Episode 603: Life Goes On

He frowned. He had to do this. He turned again. He took another step and pulled up his hood.

The lone customer, probably waiting for his car, didn’t seem to notice him; neither did a couple busy employees. Odds were no one would recognize him anyway. He was old news.

Still, he behaved as cautiously and irrationally as he did on the streets. He kept his head down, and hidden inside his hoodie, and did the best he could to veil the natural attention-drawing swagger from his stride.

His footsteps must have been as heavy as they felt. His boss looked up from the papers on his desk. Well, maybe that was his boss. He might have already lost the job before he’d even started. Disappointed the kid.

"I’m sorry I’m late."

"I thought maybe you wouldn’t show up."

"So did I. But I couldn’t do that to your daughter."

"Well, thank you. This does mean a lot to Tans, and I really can use the help around here. I’m sorry it won’t be more interesting than basic grunt work like cleaning up, stocking shipments and answering phones."

"That’s fine. Anything to keep me busy and out of trouble. Especially today." He grimaced. He really was off to a swell start with the boss. "I don’t mean falling off the wagon. I just… This is sort of an anniversary and well, idle hands might lead me to look up someone I shouldn’t look up."

Episode 604: First Cut