Chapter 43 | Sorting things out
"So your mother gave me a call this morning" Jake approached his daughter as she walked into the back room of the restaurant.
"So?" Grace said with a shrug, opening her locker she shoved her bag inside.
"So?" Jake looked at his daughter with wide eyes, noticing her less than enthusiastic tone of voice. "So, she has agreed to hire some more people to help out around here".
"That's great" Grace answered, but Jake could tell from her tone of voice she didn't really mean it.
"What's up?"
"What do you mean?" Grace asked unconvincingly. She walked over to the mirror and pulled her hair back in a high pony tail, tucking some loose strands of hair behind her ears.
"Grace, I know there is something bothering you, you can talk to me if you need to, you know that don't you?"
Grace turned reluctantly to face her father, "You know what's bothering me? You said when you came back that it would be different this time, no more lies remember?" Grace said seriously, "and at first I wanted nothing to do with you, after all you just left us, no explanation. It took a while for me to realize that I couldn't hate you forever, and it took me longer to realize that I didn't in fact hate you ever" Grace stopped to catch her breath.
"Honey" Jake said quietly, cutting in.
"No, just listen to me. If someone would have told me a year ago that you would be back in my life I would have laughed, let alone the fact that you and mum are running a restaurant together and that I am working for you. And someone said something to me that helped me understand why I felt so bad about what you asked me to do . . ." Grace paused as shook her head as her father opened his mouth again to speak.
"I was doing your dirty work Jake, I was lying for you to my own mother, I was asking my friends to lie for me, because you asked me too, and I don't want to do that. I don't want to lie for you, after all it's what led to you leaving in the first place, and I don't want that to happen again. I don't want to feel as if I hate you again, because that will happen if you leave, if you continue to lie, so please, don't get me involved. I won't lie for you again."
"Grace, sweetie, I'm sorry if I ever made you feel that way" Jake said with a concerned look on his face, taking a step closer to his daughter he spoke "No matter what happens" he shook his head, "I won't ever leave again. And I can't begin to explain just how bad I feel that I ever left in the first place, and I'm not going to try. But honey, you know I love you, and I promise I won't ever ask you to lie for me again. I realised yesterday that was a mistake and I explained everything to Lily when she rang me this morning"
"You did?" Grace turned to her father with a look of doubt. He nodded, "Now you better get out there" he said gesturing to the door, "Cara also rang me this afternoon to inform that that she won't be back. She's come down with some major virus and the doctor told her she needs to rest for a few months. Which means I'll be looking for a new waitress . . . or two" he added with a smile
"So she really agreed?" Grace asked amazed.
"Yep, now go, we can talk later"
* * * * * * * * * *
Eli looked at his friends standing beside him and couldn't stop the rush of nervousness as he looked up at the sign on the building in front of them.
"So this is it," Ted said awkwardly, he'd always been the quietest one of the group, but he had a way of saying exactly what the others were feeling.
[Eli - Maybe we are making a big deal out of nothing. It's not like the magazine is huge or anything. (Shrugs) hell, I probably wouldn't be caught dead on the site (furrowed brow) but just knowing the fact that it'll be online, for anyone to see is . . . (looks down thoughtfully) scary (pauses then looks at camera) and yet, I get this incredible feeling of hope at the same time]
"What are we waiting for?" Coop said excitedly, throwing his left arm around Eli's shoulders. Compared to Ted Coop came across as a total loudmouth, which was the perfect way to describe him. He was one of those people who never thought before they spoke, and often come out with the last thing people want to hear.
"What are you guys, nervous or something?" Coop laughed looking at his friends, who were more than slightly uneasy,
[Eli - Coop's totally loving this and I can't blame him. His parent's don't give a shit 'bout what he does. But Rick (rolls eyes); I wish I could be as relaxed as Coop. Things would be so much easier]
Eli looked back over at Ted and Wink, who were looking as nervous as he felt, and sighed. "Let's get this over with" he said, shrugging Coop off and opening the door to the building.
Eli and the guys stood silently as they took in their surrounding. They were standing in a small reception room but the back wall was a glass window, allowing them to see through to the window behind them.
Eli heard a laugh behind him, and turned around as Coop tried to disguise it with a cough.
"What?" Coop threw his arms up with a smile, "it isn't much is it?" Eli looked thought at the room which appeared to be some sort of large office. There were about 10 desks, all with people sitting at them, either typing busily away on their computers or on the phone.
A woman in her early thirties walked out from the room, and looked at them, her eyes narrowing. "Can I help you?"
"Ah yeah, we're here to see Kristy" Ted spoke up from behind them when no one else answered.
"And you are?" the woman sat down in front of the computer and typed something in.
"Anti-Inflammatory" Eli spoke up, his voice surprisingly controlled.
"I meant your names" the woman said rudely, not even looking up at them.
"Oh um, Eli Sammler, Coop - "Eli started in, telling himself to relax although he instinctively wanted to have a go at her.
"That's all I need" the woman cut them off, looking up and actually smiling she reached over and picked up the phone. She dialed a number before speaking, "Kristy, ah yeah," the woman nodded. "Okay, I'll let them know"
"Kristy said Ms Manning would be right out to come and get you" The woman with a smile. "She's nice, you'll like her"
Eli heard Coop trying to suppress another laugh and jabbed him in the ribs.
