AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"But it wasn't," she said. "Your life was based on being a great athlete, on knowing how to get to the top of a game, on how to market yourself."
"As a soccer player."
"You're an expert at soccer."
"Um," I shook my head, confused. Where was she heading with this? "Right. I guess."
"So use that expertise in another way."
"Oh, like as a soccer consultant. Right. I think I saw a help wanted posting for one of those on the way in." I laughed, but the sound only revealed the depth of frustration I felt. I’d thought through all this. I needed a new direction.
"You might need to be a little more creative," April said. "Take it from someone who's lost a lot of jobs."
"How many?"
"Counting the last one?"
I narrowed my eyes at her. "Yes."
"I've lost three jobs so far."
"Like, fired lost?" I cocked my head to the side. There were a lot of definitions of "losing" a job.
"Well, I don't think anyone's ever said, 'you're fired,'" she clarified. "But I can tell you it wouldn't have been well received if I'd come back to work after the talk."
"The talk?"
"The 'we think it'd be better if you worked somewhere else' talk," April explained. She pulled her hands away from where they'd been held on my leg and crossed her arms around her waist. "I was a horrible waitress," she explained. "So that made total sense. And then there was the barista job."
"Not mocha-tastic?" I joked, hoping to make her smile.
She frowned. "That was awful. And so was my barista game."
"What happened?"
"Someone ordered a decaf, sugar-free, nonfat latte."
"And?"
"I pointed out that they might as well drink water."
"They didn't like that?" I guessed.
"Neither did my manager," April said, her shoulders dropping.
"You're good at what you do now," I pointed out, placing a hand on her knee, trying to reassure her.
April just sighed. She looked at me, and for a moment I thought she was going to tell me something else, something to refute my statement. But she didn't. She picked up her glass and finished the whiskey.
I followed suit. "So," I said, sensing that changing the subject was the way to go. "What now?"
"Should we try the bourbon?"
"Well, I need to drive us back," I said. "Do you want to try it?"
April shook her head. "Not by myself."
We each slipped off our stools, and I looked around. That round had been free, Wylie hadn't charged us for the taste, and now we were about to leave without buying anything. I wanted to support a local business, so I signaled the bartender to come over. "Is there any such thing as a to-go glass?" I asked doubtfully.
