Forgotten: Seventeen and Homeless by Melody Carlson

they make you uncomfortable?"
    "I've never really known any elderly people, but I don't think I'm uncomfortable with them. I just had a pleasant conversation with Mrs. Ashburn. She seems like a sweet lady."
    "She is a dear."
    "And she was getting her exercise so she can go home again."
    Ms. Michaels frowns. "Yes ... well, that's not likely. Her daughter hasn't told her yet, but Mrs. Ashburn is a permanent resident."
    "Oh . . ." I'm surprised at how disappointed I feel about this. Mrs. Ashburn seemed so hopeful about going home.
    Ms. Michaels seems to be observing me very closely, almost as if she's trying to sense my character. "I see you've done some restaurant work, Adele, so I assume you're good at waiting on people, cleaning up messes, getting your hands dirty. Because I'll be up front with you-this isn't a job for princesses. Most girls your age wouldn't be that comfortable helping with the needs of the elderly."
    "I'll admit it's not exactly my dream job." And then I confess to her that my next application was going to be for the twentyfour-hour restaurant on Main Street.
    "Well . . ." She presses her lips together. "If you're willing, I'm willing. I'd like to try you out here."
    "Really?"
    She nods and sets my application in the basket on the corner of her desk. "How soon can you start?"
    "Anytime you want, I guess." But suddenly I feel a little concerned. What if I'm making a mistake? What if the restaurant job would be a better fit for me? And what about tips? And food?
    "How about if you start today?"
    I blink. "Today?"
    "Is that a problem?"
    "I, uh, I just have one question."
    "Yes?"
    "Well, I don't want it to sound wrong, but one of the reasons I was leaning toward a restaurant job was so I could have some of my meals there." Okay, I'm embarrassed to have just said this.
    But she just smiles. "You're welcome to have meals here too, Adele. In fact, some of the seniors would probably get a kick out of it."
    "Really?"
    "Sure. As long as you work hard and don't spend all your time eating, but I doubt that'll be a problem." She sticks out her hand. "So unless there's a problem with any of these references or your background check with the police, you've got a job." She pauses to look at me. "There won't be, will there?"
    I shake her hand. "No, of course not. I've never had any problem with the police."
    "I didn't think so."
    Okay, my cheeks warm as I recall how close I came to calling the police on my own mother last night. Still, that didn't have as much to do with me as with my mom and her new friend. Not that I plan to mention this.
    Now Ms. Michaels asks for my food handlers card, which I give to her. Then she's on the phone talking to someone named Mary. She hangs up and gives me directions to the kitchen. "Mary is our head chef, and she's been needing help in the kitchen. Let's get you started in there and we'll see how that goes.
    So, just like that, I am employed. And I will do everything to make sure I stay employed for as long as necessary. I just wish my mom could do the same.

n my very first day of working at River Woods, I put in a whole eight hours. And while I feel really tired as I walk home, I must admit that it really isn't the hardest job I've ever had. The Hot Diggity Dog House was much worse. Even babysitting was harder. The worst part of my day was working with Mary (or Scary Mary as I heard an orderly named Sam call her behind her back). Mary runs her kitchen like she thinks she's an army sergeant. She's probably in her late forties, wears her gray hair in a butch, and is built like a tank. And she had no problem ordering me around and complaining about anything that wasn't done to her specifications.
    But at least she seems to know what she's doing. And I was surprised that the food wasn't half bad. Or else I was just too hungry to care. But the potatoes she served were real, not powdered, because I scrubbed them myself. Thankfully, she didn't make me peel them. They were new potatoes with thin