[Eli- She's nice alright, at least she believes in me]
"So your mother gave me a call this morning" Jake approached his daughter as she walked into the back room of the restaurant.
"So?" Grace said with a shrug, opening her locker she shoved her bag inside.
"So?" Jake looked at his daughter with wide eyes, noticing her less than enthusiastic tone of voice. "So, she has agreed to hire some more people to help out around here".
"That's great" Grace answered, but Jake could tell from her tone of voice she didn't really mean it.
"What's up?"
"What do you mean?" Grace asked unconvincingly. She walked over to the mirror and pulled her hair back in a high pony tail, tucking some loose strands of hair behind her ears.
"Grace, I know there is something bothering you, you can talk to me if you need to, you know that don't you?"
Grace turned reluctantly to face her father, "You know what's bothering me? You said when you came back that it would be different this time, no more lies remember?" Grace said seriously, "and at first I wanted nothing to do with you, after all you just left us, no explanation. It took a while for me to realize that I couldn't hate you forever, and it took me longer to realize that I didn't in fact hate you ever" Grace stopped to catch her breath.
"Honey" Jake said quietly, cutting in.
"No, just listen to me. If someone would have told me a year ago that you would be back in my life I would have laughed, let alone the fact that you and mum are running a restaurant together and that I am working for you. And someone said something to me that helped me understand why I felt so bad about what you asked me to do . . ." Grace paused as shook her head as her father opened his mouth again to speak.
"I was doing your dirty work Jake, I was lying for you to my own mother, I was asking my friends to lie for me, because you asked me too, and I don't want to do that. I don't want to lie for you, after all it's what led to you leaving in the first place, and I don't want that to happen again. I don't want to feel as if I hate you again, because that will happen if you leave, if you continue to lie, so please, don't get me involved. I won't lie for you again."
"Grace, sweetie, I'm sorry if I ever made you feel that way" Jake said with a concerned look on his face, taking a step closer to his daughter he spoke "No matter what happens" he shook his head, "I won't ever leave again. And I can't begin to explain just how bad I feel that I ever left in the first place, and I'm not going to try. But honey, you know I love you, and I promise I won't ever ask you to lie for me again. I realised yesterday that was a mistake and I explained everything to Lily when she rang me this morning"
"You did?" Grace turned to her father with a look of doubt. He nodded, "Now you better get out there" he said gesturing to the door, "Cara also rang me this afternoon to inform that that she won't be back. She's come down with some major virus and the doctor told her she needs to rest for a few months. Which means I'll be looking for a new waitress . . . or two" he added with a smile
"So she really agreed?" Grace asked amazed.
"Yep, now go, we can talk later"
* * * * * * * * * *
Eli looked at his friends standing beside him and couldn't stop the rush of nervousness as he looked up at the sign on the building in front of them.
"So this is it," Ted said awkwardly, he'd always been the quietest one of the group, but he had a way of saying exactly what the others were feeling.
[Eli - Maybe we are making a big deal out of nothing. It's not like the magazine is huge or anything. (Shrugs) hell, I probably wouldn't be caught dead on the site (furrowed brow) but just knowing the fact that it'll be online, for anyone to see is . . . (looks down thoughtfully) scary (pauses then looks at camera) and yet, I get this incredible feeling of hope at the same time]
"What are we waiting for?" Coop said excitedly, throwing his left arm around Eli's shoulders. Compared to Ted Coop came across as a total loudmouth, which was the perfect way to describe him. He was one of those people who never thought before they spoke, and often come out with the last thing people want to hear.
"What are you guys, nervous or something?" Coop laughed looking at his friends, who were more than slightly uneasy,
[Eli - Coop's totally loving this and I can't blame him. His parent's don't give a shit 'bout what he does. But Rick (rolls eyes); I wish I could be as relaxed as Coop. Things would be so much easier]
Eli looked back over at Ted and Wink, who were looking as nervous as he felt, and sighed. "Let's get this over with" he said, shrugging Coop off and opening the door to the building.
Eli and the guys stood silently as they took in their surrounding. They were standing in a small reception room but the back wall was a glass window, allowing them to see through to the window behind them.
Eli heard a laugh behind him, and turned around as Coop tried to disguise it with a cough.
"What?" Coop threw his arms up with a smile, "it isn't much is it?" Eli looked thought at the room which appeared to be some sort of large office. There were about 10 desks, all with people sitting at them, either typing busily away on their computers or on the phone.
A woman in her early thirties walked out from the room, and looked at them, her eyes narrowing. "Can I help you?"
"Ah yeah, we're here to see Kristy" Ted spoke up from behind them when no one else answered.
"And you are?" the woman sat down in front of the computer and typed something in.
"Anti-Inflammatory" Eli spoke up, his voice surprisingly controlled.
"I meant your names" the woman said rudely, not even looking up at them.
"Oh um, Eli Sammler, Coop - "Eli started in, telling himself to relax although he instinctively wanted to have a go at her.
"That's all I need" the woman cut them off, looking up and actually smiling she reached over and picked up the phone. She dialed a number before speaking, "Kristy, ah yeah," the woman nodded. "Okay, I'll let them know"
"Kristy said Ms Manning would be right out to come and get you" The woman with a smile. "She's nice, you'll like her"
Eli heard Coop trying to suppress another laugh and jabbed him in the ribs.
[Eli- She's nice alright, at least she believes in me]