Agatha and Grace proved to be a good match. They balanced each other out: Agatha had personality and life experience, and Grace had gentility and savvy. For the first time in a long while, Agatha had friends. Although they were really Grace's, they accepted her. Agatha wasn't sure what she'd done to deserve such peace in her life, but she was grateful.

Secretly she'd had some apprehensions. Trusting a stranger off the street wasn't like her. While Grace was sweet, she still didn't know what it'd be like to live with her. She'd only ever shared a place with family. Already she considered Grace her best friend, and even that was unknown territory for her. Making friends was never her strong point.

Was it strange, she wondered, to be living with someone so young? Grace was younger than Rooster for heaven's sake. Did she really want to risk going through the life of a twenty-year-old all over again? Rooster was always bringing home drunken trouble. Granted, Grace and Rooster we polar opposites. In a few months, Grace seemed no different than when they met. It was safe to assume she wouldn't change, right? Too many people in her life changed for the worst after knowing them for any amount of time. In the greater scheme of things, a few months wasn't a long time, and this made Agatha nervous.

"Agatha," Grace asked. "Is anything the matter?"

Sundays and some Saturdays were the only times of the week neither of them worked. Already they had something of a routine. Grace would wake early for church, wake Agatha, and then come home with fresh bread or pastries from the bakery to go with the eggs and sausage Agatha prepared. Grace never said so aloud, but Agatha moving in was the best thing to happen to her since moving to New York. She hadn't realized how much she missed having other people in the house. Coming home to a freshly cooked breakfast reminded her of Saturday mornings with her family. The scent of some sort of breakfast meat brought her out of bed, and she'd run downstairs, still in her nightgown. When both parents were alive, she'd come into the kitchen to find her mother and father laughing as they cooked and prepared the dishes. After her mother's death, she got up early to help in her place. As close as she'd become to Agatha in the past weeks, she couldn't bring herself to tell these sorts of stories. They were some of her most precious memories, and it felt as though speaking them would make them commonplace.

Agatha looked up from her near untouched breakfast plate when Grace repeated her question. Setting her fork to the side, she answered, "Yeah, Grace, I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You're all slumped over and you've barely said two words."

Agatha sighed. "I'm sorry. Woke up with a lot on my mind, I guess."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Nah, there's no use. Just me being dumb and whiny."

"I doubt that," Grace said. "Come on, let's hear it."

Knowing she wouldn't be letting up, Agatha surrendered. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm starting to notice the differences between us."

"Like what?"

"We have different personalities, for starters. You have a natural positivity about you. I, on the other hand, don't take to setbacks well."

A bit confused, Grace asked, "What setbacks? Did something happen?"

"No, no," Agatha corrected. "I'm just using it as an example. You remember about a week ago at the butchery some jerk overheard us picking out our cuts and swooped in and took them for himself? Remember how mad I got?"

"Yes, but I don't see how that depicts personality. I was angry as well, especially when he gave us that snarky look as he was leaving."

"But you didn't spout off at him, you reined me back."

"Only because I thought you were going to hit him over the head with the baguette you were holding."

"Exactly what I'm trying to say. You keep your calm while I turn wheat into weapons."

"Are you kidding? I would love to be as gutsy as you. I never say what's on my mind. I let people like that man walk all over me. You? You stand up for yourself."

Agatha half-smiled. "You think so?"

"Absolutely."

"Well, I still call it short temper."

Grace shrugged. "Partly, but I'd take that with the ability to speak up over allowing myself to be the butt of a joke."

"I'll teach 'ya."

"Thank you," Grace chuckled. "You have your work cut out for you."

"We'll make it a deal: I teach you to say what you feel, and you teach me to conceal my bread." Agatha winked.


Agatha felt better after her and Grace's conversation. Though it hadn't gone into great detail, she felt more like she belonged. Grace had a quality that Agatha hadn't noticed until now. In silence, she could convey her real emotion. Not once did she say, "Agatha, I like having you here." But she didn't have to. The tone of other words and small gestures, such as leaving mid-week notes when they hadn't seen more than two minutes of each other, said it for her. "Hope your week is going well," "I brought home those donuts you like, enjoy!" Agatha never knew someone who considered her presence so much. Not since Rooster was a toddler, anyways.

The following Saturday, Grace began facing problems of her own.

"What am I going to do? I never thought I'd be fired. I did everything right."

Agatha, who sat in her favorite armchair in the living room, put her foot out to stop Grace's pacing. "Relax, it happens."

"Not to me!" Grace said. "What did I do wrong, Agatha? I came in on time, I was friendly with the customers, I washed my hands after every order, I worked extra when I was asked… I don't understand it at all."

"Look, it's not like you're unemployed. You still have the job at the bakery."

"I only work part time. They don't need help in the afternoons because the owner's kids come home from school. I can't ask them for more hours. I'll make enough to contribute to the rent and maybe a few groceries, but that's it."

Agatha shrugged, "So I'll take care of the rent for a couple months while you look for something else. It's not that big a deal, I have a bit of money saved."

