Saved By Her Penpal

5.

Summer J.
July 25, 2016.
4:00pm.

• • •

"Look..." I blew out a breath. "Both of you are fired. I mean there was no way any outside beef should have escalated into a fight." I scolded my two young newest employees, they were both seventeen. "It was unprofessional and we've lost multiple paying customers for this" I told them and they acted as if they didn't even care. "Know what you're dismissed, I have an interview to do"

They said something under their breath and stormed out. I would of been wrong to snatch they little asses up and beat some sense into their asses.

Being manager at an popular restaurant was stressful along with going to school as well. But, I had a vision and I couldn't lose focus now. I thought that being the employee was aggravating. It was way harder managing teens, different races and ages.

"Come in" I said to whoever was knocking at the door.

"Hey beautiful" Dremond took a seat and I playfully rolled my eyes.

"What do you want boy?"

He looked over me and bit his lip. "I mean I can bend-"

"I'm gone fire you" I laughed. "You're sixteen and I ain't going out like that. Besides I told you to be professional at all times now." I reminded him pointing my finger at him. "Now what's going on?"

He sighed. "I apologize, I just like to play to keep my mind off things. But, I was wondering if I could fix my daughter something to eat? You could take it out of my check tomorrow." He rubbed his head. "I was rushing here this morning and forgot to get her lunch bag"

"Where is her mother?" I asked pulling out my purse and handing him twenty dollars. "She usually have her on the weekend right? I wouldn't of scheduled you if I known you had her."

"Uhm" he choked up. "She just passed yesterday morning. Her kidneys failed." He let a tear fall. "I never really told you, she had lupus and it wasn't looking too good, not for a while." He really broke down and I just got up and hugged him.

I made him look at me. "Listen you could have came to me, I know I may seem mean but I'm not. You're really in here working with your daughter and her mother just passed?" I wiped my eyes, this just hit me. "I know you need the money for her, but your mental health and that two year old out there" I pointed to the door. "Is what's important. She needs you now more than ever"

"Thank you, but if I don't work then I can't provide for her you know? She needs me so I'm not trying to be like my dad a deadbeat and a drug dealer. I don't want her to know that life or grow up around it like I had too." He wiped his eyes. "Imma get back to work now, and go check on her"

"Wait. Go home for the day, take little mamma to get some food and take her on a Ice-cream date or something" I rubbed his back. "Don't worry about it, just give yourself time to grieve and time with your daughter" I told him, he thanked me again and walked out.

Dremond was my best worker and it was sad to hear his situation, I always knew he was basically a single father but I never knew why. He was only fourteen when he had his baby, which was too young to be having kids in my opinion. But he was a great father to her. Not wanting to be on the streets making fast money at his age says a lot about him. Most kids want to be like their father when growing up, not him though. He took the background he came from and wanted better for his daughter.