the club closed, it finally sunk in that I still had work. For that, I was grateful.
Jack offered to drive me back home again. And, just like yesterday, I didn’t refuse. We were silent for the first few minutes as he drove out of the parking lot. But then, he said the words that I prayed he wouldn’t mention at all.
“So, why does William Maxwell want you fired?” he asked, his voice low.
I turned to him abruptly, stunned by his sudden question. “Did he call you?” I asked, though I already knew the answer.
“He did before you came in. He told me to fire you. Why is that?” he asked, curiosity evident in his voice.
I looked away from him exasperatedly, a little relieved that his attention was on the road. I bit my lips to prevent curses from pouring out of me. In an attempt to calm myself, I took a deep breath and exhaled. “I quit my other job and insulted him,” I replied, my voice shook a little from trying to control my temper.
He slowed down to a stop when the traffic light turned red. Then, he turned towards me as his lips twitched in amusement. “You insulted him? Why?” he asked.
“Well, he insulted me first. I just returned the favor,” I stated.
For a second, there was a pause, and then his laughter rang throughout the confined space of his car. He still laughed when he hit the gas pedal as the light turned green. It took quite a while before he could say a word in reply. “I can’t believe that someone is brave enough to go against a Maxwell,” he softly uttered to himself.
After that, I didn’t say anything. I kept my mouth shut and stared straight ahead at the dimly lit street. When we reached the apartment, I softly thanked him. He didn’t bring up the topic anymore and gave me a pleasant smile. From the way he acted that night (or rather that morning), I thought Terry bluffed about him being a serious person. After all, I just saw the man laugh, smile, and look amused.
By morning, I was able to wake up before Terry. I made breakfast, freshened up, and waited for him to wake up, just like most of my mornings. When he emerged from his room, I greeted him warmly, as if yesterday’s events didn’t faze me.
“Are you going out early today?” he asked, assessing me for a moment before walking towards the kitchen on the other end of the room.
“Yes. And I might get home a little late since I quit my waitressing job,” I said, adding that last tidbit calmly.
“So, you’re going to look for another job again?” he asked, his voice slightly disoriented from chewing his food.
“Maybe. I haven’t received any responses from the companies I’ve applied to earlier this week. I’ll wait some more before I start looking again.”
“Oh. I remember Andrew telling me about this work that he needed some help with. I could talk to him about it if you’re interested,” Terry offered as he nibbled the bread he was holding.
“Tell me what the job is first and if I like it, we can talk more from there,” I countered, smirking at him mischievously. I wasn’t going to fall for another job offer from him. Besides, I am barely staying afloat and my job at the club was hanging in the balance.
After Terry finished his meal, I cleaned up and left. When I arrived at the hospital, I noticed there weren’t much people around. My guess was because it was past rush hour by then, which was usually at nine in the morning — unless work started out late.
When I reached the hospital, the attending nurse was slightly shocked that I arrived earlier than usual. But she didn’t say anything about it. Instead, she gave me a friendly greeting and told me about my father’s progress. After our little chat, I went to my father’s room and silently opened the door. I knew he was awake because I heard muffled noises. Thus, I didn’t have to sneak in.
“You’re early today,” he remarked when I was a foot away from him.
I smiled in greeting. “Surprise,” I stated softly with enthusiasm,