Victoria:Thanks, you’re the best.
Pepper:Remember that next time I ask you for a raise. Be careful out there.
I looked over at the barista who was wiping down the counter.
“Where’s the closest ATM machine?” I asked.
“There’s a Bank of America three blocks up. Go right when you exit, and you’ll run right into it.”
I headed in that direction, and after a little bit of trial and error, figured out how to extract money from the machine. Zipping it in my pocket, I headed back to the coffee shop, determined to find Hailey.
Walking around the block, I found an alley that led me to the back of the buildings. After figuring out which building was Morning Jolt, I climbed the metal stairs to the single door in the back. I wasn’t sure if I was in the right place, but I figured if I wasn’t, maybe the neighbors would tell me how to find Hailey.
Ignoring the fact that the alley smelled like garbage, I knocked on the heavy metal door, fanning my face with my hand. This outfit was way too hot for the weather, and with the sun shining at my back, I was baking. A few minutes later the door opened a crack, revealing one brown eye.
“Hailey?”
She pushed the door open and I resisted the urge to scold her for opening it without knowing who was there. Shouldn’t the door have a peephole or something? A quick glance around told me that there was no security system in place. I made a mental note to order her one.
“What are you doing here?” she asked cautiously.
I reached into my pocket and handed her a hundred dollar bill. “I wanted to give you a tip.”
When she just stared at the bill in my hand I added, “Because I didn’t give you on before. I didn’t want to stiff you.”
“You can’t tip me a hundred bucks for a seven dollar coffee,” she said sternly. “Are you crazy?”
I was confused. Usually people were very happy to take my money. I shoved the money towards her. “Please. Take it.”
I thought she’d refuse, but she finally accepted the tip. “Okay, but I’m going to give this to charity.”
“Why?” I asked in confusion. She was clearly poor. She lived in this crappy building over a coffee shop for God’s sake.
“Because I didn’t earn this. Your order was worth a three dollar tip, tops.”
When I continued to stand on her stoop, Hailey looked concerned. There was a buzzing noise in my ears, and my limbs were feeling heavy.
“Are you okay? You seem a little… out of your element.”
I was so shocked that someone besides Pepper was worried about my well-being I almost fell over.
“I’m not quite myself,” I admitted.
I realized that I was dripping with sweat now, probably because I’d been running around bundled up in such heavy clothes. Or maybe because I hadn’t had anything but that coffee in the last eighteen hours. It was like as soon as she asked if I was okay, my body gave itself permission to relax.
I started to sway on my feet as my vision turned fuzzy.
“Sorry,” I said, my voice seeming to come from far away. “I’m not… feeling good.”
And then I fell into her arms.
Hailey
Iwasn’t sure how the customer from the coffee shop found me – although I guess it was easy enough given that I lived in the building. Finding her on my stoop was a surprise, but her handing me a hundred bucks as a tip was over-the-top. Who did that? My mother always told me that people who had money were different from people like us. I guess she was right.
I watched her eyes grow unfocused as the woman started to sway. What the…? Before I finished the thought she fell into me. Instinctively, my arms went around her, keeping her from crashing to the ground.
Unsure what else to do, I dragged her through the door and lowered her to the floor as gently as possible. She was tall, but surprisingly light. Rolling her over, I tapped her cheeks.
