enough information for you to figure it out. Now I’ll need to ask you to collect your belongings and vacate the premises immediately, or I’ll have to contact the authorities.”
More than anything I wanted a chance to defend myself and dispute whatever allegations he had against me. In my mind, I knew that if I could explain, he might change his mind. Looking at him and the steely coldness in his dark eyes and the lines of disapproval furrowing his forehead, I realized I’d be wasting my breath.
I really fucking needed this job, but being arrested wasn’t something I wanted added on top of what was already turning out to be a shitty day. Taking a deep breath, I stand up. “Thank you for the trial period.”
Mr. Morris remained silent. Instead of courteous response, he turned to his computer and started typing something, effectively ignoring me. I wouldn’t let him see how rattled I was by this utter disregard for my feelings.
Sure enough when I stepped outside the office, a security guard was waiting. I didn’t know if I should be insulted. Did they think I’d go all angry black woman on them and cause a scene? To be perfectly frank, I kind of wanted to but knew that would only sink me deeper into trouble than I already was. Hell, I didn’t know what I’d done wrong, but adding an arrest to my already shitty day wasn’t worth the aggravation a few minutes of relief might cause.
It was one thing to suffer through the humiliation of being fired without knowing the reason why. It was quite another to have to do the walk of shame down the long stretch of hallway as former co-workers whispered behind their hands. Some of the patients I had come to care for looked on with confusion etched heavily into their faces. I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me whole. I felt like screaming that I’d done nothing wrong, but it would do no good. It was hard enough as it was just holding back the tears.
Thomas, the security guard who had been friendly toward me since I’d worked here, now stared at me with cold distant eyes as I gathered my belongings from my locker, and he escorted me off the premises.
“Take care,” I spoke just barely above a whisper as he walked away.
His only response was a grunt that could have meant whatever or go fuck yourself. I couldn’t tell which one. Not that it mattered. My mind was already wondering what I was going to do without a job. I really needed it because God knows my savings wasn’t going to sustain me for much longer.
I stopped by the grocery store on the way home to pick up some groceries and a pint of my strawberry cheesecake ice cream. I may not have a job, but I still had ice cream at least. It never let me down.
All I wanted to do when I got home was slide under the covers, eat junk food while watching sappy romcoms on Netflix for my pity party of one. In the morning, I’d call the board to find out if the allegations Mr. Morris made were true because I hadn’t been notified by certified letter or at the very least contacted by phone, which would normally be the case if there was some kind of complaint filed against me.
But of course with the way my day was going that wasn’t meant to be because sitting on my front porch was definitely a face I wasn’t expecting to see. The first emotion immediately rushing through me was relief, so much so that the tears that I’d somehow managed to hold back until this point ran heedlessly down my face.
I dropped my bag of groceries and ran into the arms that were now outstretched to me. “Adam!” I practically tackled my little brother who towered over me by nearly a foot even though I was nowhere near short. I held him tight burying my head against his chest, inhaling that familiar scent that smelled like home and holding him tight because he was here. He was alive, and the knowledge removed some of the worries that weighed heavily on me.
As the relief subsided, red-hot anger set in. I pushed him away with enough force that nearly sent him toppling to the ground. He managed to right himself before actually falling, however.
“Hey, what gives?” He gave me that easy smile of his that usually