I Woke Up in a Car

The next day much against my wishes, Eric had insisted on taking me out for breakfast. I told him it wasn't really necessary but he told me I didn't really have much choice. I sat and stared at my water the waitress had brought us, she had a worn look on her, like she'd been working in diners all her life. I finally picked up at my menu and looked over their standard breakfast fare.

When the waitress came back, I ordered an orange juice with two eggs over-easy, hashbrowns, and bacon. No toast. Eric ordered the same, eggs over-medium, wheat toast. I sighed, looking at Eric, who was looking at me. I felt awkward, I didn't know what to say to him.

He smiled a little, “So, um, what.. what do your parents do?” He asked, as though my parents were the first subject I wanted to talk about to some weirdo.

I shrugged, “My mom works in some store,” I paused as I thought about what my dad did. He used to work on wall street. He used to take the subway home. He always told me that no matter what he did, he was never too good to take the subway. “My dad is dead.”

Eric frowned and he looked down, feeling a little more than guilty, “Oh, I'm sorry.. I didn't know.” he said.

I shrugged it off, “Wrong place, wrong time.” I said, though it hurt to think about the time when my dad died. I guess I'd never really got over it and for the first time, in a long time, I thought about him. I thought about what he'd say, “I think he'd be proud of me.”

Eric looked puzzled. “What makes you say that?”

“Well,” I started, “He always wanted me to see the world, he said he'd never had the chance to see the world. He worked on Wall Street. He lived through 9/11. I don't think he'd be happy that I ran away so young but, given the circumstances, I think he'd rather me here than there.”

“New York?” Eric asked.

It was strange, I finally felt like I was opening up to him, though, I was talking more about myself than anything else, “Yeah.” I said, sipping the water. “I mean, it's a big city. It can be dangerous. One day you can be working down on Wall Street, the next day, one stray bullet and you're gone.”

Eric frowned a little more, pushing his hand through his hair and adjusting his hat, “So what made you leave?”

I kept it simple, short, “My step-dad.” I said, shrugging it off, but out of habit, I brushed over my eyebrow wincing slightly. The whole scene played through my mind like it happened yesterday. I had a small scar near my brow where I'd been cut. “I don't wanna talk about it.” I said hurriedly.

Just then the waitress arrived with our breakfasts. I was thankful that I could stuff my face and not worry about salt in the open wounds. It had been two years but, I suppose I never grieved my father, never really dealt with Gene and what he did to me, what he did to my mother. Maybe some day I'd share with Eric what really happened, but not here, not now.

I carefully cut my eggs and began mashing them into the hashbrowns while breaking up the bacon into bits. It really looked like a mess but it was the way I'd always eaten breakfast. I looked at Eric whose mouth was hanging open, a bite of hashbrowns on the fork as he watched me. “What?” I asked, taking a bite of the yolk-y, hashbrown, bacon mix. It tasted like heaven.

“Nothing.” Eric said, shaking his head with a smile as he continued to eat. I'm sure this whole scene made him think I was stranger than ever.

I was tired of talking to myself so, maybe it was time to get to know Eric, “How old are you?” I asked, watching him. I was sure the question seemed out of left-field.

Eric paused, “Twenty-three.” He then went back to eating.

I didn't know he was so much older. Then again, he looked pretty young still, I thought maybe he was nineteen or twenty. “How old is John?” I asked, curious.

Eric's brows furrowed, “Too old for you.”

I rolled my eyes and shoveled a fork full of food into my mouth, giving Eric a dirty look. “I don't want to date him, I'm just trying to get to know you and your family.”

Eric relaxed a little, “Oh. He's 28, or, well, he will be in October.”

I nodded a little and sipped on my orange juice. “Cool. So, um, what do you guys do for work? I mean, you're always home or going out. I don't think I've ever seen you working.”

“John and I snowboard. Like, professionally.” Eric said as he continued to eat.

This time I furrowed my brows, I mean, I had heard of Shaun White, the kid had been everywhere that even I, living in my car, had heard about Shaun White, “Oh, so like, that ginger kid, the Olympian or whatever.” I said.

Eric stared at me with a blank look on his face before he shook his head, “No, not like Shaun White.”

“Oh.” I said, shrinking back into the booth a little. How was I supposed to know there was one fucking kind of snowboarding? I barely knew about the Shaun kid.

“It's alright.” Eric said with a smile as he pushed his empty plate away.

I myself was pretty full, I finished my juice and then pushed my plate away, it only had a couple of bites left on it. “So, I mean, what exactly do you do for snowboarding then as your job?” I asked.

Eric sat back a little bit, “Well, I travel all over and film parts for snowboard movies and develop products with sponsors and make appearances and stuff.” He shrugged, pausing a little awkwardly.

“Oh, well, I mean, that's gotta be interesting. I'm sure you get to see some cool things and places.” I smiled.

The waitress deposited the bill on the table and Eric grabbed it while reaching for his wallet, “Yeah, it's pretty nice. I'm lucky. I get to do what I love in some amazing places. The only thing I don't really like sometimes is all the promotional bullshit that we have to do.”

“I can't imagine that's too much fun, but, I'm sure you have friends so it makes it easier to do you know.”

Eric smiled at me, “Yeah, it does.” He paused. “You know, I kind of got this crazy idea but, what would you say if I put you on my management team and you got to kind of be a personal assistant for me this winter?” He asked. “I mean, only if you want, no pressure, but I mean, I'll be gone most of the winter from the house and Pastor Reyes said you've been alone, I thought maybe you might like to come along and meet some people.”

I bit my lip, blushing as Eric had taken John's advice and invited me to be a part of his management team, though I knew it was coming (maybe) I wasn't expecting it so soon! “Oh, Um, that's quite the offer Eric but I don't think I'm qualified. I've never really done anything like that, or, well, even held a job, are you sure?” I asked. I mean, hey, what was the worst that could happen? I get fired?

“Yeah, of course.” Eric said, sitting out his credit card and bill for the waitress to come get, which she did right away. “Come on, it's gotta be better than you sitting at home all alone this winter. Besides, like I said, You can meet some people and have a little fun.”

I nodded a little bit, “Sure, I think that sounds like fun. But uh, my wardrobe is sort of limited.” I said biting my lip. I didn't really have a lot of clothes nor money to buy them.

Eric smiled and signed the credit card slip the waitress brought back for him, “I'll have my sister Irene take you shopping. She'll help you out.” Eric said. “We'll also get you a cell phone, that way people can get in touch with you and you can get in touch with people.”

What was I getting myself into? A personal assistant? When I was home I could hardly keep my room clean, how was I supposed to keep this guy's life and schedule organized. I think I'm getting in over my head. Though, to be fair, I thought about three weeks in, I thought I was in over my head after I ran away and I just kept pushing through when it got tough. I had no choice but to prove not only to Eric, but to myself, that I could do this, that I could handle it.