The Green Ticket

by Samantha March

  “I’m not kidding. I’ve been through three different Pizzazz machines since I’ve been in college. Between me and my roommates, we go through about ten or fifteen pizzas a week. No joke.”

  “Holy shit. That is a lot of pizza. I can’t even remember the last time I had pizza.” I paused a moment to think. “Nope, can’t remember. Lila and I make a lot together, like easy pasta dishes. Carmen can make some mean enchiladas. Emma is best away from the kitchen. Hannah can do anything she puts her mind to.”

  “Your friends seem really great,” Henry observed, taking a left onto Grandview Road.

  “They are. I’m a lucky one,” I smiled at him, hoping he understood that I wasn’t saying I was only lucky because of my friends. I felt lucky to be on the date with him as well. “But what about you? You seem to have plenty of great friends and roommates as well.”

  “I do. Peter and Max are both from Truvista. We’ve been friends for years. Have you ever been to Truvista?” I shook my head. “It’s a pretty small town. It’s impossible not to know everyone and their business. I’m glad I got out of there. I needed a bigger city. Peter and Max are good guys, though. It’s not like they’re just from my hometown so I know them that way. I’m glad they came to Kaufman. We met Kyle during the first week of orientation.”

  We pulled into the Applebee’s parking lot, which didn’t look overly crowded for a Saturday night. Hopefully we had missed the dinner rush hour. “I met all the girls on campus here. I came to Kaufman alone, but I lived in Des Moines for a few years before going to school here. My sister worked at the capitol.”

  Our conversation stalled as we got out of the vehicle and walked through the door. We were promptly seated at a cozy booth in the corner, which actually seemed somewhat romantic–– as romantic as an Applebee’s could get. When the waiter came by we both ordered sodas, then browsed the menu.

  “Are you going to get your pasta dish?” Henry asked me, his eyes meeting mine over the menu.

  “I think so. Since I mentioned it in the car I haven’t been able to get my mind off of it. What are you thinking?”

  “I might go for a steak. With some onions and cheese on top.”

  “Yum. Smothered steak. Sounds delicious.” We smiled at each other once again, and I thought about how goofy we might have looked to other patrons, grinning wildly at each other over menus.

  Our conversation resumed after we placed our orders, and went right to the area that I was hoping would get bypassed. “So your sister worked at the capitol? How about the rest of your family–– are they from around here?”

  I paused, taking a sip of my drink for an added pause. Then stayed silent a beat longer.

  “Alex?” Henry prompted.

  “Well, my family .... My mom passed away when I was five and my dad took off shortly after. It’s just been me and my sister for a while. And she lives in Seattle now with her husband and kids.”

  “Oh.” I knew I took Henry by surprise with the abundance of information. Everyone always got surprised and flustered when I told them about my family. It was like no one had ever heard of death before or something.

  “Yeah. Shucks. But we don’t have to talk about that. How is your family?” I desperately wanted to change the subject, try to make Henry feel less awkward.

  “My family is fine. Parents together. I have an older brother and sister. But I’m boring. I’m sorry to hear about your mom. Was it….?” he trailed off, waiting for me to fill in the blank.

  It took me a moment to respond. Usually when I tried the change-the-subject tactic, people pounced on it. But not Henry. “It was cancer. Breast cancer,” I answered softly. “By the time they found it, it was so far advanced there wasn’t much left to do except prepare. I was only five, like I said, but Alicia–– my sister–– was fifteen and more aware that she was about to lose her mom.”

  “I can’t imagine what that would have felt like. It was probably so tough on Alicia. Alicia, right?” I nodded. “Alicia. Such a young age. She was probably just starting high school then. Oh, man.” Henry looked absolutely devastated, and I was in shock. Typically people respond with “oh, I understand.” No, they didn’t. Not unless they went through it themselves. It was refreshing to hear Henry say he didn’t know what it felt like. That was the truth. And to immediately pick up on Alicia’s feelings? If I was telling the story, everyone focused on me. Poor little girl who lost her mommy. I really didn’t get what was going on after she passed. I just knew Mom wasn’t there to tuck me in at night or take me for wagon rides or sing with me in the shower. I didn’t understand she was gone forever. That pain came later in life.

