Chapter 4 Not my mom2

I walked back to the locker room. Jane was chatting animatedly with some ladies who had gathered around her, hungry for some juicy gossip in our otherwise dull days of work.

"What happened?" Mrs. Doolittle said when I walked back to my locker.

'Nothing, someone told her I made a mistake. She'll change things around so I don't get in anyone's way'.

She nodded as she read my response before smiling, her body slumping in relief, "thank God, I really thought you were in trouble".

My heart warmed at her kind words. Mrs. Doolittle then walked away, as soon as she reached her locker, the women who were around Jane crowded around her this time as she delivered the not so thrilling news. Most of them were annoyed at the changes to come because they were already used to where and how they worked.

I quickly changed and left the stiffling atmosphere of the locker room. My aching legs carried me to my next destination. Another job. A part time job that was closer to my apartment than my full time job, but that was slightly similar.

I washed dishes in a small diner, from eight to eleven. All I had to do was clean what they put for me, no communication needed with the busy staff of the kitchen. Luckily the place was close enough to my apartment that I reached around midnight.

1

It was dark, Jim wasn't home yet. I walked to the kitchen after locking the door, going to look for something to eat. But then I remembered I had to shop for groceries.

I sighed and slumped on a chair, holding my head in my blistered hands. Cleaning did that to your hands, even with gloves.

My feet throbbed from a full day of standing up. But I dragged myself to the shower after eating some cereal. It wasn't much, but it was better than to stay hungry when the only thing I had all day was a dry toast and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. 1

Be thankful, I told myself as the warm water washed the tiredness of the day off, there are people out there who don't even have a drop of clean water. 4

I waited for Jim after my shower. I had to speak to him. He couldn't keep going this way. I sent him a message and he replied saying he'll be here in thirty minutes.

He arrived in an hour.

I was dozing off on the couch when he entered, the only thing alerting me to his arrival was the movement of the couch as it dipped when slumped next to me.

"What's wrong?" he said turning towards me so I could better read his lips. I gave him my phone, showing him the text from school while I rubbed my face tiredly. It was close to two and I had to be up at five.

Jim rolled his eyes before giving me the phone.

"It's no big deal", he said running his hands through his blond locks.

'It is!!', I wrote in the board that I had in my lap, looking at him incredulously. He rolled his eyes again before huffing and standing up.

"It's not like they're teaching us anything important. I told you I'm just a sophomore and I ...."

He spoke too fast after that that I couldn't read his lips, I frowned and held up my hands making him stop talking.

'I didn't catch what you said', I wrote. He read before huffing again.

"Never mind. You don't need to worry about school, I'll take care of it".

'I'm working my ass off so you can finish high school and do something with your life!'

My hands were shaking with anger and frustration while I wrote. He read it before frowning at me, then spoke while throwing his hands up wildly.

"I never asked you to work for me. If you're going to bitch about it just stop. I'll figure something out. You're not my mother."