Grace sat on the sofa diagonal from Agatha. "I couldn't ask you to do that. You work so hard. I'm able to pay my share, that's not the issue."

"Then what is?"

"I'm mad at myself for not saving anything. I was so focused on decorating this place. The possibility of losing one or both of the jobs never occurred to me."

"Didn't the furniture come with the apartment?"

"Yes, the basics did. The rest was me. I wanted it to feel like a home. Everything felt so cold before I added personal touches to it."

Placing a hand on her friend's knee, Agatha said, "You did a great job of it."

"How are you so calm?" Grace asked. "What I mean is, doesn't the idea frighten you? What would you do if you lost your job?"

"I'd find another."

"You make it sound simple."

"It's not," Agatha scoffed. "It can be grueling, but what else is there to do? Believe me, I've been through this before. After a while it becomes common place."

"How many times has this happened?"

"I don't know, a few. Mostly from diners."

Grace sighed. "I guess you're right. I just wish I knew why."

"I can't help you there, I always knew my reasons."

"What were they?"

"Let me think…" Agatha said as she leaned back and rested her head on her arm. "Once was because I threw a drink at a customer."

"What?"

"He had it coming."

Grace sat wide-eyed. "Just like in the movies?"

"Oh no," Agatha said with pride. "I mean I literally threw the drink at him — glass and all."

"I don't believe it." Grace gasped. "Well… maybe I do."

Agatha laughed. "Damn straight."

"What else?"

"A couple times it was due to excessive tardiness, but I didn't have a choice. That was when Rooster was still living here. The rest was probably along the same lines. Something stupid I did and had to live with."

"I wonder if I did something without realizing."

"Did you ask?"

"No," Grace said.

"What did you do? What did you say?" Agatha asked.

Grace blushed. "I said okay and left."

"That's it?"

"What else could I do? I was so afraid I was going to cry in front of them."

"All right, we gotta toughen you up," Agatha said.

"Can we focus on one thing at a time, please?"

"No, you should have demanded an explanation."

"So what? It doesn't matter now. It's over. I missed the chance."

Agatha rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay. I'm not going to argue about it. I'll go make you some tea and then you should get into bed. I have to leave for work in half an hour."

"Thanks," Grace managed to smile.

. . .

The next day Agatha took it upon herself to figure out what happened to Grace's job. Not long before Grace got off at the bakery, Agatha walked over to the deli. She stopped a few times trying to remember the way. Only once or twice she'd visited Grace at either job. Normally at this time she was sleeping or just waking up.

When she arrived, she couldn't decide if she was grateful or annoyed by the crowd of people. Serves me right for coming at 12:30, she thought. She took her place in line, beginning to put together in her mind what she was going to say. She watched the people behind the counter and went by Grace's previous descriptions to get an idea of who was working. There were two men and a woman. She knew the woman's name was Anna and that she was a cousin of the owner. As for the men, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't un-mix their descriptions.

Before long, she was at the counter. She ordered a sandwich for show, and decided to play dumb.

"Hey, what happened to the young woman who normally works here?" She asked the man serving her.

"She's right there with another customer," he answered.

"No, not her. The other one. I don't remember her name… Gretel?"

"You mean 'Grace'?"

"Yes! That's it."

The man shook his head. "She doesn't work here anymore."

"How come?" Agatha asked.

"Just moved on, I guess."

"Are you sure? She doesn't seem to be the kind of person to leave without explanation."

"Look," the man said as he turned around to make her sandwich. "It's not our business to discuss former employees."

"Was she fired?"

"What difference does it make?"

"I'd like to know," she said. "It would surprise me if so."

"Why is that?"

"I thought she was one of the best."

Glancing over his shoulder, the man asked, "You don't look like one of our regulars. I'd remember a pretty lady like you."

Oh sure, Agatha thought. Now is the time for a man to notice her. "Don't play that game with me — I invented it. I didn't say I was a regular."

"Then why are you so fond of Grace?"

"She was memorable."

Coming back with her order in hand, he said, "Fine, if you must know, she was fired. I can't tell you why right here. Why don't we talk over dinner… say around five?"

Agatha froze. She couldn't go on a date with this man. For all she knew he was one of the owners or a relation. On the other hand, going meant getting answers.

"Um… sure. Sure, that should be good."

"What's the matter?" the man asked.

"Nothing," Agatha answered. "I'm just surprised. And don't think I'm not aware this is still a game. I'm only agreeing to find out what happened to Grace."

"Are you friends with her or something?"

"No," Agatha answered. "I'm nosy."

The man laughed. "Meet me here later on."

"Okay."

"My name is Carl, by the way. What's yours?"

"Call me Aggie," she answered, just in case Grace had mentioned 'Agatha' in passing. Perhaps a fake name would have been a good thing to come up with during the walk over.

"See you then, Aggie."

Agatha nodded, and turned to leave.

"Wait a minute," Carl called after.

"Yeah?"

Holding up a bag, he said, "Your lunch."

"Oh, thanks. What do I owe 'ya?"

"It's on me," he smiled.

Agatha took the bag and grinned. Free food and a date? She should snoop around for Grace more often. Hopefully she'll understand…