Katarina, my Uber driver from the night before, was kind enough to ask me if I needed a ride back into Ocala. Uber drivers generally refused fares from Gainesville into Ocala and vice versa, complaining the drive into the boondocks wasn’t worth it. Honestly, I didn’t blame them. It probably wasn’t. I knew that I would likely have a devil of a time getting a ride back home the next day.

“I’m not going to need to go back to Ocala until tomorrow morning,” I told Katarina who watched me gather my stuff to hop out of her Honda Pilot.

She smiled generously. “No worries. What time?”

There was no way I could ask this sweet lady to take me back to farm country at the break of dawn. I shook my head. “No, ma’am. That’s okay. It’s going to be very early. I can find my way back.” I was sure Alex could just drive me back.

Katarina wagged her finger at me. “I have a daughter about your age, Miss Jasmine. Nothing would make me happier than to make sure you get home when you need to.”

With her insistence, I scheduled an Uber ride early at 4:30 AM to be picked up at Alex’s. It was early enough that my father and brother would still be asleep. The oxen would even be snoozing at that time. 

Before I left, I ruffled Alex’s hair gently as he slept. “Bye, Alex.” 

One eye popped open. “Leaving so soon?” He grabbed my hand and squeezed.

“I’ve got work all day.” Stooping down to him, I kissed his lips. “I had a wonderful night with you. I love you.”

Smiling, he murmured, “I love you, too.” As I walked towards the door, he called after me, “I hope I see you soon.”

“I hope so, too.”

He flopped his head back down on his pillow with a dreamy grin on his face and watched me walk out. His bed looked so cozy and inviting with him in. I wished I could have stayed all day.

Since it was Veterans Day, there weren’t any classes, freeing me to work the lunch shift. After Katarina dropped me off at home, I took a quick half hour nap but still went in to the restaurant before anyone else. My brother and my dad were still in bed when I left. Being off for just one entire day, recharged me and I was ready to return to my hectic work and school schedule again. 

Payday was coming up, and I had to get payroll in order to be ready for it. I sat in the back office, going through the time cards of all the staff. It was a tedious task, but someone had to do it.

It surprised me when my brother came into the restaurant shortly after I had. Joseph stumbled in looking just as surprised as I was to see him. “Hey! What are you doing here so early?” I asked him, noticing the dark grey bags under his eyes. 

He rubbed his eyes with a fist. “Came in to get some work done.” He guzzled down a Monster energy drink. “What are you doing here?”

“Same. Trying to catch up on everything." I held up a time card. "Payroll."

My little brother looked dead tired. He nodded, running his hands through his hair. “Great. Thanks for doing that. I’ve to go to work on the server schedule next week since Maritza is still going to be out.”

I raised my eyebrows in confusion. What was he talking about? Maritza was out?

“You know because of her appendix?” Joseph explained. He searched my face for recognition. 

Anxiety swirled inside of me. I had no idea Maritza was out sick for her appendix. She was our head server. I had been so caught up with work, school, and Alex that I hadn’t even noticed our head server had been out. 

I stood up in shock worried about Maritza. Before I could say anything, Joseph assured me. “She’s okay. I sent flowers to her hospital room.”

I sighed, relaxing a bit. “Thanks for taking care of that.” I paused, thinking about how hard Joseph worked since I started school. “Thanks for taking care of everything.”

He nodded, gulping the last bit of Monster left in the can.

Stepping around the desk to get a better look at my brother, I saw how deflated he looked. “You look awful.” Joseph looked sickly and grey. He even seemed thinner and smaller.

He sighed. “I feel awful, Jas. I know I’m the one who told you to go to school, but I honestly had no idea how much work it would be without you here all the time.” He chewed his lip.

“I’m sorry, Joseph.” My chest tightened in guilt for taking off yesterday. 

Joseph vented his frustration. “It’s just that Dad’s new changes to the menu are eating up so much more time than I expected.” He shook his head. “And Maritza is out. I asked Nia if she can cover, but Nia’s in school just like you are.” He groaned. “We are busier than ever before, which is great! But, I miss sleep. It’s hard to be the Sous Chef and the GM.”

We both looked down, gazing at her feet. Any mention of a general manager indirectly brought up the subject of my mother. “I wish dad would just hire one. This restaurant needs a proper general manager.” I crossed my arms tightly around myself. My brother nodded, silently agreeing. 

