Chapter Two

 

Neal

 

“Dad,” Bailey moans. “I’m old enough to stay by myself.”

“You’re mature enough to stay by yourself, but the law says twelve, and I don’t think orange is my color.”

“Can I stay with Veronica?”

“She’s working too.”

Veronica and I have been spending more and more time together since Aiden’s party a little over two months ago, always with the kids, since neither of us is looking for a relationship, no matter the rumors flying around the circle.

She rolls her eyes, slings her backpack over her shoulder and follows me to the car. I hate that I have to take her to work with me, but I’m lucky I can do so. It’s only when I have to work a Saturday, and we have a comfortable lobby with wifi, so it’s not like I’m torturing her. I’ve worked there since she was a baby, so she’s practically grown up at Jetsky’s Car Wash.

It’s a bright, sunny day, and it looks like half the town is lined up at the entrance, though we don’t open for a few minutes. We’re experiencing a bit of an early Spring this year. It’s over sixty degrees and everyone wants to get a winter’s worth of salt and sludge off of their cars. It’s going to be a long day.

Employees stand in clumps around the property, talking and laughing, and most wave at us as we make our way inside. “Bails, it’s going to be a busy day and I won’t be in here much. You know where to find me.” I hand her some money. “For snacks. Make sure you tell me or Beth that you’re going.” There’s a small convenience store a couple blocks away where she likes to grab an ice cream if she gets bored.

“Thanks Dad.”

“No problem, fam.”

“Ugh.” She stomps away, and I’m sure her eyes are in full roll mode.

What can I say? You have to find the little joys in life, like embarrassing your daughter with tween slang. It doesn’t matter that I have no idea what half of the shit means.

Bailey and I have been on our own for over five years now, ever since her mother, Nina, ran away with some lowlife wanna-be musician. We haven’t heard from her at all since Bailey was six. I know she’s better off without her mother, but I also know that every birthday and holiday that passes without a card or phone call chips away more hope from my little girl.

She’s grown up fast, and I couldn’t ask for a better kid. She’s responsible and mature, caring, and a good student. Everyone keeps telling me to beware the upcoming teen years, but so far, so good.

I stop to chat with Beth, the older lady who works the register. She’s the only employee who has worked here longer than I have, and all the customers love her. “They’re wrapped around the building already,” I warn.

“I’m ready for them. You have Margo selling today, right? So it should go smoothly.”

“Let’s hope so.” I turn around to say goodbye to Bailey, but she already has her nose in her tablet, and headphones on.

I do a quick walkthrough of the tunnel, making sure everything is as it should be, then give Margo a signal to open.

Jetsky’s is a full service car wash. Customers pull in and exit their vehicles, leaving us their car keys. There are two lanes, each with two employees who sweep out the cars first, then drive them around and put them on the track. Once they put them in neutral, they hop out, and the car is pulled through the automated wash and rinse. Two more employees catch it on the other side, and one drives it out before they both wash the windows and surfaces on the inside.

At the same time, two front line employees dry the vehicle and Armor-all the tires. The whole process takes less than ten minutes, but with bumper to bumper cars like today, there’s no down time.

Fortunately, I’m a manager. I used to despise these types of days when I was sweeping or scrubbing windows, but now I oversee the employees, and chat up the customers, most of whom have been coming here for years. It’s a good job, and the management position pays well enough that I don’t struggle to give Bailey everything she needs and most of what she wants.

Living on Violent Circle, I’m sure most people assume I’m broke, and would be surprised that I have quite a bit of savings. No, I live in public housing because my bitch of an ex destroyed my credit, and you can’t rent an apartment here with shitty credit. It sucks that I pay as much as others do to live in nicer apartments, but I like my neighbors, and everyone watches out for my daughter, so it’s not all bad.

Besides, I have big plans in the works.

“Neal! How the hell are ya?” Harrison, the owner of a local car dealership grabs my hand and shakes it like a bottle of salad dressing. I swear I hear a knuckle crack—his or mine, I’m not sure which.

 “Doing good. How about you?”

“Keeping my thumb on it. I noticed you’re still driving that Nissan. I can get you in something a lot newer. We’re overstocked so I can get you a hell of a deal.”

Every single time.

Like clockwork, every week he brings in the vehicles, usually newly acquired from a rental company, for us to clean, and not a week goes by that he doesn’t try to sell me a car.

“I’ll be passing that car on to my daughter someday. It’s a workhorse,” I assure him.

