Earth Blend (8 page)

“
Well, you could always work at the
cafe. Tips on weekends are decent.”

“
Do you think they would hire me? I've
never been a waitress before.”

“
I didn't have any experience when I
started there. Just ask for Dave; he's the manager. He's a total
perv but harmless. Tell him I sent you. I'd better get going, I'm
on a coffee run. Good luck.”

“
Thank you. Good luck to you
too.”

Cindy waived as she continued on her
way.

Julie was grateful for the tip on the job at
the cafe. She hoped she would be able to handle it. “What's wrong
with me? I can handle this.” She chastised herself. She decided to
put Austin and all her other worries out of her head and started
off for the cafe.

It was mid-morning and only a few stragglers
lingered over an extended breakfast. Her stomach made an envious
sound as she eyed the half-finished plates. She could have eaten
more of the breakfast Eli prepared for her but made a hasty
departure when Marcus and Austin arrived.

“
Can I help you?” An older woman asked
her.

“
Yes, hello. My name is Julie. I was
told to ask for Dave. I'm looking for work.”

“
Have a seat over there. I'll get you
an application.” The woman pointed to a row of hardwood booths
lining the side of the cafe.

“
Thank you.”

Julie looked around the interior. When
Austin and she had dined there, they ate outside. The inside was of
a rustic design and had polished redwood tables scattered
throughout along with the booths lining the edges. A beautiful
glossy bar with a mirror back sat along the far end with stools in
front of it.

The woman came back with a piece of paper.
“Here. Fill this out and if he is not busy, he'll come talk to
you.”

Julie nodded and accepted the application.
It was a basic form with no complicated questions. Just as she was
signing the bottom. A shadow darkened the page. She looked up to
see a man of about thirty-five years of age with short dark hair.
He wore black denim pants and a black short sleeve shirt. Julie
could see a partial tattoo peeking out from underneath one sleeve.
He was very muscular.

“
Wilma said someone sent you. Who?”
The man asked.

“
Cindy,” Julie replied, a bit unnerved
by his gruff mannerisms.

He took the application and scanned it
briefly. “Stand up.”

“
What?” Julie asked.

“
Following simple instructions is
paramount to getting the job. Stand up.”

Julie stood and folded her arms. She
was somewhat put off by his demeanor. She watched his eyes scan her
body and got angry. She endured this kind of harassment her whole
life and had had enough. “You know what? I don't think I want this
job. I'm a person and expect to be treated as such. You can take
this job and
–”

“
You're hired.” He
interrupted.

“
What?” Julie was confused.

“
You're hired. You got spunk. You're
going to need it. Some of these guys, once they get a little booze
in them, they get fresh and have to be put in their place. You'll
do fine.”

Julie was taken aback by the change of tone
and direction that Dave displayed. “I... I don't have experience.”
She was trying to understand what was happening.

“
On the job training. You'll learn as
you go. You good for nights and weekends?”

“
You're really offering me the
position?” She was still trying to grasp the situation.

“
Be here at six. We'll work out a
schedule then.” He turned and left her alone.

Julie wasn't sure how she felt about
suddenly having a real job. She knew there were a million questions
she should have asked. She left the cafe and decided she would at
least come back at six and see just what was involved. Then she
would decide if it was a good fit for her. “That was bizarre.” She
decided to head on back to the hospital. Along the way she passed
by the Laundromat where Austin worked and peeked in to see if he
was in there with his mother.

Earlier, Austin knew he was going to have to
not be so pushy with Julie. She was dealing with her own
revelations as well. He just felt that she was the only one who
could understand what he was going through. He walked into the
Laundromat that his family owned. He saw the woman he thought was
his mother. Her back was to him. He sighed and moved closer to her.
When she turned around and saw him, he spoke. “Hey.”

“
Austin! You... you're
back.”

When she moved towards him, he took a few
steps back. “I guess we should talk.” He said, mindful of customers
in the shop.

“
Let's go into the office,” she
suggested.

Austin nodded and followed her into the
backroom that served as an office. Silence permeated the room
before he spoke. “Why? Why was I lied to my whole life?”

“
Austin, that's unfair. I met your
father when you were only eight months old. We planned on telling
you together when you turned eighteen.”

“
I turned eighteen over a month
ago.”

“
I wanted your father
here.”

“
So, like what? You were just going to
wait until he felt like coming home?”

“
I called him. He is coming
home.”

“
Yeah, well it's a little late for
that.”

“
Austin, you don't
understand
–
”

“
You're right. I don't understand. I
don't understand how you could go on pretending for as long as you
did.” Austin felt his anger growing.

“
Pretending? I never pretended. I took
care of you like you were my own. I love you like you are my own
flesh and blood. How can you talk to me like that?”

Austin suddenly grabbed his head in pain.
“Just shut up.” He winced at the sound of his own voice. A loud
clap of thunder could be heard outside the building. “I gotta get
out of here.” He said and stumbled out of the office. He had an
overwhelming need to get outside of the building. He looked toward
the front of the store and locked eyes with Julie.

Julie had heard the loud clap of thunder and
thought about stepping inside the Laundromat, knowing the
spontaneous nature of the weather. Looking back inside she saw
Austin stumble near the back of the Laundromat. She saw a look of
panic in his eyes and rushed inside. “Austin! What's wrong?”

“
I gotta get out of here.” Austin ran
out the door with Julie quickly on his heels.

“
Austin! Wait!” Julie called after him
but he broke out into a full out run down the street.