“Jas, I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up.” He lifted the Monster to his lips, but then realized it was empty. He shot the empty can into the trash.

“Okay. I’ll figure something out. You’re going to get sick working this much.” I put my arm around my brother and led him to the couch in the office. “Take a nap.” My brother and I used to fall asleep on this couch when we were little kids, waiting for our dad to finish up with work. When we’d wake up, we’d be in our beds at home, not even remembering our father carrying us there.

He vehemently shook his head. “I can’t do that. There is so much to do.” He resisted, but I pushed him down on the couch. 

“I’ll take care of the server schedule and morning prep work in the kitchen.”

He sat on the couch bolt upright ready to jump up and work. “Are you sure?”

I unfolded the blanket slung on the back of the couch. “I’ve got it.”

He relaxed onto the couch, throwing his feet up and closing his eyes. “I’m so tired. Thanks, Jas.”

I threw the blanket on him and softly patted the top of his head with my palm. “Of course.” Looking down at him snuggled on the couch, I remembered when we were little and he would come into my room, scared of monsters under his bed. He’d crawl in next to me, clutching his stuffed dinosaur, Ty Ty. It didn’t take much to get him to go back to sleep. All he needed was my company and in a minute or two, he was sound asleep, snoring even.

Scooping up the timecards and grabbing the server schedule book, I quietly tiptoed out. Disappointment welled deep in my belly. There were still four more weeks left in the semester. Could Joseph make it that long so I could, at least, finish the semester?

He looked absolutely terrible. I’d be a horrible person if I asked him to hang in there for four more weeks. There was a huge possibility that I would have to drop out mid-semester. All my hard work would be for nothing. 

I spread out all the paperwork in the General Manager’s office that used to be my mom’s. Hardly anyone ever went in there. It was dusty from rarely being used. Even the soft chewy peppermints that melt in your mouth had been left in a little porcelain bowl on her desk. My mother loved those mints. But gross. Those peppermints were a decade old.

I grabbed the bowl to toss the peppermints into the waste bin but looking down at the red and white striped candies nestled in the bowl, I couldn’t do it. I put the bowl back down where it was with a pain in my chest.

Directing my attention back to a time card, the inevitability that I’d have to drop out of school hummed in the back of my mind. My life as a college student had been short-lived. It was foolish to think I would have been able to keep up the lie all the way until graduation. 

Before the lunch rush started, I’d finished payroll, worked out the server schedule, and had the kitchen prepped and ready to serve. When my father came in, he grunted at me in approval. I wondered how long it would be until my dad actually used words to communicate with me again.

I was in the kitchen, slicing octopus when Nia skirted by me whispering in my ear. “Man. Here. Eat!” Her eyes were wide and serious. I dropped the knife slowly. It couldn’t be. She saw the look on my face and nodded fiercely as she quickly strode back out to the dining room. 

When the door swung open, I saw Alex and his teammates, Ronnie and Perry, sitting at a table. It wasn’t great that Alex decided to come in, but seeing him with his friends allayed my fears. There was no way my dad was going to make a scene especially if Alex had not come alone. Safety in numbers, right? 

I tried to convince myself that my father would never jeopardize the chance an anonymous Michelin judge had come to lunch that day. Michelin starred restaurants were frequently visited by incognito judges to ensure consistency in the restaurant’s quality. The restaurant had to always adhere to the highest standard of fine dining because we just never knew when we were being judged.

Returning to slicing the octopus, I clenched my jaw. My dad was definitely going to be furious, but he would talk to me about it later. The worst I expected was my father chewing me out at the end of the day, but I had plenty of hours before then to mentally prepare myself.

Suddenly, my dad stormed past me and out of the kitchen with his eyes aflame. He pushed the door open with such force, it swung back hard with a furious swoosh. I hung back in the kitchen momentarily in disbelief that my dad was going out there to talk to Alex. 

Then, my dad's booming voice growled, “You are not welcome in this restaurant!”

Dropping my knife with a clatter, I rushed out to the dining room. Guests sat in shock, watching my father shake his clenched fists at Alex and his friends. “You will not be served! Get out!”

Alex held his hands up in defeat while his friends looked around startled and uncertain. Alex, Ronnie, and Perry stood up carefully while the entire dining room, guest and staff, stared open-mouthed. I couldn’t believe my eyes.