra cash off my mom without her asking questions. But really I just needed a job.

"What are your plans for the afternoon? I'm making a salad for dinner." My mom said.

I definitely needed a job so I could skip out on my mom's dinners more often. "I'm gonna go apply at some places."

"You are?" My mom asked, clearly shocked by my decision.

"Yeah." I shrugged. "I want to do some things to my truck."

I wasn't going to tell her that there was a girl I was trying to see and I needed money for dates. I'd open up the door for way too many questions and then she'd want to meet Faith. It wasn't that I was against bringing a girl home but I wasn't going to ask her to meet my family when we were still getting to know each other. Plus there was that whole I was lying thing.

"Well where are you going to apply?"

My mom was sitting cross legged, her brown hair pulled back into a short pony. I shrugged, I hadn't put much thought into yet.

"Don't know, where ever."

She was studying me, probably trying to figure out my sudden desire to be employed. I kinda put everything on hold when I got diagnosed. I didn't apply to any colleges, I quit the job at the pizza place down the road, I sort of just stopped everything. Right before my transplant my heart was sucking so much, just walking through the house was nearly enough to kill me. And post transplant my mom was still treating me like I was glass so there hadn't been any pressure to resume a normal 18 year old life. In all honesty though, I was bored and all my friends were starting to move on, getting ready for college and working jobs.

"I'm gonna go shower." I told her as a way of dismissing myself.

She nodded her head, rolling up her mat along side me. "Thanks for working out with me."

I smiled a little, like I had a choice. "Yeah no problem."

I left my mom in the sunroom and headed for the shower.

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Putting in applications was monotonous. I was tired of writing the same information over and over and over just to have the person I handed it to tell me they'd "pass it on". I was ready to go home, eat some food and be done with it. I climbed into my truck and slammed the door shut. I ran my hand down my face, letting out a sigh as I shoved my key into the ignition. I'm not sure what compelled me to look up but I did, my eyes settling on a"now hiring" sign in the window of a small cafe.

I blew out a breath, I just wanted to go home. But I was right here. I pulled the key from the ignition. What was one more repetitive application?

I climbed back out of my truck, stuffing my keys into my jeans and headed for the door. I pushed open the wood door, it stuck in the frame a little, forcing me to shoulder my way in. The place was tiny, wedged between a clothing boutique and antique furniture store. I'd probably driven past it a thousand times but had never even noticed. I must have been the only person because the place was packed. Every table was taken, laughter and chat filling the air.