CHAPTER 1 - ALWAYS TEMPORARY
“You’re fired.”
Despite Ralph's daily threats to fire me, I never thought he would dare to follow through.
“Ralph, please don’t do this. I need this job.”
Ralph’s salami sub spilled over his beer belly, making him too preoccupied to hear my plea.
“You should’ve thought about that before you showed up late for the third shift this week. I can’t keep asking others to cover until you decide to show up,” he said in between stuffed bites. “I’m sorry, Noémie. You’re a sweet girl, but this is a business.”
I couldn’t find the words to beg for my job back. Ralph seemed more than content with his decision. His ass didn’t even wait for me to leave the office before he scratched my name out on the schedule, replacing it with someone named Jenny.
Hopefully, Jenny didn’t have a mother who went missing for days on end. It was a week since the last time Lianne walked through our apartment door, and while I could take care of myself as a full-grown adult, my baby sister Chloe couldn’t. I was always stuck watching her once Lianne decided she was tired of being a parent.
“Noe, girl, where are you going? We have a packed house. Mr. Leroy and his buddies are asking for you,” my ex coworker Mona said after I ran into her on the way out.
“Sorry Mona. You’re going to have to ask someone else to take them. Ralph just fired me.”
I took a long glance at the place. Phoebe’s was a rundown diner that paid little to nothing, but the regulars and my coworkers made it feel like home. It was the only job that I kept longer than six months; Ralph let me off the hook more than a handful of times when Lianne was on her bullshit.
Mona put down the dirty trays in her hands and scurried over to me.
“Seriously? How the hell does he keep butt-crack Bill in the kitchen, but let go of one of his best servers?”
“To be fair, butt-crack Bill makes some good mashed potatoes. It keeps the customers coming back,” I chuckled.
“Still. Ralph is trippin’. You give a hundred and ten percent to this place. Let me talk to him. I’m sure I can get him to come to his senses,” Mona offered.
“It’s ok, girl. I don’t want you to put your job at risk just to defend me. You need this money to pay for your tuition,” I reminded her. “I’ll find a new gig. I always do.”
Mona gave me a look of defeat before pulling me in for a hug.
“I’m going to miss you, Noe. We’ll have to grab drinks sometime. I’ll call you!”
“Oh, for sure.” I smiled.
I couldn’t count how many times I had that conversation with former coworkers.
After giving Phoebe’s one last glance, I left the corner mom and pop diner and headed towards my car.
“Fuck,” I cursed, finding a big fat ticket on my windshield. I was in such a rush that I forgot to pay for parking. Before I could have a complete meltdown about my sudden stroke of bad luck, my phone rang, distracting me.
“Hello?” I answered, morosely.
“Hey Noémie, it’s Marsha. Chloe isn’t feeling too good. I took her temperature, and she’s running a mild fever. Are you or Lianne able to come get her?”
“Yeah. I’ll be there in a little. Tell her to just sit tight.”
“Alrighty then. See you soon.”
In no time, I headed back to Ms. Marsha's to get Chloe. And to think, having to drop her off was the reason I had gotten fired.
I flicked on the radio as I came to a red light. The May weather was flourishing - no cloud in sight, sun blazing, the smell of bbq on the grill and the cha-cha slide blasting loudly on a block party to my right. It was a beautiful day, a contrast to how I felt inside.
“Kacey Jacoby is making headlines yet again after a brawl outside of Live NightClub. This is his third arrest this year. The L.A Lions have yet to make a statement.”
My ears perked up at 109.8 radio station coming through my speaker.
“As we know, Kacey is one of the top players in the NBA. He comes from a long line of stars, including his father, NBA legend Jonathan Jacoby. Kid has had it easy his entire life. We wanna know, how much beef does this rich kid have?” Krystle, the host, quizzed.
“Apparently enough to keep costing his parents millions in legal fees and bribes.” Mike D, her co-star, replied. “I feel bad for his teammates. He causes havoc everywhere he goes - even on the court. He’s spoiled.”
“Hopefully, he gets his act together soon. His recent arrest is making its rounds on social media, and let’s just say - the fans aren’t happy.”
Looks like I’m not the only one having an awful day.
Approaching Ms. Marsha’s house, I turned down the radio to greet her and Chloe, who were already on the step, awaiting my arrival.
“Sorry that I had to call you back so quickly. I would hate it if the other kids got sick. Or even worse, Henderson. His immune system is like a newborn’s,” she chuckled at the jab towards her husband.
“It’s ok, Ms. Marsha. Thanks anyway.”
I gestured for Chloe to hop in the back.
“Also, before I forget. Lianne is late with her monthly payment. Do you know when she plans on paying?” she asked.
“I don’t, sorry. I’ll let her know when I see her.”
“Well, as much as I love little miss Chloe, this can’t go on for too much longer. Tell your mama to call me if she wants to work this out. Otherwise, she’ll have to find another sitter.”
I nodded.
“I understand.”
I didn’t need any more bad news for the day, but just like I expected, Ms. Marsha wanted to chop it up like we were old girlfriends.
