Page 35 of My Dear Mr. Corporate

CHAPTER 16

Bryan

I glanced at my watch and sighed with relief. My shift was over. This had to be the longest day of my life. When the restaurant had called me yesterday and asked me to report today for work, it had been surreal. I had even forgotten about applying. For a while, I had thought of turning down the offer, and Tate hadn’t been any help for me to make up my mind either. He had insisted the choice was mine then casually added that I didn’t have to work if I didn’t want to. I believed it was that last remark of his that had me saying yes to the job. I still hadn’t used the credit card he had provided me, and I was dangerously close to depleting my life savings— not that I had much in the first place. Between paying for two-year college out of pocket and being employed to Keith for only six months before he fired me, I didn’t have much saved up. While living with Tate and driving his car, I didn’t ask him to purchase miscellaneous items I needed from time to time. Giving me the car was enough too so I took care of the gas on my own.

Already familiar with the setting of a restaurant and what was required of me, they immediately had put me on the floor. The morning had been easy enough but during the hours of brunch, the restaurant had almost been full to capacity. I hadn’t been able to rest for a minute before another diner wanted something else.

Swiping my tips from the table, I pocketed the cash and cleared the table. At least I would be able to purchase some flowers to take with me to the cemetery where Tate’s wife and daughter were buried. The tips I had earned today had been good. A flash of a smile here and a compliment there and the guests were more open to leaving a grateful tip. I had served two big tippers as well, men I was certain were looking for more than decent service with their meals. I had given none the opportunity to proposition me like I saw coming. After years of working in the restaurant industry since I was fifteen, I was pretty good at reading customers and weeding out the gropers, the stingy and generous.

Back in the kitchen, I deposited the dishes to be washed and turned to go.

“Where do you think you’re going, Cummings?” my shift manager Rhoda Graham asked before I could escape the kitchen.

“My shift’s up,” I told her. “I’m heading out.”

“That’s not how it works here, bub,” she said and handed me back the notepad for orders. “Everyone stays on shift until they’re relieved. Do you see that crowd out there? Until Samantha shows up you’re still on the floor.”

“But I can’t,” I protested. “I have plans that I can’t break.” How could I bail on Tate who was relying on me to go with him to the cemetery?

“Then cancel or postpone them,” Rhoda replied. “Besides, she might just be running late for a few. Take five and then get back out there.”

With my hands tied, I used the five-minute break to use the bathroom and call Tate. He didn’t pick up, so I had to leave him a voicemail.

“Tate, I got caught up at work,” I informed him. “A waitress is late and I’ve to stay until she gets here, but as soon as she arrives I will be on my way.”

I hung up and returned to work. Samantha did not arrive in a few minutes. I had to work my ass off for another two hours. When the after-lunch crowd left, only then did Rhoda advise me that I could leave or stay to work overtime. I had earned a lot in tips in the two hours, but it could not make up for standing up Tate. He never returned my call, so I wasn’t even certain if he still went or if he would wait for us to go together.

I was uncertain if I should still head for the cemetery or home, but once I got into the car, I realized I had received a voice note from him, that he would be waiting for me at the cemetery. Hoping he was still there, I ran into a flower shop to pick out flowers for the graves. After listening to the meaning behind each type of flowers, I thought it was only fitting for me to select two small bouquets of peony, for healing.

I drove as quickly as I could below the speed limit which still took me close to half an hour in the traffic to Hilltop Drive where Hope Cemetery and Mausoleum was located. I parked the car and exited, walking through the open gates. I’d never been to a cemetery before and it was just as quiet as I would have imagined. The spookiness I thought I would feel was absent though. If anything, the place was serene, even beautiful. The lawn was neatly manicured, and the headstones strategically placed were fascinating to look at, in a sad kind of way. I never thought before that such beauty and peace could exist in death.

Disappointment coursed through me. The only time Tate had been counting on me I had let him down. Every expanse of the cemetery that I checked and didn’t find him, something died a little inside me. I was torn between guilt and hopelessness. It was my first day on the job. If I had been unwilling to work the extra hours I would have soon found myself replaced. But you didn’t need the job. Tate needed you more.

I was about to turn away since I didn’t even know where to locate the memorial spots where his daughter and wife were buried. They were side to side if I remembered correctly, but there were many graves beside each other. I glimpsed a solitary figure ahead and my heart skipped a beat. I moved toward the figure and shouted, “Tate! I’m here! I made it!”

My voice disturbed the peaceful place and I winced. I hurried forward but then stopped. The closer I approached the individual, the clearer it became that the man wasn’t Tate. But he was someone I knew. Frowning and wondering what the hell he was doing here, I marched forward, the flowers swinging by my side, unforgotten. Tate still hadn’t told me what they had talked about, and I knew he was trying to protect the other man.

“You’re too late,” he said before I could speak. He didn’t even turn to look at me. He was standing over two graves. I didn’t have to look to know who they belonged to.

“Where’s Tate?” I asked him, my blood boiling. I disliked him, a whole lot, and nothing Tate could tell me would cause me to feel otherwise. This man was an opportunist, and I had no doubt he was watching and waiting for the opportunity to present itself for him to wedge himself between Tate and me.

“Why would I know?” he enquired and turned to me then. “You’re the one he’s fucking. You should at least make it your point of duty to know these things. Hmm, I wonder what else you don’t know about the man you supposedly love.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” My brain told me to walk away and not entertain him, but I had a feeling if we didn’t have the confrontation now it would only be put off.

“I’m talking about you letting him down on a day that mattered. He expected you to be here. He wanted your support, not mine.”

My hand clenched in fists at my side. He was a bigger man, but he was spoiling for a fight and the way I felt, I wasn’t beyond throwing the first punch. One thing held me back. I would not desecrate the place where Tate’s wife and child had been laid to rest. Too much had already happened concerning the two.

“I would have been here earlier if work didn’t get in the way.”

“So he said, but he waited and waited.” He raised his hand and started to tick off. “You stood him up. You don’t even know what day is today. Why the hell would he choose you over me? At least I stopped by to pick up the pieces you left behind.”

Worry gnawed at my gut, but I wouldn’t show him how concerned I was. “I get it. You’ve known him longer than me, so you might as well tell me. What am I missing?”

“Perhaps ask him when you see him,” he stated, looking so damn smug. “He had all the time in the world to visit but he chose this day. You and I know he is a private man and the fact that he invited you here shows this meant a lot to him. Thank you for blowing it. You’ve just made it easier for Tate to see what I’ve been telling him all along. You’re unsuitable for him.”

He started to walk away, but I grabbed his arm and jerked him to a stop. I was too angry not to react. “You stay the hell away from Tate!” I said through clenched teeth. “You’ve known him for what? Over ten years? Not once has he looked at you the way he looks at me. That’s what bothers you, isn’t it? Tate will never love you the way he loves me.”

---