The Ashes 3.1

The kitchen was alive when I woke up, with Mersh and Aysia laughing and cooking. I walked in at about 8 am to see them cooking some bacon and eggs and pancakes together, and I tried not to disturb the scene of happiness before me. The bacon was sizzling in the pan each time Mersh flipped it, and Aysia was setting the table, laughing at all the jokes Mersh was making as he diligently worked on making a good breakfast. I wondered if one of his hobbies was cooking, I wonder if he was truly happy in the instant, not putting on a show for Aysia.

I could keep it this way, I could keep them happy. We had a guest room, why let it go to waste? Of course, this may cause a problem with money. But I didn’t need to let them know that. Mersh could watch over the house while I’m out at interviews or later on when I’m at work. I could let them continue to secretly live here after I’m gone. I knew If I could do anything, I would do it for these people. They were both pure and kind and that’s what I wanted to strive to be--humble.

Mersh caught me looking onto their happy scene, and suddenly quieted down, probably feeling embarrassed that he was caught. “Uh, good morning Mason. I’m sorry for all the noise, we were just making some breakfast as a way to thank you for letting us stay for a night. We both got the best sleep that we’ve had in many, many months.” He brushed his foot, his cheeks red with my eyes on him.

“No, no, don’t be embarrassed! I’m very glad you made some breakfast, I’m not very good at cooking. Thank you for breakfast, and I’d like it if we could all eat breakfast together, I have some things I would like to talk about with you guys, and I promise it’s all good news.” I smiled. I wasn’t very familiar with this side of myself, I usually kept to myself and took care of myself. I wasn’t use to having other people in my house to look after. Mersh smiled and finished up the bacon he was working on. He put the food on the table and once we were all settled they both turned to me. I knew we wouldn’t be able to pleasantly eat until they knew what I needed to talk to them about.

I took a deep breath then started to tell them about my boss’s new plan to keep me where I am for the next six months. I tried to come up with the best excuse as to why he needed me here, he didn’t need to know that I worked for the government, it was something that was confidential to people who didn’t work for Jae, I was undercover. He seemed a little confused about what my boss wanted me to do here for six months, but he soon forgot about it when I told him that he would be able to stay with me here.

“Really?” He whispered after a long silence of happiness and shock, “We can have a home?”

“Yes, really. Free of charge!” I smiled, and tears formed in Mersh’s eyes.

“I haven’t had a home since Aysia was born! 9 years I tell you! This is such a beautiful day, oh thank you God, you have blessed us today!” His voice grew louder with every word, and he got up and hugged me. It was awkward at first, I hadn’t hugged anyone since I graduated high school. Even then, I didn’t often hug people. Human contact was never very important to me. Thankfully, he noticed I was feeling a little out of place and kept it short. I smiled awkwardly as he sat back down. “Well, let’s not let all this food go to waste!” and with that we started eating, making all conversation cease in chewing and joy.

The happy aura of the morning feeling me up and giving me the energy to go out and look for job possibilities with Mersh. My driver, who’s name I found out was Joshua, was watching Aysia for the time being at the house. Mersh wasn’t sure about leaving her at first, but I promised that she would be fine with Joshua, and I really needed him to help me find my way around Wickett.

"What are you good at? I kind of need to know what kind of things you like to do so I know what you can do." Mersh said as we were walking down the street. I had to think about that for a second, I wasn't really sure what I did like. I mean, I liked setting things on fire, but I wasn't about to tell him that. He might make a comment about the house that got burnt down by "someone" last week, and I didn't want that to happen. It might bring up some conversation that I'm not ready for.

"I like to, uh. I like..." I said, trying to think of things other than the fire thing that I liked. "I like helping people I guess." I said, looking at him. He smiled at me and then turned away, thinking.

"You seem like someone that would either do good in a grocery store or as a bartender. And yes, I know those are two completely different things, but It could be either one depending on which one needs help. I know the grocery store always needs extra help, but I'm not entirely sure about that bar. I try to stay away from there so Aysia doesn't see me as an alcoholic, because i'm not. But we can check there if you want." Mersh always seemed to ramble on, where as I was the kind of person that liked to be short and straight to the point. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but it's also not the most pleasant thing. I was okay with it, I knew it was just something that was a part of Mersh's personality.

