“No problem,” I said, thinking about the minutes ticking by and wondering how many of them were past the time when I should have been at work. “As long as you’re alright.”
“I am. I will be. What can I do to repay you?”
“Nothing.” I shook my head. “I’m just glad I was there.”
“At least let me buy you lunch.”
“I have to work,” I said. “I’ll be there until this evening.”
She laughed. “Tomorrow, then.”
I nodded. The next day was my day off, so I could meet with her without having to worry about not getting to work on time.
“Alright,” I said.
“Great.”
We exchanged information, and I rushed away. I’d used up all the extra time I had that morning, and by the time I got into the diner, I was late. No one paid much attention to me as I rushed in and went for the time clock. Maybe this was going to be the moment when the Universe paid me back for my good deed by making it so I went unnoticed and could just slide intomy shift.
“Jodi.”
And maybe that was still a bunch of poetic nonsense.
I turned around to face my boss.
“Mr. Murphy,” I said. “I am so sorry I’m late. It was out of my control.”
“This is the third time in the last month.”
“I know. But I really couldn’t help it. I know you hear from people when they’re late all the time, but I actually mean it. I have a police report to back it up,” I said.
I hadn’t actually meant to pull the crime witness card, but he looked angry, and it just kind of fell out of my mouth. The expression on Mr. Murphy’s face went from upset to worried in a split second.
“A police report? Are you okay? What happened?” he asked.
“I’m fine. There was a mugging, and I intervened. I had to talk to the police and everything. That’s what made me late.”
He looked at me for a few seconds, and I could almost see the gears turning in his head. Finally, he nodded.
“Alright. That earns you a pass.” I relaxed a little, and he leaned slightly toward me. “This time. But you need to understand I can’t just keep looking the other way. If you’re late again, you’re going to lose your job.”
Any relief I felt drained away, and I nodded. “I understand.”
“Okay. Get to work. We’re swamped out there.”
He walked away, and I let out a breath, feeling a bit shaky as I clocked in. I definitely didn’t want to lose my job. It wasn’t the most glamorous job I’d ever had, but it also definitely wasn’t the worst. The people were nice, the tips were good, and it was helping me build up my meager savings. And those needed all the help they could get.
I put my head down and poured all my energy into doing my job, but the woman and her little boy never really left my mind.
It was a long day, and I made it even longer by staying late to help one of the other girls who had gotten swamped with tables right before my shift ended. When everything was finally under control, I left and went back to my rental room. Exhausted, I peeled myself out of my work clothes and took a shower before sitting down to count my tips.
Peeling off a few of the bills, I set them aside for food and other expenses. The vast majority of the money went into the small portable safe kept at the bottom of my duffle bag. It might not have been the most secure option in the world, but it was what I had.
With that finished, I pulled out my old laptop. It was time for my daily check to see if they were still looking for me. Opening up the usual sequence of pages, I saw my real name still splashed all over social media. They hadn’t let up. I didn’t know how long it would take until they finally did. Maybe they never would.
So, I would just keep moving.
Tucking the computer away, I stretched out across my mattress and closed my eyes. This wasn’t how I expected my life to be. When I was a little girl, there was a very different path set out in front of me. But I wouldn’t go back to it. Even with the struggle, the long hours, the rented room. Even with feeling like I was never really settled, I would never want to be on that path again. Freedom was far better than status.