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We made it to my bedroom and I could tell he was still unsure about whether or not he should jump at this opportunity.
“Listen,” I said, trying to reassure him. “I’m a virgin and I’m not looking to change that anytime soon. But I want you to taste me.”
I didn’t have to ask him twice. In a half second, I was on my bed and he was pulling down my jeans, peeling off my panties, and nuzzling my crotch. I wasn’t sure what I had expected, but it hadn’t been for him to be so enthusiastic about the whole thing. It took a minute to get used to him and figure out our rhythm. In the end, though it had been great and I had seen Rodrigo off and out of the garage before my dad made it back home that evening.
Now, seeing him working on the car at the other end of the garage, it made me feel a little hot to think of the memory. It was the most I had ever done with any guy. I had a feeling that was going to change sometime soon though. I knew that nothing would ever happen between me and Rodrigo again, but the memory of it was nice enough.
I went into the break room where my dad had finished making coffee and was now pouring a cup for him and one for me. I smiled. “Morning.”
“How ya doing, sweets?”
“Good. We expecting much today?”
He shook his head. “No, but there is one thing I want to talk to you about. Come into my office.” He handed me the mug of steaming coffee and I followed him into the crowded office. It was only big enough for a desk, his chair, and two chairs across from the desk. The rest of the place was stacked high with papers, the definition of a fire hazard, and I couldn’t remember the last time the place had been cleaned out. I was certain that somewhere in the stacks there were receipts from before I was born.
“Have a seat.”
I sat down in one of the chairs across from him and watched as he sat down with a sigh. He looked a little troubled like he had something on his mind, and that wasn’t really like him at all. We were close, but not the type of family that confided our deepest feelings or anything like that. My dad was a good guy, a little bit old fashioned and buttoned up. He didn’t like anyone to see his weaknesses, least of all me.
“What’s up?” I asked, trying to keep my tone light and not indicate that I thought something was going on.
“Well, I’ll just get right down to it. Money is pretty tight around here and what with us doing a little less business than usual, I’ve been having to look at things on a monthly basis. I don’t think I can afford to keep employing the same number of people around here.”
I blinked, trying to make sense of what he was saying. Sure, I had noticed that we didn’t have quite the same amount of work, but it was still enough to keep us all busy throughout the week. There wasn’t as much on the weekends anymore, but that didn’t seem to be a big deal.
“You’ve only got me, Rodrigo, and George. That’s not many employees.”
He nodded and let out a sigh. “I know. It’s not many at all. And I wish I could afford to keep everyone on. It’s just not in the cards, Tay. I’m looking at the books and seeing how things stack up and I’ve got to do what needs to be done.”
It suddenly hit me—was my dad firing me?
“Wait, me? Are you letting me go?”
He looked taken aback and shook his head. “You? No, of course not. You’re the best worker I’ve got around here. You’re young, but you’re the best. I can’t be ageist about all of this and let George go either. He’s younger than I am. I figure the only fair thing is to let the last person I hired be the one to go.”
/> And that meant it was going to be Rodrigo. I turned to look out the office window that faced into the garage. Rodrigo was still busy working like he had been long before I arrived this morning.
“Jesus, Dad. It seems so unfair to do that to him. He’s been working here for a while after all and he’s such a good worker. I’d hate to see him cut off so abruptly. Isn’t there anything else we can do to make this work?”
My dad shrugged and shook his head. “I’ve looked at the books every which way and tried to find the extra money, but as long as we aren’t pulling in the same amount of work we once were, it’s not going to help for me to try to find money in the books. It’s not there. There’s nothing to pay him. I’m going to give him two weeks notice and let it go from there. I feel like that’s as fair as I can be, even though I wish I could be better to the guy. He’s been good to us.”
I nodded slowly and sipped my coffee. Now that my dad had dropped this bomb I had no desire to go back out into the garage and face Rodrigo.
“When are you going to tell him?” I asked solemnly.
“I figure the sooner the better would be in his best interest. I just wanted to give you a heads up so you wouldn’t be surprised. I think he’s a pretty level-headed guy. I’m not worried about him blowing up or anything.”
“Probably not.” I thought that Rodrigo would be okay, but hearing that you’re being let go isn’t easy news for anyone to take. I hoped that he would be fine with the news in the end. It was going to be a tough two weeks after this though.
“You doing okay, Tay?” My dad asked, a look of concern on his face.
I nodded my head and brushed it off as I stood to leave the office.
“Yeah, it’s nothing. Just worried about him. And us. Is there anything I can do to make things better?”
He shook his head. “You just keep being you. You do good, hard work and I don’t know what I would do without you here. Thanks, Tay.”
I smiled at him and stepped out of the office, leaving the door open. I went to work on one of the cars that was parked outside of the garage, close enough to be within earshot, but far enough away that it gave the two men some privacy for this conversation they were going to be having. I was sure I wouldn’t want anyone else to witness this if it was happening to me and I didn’t want to do anything to damage Rodrigo’s pride.