  “Thanks, Henry. Most people try to avoid the subject because clearly it’s an uncomfortable one. Sometimes it can just be a relief to talk about it. Not try to dance around it.”

  “Of course. I mean, it’s a part of you, your life, your history. You can’t change your past. I know it’s not something you would have chosen for yourself, but you still have to embrace it. It is what it is.”

  “It is what it is,” I repeated, feeling suddenly euphoric. This man got me. He understood me. He didn’t judge me.

  “And you said your dad left? How come?”

  “He left about two years after Mom died. He wrote us a note saying he couldn’t handle seeing us.” Henry’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “He really loved our mom. I mean, he really did. I guess he couldn’t handle the pain or the reminders of her. Both Alicia and I look so much like Mom it’s almost spooky. Red hair, green eyes. Alicia and I are even the exact height now that she was when she died. I’ve wondered sometimes if Dad got freaked when he would see Alicia in the hallway at night, wondering if he thought he saw Mom’s ghost. So he ran. He lives in Georgia now and started over with a new family. Alicia and I don’t keep in touch with him.”

  Our food arrived at that minute, and the waiter carefully placed our steaming plates in front of us. “Both are really hot, so be careful,” he said. “Can I get you anything else?”

  Henry and I shook our heads, rolling the silverware away from the napkin and preparing to dig in. “Wow. Another thing I can’t imagine. How does a father just walk away from his family? Didn’t he understand his kids were hurting too? They–– you–– lost your mother. I mean, come on.”

  I dug into my pasta bowl, carefully blowing on the shells and cheese to cool it down. “I know, right? I’m really not sure I could ever find it in my heart to really forgive him. I mean, really forgive him. Sometimes I’ll think ‘oh, sure, he missed his wife.’ But Alicia and I lost our mother and father within two years of one another. I hope I am never that selfish.”

  “Selfish is the perfect word. I can’t imagine my dad ever leaving our family––for anything. No matter how terrible. I guess I just realized how truly lucky I am.” Henry cut into his steak, then paused and set his fork and knife down. “In fact, remind me to call my parents after we eat. Just to say hi.”

  I smiled at him, feeling my heart do a weird flutter thing. Stop thinking love! You cannot love this guy after a first date! “I will. It’s always nice to remind those we love how much we care about them. Alicia calls me every Sunday, no fail, just to say hi and lets me talk to the kids. I am an aunt times five, if I haven’t mentioned that.”

  “Five! Wow, that is a lot of kids. I’m not an uncle yet; probably won’t be for a while as neither my brother nor sister are with anyone. They are both too career-focused than family-oriented.”

  “What do they do?”

  “My brother Jacob is an architect. He lives here in Des Moines and works for a large architect firm. And my sister lives in Milwaukee. She owns a few fashion boutiques.”

  “Wow, that’s really neat. Lila would probably be fascinated by your sister. She loves fashion and celebrities and all that stuff.”

  “Kate has told me she’s had some celebrities visit her shops. And baseball wives come in from time to time. We go up to visit her quite a bit–– Jacob and I–– and she seems to be prett
y happy. And we love to watch the Milwaukee Brewers play.”

  “Maybe I should plan a trip up there with the girls. I’ve never been to Milwaukee. Sounds like it could be fun.”

  “Maybe we could all road-trip together. Your girlfriends, my roommates. I don’t think Peter and Hannah would have a problem with that.”

  A shiver ran up my spine. A second date and now a road-trip–– to another state? Was Henry Landon really that into me, or simply yanking my chain? I found my voice. “Yeah, that would be awesome. But I thought baseball season just got over?”

  “It did. Did you watch any of the World Series?”

  “I watched a few games. Believe it or not, Emma actually loves sports and she watched all the games. I know she would go to Milwaukee in a heartbeat.”