"Yeah, we can check out the local bar." I said. I had never really been one to go to bars, but I did like some beer every once in awhile. I just wasn't sure where I would fit in and what it would be like to work in these places. We walked down the street, took a right and then a left, and came up to a fairly nice building with a sign out in the front of it that had the word "Bar" written across it in big letters. I didn't expect it to be as nice as it was, it almost seemed like a club. "Is this a club or a bar?" I asked.

"Both, of course. As you can see, they haven't changed the name. But once the small leadership of Wickett got some money, they decided to make a nice club to attract tourists. Now it's mostly for people that have had bad night or that need to make some money, if you know what I mean." he chuckled. "But yeah, I haven't been in there, but I've heard there is entertainment from some very good looking ladies, and a bunch of young girls partying, and a whole lot of lonely men. It should be an interesting job, something you'd never get bored with. I think it would be better than working at a store." he said.

"Yeah, well let's check it out," I shrugged. I wasn't really sure if I would want to see girls dancing on pools and a bunch of horny men throwing money on them, but Mersh was right, it make for a very interesting job. We walked towards the entrance and it was pretty silent. I guess that was probably because it was late morning early afternoon, and most of the people there would be drinking.

We walked through the big doors to an almost pitch black hallway with neon paint splattered on the walls. A black light shined on them, making the colors stand out against the black. I saw a few people drinking at the small bar to the left, and a DJ on his phone playing some random radio station on a low volume. There was a man behind the counter by the bar that had a bald head and a grey gotee. He looked to be in his 40s, and I was wondering if he was the only one here that worked this shift.

"Excuse me!" Mesh said loudly as he walked towards the bartender, "I was wondering if you had any openings for my friend here." He grabbed my shoulders, indicating I was who he was talking about. I smiled awkwardly, not sure if I should say something or not. The man looked Mersh over, and then looked at me.

"My manager is in the back, let me go get him. Make sure these guys don't steal anything," he nodded his head towards the two guys drinking little glasses of booze. I nodded, and the man turned to go and get his manager. Mersh took a seat, but I continued to stand there awkwardly, the two men whispering to each other about something and then looking at the two of us. After a couple of minutes passed, The man reappeared with a girl.

"Mershon?" she gasped, not yet seeing me.

"Audrey? I didn't know you worked here!" He laughed. At first she tried to laugh, but soon the contagious laugh of Mersh broke through her exterior and she smiled, soon laughing.

"Oh yeah, I'm here looking for a job-"

"A job? Oh Mersh," She interrupted.

"Yes, A job for my friend Mason. You remember Mason, yes?" Her eyes darted over to me, recognition washed over her features, and she raised her eyebrow.

“I thought you were here on business, and that you wouldn’t be staying long?” She asked, already suspicious on why I had suddenly needed a new job. I wondered if I should just tell her that this would be my last week on my old job; that they were letting me go. Maybe they wouldn’t be so suspicious. But I had already told Mersh that I could only stay six months because of my job, and I didn’t want to be telling everyone a different story.

“My boss changed his mind,” I shrugged. She eyed me again, before sighing. She seemed to be someone who is overly suspicious, and it made me wonder why. I always guard my emotions because my childhood was full of emotional struggles and I knew the only way to get through life was to completely block out hope and love, to numb yourself. What happened in her past that made her that way.

“Ah, well, when are you free--Mason, is it?” I thought about when I was free, how about all day everyday? I didn’t know exactly what to say. If a said anytime, would she make me stay at the bar all times? Or would she get frustrated because I couldn’t narrow it down?

“When do you need me?” I asked, trying to get the decision off my shoulders. I didn’t know when I wanted to work or how much I wanted to work or anything for that matter about working in general at a regular job.

“Can you work two shifts straight? We’re actually low on staff, a lot of people retiring. How about 9:00 to 3:00 am? I know it’s a long time to work, but you just gotta get some extra sleep during the day. Can you do that? it usually calms down around 2 am, so you’ll have an hour to help me clean. Do we got a deal?” she raised her eyebrow.

I chewed on my lip, thinking about how long the shift was. I guess if I didn’t like it I could always quit. “Yeah, sure. When do I start?”

“How about ten hours from now? I’ll still be here to train you on the job. Actually you should probably come a little early so I’m not training you while it’s busy. Come by 8:00.” She looked me up and down and said, “Don’t be late,” before saying goodbye to Mersh and leaving the front counter. I took a deep breath and turned around, walking back towards the door. I could sense Mersh behind me but I looked to make sure he was there.