Charlie's Lucky Charm

3: A Second Job

As the night goes on, we all start to freak out because Charlie still isn't back from his lunch with the waitress. "Could he have actually banged the waitress?" Dennis asks out.

Dee shakes her head "I— I— I don't see it. No. I mean she's low, lower then scum but even she wouldn't sleep with Charlie."

"Didn't she sleep with Dennis, Mac and Frank?" I ask, trying to make sure I got it right.

"Ohhhh, wow, wow, wow. What are you saying?" Dennis snickers towards me.

"I mean, yeah she slept with all of them but Charlie? I mean, he can't even read." Dee adds on.

I shake my head, sipping a glass of wine "well, Maybe his luck is turning."

Just then Charlie waltz's into the bar with the biggest smile I've ever seen. Frank whispers to us "he didn't get laid, none of us smiled after banging that bitch."

"Shut up!" I mutter under my breath to him as the other two men snicker in agreement with his comment. I ask Charlie as he basically skips over to the bar "how did it go?"

"I think it went really well! Yah, she thanked me! She thanked me!" His face is glowing and I feel good to have been able to help him feel this good.

Mac asks "thanked you for what?"

Charlie circular explains "well when I got her to agree to lunch with me I kind of told her I'd leave her alone for a month. But I won't. And then she agreed because she saw my clothes were clean and my hair was cut and—"

The others then just notice the change "oh yah! What is that?" Dee questions, pointing to his head with a weird look on her face.

Mac asks "wait, that's why it doesn't smell like shit all the time? You're wearing clean clothes?"

Frank utters "yeah, it's really crackin' my no holds bar style. Fuckin' twat."

Charlie yells to get everyone's attention "hey! This is about me and the waitress!!" Everyone stops talking and listens to him again "I explained to her everything I've been doing to help her and I think she realized how important I am to her."

"I think she's thanking you for leaving her alone for a month, Charlie." Dee tries to explain to him.

Frank agrees "yeah, she just doesn't wanna see you."

He shakes his head "no, no, no! NO! I'm seeing her next month! Ha!"

Dennis puts his arm around his friend "she was just being nice man, she's not going to see you."

Charlie looks to me and I give him a sympathetic grin then try and encourage him "she'll see you."

He looks to me "so, you'll keep helping me right?" He gets closer as the others are now bored with our conversation and start their own.

I shrug one shoulder "with what? You can clean your own clothes now, your apartment. My job is done."

"Help me read, I should for sure learn to read before I see her again." He nods his head up and down continuously as if it's the best idea ever.

I groan "Charlie, I'd love to help you read but when? I'm kind of slacking as is with work since meeting you guys."

"Just come to the bar, we'll give ya a job!" He offers. He then yells over to the gang "hey, we can give Bev a job, right!?"

"Yeah, sure" Mac waves his hand towards us.

Dennis utters "fine."

"Whatever" Frank grumbles.

"as long as it's not bartending !" Dee calls back.

All of them say it at the same time but I laugh to myself as Charlie says "yeah, see. You can help me with Charlie work."

I say back to Charlie, whose looking to me with hopeful eyes "I can't work here, you guys can't pay me what I need to live off of. Sorry, Charlie."

He looks down to his feet and I just know he has on his puppy dog eyes. I sigh with defeat, knowing I shouldn't do what I'm about to do "what if you come work for me?"

"Work for you? What do you do again?" He questions.

I've told the gang a bunch of times what I do, but none of them ever remember. Or maybe they don't even listen. I say it again "I work from home, buying and selling online."

"So, you want me to buy and sell shit with you? I don't know how much--" he starts to say.

I quickly interrupt his tangent "no, no. You wouldn't be selling with me. I need someone to help break down the boxes I get in and take them to recycling and shit. I could pay you minimum wage for like an hour or day or something. Under the table, of course." I make sure to add on. There is no way I can add on an employee right now to my business.

"I have to work under a table? I mean, yeah I can do it but that's it. Just break down boxes?" He questions.

I explain "no, under the table means you get cash. You don't have to pay taxes on it. And yes, just need to break down the shit I can't reuse and get it out of the way for me. I need all the space I can get for work and I have a ton of boxes piling up in my work room."

He nods "alright, I'm in! Then you can help me learn to read?"

"Yeah, I'll help you. "I smile, putting my hand out to shake his like it's a deal. He takes my hand and shakes it then goes off to get a beer behind the bar.