“Why not? You needed a job and Eli needs help. He’s looking for both, bartenders and line cooks, so you could take your pick.”
“Except there’s one major problem with your magic solution. I don’t know how to cook and the only thing I know about bartending is you have to put up with a whole lot of drunk assholes. Do you really think I’d be able to keep my mouth shut so I didn’t get fired?”
“You can do it,” I reassured him, even though he made a good point. Maybe the kitchen would be a safer place for him.
“You say it like it’s easy.”
“It really is Slade. And from where I’m standing, it doesn’t seem like you can afford to be terribly picky right now.” I cringed as soon as the words passed my lips.
Way to sound like the pretentious jerk he keeps accusing you of being.
The only thing that made me feel worse than imagining Slade telling me to get the fuck out of his life on the high horse I rode in on, was the crushed, defeated tone of his voice when he responded. “Maybe you’re right. I’ll talk to him.”
“Thank you, Slade. Now, I am going to change things up a bit. I want you to forget about the list. I want you to call Eli and set up a time when the two of you can talk, then I want you to take a nap. Unless you’ve been lying to me, you’ve been a very good boy today. Tonight, we are going to talk a bit, and then I am going to give you your reward to show you how proud of you I am.”
“No, you don’t have to do that,” Slade protested. “I want to see if I can get through most of the list today. I didn’t understand the point of this exercise when I started, but I think I get it now. And I don’t feel as defeated as I was before.”
“That’s wonderful, boy.” Sam appeared across the room. I held up a finger, letting him know I’d be right there. He nodded and disappeared. I stood and began crossing the room. “You need this break. You’re going to crash otherwise.”
I should have anticipated this. I had seen glimpses of the boy who craved nothing more than to please me this morning, and I had taken full advantage of that. Now, it was time for me to pull back a bit and consider what was best for him, both immediately and in the long run.
“Call Eli, and then nap.” I kept my voice firm, hoping he understood this wasn’t up for debate. “I want you to set the alarm for four-thirty so you can get dinner into the oven. Is the living room clean enough that we can eat there tonight?”
“Yes. That was the first room I got done. The kitchen is almost done, too.”
"Very good, Slade. It sounds like you've made more than enough progress for one day,” I reassured him. I honestly hadn't expected to ever set foot inside Slade's apartment again. The fact that he had not only taken me seriously, but gotten so much work done, spoke volumes as to his work ethic. Now, if only I could make him see that today's lesson could be carried over into other aspects of his life.
“I'm going to let you go so I can get this meeting over with. Do as I said. I will text you when I'm on my way to your apartment.”
“Are you sure you want to come over here tonight? Maybe we would be better off if you picked me up and we went out to eat,” Slade suggested. “I can’t afford much but if you’d be more comfortable…”
I hadn't done a good job hiding my displeasure with where Slade lived, and I got the impression he was offering for my benefit more than his own. That simply would not do.
“Boy, I want you to listen to me.” I was beginning to feel like a broken record, but it was obvious I would be doing a lot of repeating myself. And I would do so gladly, as much as it took to make Slade understand he had nothing to be ashamed of unless he simply gave up. The fact I wasn't growing impatient with him, spoke volumes about the chemistry I wanted to explore. “The two of us are going to talk tonight, and there may be things you don't want random strangers to overhear. No matter what, I want you to be comfortable enough to say whatever's on your mind, even if you think I won't like it.”
“But you hate my apartment,” he pointed out. “I wasn’t so drunk last night I imagined the way you looked when you saw where I live.”
“No, I hate that your building doesn't have adequate security. It saddens me to see the disorder in a place that should be your sanctuary, because I’m pretty sure it didn't get that way because you're a slob.”
“No, I'm not,” he confirmed. Then he corrected himself. “At least, I wasn't, but then everything started falling apart and I couldn't bring myself to care anymore.”
“That happens to more people than you realize, Slade. But we’re going to get you on the right path, okay?”
“Why are you doing all of this for me?”
“Because my gut tells me you're worth it.”
“Your gut lies,” Slade muttered.
“Let me be the judge of that,” I scolded him.
Sam popped his head around the corner again. The man's patience was never-ending.
“I really do need to get going,” I told Slade. “I'll see you after a bit, okay?”
“Yeah, sure.” I wished I had the time to convince him I wasn't trying to take him on as a charity case, but that would take days if not weeks. Instead, I said one final goodbye and hung up.
With that out of the way, I focused my attention on Sam. Instead of sitting behind my desk, I ushered him toward the small sitting area. Today, I didn't want him feeling as if I was the boss and he was my subordinate. From what I had seen of the proposal he’d done for his class, Sam had one hell of a mind for business.
