The Secret Manuscript (Complete)

Chapter Eight

Given that it was nine o'clock in the morning and his shift started at eight, Ben thought for sure he would be fired. He ran inside Ray's Grocery store as if shaving a few extra seconds off his tardiness would somehow matter. Considering the store was usually empty in the morning, he figured his manager would go easy on him.  

The store was small and not an easy place to hide from someone, but when Ben walked in, Chad was nowhere in sight. Ben rushed through the store and into the stocking area where he donned his apron and began to work. He was greeted by a few coworkers and was in the middle of explaining why he was late when Chad burst through the back doors. 

"B.O., you're late," Chad said. 

"I know, my apartment burned down early on Saturday morning and I was in the hospital. I came in as soon as I could." 

"I don't see any burn marks on you." 

"Fortunately, I made it out okay, but I suffered severe smoke-inhalation damage. They wanted to keep me for observation and I-" 

"Look, I don't want to hear your excuses, okay? Work is work, and when I schedule you to be here, I expect you to be here." 

"Okay, you're right. I'm sorry, it won't happen again." 

"That's right, because you're fired." 

"What? No, please don't do this. Chad, I just lost everything, I need this job." 

"I'm sorry, Ben, but rules are rules. Do you know what would happen if there were no consequences for our actions? There would be chaos. As a manager, it's my job to ensure there's order, and that operations run smoothly. How do you expect things to run smoothly when one of my employees decides to take the morning off without notice?" 

"I didn't-" 

"I'll tell you what," Chad said smugly. "As it turns out, a position for a stock-boy just opened up, but for minimum wage." 

"Come on, Chad, please. I've worked here for three years." 

"You should be lucky you have a job." 

Ben did not say anything since he had no leverage to negotiate. Feeling powerless and humiliated, he accepted Chad's patronizing offer, and went back to work. As soon as Chad left, a few concerned coworkers asked him how he was doing. He offered them a few details, but for the most part kept his head down to avoid being on Chad's radar. 

A few hours into his shift, his stomach began to growl. He had not had anything substantial to eat all day, but since he worked in a grocery store, Ben was surrounded by food. Sometimes a box of granola bars would get damaged or a package of muffins would pass its expiry date. Instead of having it go to waste, the owner let employees take it home. Ben had been eating stale granola bars all morning and desperately wanted some fresh fruit. 

Stacking boxes of shiny red apples, Ben casually looked around. As it was typically the case, there was no one else around. He picked out one of the apples and slipped it into the pocket of his hoody. Then he went over to a shipment of bananas that had just arrived, took out his box cutter, and ran it along the seam of the box. He reached in, snapped two bananas from a bunch, and concealed them in his apron. 

During his fifteen-minute break, Ben stepped out back to where some employees would typically congregate, but this time he was alone. He reached into his sweatshirt pocket and took out the apple. In an effort to clean it, he rubbed it a few times on his shirt before taking a big bite. As he chomped down, his mouth was filled with nourishing juices. To him, an apple never tasted more delicious. It was something he had previously taken for granted. Before he could sink his teeth into the apple for a second time, he heard an angry voice yelling at him. 

"B.O.!" Chad shouted. 

Ben was so startled that he nearly dropped the apple. He could feel the blood rush to his face as his anxiety rose. He thought for sure he had been caught. 

"What do you think you're doing?" 

"I... uhh..." Ben didn't know what to say. Showing up late was one thing, but stealing would certainly be grounds for dismissal. A medley of feelings consumed him; the most prominent being guilt, regret, and hunger.  

"You must not want this job," Chad began his tirade. "I hire you back after showing up over two hours late, and now I catch you slacking off. Eat your apple on your own time. Get back to work!" 

"But I'm on my break." 

"You don't get a break, not today." 

Chad gave Ben a dirty look and shook his head in disappointment. He turned around and went back inside. Before he was fully in, he turned back around to face Ben. Ben was prepared for the worst - another tongue lashing, or perhaps he changed his mind and was going to fire him. Instead, he said, "By the way, some man was in here looking for you." 

"What man?" 

"I don't know, I told him you were busy and were not allowed to have any visitors." 

"Was he an older man?" Ben asked. 

"Listen, I'm not going to play twenty questions with you. Here, he left you his card." Chad extended his arm to give Ben the card. When Ben went to accept the card, Chad flung it at him. The card hit Ben in the chest and fell to the ground.  

"Don't let me catch you calling him on company time either." 

Chad walked away, leaving Ben to pick the card up from the ground. After Chad left, Ben picked up the card and turned it over. Printed with simple black letters on a white card was the name:  

Carl Saunders - Process Server 

Saunders & Associates 

A process server? Ben thought. What would a process server want with me? 

Ben had a limited knowledge of the law, but knew a process server was a person who delivered documents for a law firm, typically when someone gets sued. Am I being sued? he asked himself. His imagination ran wild. The most logical explanation for a process server contacting him was due to the fire. Perhaps some insurance company was looking to settle, or someone was putting together a class action lawsuit. The other logical, albeit unlikely possibility, was that he was being sued, but he could not think of a single person who would sue him. Besides, suing him would be pointless since he had nothing left. 

Ben put the card in his pocket and finished the remainder of his shift. When it was time for him to go, he punched out and snuck out the back to avoid Chad.