Page 42 of The Good Char
He cleared his throat and shoved an envelope in front of me.“Your first couple of months went well,” he said with absolutely no emotion.
A new excitement bubbled up within me.I was excited to see how much was in the envelope he was handing to me.Christmas was coming up and I had been feeling a little festive, but unsure of how much I could splurge on simple decorations for my apartment.I ripped it open and my eyes widened at the numbers.“Three hundred dollars?Holy crap!”
This was way more than the hours I worked.He was so kind to me.Oh, why did he keep making me fall more and more in love with him?
“Thank you Mr.Dzik!”
He groaned, the sound vibrating through my chest and down my body until I pressed my legs together, shooting my eyes toward his.I watched his nostrils flare, finally connecting it to when I found my body reacting to something simple he would do that made me more attracted to him.
Did he feel it too?Gosh, I really hoped he did.
“About the mister thing, let’s just call me D or Dzik.Drop the mister, for the love of hell.”His signature scowl quickly smoothed after a few moments.It was something else I noticed about him.He was different lately.Like right now, there seemed to be a mischievous glint in his eye.Was I missing something?
I smiled in response like I always did, but this time I could have sworn the crows feet at the corner of his eyes softened.
“If you keep working the way you do, I may actually be able to take a day off,” he chuckled.
I beamed at him.That would be nice.I wanted to do that for him.He deserved it.He gave me a chance when he knew nothing about me.In fact, I don’t even remember filling out any sort of application.
His voice cut through my thoughts.“Now get out of here, go have some fun.”When he cracked a smile, my heart raced and I felt flustered.The world stopped and my eyes were glued to him.It was the first time I had seen it and it was glorious.No wonder he didn’t smile much.How would we get any work done if girls started flocking The Good Char.
I didn’t like the thought.Not one bit.
I gripped the check close to my chest and beamed at him again, letting him know how grateful I was.
He put a scowl back on his face as he pointed out the door.
I nodded, quickly took off my hat and apron and ran out the mall and got on my bike.This was more than my parents paid their cooks.
Hell yes!I’m a weiner dipper and I like it!Oh my god, I’m so freaking happy.He paid me so well.Now, what exactly was I going to do with this bonus money?I wanted to make sure that I made a difference and do some good with it.
I rode my bike up the street, my mind giddy, constantly thinking about what I could do with my money.Letting the breeze caress my skin under the Nevada sun, I snapped my head to the side when my eyes caught a glimpse of movement.
“What was that?Aww, it couldn’t be!”I turned my head to see several stray kitties.And I loved kitties.
I knew exactly what I could do.I could take them to the vet and get their shots and then I could get them adopted out.This would be the perfect way to spend some of my money to give back and I owed it all to Mr.Dzik.
I pulled up to the nearby local grocery store and ran inside, looking for a worker.
“Hi!Excuse me!Can I have a large box please, if you have one available?”
The worker looked at me perplexed.“What do you need a box for?”
“Kittens!”
He gave me a crooked smile, shook his head and went to the back, returning with what I asked for.
“Thank you!”
He was very nice.He was nice just like D.It felt weird calling Mr.Dzik anything else but maybe this was his way of us getting closer.I still didn’t understand why he thought pets were nonsense.Maybe if he had a cute little kitty, he wouldn’t be so grumpy.
I grabbed the box from the worker and my mouth turned into a little ‘o’ of surprise.It was a super large box.It must have once been filled with watermelons or something because it was just the right size and smelled good.
“Can I leave my bike here for a few minutes while I take these little guys to the vet?”I asked him before he could go back to work.
The worker looked at me for a few moments.“Yeah, of course.”
The mother cat was nowhere to be found when I returned.Oh no, she must have abandoned them.How could she do that?
