“YOU’RE FIRED.”
“What?” My hand froze midway as I reached for an apron, my mouth falling open at what my boss just said. He had to be kidding. I swallowed thickly, letting out a weak laugh as my hands finally landed on an apron. “Ri-ght, Charlie. You’re such a jokester.” I playfully nudged his shoulder, stepping around him to get to the time clock. Charlie really wasn’t the joking kind, but I guess there was a first time for everything.
“Monroe.” His tone was flat so I turned to look at him. He lightly rubbed at the spot that I had bumped into and I barely managed to contain an eye roll. Like I had actually hurt him or something. “I’m not joking.” He sniffed slightly, grabbing at the apron that in my hand, and I pulled back on it at the same time. This quickly turned into a little game of tug of war, until he finally decided that he was done playing, letting go with a loud sigh. “Listen.” He scratched at the gray beard on his chin and I squirmed in place, not knowing how to brace myself for what he was about to say.
I did not get fired from things. Ever. There had to be some sort of mistake. Maybe he had gotten hit on the head and was really meaning to talk to Kelsey, the one who I was constantly cleaning up behind. I mean, was it really so hard to take sandwich orders and not screw them up. It wasn’t rocket science.
“You’re a great employee.” The best I wanted to add, but I didn’t really think he would care. I could tell his mind was made up.
“But?” Now that I knew it was really coming, I might as well help the poor guy along. That was me: Monroe Hartley, helper to everyone, even when I was getting fired. I really needed to stop doing that.
“But it’s just hard to work around your school schedule. I need someone with flexibility, and there are a lot of people out there that actually need jobs. People that have all the time in the world.” He looked at me sheepishly before pushing the wire-rimmed glasses back up onto his nose, and they slid back down almost instantly.
I stewed over his words, tapping my foot in place as they started to sink in. “So, let me get this straight? It’s not because I’m a bad worker, which I know I’m not, it’s because you have to work around my schedule? And because you don’t think I need this job?” My voice was rising as the reality started to sink in and it was laced with just a hint of panic. It started slowly but now it was hitting me full force.
Yes, this stupid sandwich shop was the bane of my existence, but at the same time, it paid the bills. One of the main reasons I worked as many shifts as possible in between classes. I even missed one every now and then if someone called to ask me to cover their shift. “Do you think I don’t have bills to pay? How do you think I pay for the shitty apartment I live in? How do you think I pay for gas?” He stepped backwards as I jabbed a finger in his direction, emphasizing each of my points. He gave a nervous smile to a customer that had come in who pretended to look at the lunch menu, but was clearly entertained by the scene he had walked in on. “And books? And electric? I pay for everything myself.” His lips pressed into a tight line, but the way his hands were set on his hips, I could tell my sob story really wasn’t working.
“I’m sorry, Monroe.” He shook his head and I huffed loudly, wanting to find something to say that would change his mind but I couldn’t think of a single thing. “I’ll put your final check in the mail, that way you don’t have to….” He trailed off as I pierced him with one final glare.
“Fine, whatever.” I scooped up my purse, throwing the apron that I was still clutching in his face. Take that, Charlie. “By the way,” I called over my shoulder in the direction of the customer who was still waiting at the counter. “Nothing here is organic, the bread isn’t freshly baked—far from it—and I would totally avoid the mayo. Charlie there still lives with his mom and he seems to spend a large amount of time locked away in his office, if you know what I mean.” Okay, so, that last part I added on just to be a bitch, but Charlie deserved it. The customer snorted loudly and I heard Charlie shout something after me just as I opened the door, but I really didn’t care what he had to say now. Now, I needed to figure out what I was going to do.