  “We could go maybe sometime in April. Or May. There should be nicer weather during that month. Give us all some time to save money.”

  Before I could open my mouth to respond, a strange hush seemed to fall upon the restaurant. Voices dimmed, the lights dimmed, and all the hair on my arms stood at attention. Henry was still happily cutting into his steak, people were walking around like normal, but something was happening to me. It was almost like I could feel my life changing, that I knew on a deeper level I was in the right place and the right time with the right person. Before I could react to what I was feeling, the moment was over. Everything was bright and loud and my arm hairs settled down. I gave my head a shake, trying to clear the fog. That was seriously bizarre.

  “I think May sounds perfect. A little vacation before we have to settle down and cram. I’ll talk to the girls about it tonight.” And tell Lila that I thought I was getting some of her psychic abilities. We’d been roommates for three years; it was about time I started picking those up!

  “Awesome. It will be a great trip. I know it.” Henry grinned at me. “I’m glad you girls came to the party.”

  “I’m glad we did too, Henry. I’m glad we did too.”

  Chapter 11

  “I’ll have the avocado salad, hold the dressing. And just a water, please.” Dani dug around her oversized purse, triumphantly pulling out her wallet.

  “Is that all, miss?”

  “And whatever she would like too.” Dani gestured to me.

  “Um, I’ll just have what she is having. Thanks. And thank you for lunch,” I said, turning my attention away from the complicated menu board to face Dani.

  “My pleasure. I should be thanking you for coming out to lunch with me. I need a break from the girls every once in a while or I’m afraid I would constantly talk in baby language!”

  It was a Wednesday, and Dani had asked me out to lunch before I started my shift at Blissful. Lunches were becoming a common occurrence between us. We even had a few dinners together, and trips to the mall. I had been to Dani and Kevin’s house twice and was starting to feel more comfortable around my bosses. Kevin still gave me the creeps sometimes, but nothing further had been said from Mandy, so I was assuming everything was okay with that situation. And Dani really was becoming a true friend. Well, a friend in the way that a boss can become a friend. I still got nervous around her and tried to always say the right things, but I could tell I was slowly becoming more at ease with her.

  “So I haven’t really talked to you in a few days. How’s everything going? Classes all right?” We settled into a booth in the corner, Dani shoving her briefcase in first and then sitting down. I also shoved my briefcase, smaller than Dani’s but still professional looking, into the corner and took a seat across from her.

  “Classes are good. My friends are good, and I think everything else at Blissful is going really well. And–– ” I was bursting to tell her about my date–– “I had a date on Saturday night!”

  “You did? I didn’t know you had a date lined up. With who? Where did you go?” Dani leaned her elbows on the table, pushing her body forward. I made sure to avert my eyes from the cleavage that was spilling out of her lavender blouse.

  “It was kind of last minute. His name is Henry Landon, and his friend Peter is kind of seeing my friend Hannah. We met at a Halloween party.” I paused as our food was brought out. The salad looked...interesting. A little sad with no croutons or dressing, but it was healthy and Dani swore by them. I tucked in with only somewhat abashed enthusiasm.

  “Henry thought he was going home for the weekend, then he didn’t, so he decided to take a chance and see if I was free. He wanted to get reservations at Bellini’s but they were full, so we actually just ended up at an Applebee’s.”

  Dani’s perfectly plucked eyebrows rose. “Applebee’s? On your first date?”

  “To be fair, he let me choose the restaurant. And I love Applebee’s and it’s simple and wouldn’t put as much pressure on me as Bellini’s.” I hurried to defend Henry. I loved our first date. I thought it was perfect. “But he did say for the second date he will make sure to get that reservation at Bellini’s.”

  “Wow, so you already have a second date planned?”

  “Yep. It’s going to be this Saturday. And I’ll have the whole day to get ready since I have the weekend off!”

  “If things go well, maybe the four of us could go out together sometime. Kevin and myself, you and Henry. I would love to meet him.”

