"Hi, guys. I'm looking for a.. job? I saw you were hiring?" The awkward silence that followed was almost unbearable. It felt like a stalemate, where neither player could move. The pair looked remarkably similar, and they both wore equally shocked expressions. Finally, the silence was broken by his brother.
"You're back."
He looked at his father, who was staring at him like he had two heads. "Yeah, I am. I saw you were hiring." Xeno repeated, as if he were any other applicant. "It said online I could just walk in for an interview?" His cheeks burned, and he couldn't tell if it was from the ovens or from shame.
His father set down the mixing bowl he was holding with such force he thought it would shatter. "Of course. I'll conduct your interview right now. Shane?" He looked at Xeno's half brother. "Make sure the flatbread doesn't burn."
As his father walked towards him, he thought for a moment that he was going to shout. "Follow me." he said. He had less ice in his voice than he had expected; instead, he seemed more.. curious? He couldn't put his finger on it- his father was notoriously difficult to read.
They walked back into the seating area. Robin was still staring at him incredulously, but he tried not to notice. He looked straight at his father, who had his back to him. They sat down opposite each-other at a table in the front-left corner of the bakery, next to the window. "So.." his father began. "You're back. Why?"
Xeno considered lying, but he knew it would be of no use. His dad would be able to see through it in a heartbeat and, anyway, he'd probably be able to find out what happened as his employer. "I got sacked at my last job, at the museum." He turned away. He was trying to be polite, despite everything, but the recent sting of getting fired was almost too much.
"I see. Why?"
He bit back a retort that it was none of his business. And, as his father who'd practically kicked him out, it wasn't. However, as a potential future employer, it very much was. "I was framed for something I didn't do." He wouldn't go into specifics. For the millionth time, he regretted coming here. It felt like every word he was saying was another drop in the bucket that proved to his father that he was right- that Xeno should've just stayed in the bakery. Ice-cold shame crept under his skin; every second felt like a lifetime.
"All right, any other work experience I should know about?"
"None that you don't know about already." His father looked pensive. He looked at him with an almost suspicious gaze. "It was a waste of time to come here." He thought to himself. It wasn't like he was actually going to get the job, no matter how qualified he was. Despite being an “entry-level position”, it said online that at least 2 years of experience working in the food industry were necessary, as well as the food safety permits that Xeno had thankfully got when he was sixteen.
The silence that followed was unbearable for him. He considered getting up and leaving then and there, just telling his dad not to bother. To be honest, although he didn't want to admit it, he had missed the bakery. He had missed his home. "I'm sorry for not reaching out?" Xeno ventured. That much was true; the lack of communication between him and his family had weighed on him over the years, and he had spent many a night sitting next to his home phone, debating on calling the bakery.
His father looked at him intensely, as if he were scrutinising every one of his features. It seemed that he had given up on this happening for quite some time now. Xeno tried to take solace in that little victory, but all he found inside himself was guilt.
"It's.. fine." His dad began. "You're hired, by the way. Starting today. You can join Shane and I in the kitchen when you're ready."
CHAPTER THIRTY THREE:
That was surprising. Even though he was fully qualified, he hadn't expected him to actually say yes.
"Thank you.. sir?" he asked. He didn't have a clue about how to navigate this situation.
"Don't make this worse than it needs to be," he replied. "You can call me Dad."
"Yes, Dad." With that, he turned and started walking back to the kitchen. He didn't gesture for Xeno to follow suit, but he knew to anyway. As he passed Robin, he gave him a thumbs-up. He smiled back.
Work in the kitchen was gruelling, yet familiar, and it was nothing Xeno couldn't handle. He dodged stares from his dad and Shane, and made pastries to the best of his ability. He was a little rusty, but it was like riding a bike; you never really forget how to work the oven, or fold pastry, or coax a stubborn loaf out of a mould. He was so engrossed in his work, in fact, that he almost didn't realise that you could cut the tension in the room with a knife. Try as he might, however, he kept noticing the glances that Shane and his father were sharing. The hushed whispers back-and-forth, the puzzled way that they'd glance at him when they thought he couldn't see.
Shane looked exactly like his father, he noted. Same with Robin, he hadn't realised when they were younger; but they all had dark brown hair, brown eyes and somewhat stocky builds, though they weren't yet old enough to have filled them out. The day went past surprisingly quickly, and he was only brought back toreality when Robin came into the kitchen and told them all it was time to stop-the bakery was closed.
Over the next few days, They settled into a routine. They'd work together wordlessly in the kitchen during the day- though not without exchanging basic pleasantries. During his lunch breaks, he'd hang out with Robin, while Shane stuck to whispering with his father. He didn't blame him. He was old enough to remember the arguments they had, especially the big one when he was eighteen.
During one of those lunch breaks, Robin asked, "Xeno, it's totally okay if you don't want to tell me, but why did you get sacked from the museum? Dad told me you were doing really well."
He almost choked on his pastry- a misshapen strudel that hadn't quite made the cut to be sold. "He said I was doing well?" He replied through a mouthful.
"Yeah, he tells us a lot about you. I mean, he doesn't find out much, but he drops it into conversation whenever he sees, like, a Facebook post from the museum, or one of yours, when you used to post."
"Really?" It was hard for Xeno to believe. He didn't think his father had wanted anything to do with him.
"Of course, why do you think the baker position was still open? Shane's more than capable on his own. He kept it open for you." Suddenly, Robin realised what he was saying, and his hand flew to his mouth. "Don't tell Dad I said any of that."
"I won't." Xeno chuckled. "Don't worry, I have a friend who can't keep secrets." He felt guilt pang in his stomach. Jess's texts remained unopened in his phone. Since he'd gotten sacked, he hadn't been able to face any of them. He kept telling himself thatwhen he got back on his feet, he'd reconnect with all of them. "Anyway, about why I got sacked?"
"Dad said you got framed?" He realised that must sound really cool to a thirteen-year-old. He played into it; he told Robin everything about working at the museum, even some secrets he probably shouldn't have. It wasn't like he was ever going to meet Jess, or Dr. Aruda, or Haiden, anyway.
It took him almost fifteen minutes to recount everything in sufficient detail. He told him everything; the original prank war, Aruda's messy divorce, Dr. Carmazan's cryptic warning, Steve falling, Haiden and his discoveries -though he omitted their kiss- and Crossley`s confrontation. When he got to the final day, the wound was still fresh, but he powered through it. He told him about Ms. Pepper's office, and the lavender smell. When he was done, he realised he felt a lot better for it.