We chat for a few minutes, and he heads inside to watch his cars make their way through the tunnel. I swear, the adults love to watch it through the floor to ceiling windows as much as kids do.

The morning goes by fast, and before I know it, Bailey hunts me down for lunch. I look up from speaking with a customer and she’s waving my lunch box. I nod and gesture inside so I can finish the conversation, then head inside for a quick break.

“What did you make us?” I ask, handing her a soda and sitting beside her at the small breakroom table.

“Turkey and cheese sandwiches, baby carrots, and peaches.”

She insisted on making our lunches this morning, and since I would’ve just ordered a pizza or grabbed hamburgers, I was happy for her to spare us the junk food. Sometimes I wonder who the adult is in our house.

We eat in silence for a few minutes before she asks, “Can we go to the zoo tomorrow? It’s supposed to be warm and sunny again.”

“That sounds like a great idea. We’ll make a day of it.”

“Can Veronica and Aiden come with us?”

“I don’t see why not. If Veronica has to work, we can take Aiden.”

“She doesn’t.”

My eyebrows jump up. “And how do you know that?”

“We chat on messenger.”

I don’t want to say anything to make Bailey feel bad or doubt herself, but I need to check she isn’t pestering Veronica too much. I know she needs a woman to talk to, but it’s also not her responsibility.

“Okay, I’ll talk to her about it this evening.”

“Thanks,” she says with a grin.

“You know I’m on fleek, girl.”

Soda spurts out her nose, and she coughs out a laugh. “You have no idea what that word means.”

“It means I’m cool.”

“If you say so.”

Her smile brightens my day as it always does.

 

# # #

 

“Zip your jacket, Aiden,” Veronica tells him as we make our way through the turnstiles at the entrance of the zoo.

“Why?”

“It’s chilly.”

“And the zookeepers won’t mistake you for a monkey,” I add.

He looks up at me and blinks. “Because monkeys don’t wear jackets?”

“Exactly.”

Aiden zips his jacket and Veronica shakes her head at me, grinning. “Where to first?”

“Lions!” Aiden cries.

“Snake house!” Bailey argues. Yeah, that’s my kid. All these cute, fuzzy animals and she wants to see the creepiest one.

I must have a look on my face because Veronica gives me a teasing poke in the ribs. “Are you afraid of snakes?”

“You mean slithery, evil death ropes? It’s not fear, it’s common sense.”

“My friend had a five foot long python she was getting rid of, but Dad wouldn’t let me have it,” Bailey adds.

“I saved our lives. And probably our neighbors. If it got loose, it could wipe us all out.”

They laugh, and Aiden looks up at me. “I don’t like snakes. I don’t want to go in a snake’s house.”

“We’ll let the girls go visit the snakes while we watch the lions.”

Relief washes over Aiden’s pinched face, and Veronica smiles as he takes my hand.

“Meet you in twenty minutes at the meerkat exhibit?” she suggests.

“Sounds good.” I look down at Aiden who is wiggling around, but still holding my hand. “Ready, A?”

“Yes! I want to hear them roar!” He lets out a loud roar.

“Be good, Ade,” Veronica warns, and she and Bailey head off in the opposite direction.

When we approach the lion enclosure, I’m glad to see they’re out lying in the sun where we can see them. Aiden runs up to the glass and gives another loud roar, making the people around us laugh.

“They roar like dinosaurs! I saw it on TV.” He peeks up at me, squinting. His brown hair has a red tint in the sunshine, a gift from his mother. “Are lions related to dinosaurs?”

“Sure they are. We’re all related, if you go back in time far enough.”

His jaw falls open. “I’m related to a dinosaur.” The incredulity in his voice is hilarious. I’ve blown his mind.

“Sure, like, a third cousin, a thousand times removed.”

Awe glows on his face as he watches a male lion approach a female who lies in a sunny patch of grass. The female doesn’t appreciate his presence and jumps up, swatting at him. The male lets out a roar that rattles my teeth and makes Aiden slam his hands over his ears.

He wanted a roar, he got one.

“She got mad!” he exclaims, giggling.

The rejected male ambles over and lies right in front of us, his fur pressed against the glass. It’s a photo opportunity if I’ve ever seen one. “Let’s get your picture with the lion.”

“’Kay.”

