It was an unusually cool day in Texas, but Anna was already sweating inside the massive meat packing plant. She didn't care for the face mask, but it helped mask the harsh odor that made her stomach turn when she arrived. Her new supervisor gave her a lengthy tour, showing her the ins and outs of pork production. It was a disturbing sight, but she listened attentively, straining her ears to hear over the loud machinery.
Anna was expected to start this new job Tuesday, and her orientation was supposed to be Monday. But she missed those two days because of her drug-addict mother, Lisa, who had taken her '02 Saturn on a four-day joy ride. Lisa returned early Wednesday morning with her newest mooching boyfriend holding her thin body upright.
Anna hated her mother's new man, Larry. Whenever Lisa turned her back, he would eye her with hunger. Despite her contempt for both meth heads, Anna had let them in without a fuss. Her mother was drunk, high, and barely able to stand, let alone argue with her only daughter over a vehicle.
Anna was only 19, but she was no longer shocked by her mother's bad behavior. She was far too used to Lisa being gone for days at a time. That neglect had started early on when Anna was in middle school. Back then, it had been easier to push responsibilities onto her irresponsible mother. Now as an adult, it meant she no longer could eat free meals at school or stay at a friend's house when her mother refused to pay the bills.
Anna had worked since she was fourteen, starting with under-the-table work and babysitting gigs. By sixteen, she began working full-time, struggling to keep a roof over their heads. Even with two consistent jobs, she still needed something more to keep up with her mother's recklessness. She had used her savings to bail her out of jail just last month, which added struggle to her already challenging effort.
Anna was so optimistic about this new job. It would have her making more than the others combined. She considered herself lucky that her supervisor understood her delay, but when Lisa disappeared for another three days the following week, they had no choice but to fire her. Anna was bitter at the missed opportunity and thankful she had yet to quit her other low-paying jobs.
A&J furniture store sat on the corner beside a convenience store, behind a Mcdonald's. The small crowded furniture store rarely had many customers, but the employees kept the place clean and tidy just in case they did.
Anna cleaned, emailed receipts, and charged cards. When customers paid in cash, she always took a few dollars to compensate for the low salary since the shabby furniture store did not pay much. Anna had started working there in high school and loved the job, her coworkers, and the location, which was right down the street from her apartment, giving her no excuses for being late. Her other job at the tax center was not far away either, and she wanted to start full-time as a CPA next year but needed extra money for the classes.
After Anna finished vacuum-cleaning the rugs, she flipped the switch bringing the loud machine to a halt. She then wiped down the furniture until it gleamed thoroughly and returned to her small desk.
Sorting through papers, Anna flinched at her coworker Marsha's loud voice.
"Mr. Carl is dead!" Marsha gasped, standing to her feet.
Anna glanced at her as she flipped her braids, holding the phone closer to her ear.
"So, he's dead, dead? Damn!" Marsha groaned, looking toward her.
Anna tried not to roll her eyes at the dramatic woman, hoping everything was okay and not another fake excuse for Marsha to leave early. She ignored her conversation to concentrate on her typing, even though she was still talking loudly on the phone, interrupting her focus.
After her phone call, Marsha exhaled and hurriedly walked to Anna's small desk to gossip.
"Girl, we're going to have to find another job. Carl finally kicked the bucket!"
Anna's eyes broadened a bit at the news giving a sympathetic nod. She had never met the store's owner, Carl Anderson, nor his wife, who had passed away before she began working there.
The elderly owners had let a distant family member run their businesses. Their 31-year-old nephew Marty was the only member of the family she knew and whom she considered her boss. Marsha appeared upset by the news and the idea of the store closing.
"I have another job. I could see if I could get you on," Anna offered.
"Bitch, I am not standing outside the damn tax place waving flags." Marsha waved her hands dramatically, rolling her eyes in the process, "Anyway, I already know who the new owner is. It's gonna be that damn Jeff," she sneered.
Marsha cared so much, not only because she was intrusive as hell but because she was also making more money than Anna. Her bogus title as executive manager even gave her vacation, sick leave, and other unnecessary benefits. Anna figured out she was fucking Marty, which had much to do with Marsha's success in such a small store.
Marsha continued, "He's something that Jeff, a real piece of work. I went to school with him. I haven't seen him since high school. His ass doesn't even show up to our reunions. He thinks he's all that since he went off to college. He ain't been doing shit but been managing at the place in Virginia, where they get the furniture before it comes here," she explained.
Anna could care less about who owned the place. She wanted to hurry and finish up her work so she could get to the tax place, which her coworker thought was so beneath her.
Marsha shook her head when she noticed Anna wasn't paying much attention to her.
"You need to be more worried. Shit will change around here, and your ass can't be leaving early and stealing money."
Anna grew wide-eyed and looked back toward the office, wondering if Marty had heard.
Marsha put her hand on her hip, now having Anna's full attention, "I'm just telling you, shit is seriously about to change if he comes around."
"You are the one who gave me the idea. I don't even take as much as you do." Anna responded hushedly, "And I only leave because of my other jobs."
"You need to heed my warning because Jeff will fix the cameras. I've been working here for over a decade, and I will keep my job."
"I won't take anything else," Anna assured her with a sad expression.
Marsha puffed, walking back toward her desk, "Ugh, I'm going to miss that extra cash, though."
Anna didn't say it, but she agreed with her coworker. Those extra few dollars had gotten her out of a lot of jams in the past.
The store operations ran as usual for the next few months. Anna would have forgotten Mr. Carl died had it not been for Marsha's weekly reminder that the new handsome owner was coming like a thief in the night.
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The Uber driver sat awaiting his rider's departure from his 2017 Hondai Elantra while the tall man looked out the window.
A few cars dotted the store parking lot that Carl Anderson had left his illegitimate son Jeffrey Anderson to manage. It was right next to a small corner store that had once been a charming gas station when Jeff was younger. He had once walked these streets and had a happy childhood before his birth mother's demise.
The neighborhood was now a part of the slums of this town, but Jeff was determined to still profit from the store his stepmother and father had once conceived.
The nostalgic nudge that the neighborhood gave Jeff also brought his stomach to twist in tangles of discomfort. He hated thinking back on old memories. It was already overwhelming being back in Texas.
The driver had wanted to say something about Jeff loitering in his vehicle, but the look he had given him when he coughed stopped his thought of arguments.
Jeff finally opened the car door, giving the man hope he would soon leave and reward him with five stars of critique.
