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If I had a dollar for every time I struggled to not get smart with a customer, I could stop working at this shop and begin my career as Dallas's biggest philanthropist.
Until then, I had to stare at random spots in the store so customers wouldn't see how their stupid ass questions annoyed me.
"What's the biggest size y'all have?" A teenager asked while drumming her nails on the counter.
I reached for a cup and sat it down harder than I meant to, "16 ounces."
"Starbucks have bigger cups than that." She frowned.
"Go to Starbucks then."
Her friend sucked her teeth, "See. I told you they always have an attitude in here."
It wasn't an attitude. I just really didn't see the point in her telling me what size cups another shop had when she could go there instead.
Rolling her eyes, she turned and began mumbling about me to the other girl as they left, "Bitch probably make $7 and think she better than somebody."
I smiled evilly and reached for the store phone to call mall security. I waited patiently for Derrick to answer, "It's some teenagers in here skipping."
"I'm so damn tired of them. What they look like?"
"They should be on the way to Starbucks. You can't miss sis. Her wig crooked and her baby hairs 'bout grown as fuck."
He laughed into the phone, "Ken, what's the issue? You be having me scare these kids every day."
"She said I make $7 and think I'm better than them." I repeated, "All 'cause I said go to another store."
Nothing ever happened in our mall, especially during the day, so Derrick was nearly always available to go around 'scaring' them for me. He found it entertaining, and I thought so as well. He never even called their parents, just made them think he was going to.
"I told you last time they told me I couldn't do shit with this flashlight? I should've went upside they head."
"They must've never seen you flash it fast? That's a deadly weapon right there."
The phone was silent for a few seconds, "I'm not doing nothing else for you."
About a half-hour after I ended the call, I looked up as Zion entered the store, whistling like he was in the best mood ever. He stopped in front of the counter and looked at me expectedly, making me stare back at him in mock confusion.
"How can I help you?"
"The service in here ain't worth nun. I come here every day and you still don't know my order?"
I wondered where Elijah was but didn't want to ask. They usually came together and would spend at least 10-15 minutes making me laugh. Maria didn't care because I think she liked Zion, and he played into that.
"I know Elijah's order." I replied smartly, "I don't know yours."
"Ian telling you where that man at. Stalking him and shit."
My mouth dropped in surprise at him saying that. Not because he was wrong, but because that's exactly what I was trying to get him to do. I quickly lied to relieve the embarrassment, "That's not what I was tryna' do."
He smiled, "I hear ya'. He said tell you he'll see you tonight."
"What's tonight?"
"The hell if I know." Zi shrugged and reached in his pocket for his phone, "Uhh, he said just wear some comfortable shit. It'll just be y'all."
Why couldn't he tell me that?
"And the muffin was hard yesterday. Y'all falling off."
"It could've been a brick for all I care. That's what he gets for tryna' replace me with another baker."
We all knew how to make the muffins because they trained us how. However, the girl who worked yesterday was new and for some reason couldn't catch on to the most simple instructions.
There was literally a timer, and she still burned the damn muffin.
"My son hates muffins." He smiled at my laugh, "They for my mama."
"It used to be a lady who came in here every day for a blueberry muffin." I paused thoughtfully, "She never comes anymore. I wonder if she's okay."
"What's her name?"
I handed him the muffin and leaned against the wall, "Ms. Tracey. I'll have to ask the other shift if she started coming at a different time."
Zi looked down at the bag in his hand, "'Preciate it, Ken."
He moved out of line so that I could take the next customer's order.
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I moved the phone so that my parents could see me better. They squinted at the camera, "You picking up some weight, huh?"
"Wow straight to it. No 'Your skin is glowing' but 'You getting big as a house'?"
My dad leaned closer, "Skin looking a little dry." He pinched his thumb and index finger together, "Just a little."
"The weight looks good on you." My mom laughed.
"Most things do. Thanks to my mamaaaa. She kinda fine too."
"We know you got your head from her. The looks come from my side, Ken."
I didn't talk to them on the phone every day, but we had some form of contact, rather it be them sending me a news article about something that happened near our area, or telling me to take an umbrella because it was supposed to rain.
They lived around 3 hours away in Houston, where I grew up, and came up at least every other month for a weekend.
Now that I thought about it, I decided to ask, "Y'all overdue for a visit, right?"
"I was just telling Mike we should come this weekend." My mom responded, "Maybe Sunday?"
"I could come to you guys. Coby'll drive."
"Last time he drove, you texted us the entire time about how he was torturing y'all by playing his mixtape the whole way here."
That was a terrible experience for Jai and me.
We never came to an agreement on who would go where or when, but I ended the call and looked towards the bed trying to decide if I wanted to take a nap. I never made a decision because my phone rang again.
"God damn. I don't even have frien- Hello?"
"Hey, Ken." Jade responded, "Are you busy?"
I looked at my pillow and closed my eyes, "Nope. What's up?"
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Elijah Baker
Zion gave the restaurant manager a blank gaze, "Say what now?"
"I- we, took a loss this month." He pointed a finger at the profit and loss sheet, "It wasn't by much."
I chewed happily on the food in front of me, "Y'all be cooking y'all ass off in that kitchen."
"Thank you" Jason replied nervously, "We try."
"Can't be trying too hard. Motherfuckas' can't even get a reservation here for weeks at a time. How the fuck I'm taking losses?"
The question needed no audible answer because we already knew: Jason, or somebody else, was stealing.
It wouldn't be that much of a problem, but they weren't even smart enough to fake the numbers. If it's brought to his attention, though, he had to do something about it.
I was just here for the food.
"Some people send their food back and-"
"Shove that shit down they throat and make them pay for it!" Zion interrupted, "Ion give a damn how you get the money, but if they sitting in my shit? They gone pay."
"The BBB gone shut this bitch down." I laughed, "Jason whatchu' needed the money for?"
Everyone wasn't fortunate enough to have dispensable money, so I was trying to be understanding, and depending on what he said, I'd tell Zion to let it go. It was never about the money anyway, just the principle.
His shoulders fell, "My daughter begged us to cheer. It's $1500 just to get her on the team, and my wife doesn't work."
"You couldn't ask me that?" Zi put both hands on his chest and looked at me, "Ian no mean ass nigga is it?"
"I think you nice as hell. You don't think so, J?"
Jason was becoming visibly more nervous, "You're a great person."
All eyes went to my vibrating phone on the table, but I ignored it, "So next time you feel like stealing....?"
"I'll ask."
Zion shook his head, "Tell Eli you 'preciate him. He paying for it."
"Ian paying you shit."
Zi had enough sense to only spend the minimum amount of time doing illegal shit to get money, then he threw half of his money at a restaurant, the rest coming from Christian. When I could afford to, I bought that half from Christian and gave a percentage back to Zion.
In other words, I owned less than 10% of Minett's
It didn't bother me because I knew he would go to extremes to make money. If the restaurant brought in enough revenue, he wouldn't start back doing that other shit with Marc and Christian.
I also paid him to 'protect' me, which was really him just driving me around while we talked shit. Again, this was so he wouldn't resort back to his old lifestyle. I know by now he'd figured that out, but we never spoke on it.
"Ken know Ms. Tracey." Zion stated, "Said she used to come in there every day before we came back."
"And?"
"And if I know her, she probably talked about you before."
"......And?"
"Connect the damn dots. You better tell her before she figure it out."
I continued to eat.
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ð maybe she won't care ab what he does
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