The wind picked up and the clouds were
moving in quickly. The sky looked threatening as thunder
rumbled.

“
Crap.” She took off running after
Austin. She watched as he ran into Hungry Mother Park. She lost
sight of him as he disappeared into the forest. “Austin!” She heard
a painful groan. It was almost drowned out by the howling wind as
it vibrated through the trees. “Austin!”

“
My head!”

She heard Austin's voice. He was close by.
After stumbling a few more feet, she found him. He was sitting on
the ground. A whirlwind of debris was swirling around him.

“
Make it stop.” He was still holding
his head as his eyes looked pleadingly at her.

She ran through the dirt devil and wrapped
her arms around him and did her best to shield them both. The
scenario reminded her of the time in the woods when Luke was trying
to kidnap them. Eli and his Earthling friends created a dust storm
similar to this. “Stop it now!” She yelled but the wind only
intensified. There was only one Earthling that she knew of that
would be so devilish. “Percone, that's enough!” At that moment, all
wind ceased.

“
Who's Percone?” Austin asked
her.

She looked at him. He was no longer holding
his head. “Are you okay?”

“
Yes, I'm fine... I think. Who's
Percone?”

“
Percone is an Earthling, like Eli. I
met him when we were at Uncle G's place.”

“
You think he was doing
this?”

“
It's possible. Can you
stand?”

“
Yes, I think so.” He stood carefully.
“I feel okay.”

“
What happened back there?”

“
All I know is I was talking with my
step-mom and I suddenly felt... weird. I don't know. I panicked and
just needed air.”

“
But you feel okay now?” Julie asked,
rubbing his arms.

“
Yes. Hungry though.” He
laughed.

“
Let's get you something to eat.” She
wanted to ask him more about his conversation with his mother but
decided to wait.

They walked out of the park, arms around
each other.

When back in town, Austin stopped at a
hotdog vendor. He ordered four hotdogs with all the toppings. Julie
kept quiet. She felt he was still in processing mode.

Sitting down together on a nearby bench,
Austin handed her two of the hot-dogs. “One thing I noticed, there
is not any food I dislike. I actually used to be quite picky about
food but now, there isn't much I would turn away.”

Julie nodded in agreement. “There isn't
anything edible that I dislike either.” She blotted her lips with a
napkin. “So, um. Do you want to talk about how things went with
your mom?”

“
Maybe later. It's still unfolding.”
He stood and threw away their trash in a nearby
receptacle.

“
How did your job hunting
go?”

With the craziness of the last hour, she had
almost forgotten. “I got a job, I think... at the cafe were Cindy
used to work.”

“
The one we went to?”

“
Yes.”

“
Have you... I mean... you don't
really have any experience, do you?”

“
No, and I told Dave that but he said
I could learn on the job. It's not what I want to do, but it's
money and right now, that's what I need.”

Austin looked at his watch. “I should get
you to the hospital.”

“
What about your mom?”

“
I've done all I want to do about that
right now. Come one.” He began walking in the direction of Marcus'
car.

Julie followed behind him, puzzled by his
attitude change. She planned to find Marcus as soon as she got to
the hospital. She wanted to find out if he had noticed Austin's
mood swings.

Austin pulled up to the hospital.

“
So what are you going to do now?” She
asked him.

“
I don't know yet. I just want to
clear my head for a bit.”

“
Okay. Try and see your parents' side.
They do love you, please remember that.”

“
I know,” Austin replied, sighing
heavily.

Julie rested a hand on the back of his neck.
“Hang in there. We'll talk later.” She leaned over to kiss him on
his cheek.

Austin turned to capture her lips with his.
It was gentle and sweet. He rested his forehead on hers. “I need
you.”

“
I know.” She whispered. She gave him
a quick kiss on the forehead and then exited the vehicle. She hated
leaving him like this but was unsure of what to do to help him
deal. Talking to Marcus was second on her list. First was
explaining things to Kathy in the Human Resource department. Kathy
was the woman who hired her. Eli had called the woman and explained
that she had a sick relative. Now it was time to follow up on the
story.

Julie knocked on Kathy's office door.

“
Enter.” A voice called from behind
it.

Julie opened the door and, at first, did not
see anyone. “Hello?”

“
I'm here.” Kathy said, popping up
from underneath her desk. The curly haired Human Resource worker
greeted Julie with a smile as she sat back down in her chair. She
blew at a brunette curl that settled in front of her face. “I
dropped my pen. How are you? Doctor Elsworth said you had to take
care of a sick relative. Is everything okay?”

Julie smiled. “Yes, everything is fine now.
My Uncle was sick and needed someone to take care of him for a few
days. He is much better now. I'm sorry for having missed work.”

“
Oh, sweetie, it's fine. I just didn't
want to lose you. It is so hard to keep good volunteers. Most of
them leave for paying positions.”

“
Um, yeah, about that. I did get
another job, mostly nights and weekends. I don't think it will
interfere with my work here.”

“
We'll work around it. As long as you
don't leave all together, I'm fine with that.”

“
Okay, then we are good?”

“
We're good. Welcome back and I'm glad
your Uncle is better.”

“
Thanks Kathy. I'll see you around.”
Julie left to go change and see where her schedule would place her
today.

Julie changed into her old-fashioned
candy-striper uniform that had been assigned to her. Her schedule
stationed her on Joy's floor. Joy was a nurse who had befriended
her on her first day. Julie prepared herself by going over the lie
in her head.

Once out on the floor she checked in with
Nurse Hacher, the head nurse. The elderly woman was happy to see
her and quickly put her to work.