counter and stood next to Tracie.
“Well at least they’re gone; them and their damn dog,” he said.
Tracie whirled around, her mouth wide open in shock, amazed at what she just heard.
“Did you really just say that, Junior?” she asked Pete as she poked her finger into his bony chest.
“Yeah, I did. The kid was annoying and I don’t like dogs,” he replied arrogantly.
“Huh. Wow you’re an asshole and a dumb little boy,” she said smiling then adding, “ You might want to get used to the dogs here kid”.
He replied with a simple “What? Whatever,” and waved his hand in the air, blowing off what Tracie said.
“So yeah, anyway, your interview with the owner is at 9 am on the dot. It’s up to you if you want to show up or not though,” she said as she eyeballed the teenager.
“Why the hell wouldn’t I show up?” he asked with a little too much attitude.
Tracie put one hand on her hip and the other on the counter and looked at Pete square in the eye and smiled, cocking her head as she looked at him.
“Because, PETE, that annoying kid that just left, the kid that you insulted and treated like crap? Well, he is the owner’s son who I adore and babysit sometimes. That damn dog was the owner’s dog,” she said, watching Pete start to sweat a little and shake as his eyes got wider.
“And the guy I was talking to, the guy who just left with that kid, is his father, my boss, friend and the guy you will be interviewing with at 9 am. So have fun with that, IF you have the balls to show. But you’re done for the day so get your dirty hipster ass out of here,” Tracie said, smiling to the teenager whose jaw was practically on the floor.
The teenager bent down and grabbed his backpack that was on the floor and turned to leave. He had a defeated look on his face. This made Tracie extremely happy. She stood behind the counter watching him head to the door.
“Oh and Peter, one more thing before you go…” she said sarcastically.
“What, Tracie?” he answered quietly , stopping before he walked out the door, not even turning in her direction to look at her.
“If you do have the guts to show up in the morning – and for your sake I really hope you don’t – I would fess up to Big Tom that you never actually were a barista before. Because from trying you out today, I can tell you have never done it in your life, and he probably could also…just saying,” she said smiling menacingly.
Pete did not respond and just walked out the door with his head down. Tracie went back to getting work done, before the next shift showed up in a few hours.
. . .
Later that night, Thomas and his son Daniel sat around the campfire that they had made out on the beach behind their home. It was a relatively cool Oregonian Coastal evening. The temperature was in the 50’s and the wind was blowing slightly from the north. Thomas looked out onto the ocean watching the relatively small waves gently glide onto shore. Out in the distance, the last remnants of sunlight sat low on the horizon. Thomas took a sip of the one beer he had allowed himself to have this evening as he looked over at his son and smiled.
Daniel had called his Grandma Grace in Florida about 15 minutes earlier, after asking his father if it was all right. Thomas hesitated about it at first, but he had made a promise earlier that day that Daniel could make the phone call. Thomas also fought the urge to have Daniel use the house phone to make the call so he could listen in on the conversation. From time to time, Thomas would do this so he would know what was being said. It was something Thomas' mother knew he did occasionally and voiced her disapproval of it. Thomas loved his mother Grace, but sometimes when talking to Daniel on the phone she would say things that were somewhat inappropriate and that would occasionally confuse his son.
T onight though Thomas had decided to give his mother the
“Well at least they’re gone; them and their damn dog,” he said.
Tracie whirled around, her mouth wide open in shock, amazed at what she just heard.
“Did you really just say that, Junior?” she asked Pete as she poked her finger into his bony chest.
“Yeah, I did. The kid was annoying and I don’t like dogs,” he replied arrogantly.
“Huh. Wow you’re an asshole and a dumb little boy,” she said smiling then adding, “ You might want to get used to the dogs here kid”.
He replied with a simple “What? Whatever,” and waved his hand in the air, blowing off what Tracie said.
“So yeah, anyway, your interview with the owner is at 9 am on the dot. It’s up to you if you want to show up or not though,” she said as she eyeballed the teenager.
“Why the hell wouldn’t I show up?” he asked with a little too much attitude.
Tracie put one hand on her hip and the other on the counter and looked at Pete square in the eye and smiled, cocking her head as she looked at him.
“Because, PETE, that annoying kid that just left, the kid that you insulted and treated like crap? Well, he is the owner’s son who I adore and babysit sometimes. That damn dog was the owner’s dog,” she said, watching Pete start to sweat a little and shake as his eyes got wider.
“And the guy I was talking to, the guy who just left with that kid, is his father, my boss, friend and the guy you will be interviewing with at 9 am. So have fun with that, IF you have the balls to show. But you’re done for the day so get your dirty hipster ass out of here,” Tracie said, smiling to the teenager whose jaw was practically on the floor.
The teenager bent down and grabbed his backpack that was on the floor and turned to leave. He had a defeated look on his face. This made Tracie extremely happy. She stood behind the counter watching him head to the door.
“Oh and Peter, one more thing before you go…” she said sarcastically.
“What, Tracie?” he answered quietly , stopping before he walked out the door, not even turning in her direction to look at her.
“If you do have the guts to show up in the morning – and for your sake I really hope you don’t – I would fess up to Big Tom that you never actually were a barista before. Because from trying you out today, I can tell you have never done it in your life, and he probably could also…just saying,” she said smiling menacingly.
Pete did not respond and just walked out the door with his head down. Tracie went back to getting work done, before the next shift showed up in a few hours.
. . .
Later that night, Thomas and his son Daniel sat around the campfire that they had made out on the beach behind their home. It was a relatively cool Oregonian Coastal evening. The temperature was in the 50’s and the wind was blowing slightly from the north. Thomas looked out onto the ocean watching the relatively small waves gently glide onto shore. Out in the distance, the last remnants of sunlight sat low on the horizon. Thomas took a sip of the one beer he had allowed himself to have this evening as he looked over at his son and smiled.
Daniel had called his Grandma Grace in Florida about 15 minutes earlier, after asking his father if it was all right. Thomas hesitated about it at first, but he had made a promise earlier that day that Daniel could make the phone call. Thomas also fought the urge to have Daniel use the house phone to make the call so he could listen in on the conversation. From time to time, Thomas would do this so he would know what was being said. It was something Thomas' mother knew he did occasionally and voiced her disapproval of it. Thomas loved his mother Grace, but sometimes when talking to Daniel on the phone she would say things that were somewhat inappropriate and that would occasionally confuse his son.
T onight though Thomas had decided to give his mother the
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