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His Summer Job Clients Suck. Literally.
This is an entry in the Summer Loving Contest. Thanks to Meathead96 for his editing help in making this a better story.
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Memorial Day weekend my brother Aaron drove down from the university to spend the long weekend. We all knew it was one of the last times we'd be together, and wanted to make the most of it. The grill was fired up, the beer was flowing, and most of our neighbors, friends and family were over for the big send-off. Only my sister Debbie was missing. Deb was going to school out east, and hadn't finished finals yet.
Aaron, the oldest, was about to make family history and become the first Borman to graduate college. He already had lined up his first 'real' job, and was headed to Atlanta as soon as school got out. It had come as a surprise to all of us how fast everything happened.
My brother had always been an Ok student, nothing exceptional. He hadn't dated much in high-school, wasn't on any sports teams, and had been a pretty average B+ student. Average height, average weight (maybe a little below average), plain sandy brown hair, Aaron was invisible as far as high-school went. He'd worked part time at the video store, and when he was 17 he was given the old hand-me-down Chevy Blazer to drive, which had seen better days even then.
I guess it was in the family genes. I followed in his footsteps; a complete non-entity, non-joiner, and non-dater. If anything, I was slightly less than average; A little smaller, a little lighter, a little quieter -- think Aaron, only less. My teachers seemed to forget my name, in spite of being the third in the family to pass through the hallowed halls of Heritage High, in almost as many years. I got decent enough grades, which I worked reasonably hard for, but that was about all I had going for me.
Don't get me wrong. I wanted more. I wanted to be different. I wanted to bust loose and leave the family legacy behind. I made an effort to look good. I took care of myself. I worked out. I ate well. I didn't have the size for football, or the height for basketball, but I went out for baseball and track, agonizingly close to making both teams, but missing the final cut each time. I had practiced the entire previous summer, determined that year would be the one. It was my senior year. There would be no next year.
I'd even dated, or at least tried. My initial sky-high aspirations had been exposed, in less than gentle terms, as the impossible, unattainable fantasies they were. Harshly.
Lowering my standards a notch, and then another, and yet another, I'd finally found someone who'd go out with me, and for more than one date. I felt pretty good about that. Eric and Darrell, my two closest friends, had been the first to drag me back to reality, after my unfortunate first attempts. I felt like the proverbial lobster in a tank: my fellow invertebrate's eager to drag me back down every time I strove to climb out. When Cathy Gates had finally let me kiss her, and even feel her chest through her shirt, I knew I was teetering on the lip of escape, ready to break free - FREE! So what if she was only a sophomore, and perhaps even less average than me? A guy's gotta start somewhere. Anyway, I could close my eyes when I kissed her.
I had even convinced her to come to the Memorial Day party, to kick off summer, say goodbye to my brother, and to acknowledge the fact that our High-School days were all but over. Less than two weeks to go. I guess I wanted to prove something as well. I had a girl! And I wanted my big brother to know it. Some things never change.
Aaron changed after he went away. He'd joined a fraternity, eventually becoming the vice-president. He was about to graduate Cum Laude, and he showed up at our house with a babe in tow that was like to bring me to my knees. She was everything we Borman's dreamed of, and yet so far beyond our grasp, sometimes we didn't even know it. This little stunner was on my brother like white on rice. As far as sibling rivalry went, that round went to Aaron.
Sunday evening, after the weekend of visiting and relaxation, Aaron pulled me aside and insisted I join him for a drive to the hardware store. A 'guy' thing. I was ready to get out of there. Cathy had given me grief for trying to push things too fast and had left earlier in a huff. Too fast? So I had my hand in her shirt. We'd dated over two weeks, and with two weeks left in the school year I was going 'too fast'. Shit. I was going to leave high-school a virgin. No two ways about it.
As soon as we were a couple of blocks away, he pulled into Sonic, where we ordered drinks while he broached what was really on his mind.
"What're your plans for the summer?" he asked, while we waited for our carhop to bring us our drinks.
"I'm not sure yet. Probably work at the video store again. I was thinking about taking a couple of courses online before starting up at Quad-C next semester."
"I've got something better for you. You know that job I had, with the sales route?"
I rolled my eyes, "I don't want to do sales, Aaron. Heck, I don't think the Cherry-bomb could take the miles, even if I did." Cherry-bomb was the name we'd given to the 12 year old Blazer that had introduced Aaron, my sister Debbie, and now me, to the world of driving. The original cherry-red exterior had faded to a color somewhere between primer and dried blood.
"Pete, listen to me. It's not what you think it is. Hell, it's not what you could ever even hope to imagine it is. I was planning to work it again this summer, but with my new job, and Jessica, I couldn't do it justice. So I want you to have this." He passed me a piece of paper with a phone number, and the name Sandra written in his precise printing. He handed it to me with something akin to reverence.
I looked over and I swear he was practically in tears. He took a deep breath, and wiped his eyes, just as a cute little brunette rolled up with our drinks.
He rolled down the window and took our drinks, then passed her a $5. When she reached for it, he held her hand for just a second, giving her a squeeze. "Damn you're pretty. Brought tears to my eyes, just looking at you. You worked here long?"
She gave him a nice grin. "Three weeks."
"What's your name?"
"Amber."
"Nice. I'll have to come here more often." He closed the window, while she was counting out the change, waving her off, and turning away, no more time for her.
I was in absolute awe of my brother's easy way talking to such a pretty girl. I would have been hard pressed to get an intelligible sentence out. College had certainly changed him.
"Peter, call that number. She'll probably bring you by for an interview. Whatever she says, whatever she asks, you just make sure that you let her know that you'll be the perfect employee. You'll be on time, polite, and eager to perform any task you're given. Promise me you'll do this," he said, any hint of jocularity gone. "It'll change your life."
"What's the big deal, Aaron? Why so serious?"
"Just do this. Please. For me. And for you."
I finally agreed, figuring if it was that important, I could at least give it a try.
Our carhop stopped by a few times, eager to see if we needed anything. I watched Aaron roll down the window and chat with her a minute, setting her to giggling, then apologizing for having to run. She gave him his number, which he stuffed in his pocket as we left.
