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“Okay, I’ll try it.”
I give my order to the barista as she rings me up, “That’ll be twelve seventy-five”
I take out my wallet but Derrick holds out his debit card as he winks at me, “On me.”
“Thank you,” I say w
ith a slight smirk and we make our way to an empty booth in the back corner of the café.
The barista arrives with our orders and hands us extra napkins. “Enjoy your meal.”
I look at my sandwich and practically engulf it with my eyes. “Wow, this looks delicious.”
Derrick passes me an extra napkin, “Dig in”
We eat in a comfortable silence for the first few minutes. Derrick finishes his meal and sips his coffee. As I devour the last bite of my sandwich, I catch Derrick staring at me. I grab a napkin to hide my stuffed face and blush with embarrassment.
Derrick laughs, “Good, huh?”
I swallow the last chunk of bread, “Yes it was. Thanks for bring me here.” I take another sip of my coffee.
Derrick leans in closer, “So, are you from around here?”
I shake my head, “No, I’m from New York. I just moved here a little over a year ago.”
“How do you like Chicago?”
“It reminds me of home, you know, the big city life. I enjoy it here.”
“Do you visit home often?”
I bow my head and take a deep breath, “Actually, I haven’t been back since I left. I’m on my own, so I have no reason to go back.”
He turns to look outside through the café’s window, “No parents?”
“No, it’s a long story and it’s still a little raw for me to talk about.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.”
I shake off the despair, “It’s okay.”
“So, Three Aces, huh? You like working there?”
I shrug my shoulders, “I enjoy the people there but I need to find something better. It’s hard finding a job, though. The market is terrible.”
“What are you looking for?”
“Honestly, just an office job. Anything secretarial or administrative would be great. Easy nine-to-five job, Monday through Friday. Apparently, finding one is harder than I thought.”
Derrick’s eye glimmer in the light as if an idea popped into his head, “Hey, I have a cousin who owns a small business. He’s looking for a secretary. I can give you his info. In fact, I think the company is hosting a small job fair next week. You should swing by.”
My heart stops and my hands clap, “Are you serious? Yes! That would be great!”
“I’ll call him up later and get the info.”
“Thank you so much! I really appreciate it.”
Fifteen minutes later, we clean up our table and exit the coffee shop. Derrick offers to walk me home and we take a quick stroll through the park. He tells me about his tight-knit family, his wild nights in college, and his love for the Chicago Cubs. The cool summer breeze feels good against my hot and sweaty skin and I let my hair out of its bun to settle against my back.
