'Since when have you owned a kilt?' I asked, eyeing Ethan's choice of clothing.
'Not until recently,' he said, taking a sip of tea as he sat at our kitchen table. 'But I feel they're making a comeback. I'll be a trend setter.'
I eyed him suspiciously. 'Is your family even Scottish?'
He let out a low whistle. 'I'm sure if you go back far enough in my family... one of my relatives probably is.'
'Give him a break, Jessica,' Mark chuckled, shifting a pile of bills as he joined us at the table with his tea. 'I think it's pretty bold of him.' He leant forward to address Ethan. 'So, are you, you know, going traditional under there, man?'
I groaned in disgust. 'Oh, please. Not at the table. All due respect, Ethan, but I have no interest in what's going on under your kilt. As far as I'm concerned you're a Ken doll from the waist down.'
'Don't worry, Ethan. She treats me the same way,' Mark chuckled, warranting a glare from me.
Mark continued unabashed. 'So what have you been up to lately, man? It feels like months since we last saw you.'
Ethan took a sip of his tea. 'Oh, you know, work. I took your advice and got a new job that's been keeping me preoccupied lately.'
Mark raised a finger and paused as he sussed out Ethan's words. 'I think I suggested you go look for a job at
the dairy farm
a while back, didn't I?'
A grin split Ethan's face. 'Yep, you sure did.'
Mark returned the grin. 'You old dog! So, what, you met a nice hucow who's been keeping you distracted from the outside world?'
'Ethan took another sip from his tea with his grin still in place. He looked like he was loving every minute of this. 'Her name is Hayley, thank you very much.'
Mark clapped his hands together in triumph. 'Aha! I knew it would work out for you, man! So when do we get to meet her?'
'You can come to the farm sometime if you want. I'm sure she'd love to meet the both of you.'
'Sounds good. I'd love to see inside that place. Hell, with how well it worked out for you, perhaps I should apply for a job there, too.'
I slapped Mark's arm as he chuckled.
'Oh you know I'm just teasing,' he said to me. 'Although, honestly it might be a good idea for you to see if they have any positions free in administration or something. My wage won't be enough to keep us afloat for long.'
'What's this?' Ethan asked.
I could feel my face flushing as Mark explained it to Ethan. 'Jessica lost her job a few months back. Company scaling back, that sort of thing. The job hunting hasn't been going so great lately.'
'Well that sucks. I'm sorry to hear that Jessica,' Ethan said. He thought for a moment before continuing. 'I can ask around, but I'm not sure that there are many office roles at
the dairy farm
.'
'It's a big place, I'm sure they have many people working to keep that place going,' Mark said. 'What do you do there? Maybe you could put a good word in for her.'
'Uh... I don't think... there are any spots free in my type of work for her. You could always sign up as a hucow. They're always hiring more of those.'
I crossed my arms over my chest. 'No thank you. I think I can safely say I'll pass on that position.'
'They have pretty good lives there,' Ethan continued. 'Probably the easiest work around. Living expenses paid, too.'
'You're not going to sell me on this,' I said firmly.
'I think you should give it some thought. Even as just a backup if you can't get a job elsewhere. It's really not as bad as you think there.'
I finished my tea with a final gulp. 'Thank you, Ethan. I appreciate you trying to help but I'll be fine. I had an interview at an accounting firm that I'm waiting to hear back from any day now.'
'Well that sounds great!' Ethan enthused. 'I hope it does turn out well for you.'
'Me too,' Mark said. He glanced at the pile of bills out of the corner of his eye. I felt a pang of guilt at the thought of how much it was all building up. Mark was doing wonderfully to keep us afloat, picking up overtime at his work wherever he could, but it was getting down to the wire. I needed this accounting firm to call me back soon.
'Well, I'd love to stay longer, but I think I'll be needed back at work soon,' Ethan said, pushing his chair back to stand.
Mark stood up to show him out. 'Yeah, thanks for stopping around, man. Don't drop off the face of the earth again, all right?'
'I promise I'll keep in touch more,' Ethan said. As I stood up I noticed Ethan fidgeting with his kilt before rising from his chair.
'And next time we'll have to meet this Hayley.'
'Of course. See you later, you two.'
'Bye Ethan,' I said as he stepped outside into the street.
~
It was the next evening that I received the call from the accounting firm. Mark hovered around as I listened intently to the woman on the other end. My spirits dropped as I thanked her for her time and placed the phone back on the table. Another failed job interview.
'What's the next interview you have lined up?' Mark asked hopefully.
'None,' I told him, struggling to hold back tears as I did.