Night and Day

Chapter 10: Nathan

The bakery was busy each day, so that my mom felt compelled to bring me back. She dared, even, to say that my being fired was a blessing in disguise. She admitted that she did not know what she would have done without me. More people had to be brought in already and I was officially placed on the payroll. In the hectic days that followed, my mom found some meagre time to teach me a few things-she showed me how to press cookies, lather cakes and make a mean soup. She taught me her art and I found myself learning quicker than I typically did.

Each day seemed to blend one into the other. The fair weather persisted, until spring seemed a sure thing. Birds hunkered down to stay, a few robins building nests in back of the shop. Behind us, in a ratty alleyway, one single fat tree grew, its leaves now lengthening and turning a lush green. It seemed trapped in summer, almost as if by magic. I felt spring in my heart as well, and I made new friends at the bakery. Immensely generous and somewhat bubbly, Joey made for an amiable companion. He confessed to having some trouble himself in past jobs, stating that this one was the first he had truly enjoyed. I wanted to agree with him wholeheartedly. Veronica was fun too, but snide. She was apt to dish out a number of backhanded compliments, but the kitchen will toughen your skin; I took her comments with a grain of salt and Joey just shrugged them off, used to such diatribes.

We also had a dishwasher, Amanda, a bouncy woman with a loud voice, our designer and occasional cashier, Nina, a friendly, if scatterbrained old woman, Darren, an attractive man with just a hint of vanity, but otherwise a good worker and, lastly, our young and accomplished girl, Bonnie, who ran the front end.

To say Bonnie was an excellent employee was an understatement. Though only nineteen, and the youngest of our crew, she was the best we had. Her smile was ever present; the way she lit up the shop with her decorations would have been sorely missed and her work ethic was enough to impress my mother, the most dedicated woman I knew.

Bonnie enjoyed Darren's company, but Darren confessed to liking older woman, deflating her hopes. Of course he did not say this to her. He simply put it out there. Veronica had brightened up considerably since that statement, being thirty five, but Darren had seemed oblivious to her sudden interest. She was nicer to him, refraining from assaulting him with her thorny tongue, but, so far as I could tell, her efforts were wasted. Darren knew what he wanted and it was not Veronica McDowell.

Yes, I came to enjoy the company of the people around me even more surely than I had those of the Green Hall, and I came to embrace a new passion. My knowledge base grew and for the first time in a long while, I saw signs of pride in my mother's eyes. I was her son, her proud and grown up chef. I was an aficionado of my trade now; I could work with the best of them!

At the end of three weeks, I gratefully took my paycheck and, with it, my independence. I would save up a couple more, and then I would be free; already I was examining the local apartments.

As I slung my coat over my arm-it had been another miraculous day-Bonnie approached me. I was startled when she came quite close...only to reach over my shoulder for a box of coconut.

The girl smiled. "Did I startle you?"

I blushed, and cursed myself for doing so; I blushed further. "Yes. No. I'm fine. I was just heading out."

My mom was gathering up her things too. "You'll shut up the front?"

Bonnie nodded. "Yep." The girl was beyond trustworthy.

"Cool. Ready?"

I nodded.

We went out to the back, where my mom's tiny blue car was parked. As I slid in next to her, I caught a last glimpse of Bonnie, her dark tresses bouncing. I could not see her face, but I could picture it-her cream skin and her warm brown eyes, which reminded me of melted chocolate. I shook myself and the car pulled away. My mom was speaking.

"I've been very impressed with you," she remarked, glancing at me. "You've shown yourself to be quite reliable."

"Thanks."

"And you've been learning quickly too. I'm assuming that you are happy to stay?"

"Yeah, for sure," I said.

"Well, that's a relief. It's difficult finding people to hire. People these days just don't want to work!"

I wondered, briefly, if my boss had held the same opinion. I had not spoken with him since leaving the Green Hall; I did not plan to see him ever again. I had left my old life behind for good.

Delilah greeted me briefly when I arrived, but otherwise paid me little mind. She was used to my being here now, and the novelty of my presence had worn off; her book, a rather thick novel, held more interest. My dad was not yet home, but would no doubt be pleased when he arrived. With business booming, my mom had been able to hire a greater number of people in addition to the ones that I knew especially well which was, in turn, lowering her stress levels. Her smiles were genuine now and her words easy. She no longer lashed out, the vulnerable cobra.

Snake took to licking my shoes when I sat down, immersing myself in my tablet. My mom was gazing intently at the television now, while Rupert snuggled into her lap, sighing with contentment. Periodically, Delilah would glance up frowning, before returning to her work. She was feverishly typing something; I could hear the clicking as her fingers pounded the screen. Her eyes were narrowed and her focus was all but impossible to divert, save for the rare moments when she lapsed into thoughtful silence.

My mom was well relaxed, though she frequently turned her eyes toward the window. She would open her mouth, as if to speak, and then close it again, returning her attention to her show. Then, when she would appear thoroughly engrossed, she would suddenly resume her outward gazing, seeming almost to search the sky for answers. Her eyebrows would knit together; finally, she stood up. Rupert was less than pleased.

"We're losing ourselves," she declared, staring first at me, and then at Delilah. "I think we should go out. Step away from the distractions for a bit. Get out."

I wanted to groan. "But where? You've already got dinner planned. Are we going to get something to eat?"

Delilah seemed unperturbed.

My mom did not miss a beat. "I was thinking we could just go for a walk. We would go around the block, and just talk."

"About what?" I considered discussing how sore my feet were.

"Does it matter?" Delilah was already fetching her jacket. "We should get off our butts."

"You guys can go," I muttered.

"No, you're coming with us," my mom insisted.

"I'd rather not."

"Nathan, one day I won't be here. Someday, your sister might move away. We won't always be close, here at your convenience. Come on. Don't be a sourpuss."

My next retort was in my throat, but it died on my lips. Somehow I was considering what they said. Delilah was gazing at me, almost smug, and I was inexplicably weighed down by the implications of my mother's words. One day they would all be gone, and me as well.

"Alright," I conceded. Already the ache along my arches and ankles was vanishing. It was as though some hidden power was at work. "Let's go then."

"We should take Rupert," Delilah suggested.

"Okay, but I'm not picking up after him," our mother warned. "And if he gets out of hand, it's on you."

"I'll pick up. After him, I mean," I stammered, the words being ripped from my tongue. Was I completely insane?

"Really? Thanks!" Delilah hugged me. "Come on, boy!"

The girl hitched up Rupert in his halter and we were on our way. Snake watched us from the window as we departed, taking Rupert's customary place and I smiled. We disappeared into the growing dusk and the first star appeared, it being a detail from a story almost written.