FINALLY: Chapter 10
The next day, I woke up and my eyes were red and puffy. I guess I had fallen asleep crying. I sat up slowly and yawned. I needed to get ready for school, but I just couldn’t get up. My mom came into my room- her eyes also red and swollen. “Good morning, sweetheart,” she said gently, rubbing my back. “You don’t have to go to school today if you don’t want.”
“I don’t?”
“No, honey. Melissa isn’t and I figured that you wouldn’t feel up to it. I mean, after all you’ve been through the past couple of days…”
“Yeah, I get it. Thanks, mom. I really wasn’t feeling it today.”
“Hmm, I wonder why?” She joked sarcastically. “Alright. Well, meet me and your father in the restaurant in an hour, ok?”
“Mmk,” I replied sleepily. “I- I’ll set an alarm,” I said as I drifted off to dreamland.
The next thing I knew, I was getting dressed in an t-shirt and apron. I headed downstairs to the restaurant. I shook my head. ‘We never should have opened for breakfast,’ I thought with a small smile. I opened the front door and walked to the nearest table- notebook in hand. “Hello, sir,” I said; not really looking at the man’s face. “What would you like this morning?” I looked up and gasped. “Wait a minute! You’re-” The man smiled.
“Yes, I would like an omelet with tomatoes, spinach, and potatoes.” He winked at me.
“Is that all?” I followed along.
“Yes, I think so.” He replied but then his voice turned to a whisper. “I heard you got in trouble for letting me off free.”
“Uh,” I didn’t know what to say to this. “Ummm… yes, we did. But it’s nothing to worry about,” I said it hastily.
“I know, I’m not worried.” He reassured me. “Let me guess, you got a letter from the FDA?”
“Er, yes.”
“Well, let me tell you something. I used to own a restaurant just like you do and I got a letter just the same as you did. But the letter is a fake. Let me guess,” Jeff said again. “The closing was written as ‘conveniently’?”
“Yeah, how’d you know?!” I asked, incredulous.
“I have my ways,” he grinned. “But there’s no need to worry. It’s all fake. You just go and tell your parents everything I just told you. Ok? And if you’re up to it, I wouldn’t say no to that omelet.” Jeff winked again and I turned away and jogged to the kitchen. All of those worries and the sadness I had felt since we realized James betrayed us were gone. Vamoose. Never gonna come back. หายดีแล้ว. Gone.