Aiden sits cross legged on the ground, right in front of the lion, and I snap a couple of pictures. Just as I’m getting ready to tell him I’m done, the lion gets to its feet and snaps at the glass, trying to get at Aiden on the other side. I quickly switch to video, and a small crowd gathers as Aiden puts his hands to the glass, laughing as it tries to bite them.

“He wants to eat me!” His giggles mix in with the laughter of the crowd.

Aiden turns and smashes his butt against the glass, wiggling it back and forth, and the lion obliges, trying again to get a bite. I’m doing my best not to laugh too loud and ruin the video, but this kid is killing me. Bailey was such a calm, reasonable kid, even at this age. Boys are a different breed.

Finally, the lion loses interest, and walks away.

“That was awesome!” Aiden exclaims, taking my hand again as we head toward the meerkat exhibit. I can’t wait to show Veronica the video.

Bailey and Veronica walk toward us, both wearing matching smiles as they talk. Since Veronica has been spending time with her, I’ve noticed Bailey has seemed more relaxed and happy. I do everything I can for her, but I think there are some things that just have to come from a woman.

“Mom! The lion tried to eat me! Did you know they’re related to dinosaurs? And so am I! Neal knows because he went back in time!” Aiden rambles bouncing around his mother.

They crack up, and Veronica ruffles his hair. “That’s great. Now we know why you snore like a T-Rex.” She looks at me, her lip tucked in at the corner. “A time traveler, I had no idea.”

Her red hair blows around her face, and I have to remind myself she’s ten years younger than me. And that I’m not dating right now. “I don’t tell everyone. It’s top secret.”

“I got to hold a python,” Bailey tells me with a grin. “Did the lion really roar?”

“Yaaas, it was Gucci.”

“Dad,” she groans, but a snort of laughter sneaks through.

“What?” I put my arm around her as we walk. “You should’ve come with us, it was totally litty titty, fam jam.”

“You have no idea what you’re saying,” she laughs.

“Mom says animals have titties. Girls have breasts,” Aiden volunteers.

“I’ll keep that in mind, buddy.”

 

The meerkat exhibit is set up as a hands-on play experience. Glass tunnels wind around the enclosure and kids can crawl through them, getting a close view of the meerkats.

“Stay with Bailey!” Veronica calls to Aiden, as the kids run off to play, and we take a seat on a nearby bench where we can keep an eye on them. “I’m glad Bailey is here. I’ve had to drag my ass through the tunnels before. She’s so good with him.”

“She’s always wanted a little brother. She’d take him home with us if she could.”

Veronica sits back and takes a sip of her water before she says, “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to talk about it, but she mentioned she doesn’t see her mother.”

It’s more unusual for a man to have sole custody of a daughter. I’m surprised it’s taken her this long to ask. “It’s okay. Her mom split when she was six. She hasn’t seen or talked to her since.”

“Same for Aiden’s dad. I took him to court to have child support taken from his check, and he got visitation rights, but never uses them. Aiden knows who he is. He’ll show up every once in a while and pretend to give a shit, but it doesn’t last.” She brushes an ant off her leg absently. “Aiden’s better off.”

“Were you married?” She’s so young, just like I was when I had Bailey.

“No, he wanted to get married, but I didn’t see the point. I don’t ever plan to marry, anyway. We lived together at his mom’s house, but when I got pregnant, they kicked me out. Accused me of trying to trap him.” She rolls her eyes and huffs. “Because I’m after all that money he makes as a parking lot attendant. What about you? Divorced?”

“Yeah. We got married at twenty and had Bailey a little over a year later. I divorced her three years ago. Had to have a lawyer track her down to get the papers signed. As long as I agreed to no child support, she gave up full custody.”

Veronica shakes her head. “I don’t understand some people. No one could ever get Aiden away from me. You do a great job with her. She’s kind, and that’s a rarity in girls that age.”  

“I appreciate you spending time with her. I think she was lonely for some female company.”

“Same goes for Aiden. I know he’s a handful, so you have to let me know when he’s pestering you.”

“That is one hilarious kid. So much personality.”

A gorgeous smile lights up her face as she watches her son pop his head up from one of the holes in the tunnels. “It’s been hard, but he’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

That smile makes me want things from her I have no right thinking about. She’s ten years younger than me, and I can’t have a real relationship right now even if I decided the age difference doesn’t matter. She keeps her distance as well, and I can feel the invisible wall she’s built around her.

She needs a friend, not another guy checking her out. God knows there are enough of them.