Faithless Memories

Coming of Age

Chapter 16

The next two months flew by for both siblings, but for different reasons. After his first day of orientation with Commander Hewley, Zack spent nearly every day at the Shinra Headquarters from early morning to after dark. There were several nights that he came home so exhausted that he barely ate and showered before he went to bed. If it weren't for the fact that he had shared information about the intense workouts he was going through, Kris might have been worried. As it was, she did what she could to help him.

Those two months weren't easy for Kris, either. The man that had hired her, Mr. Alexandros, had been looking for a cashier and general gopher to help because he was getting older and the work was harder for him, but he wasn't ready to retire. Initially, he had planned to take the time and clean up past due paperwork and hopefully stress less in general. It was only two weeks into her employment, however, when he realized that she was both excellent with the customers as well as with the numbers. Once he figured that out, he started only coming in for the midday rush and then again at closing time. After the first month, he had taken to letting her handle most of the workload.

He wasn't able to give her an increase in pay with the extra workload, but as compensation, he wrote off what they still owed on the furniture and allowed her to pick out pieces to finish furnishing their apartment. As long as it wasn't an expensive piece, she had the pick of the store. It was hard work, but Kris enjoyed it most of the time. It made sure they were able to keep their savings from depleting as well as paying the bills. Not having to pay for the furniture helped out a lot.

Zack hadn't gotten any time off during his training since they only had about two months before he would be tested for acceptance into Soldier. It wasn't that he didn't come home nightly with good news on his progress, but he worked extra hard to make sure there would be no question of his qualifications. Kris suspected that it wasn't going to be an issue since it was one of the famous Firsts that had scouted him. She doubted the man would have offered to mentor Zack if he hadn't seen his potential, but she knew he needed to focus, so she didn't say anything.

With the way both of their schedules worked out, there were several nights a week that they would miss each other. Either he would already be asleep by the time she came in, or they would both be too tired to talk. Their lack of regular communication and long days were what prompted Kris to start putting together all their meals for the week on her days off. Since they were in the middle of the week, those became the two days Zack looked forward to the most. He enjoyed her cooking and appreciated her efforts, but those two days always meant he had something fresh when he got home.

As hard as it was for them both, they found that they were happy. It was still exciting for them both to look forward and see their dreams coming true. At least Zack's anyway. Kris had all but forgotten the main reason Zack had used to convince her to come with him to Midgar, but she wasn't upset by that fact. Her life was too full to worry about it.

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It was two days before Zack's final trial and the day before his birthday. Kris had just finished helping a young couple with a new crib purchase when Mr. Alexandros called her back to his office. It was closing time anyway, so she locked the front and followed him back. When they sat down, he gave her a warm smile before he started. "Kris, I can't begin to tell you what a blessing it was to have hired you. Since you started, I have finally had time to catch up, and things are running smoothly again."

She gave him a smile and a quiet thank you, but that was all she was able to produce. Something in her gut told her that wasn't the reason he had called her back. She didn't have to wait long to have that fear confirmed. "You know, when I first posted your position, I was planning on putting everything in order so I could sell the business and retire. I'm not able to do as much as I used to. With the way it worked out, I think I can keep going for a few more years, at least. I think we need to make some changes, though."

This was the part she had been dreading. She hoped he wasn't going to tell her he didn't need her anymore. She had been lucky to find the job in the first place. Jobs were scarce in Midgar, even if a person did decide to work for Shinra. There was a lot of competition. She still managed to give him a nod.

He must have noticed her nerves because his smile widened, and he patted her hands that she had clasped on the desk. "Don't worry. I think you'll be a big part of the future, but I've noticed that we only have a few days a week that are busy. The rest of the time, we've spent getting things back together. Now that I've got everything cleaned up, I'm going to cut back the hours and only be open on those three days. I still want you here, though."

Kris felt her stomach drop out. She quickly cleared her expression. At least he wasn't firing her. She still stumbled when she tried to speak. "But... I mean, well... I understand."

He patted her hands again and tried to reassure her. "I know this is really cutting back your hours, but we both know that Zack will be starting with Shinra soon. Even if he does end up having to stay in the barracks at first, he won't have anything to spend his money on besides helping you. If it comes down to it, and you think you absolutely need to get a second job, I'd be happy to give you a reference. I would really appreciate you staying on here, though."

Kris bit her tongue and nodded. She knew she had a good position, even with the cut hours. She spoke up to reassure him at that point. "I really appreciate everything you've done already, so don't worry that I'll be leaving because of this. We'll take it a day at a time and see how it goes. Right?"

She knew he could tell her smile was forced, but he gave her another smile anyway. "Well, now that the hard part is out of the way, why don't you go ahead and head home. I can take care of the rest. I'll see you on Friday at the normal time."

She could only manage a nod as she got up to leave. She ended up debating the whole way home if she should tell Zack. She finally decided that she would have to, but not the following day. His birthday would be for celebrating only.

Even though they didn't have their parents, they still put together a little party for him. It was just the two of them, but they still shared a special dinner. Kris even managed to bake a decent cake for him. The meal was smaller than usual since Zack still had last-minute practice, but Kris had the whole day to make sure it was nice when he got home.

Kris had planned on making him sit and write to their parents, but he convinced her it would be best to wait until he finished his trials. She rolled her eyes at his excuse since she was sure it was only a formality by that point, but she didn't push him. He did have a point about wanting to describe how everything went.

Kris had a lot on her mind when they finally turned in, but she didn't let it show when Zack thanked her for the cake. She managed a smile for him before they went to sleep. That night, she was plagued by her nightmares, but for the first time since her first one, she didn't bother Zack. Instead, she made use of the time she was awake and had a beautiful spread ready for Zack's breakfast to wish him luck.

She wasn't sure if he caught on that there was something wrong, but on his way out, he grabbed her in a tight hug. She gave him a questioning look when he released her, but he just shrugged with a grin. "I need all the luck I can get. I figured it couldn't hurt to get some from you too."

She found herself grinning despite her worries. "You can have all the luck I can give you, even if you don't need it. I'll be expecting good news."

He gave her a mock salute as he headed out. "Yes, ma'am!" She was still smiling when she turned to clean up after he was gone.