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Leon's voice cut through the music, “Casey! Get over here and clean up this spill.”
I flinched.
“Well, I guess I lost my chance to use the bathroom,” I muttered, trying to be funny.
Malcolm looked up and caught Leon's eye, calling out to him. “She's helping me with something, Mr. Bryant,” he said. “Is it okay if I borrow her for a second?”
I stared at Malcolm, wide-eyed and slack jawed.
“Oh, Mr. Crane,” Leon said, walking over to us. “I'm so sorry, I didn't see you over here.”
The two men shook hands and exchanged pleasantries while I stood there just watching the both of them. My bladder continued screaming at me. I was so close, yet so far away, from finally relieving myself.
Leon looked over at me and said, “She's not causing you any problems, is she?”
“Of course not, Leon,” Malcolm scoffed. “She's actually keeping me company and listening to my woes. She's proving to be very helpful and friendly.”
Leon side-eyed me, as if he found that hard to believe. I wanted to say, Hey, I'm not always a raging bitch. Not when the customer doesn't deserve it. I kept my mouth shut, though, since I knew it could only get me into trouble. Malcolm seemed to be doing a good job of helping me out of this mess. Leon, I swear, was looking for a reason to fire me. “Well, I would never pull her away from you, Mr. Crane,” Leon said.
He stepped away, and I heard him yelling at Raya, who happened to be standing behind the bar in the front still. Right where I'd left her.
“Since you're just standing around, you can clean up this spill,” he said.
I mouthed the words, “I'm sorry,” in her direction, feeling terrible that Raya was stuck cleaning up the mess and dealing with Leon.
Malcolm leaned close to me and whispered into my ear – his warm breath causing my flesh to tingle.
“Run to the bathroom really quickly,” he said. “I'll keep a watch out for you and distract Leon if he comes back down this way again.”
“Thank you,” I said, wanting to kiss him in that moment.
He gave me a cocky grin and motioned for me to go into the bathroom. I hurried inside and did my business, trying not to take too long. I washed my hands and placed them under the dryer when the bathroom door swung open, a flourish of henna and patchouli announcing her arrival.
“Raya?”
“Halleluiah! I'm free at last,” she said. She was cackling like an idiot. “Oh, my Goddess, Casey, I just told Leon to take this job and shove it. So cliche, but sooo worth it to see the look on his constipated face. You totally should come with me – I'm going to grab breakfast to celebrate, and I'd love it if you could celebrate kicking this shitty job to the curb with me.”
“I can't, Raya,” I said. “You know I can't quit.”
“Come on,” she grabbed my hands before they finished drying and shook them. “Breakfast. You and me. And hell, if you want to bring Mr. Handsome with you, he can come too. The more the merrier!”
“How about I join you after my shift?” I said. “It ends in just over an hour and –”
“Casey,” Raya whined. “You deserve better than this place, chica. You shouldn't have to put up with Leon's shit – or those handsy pigs out on the floor, either. This job is so shitty and you're so smart and pretty and hard working – ”
“But I have bills to pay and kids to feed,” I said. “It's not just about me, Raya.”
God, I wished it was sometimes. I wished I could be like her – free to quit this awful job once and for all. Free to be myself and pursue my flights of fancy, no matter where they took me. If I just had to worry about my own bills, I could have found something else. Something better.
Maybe it wouldn't have paid as much as I made there, but if I was only worried about taking care of myself, it could have worked. I had my brother, sister and mother to take care of, though, and I couldn't just leave them hanging until I found something else. The electric bill was already late, and they were going to shut us off Monday if I didn't make enough tonight to cover it.
I had problems Raya just couldn't understand. She was free to do what she wanted because she had parents who were backing her up. I didn't have that. I didn't have anybody. No safety net of any kind, whatsoever.
“Alright, alright, I can't make you leave an abusive situation until you're ready.” Raya completely dismissed the fact that it wasn't a choice – I literally couldn't leave. She sighed. “I'll head over to IHOP. Meet me there when you get off.”
My body ached, and I just wanted to go to bed. Plus, money spent on pancakes was money that could go toward groceries this week. I'd just have a coffee, I decided. Or maybe just a glass of ice water.
“I'll meet you there as soon as I'm off,” I promised.
