Last night, I had so many wet dreams with Keegan, one after the other, I barely had any rest. And it shows in how slow I am today. I release another yawn before making my way to a waving customer. The woman doesn’t look happy, but when are they?
“How can I help you, madam?” I ask in my best patient voice. The one I’d use with a particularly slow pup.
The woman scowls before shooting glances to both her sides. “Are you the only one here today? I’ve been calling for help for the past ten minutes.”
“I apologize for the inconvenience. What can I do for you?” And I point the woman toward the hanger she’s looking for. Customers exaggerate a bit on their complaints, but this time, that lady was right.
Where is everybody?
I help another customer, and a third one, and the moment the store empties a bit, I race into the back. This is so weird. I saw at least three of my co-workers coming in with me. Where are they? I cross the door into the staff-only area and find them all standing in a circle around the manager’s office door. The chitchat gets louder as I get closer.
“What’s going on?” I ask no one in particular.
Andre whirls around to face me, the biggest smile on his face. “We got a raise!”
That shocks me as much as a mass lay-off would. “What? Why? Everyone?” The cogs in my head go round and around, but it makes little sense. Why would the owner give us all a raise at the same time? Some of us have been here for years, like me, but Lilah started a month ago and Andre hasn’t finished his probation period yet.
It doesn’t make sense.
Andre shrugs. “Do we even care? They sent a fax. It’s signed and everything.”
I search for the manager. She’s in the middle of the circle, reading from the paper in her hands. “Is that true?” I ask her.
She nods. “Amazing, isn’t it? A hundred percent raise. I never thought I’d get that without asking.”
A hundred percent raise? “This can’t be right. Maybe a typo?”
Andre rolls his eyes. “Come on, Aleida. Savor the moment.”
I don’t want to savor the moment if the owner will notice the mistake and correct it in an hour. “Wouldn’t the owner tell us personally? A hundred percent raise is a big deal.”
The manager shrugs. “I called him to make sure everything was okay, and his secretary said he’s out today. He sent this in an email to her, though, and she checked. She’s as surprised as we are, but everything’s right.”
“Maybe he saw Jesus or something,” Andre suggests, and the others go back to chatting.
I press my lips together. A hundred percent raise. This is amazing. It means I don’t have to share an apartment anymore. If I find a place that does payment plans, I can even afford a new phone. But would that be responsible? This sounds too good to be true. What if the owner regrets his choice in a month, and takes it all back?
I don’t want to be the sourpuss, so I walk out of the area and back into the store. Taking a deep breath, I brace myself for the customers ambling by themselves between hangers, angry at finding no one to attend to them. “All right,” I murmur to myself. “Let’s make this raise worthwhile.”
Hours later, I end my shift with a smile on my face. It’s impossible to wipe it off when all my coworkers are so pumped about the raise. I think of Keegan again, and the wet dreams. He stepped away yesterday, but he’s also the one who kissed me. An ember of hope burns inside me. I’ll buy us dinner tonight, to celebrate the raise, and then I’ll talk to him about the kiss.
No one ever understood me better than him. Why would I ever want anyone else? He respects me, and he makes me feel special. It’s so easy to talk to him, and to be around him. Now that he’s kissed me, there’s no way I’ll ever settle for only friends.
As if summoned by my thoughts, he steps out from the coffee shop across the street. A smile blooms across my face, unstoppable. With a spring to my step, I rush to him and throw my arms around his waist.
“You won’t believe what happened,” I say, suddenly out of breath.
The corner of his lips tilt up when I look up at him. “Let me guess. You won the lottery.”
“Wrong, but it almost feels like it.” I turn to walk down the block and he follows me. “We got a raise. Like, all of us.”
“Really? That’s great.”
“It’s beyond great. We got a hundred percent raise. It’s unbelievable.” And the suspicion rises in me again. I chew on my bottom lip as we walk down the pavement to the station.
“You don’t look very happy,” Keegan says, reaching out to brush his fingers down my jaw. It sends shivers down my spine and he notices it, jerking his arm back.
I shoot him a glance. “I mean, I don’t want to be ungrateful. But it was so sudden. And such a big raise.”