“Chloe is lucky to have a big sister like you, Noémie. You take care of her well. Lord knows your momma could learn a thing or two from her own damn child. And I know it may be challenging to be watching over her at your age, but she appreciates it. You’re all she talks about. Noe this. Noe that,” Ms. Marsha said as her eyes rested on a zoned out Chloe.
“Thank you, Ms. Marsha.”
Her words made a slight difference in my mood, but the resentment that I had for a position I didn’t ask for was way more prominent.
“Oh, you’re welcome, sweetie. I won’t hold you up, though. Chloe needs a bath, a medicine ball and a cold compress. That’ll do her good. Feel better, Chloe!”
Chloe waved goodbye to Ms. Marsha, and I did the same before pulling back into traffic.
“How come you didn’t say you weren’t feeling well, Chlo?” I glanced at her in the rearview mirror. She wasn’t her usual perky self, so I should’ve known.
“You were mad because Mommy didn’t come home. I didn’t want to make you madder.”
I sighed. “You never have to be afraid to tell me anything. Even if I seem angry at the moment.”
“Ok. Can we get ice-cream?” she asked, excitedly.
The last thing I needed to be doing was spending unnecessary money now that I didn’t have a job, but Chloe’s pouty face mixed with my self loathe made ice cream sound like the perfect remedy. I made a detour to Sticky’s, a local dessert shop that always cured a sweet tooth. We ordered our regular vanilla-chocolate swirl sundaes with sprinkles and sat in our favorite middle booth to enjoy them. It was straight home after that. Lianne had not yet returned, and I wasn’t the least bit surprised. Her record was twenty-one days. It was only day eight.
I couldn’t be out of work for long. I didn’t have anyone to depend on, while Chloe depended on me.
* * *
Lianne returned home four days later. 2:30am, amid me applying for jobs and listening to the thunderstorm. I could hear her shoes skip across the front room and a long, exhausted sigh followed. Running away from your responsibilities could make anyone tired, I bet.
When I could hear her footsteps approaching the hallway, I said a silent prayer that she would keep it moving. She was a muttering, drunk mess. I could tell, although I hadn’t even laid an eye on her.
“Noe, my Noe,” she sang, poking her head in. “What are you doing up?”
Lianne’s golden complexion was dull, tired. Bags sat at the base of her doe sable eyes, curly thin lashes covered in dry mascara fanning over them. Her thin frame drowned in a red slip dress, with her long tresses sloppily hanging over her rounded shoulders.
“Just getting some work done,” I muttered.
“Work?” she slurred. “It’s almost 3am. You should be asleep. It’ll keep you looking young. Trust me, I know.”
“I’m going to bed soon. I just have to finish this last thing.”
I glanced at her momentarily, then back to the laptop. “How was your time with Jeff?”
She didn’t have to tell me that’s where she was. I already knew. Jeff was the type to want the woman, but not her baggage. And my mother was the type to forget quickly that she had baggage in order to keep a man like that. Even if it was temporary. It was always temporary. When it was something new, she was the nicest person in the world. When it failed, because it always failed, she blamed us.
What good man wants to take care of a woman’s kids?
I deserve a good man. You two ruin everything.
Lianne pushed herself into my room and laid at the edge of my bed.
“Jeff is done. Finito. Mothafucker couldn’t even give me money to get my nails done this week or fill up the fridge. I’m going to have to call Randy for a sugar loan.”
Sugar loan. Lianne’s preferred method of credit.
“Men are stupid, Noe. Never ever, ever fall in love with a man. They’ll do you bad, girly. Real bad.” Lianne vented with her eyes pinned on the ceiling. “They’ll love you all up, then bail like a rat in a snake pit.”
She tilted her head to look at me.
“You’re not like me, though. You’re smart - get that from your daddy. He won the regional spelling bee in the tenth grade.”
I snickered as I closed my laptop shut.
“Yup, you tell me that story all the time.”
“See. I didn’t always make poor decisions.” She giggled and then drunkenly hiccuped.
I didn’t feel like thinking about what my life would’ve been like had I known my dad. All I had were stories that Lianne rambled whenever she was drunk, and then miraculously forgot the next morning. This time was no different. She was in act two of her favorite tale, how they met, when she jumped up and made a full dash for the bathroom.
My first instinct was to shut my door and tune out the echo of her vomiting with my headphones. But I dragged my feet to the bathroom. I pulled her hair away from her face and rubbed her back soothingly. Lianne pulled her head out of the toilet and wiped her dripping mouth, then shoved past me towards the sink.
“I don’t need your help,” she hissed coldly.
“Fine,” I said, passing her a washcloth. “It’s some ginger ale and crackers in the cupboards if your stomach gets queasy again.”
That would at least keep the hacking sounds at bay. Lianne hated to feel like she needed anybody, even though she needed everybody. There wasn’t a single person in our life that she hadn’t swindled, back stabbed or just rubbed the wrong way. So, her rejection didn’t surprise me. I preferred it. Now I could just get some sleep.