Beyond Denver

Chapter 10

Jeff arrives for his shift as I'm about to say something to Scarlet. I assume it's him just because of how Scarlet described the guy. He is overweight, walking in slow motion, and wearing an oversized shirt that is tight around his belly, exposing his belly bottom. He carries a torn and dirty backpack over his shoulder. "Sorry, I'm late again," he says.

"As usual. Honestly, I thought you wouldn't even come today." Scarlet rolls her eyes at him. He clocks himself in and glances at the schedule hanging on the wall. "So, who am I working with today?"

"Jeez, where part of the planet Earth do you live in, Jeff? You work with Cassidy."

"Cassidy," she looks up at me. Despite being intimidating, she's shorter than me. "This is the upstairs neighbor I told you about." She glances at him, "Jeff, I'm glad you're feeling better. Welcome back to work."

"I took lots of vitamin C while resting at home."

"Wait. Is Mountain Dew your vitamin C?"

Now Jeff is rolling his eyes at Scarlet, "Thank god we're not on the same shift, boss."

"I agree," she laughs, removing the croissants from the box and placing them on the counter. Then she removes her apron and hangs it on the wall. "Well, I'm out of here. Take care of this place like that's your baby. Cassidy, you have another hour before you go home for the day." Jeff and I see Scarlet taking off with her springy steps.

"Well, I'm going to fix myself an espresso. You know, I need to wake up," Jeff says while rubbing his eyes, wiping off the little crust on each corner, "I slept a little late last night."

He grabs a small cup and places it under the coffee machine. I hear the grinding sound of fine beans hitting through the cast metal and the whistling blow of coffee brewing. The scent of fresh java is inviting.

"Make it a two," I tell him. A boost of caffeine will help me throughout this shift. Sophie's is practically empty, and there isn't much to do. Only one customer is sitting on the corner now.

Jeff begins as he sips his coffee, "I know. She is kind of a bitch isn't she?"

I try to contain my laugh, "Yeah."

"She will get over you."

Next, Jeff wears his apron around his waist, hiding his half-exposed belly button. It's not so bad to hang out with Jeff. I sit on a chair behind the counter, letting him talk about his games and the last Marvel movie he'd watched this summer. I even let him spoil for me.

"I watched the one with Edward Norton," I say.

He cracks a laugh, "The Incredible Hulk? What part of the world have you spent the last few years? Where have you been hiding?" That's an old movie.

"Hum."

"The Marvel company picked a different actor for the Hulk role."

"I don't watch Marvel. Sorry."

"I can see that. Don't tell me you've watched Twilight."

I crack a laugh, "In fact, I did." Jeff is better than Scarlet had described. He might be lazy to do chores but has a sense of humor. I'd rather work with him than someone like Mike.

I'm going to smoke." He says as he grabs a cigarette from his pocket. "You want one?"

"No, thanks."

As Jeff heads by the dumpsters in the back, I look for something to keep me busy. I have forty minutes to leave my shift and head home.

"May I help you?" I ask a man entering Sophie's. This man looks like he hasn't taken a shower for a few days, his torn-apart jeans above his tennis shoes, exposing the different colored socks underneath.