  I nearly dropped my fork. “Yes! That would be excellent. I’ve already talked so much about you and Blissful. I would love that!” It was almost going to be like a meet the parent’s scenario, which made me nervous. Maybe after the third date–– if there was a third date–– would I mention it to Henry.

  “Tell me more about Henry! What does he look like? Where is he from?”

  Dani and I had an enjoyable lunch, where I spilled all the details on Henry and how excited I was over a boy–– the first time in a long time. Dani gave a few stories on her daughters and the hassle they gave her over the weekend, and mentioned a few sales reports that she wanted to go over with me back at the salon.

  When we left the deli, I imagined what we looked like to others as we bounced out the door–– Dani, petite yet full of confidence, dark hair tucked under a stylish wool cap and a dark red peacock coat protecting her from the cold. Me with a lighter coat on because I still hadn’t dug up my proper winter coat from the storage box, a white stocking cap covering my red hair. We ran towards Dani’s vehicle to get away from the cold, laughing and out of breath by the time we reached the doors. I imagined that people thought we were sisters, or maybe just best friends. Perhaps business professionals out for a casual lunch before heading back to the office. Being around Dani gave me newfound confidence. I had the power to make decisions, to run a full-scale salon and spa, and be in charge of employees. Dani made me feel level with her. We were a team, and our main goal was to make Blissful as successful as it could be. I was falling in love with my new life.

  $$$

  “Alex, can I talk to you? Are you busy?” Kevin opened the door to the office and took a seat.

  I swiveled my chair around so I was facing him. “Yeah, sure. I was just looking at the sales reports for the goals I assigned everyone.”

  “Yeah, yeah, the goals. That was a great idea if I haven’t mentioned it. Great idea.” Kevin was his usual self–– all over the place and seeming to be in a rush. “Buy, hey, listen–– did you leave here early on Saturday?”

  That wasn’t what I was expecting. I thought back to Saturday. Date night with Henry. The chat with Mandy regarding the man standing before me. “Um, yes. I left about forty-five minutes early. Then I came in an hour early on Sunday to make up for it and to work on schedules.” I gestured to the schedule board, where my hard work was pinned to the corkscrew.

  “That’s really not acceptable. We need a manager on duty at all times, and you need to stay to do the cash drawer.”

  I felt as though I had been slapped. “But Allie was here...?” I trailed off meekly. Allie had been here, right? And she told me it would be okay to leave, I was sure of it.

  “While Allie he
lped us for a while, she is not the manager of the store. Either you, Dani, or myself need to be here to close. Every. Night.”

  I stood still for a moment, wondering if I was going to cry. The tone of voice Kevin was using made me feel like he was belittling me. And every night I had to close? That meant I could never cut a night short during the week or weekend–– ever? “Okay,” I said slowly. “I see what you mean, and I apologize. I wasn’t aware that Allie wasn’t capable of closing. I do have one question though.”

  Kevin had already turned his back to me and was powering up his laptop in the far corner of the office. “Yeah?” he said, distracted and already uninterested in me.

  “What about the days I come in early? Or do work away from the salon before my scheduled time?”

  “You’re a manager. You’re going to work more than forty hours a week. That’s why we pay you salary and give you those nice bonuses when the salon does well. Didn’t they teach you anything about managing at Kaufman?”

  My face went crimson. How dare he undermine me! A question is a question. And no one said anything about working more than forty hours a week when I signed on. I swiftly turned back to the computer, the sales reports going fuzzy as tears filled my eyes. Do not cry in front of this dick. Do not cry, I repeated to myself. How I so badly wanted to snap, to tell him his disgusting behavior towards Mandy helped me reach my decision to leave early on Saturday. See what excuse he could come up with then.

  But I didn’t. I calmed myself down, focused back on my reports, and Kevin and I worked in silence for about ten minutes until his phone started ringing. First, it sounded like a business call. I could only hear Kevin’s side of the conversation, but it didn’t sound like a good one. “Did you get him to sign the paperwork? I told you–– the paperwork has to be signed! What are you not understanding? Get the fucking paperwork signed and to me no later than five o’clock tomorrow!”