Page 39 of Semi Sweet
I swore I could hear his teeth grinding. “Put the wonderkid on.”
“Who?”
“Mizuno. Sean Mizuno. The bakery manager. The one my family can’t stop talking about.”
I nearly jumped out of my skin when I went to call Sean's name and he was already standing in the doorway. “He wants to talk to you.”
Sean grabbed the phone. “Hello? Yeah, I really need someone savvy on the register over here.” There were a few beats of silence. “He recommended Olivia so I went with it. I get the vibe that Olivia isn’t his favorite person.” A few more seconds of nothing. “I thought she did a great job today. I would keep her on.”
Finally, Sean handed the phone back to me. “It’s the prince,” he whispered.
“Hi, Evan.”
“I’m not happy about this,” he snapped. “But if you are happy and Sean thinks you carry your weight, then we’ll keep this new arrangement. You should probably be familiar with as many departments as possible anyway.”
I repressed a sigh. As always, the discussion went back to the family business. “Are we good? I need to clock out so I can change and catch the train.”
“Class tonight?”
“Yes, Evan. Every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday.” I wrapped up the conversation, saying I would see him after and he could pick the take out, then hung up. “Well, that crisis seems to be averted.”
Sean gave me a look I didn’t have time for. It reminded me of our conversation about Evan at the cafe. “Well, better catch that train.”
I gave him a curt nod before I took off my work coat and hat and punched out. I dashed out of the store in the direction of the train station.
***
I'd been so concerned about getting to class on time, I'd forgotten to grab something to eat. Three hours of class later, I was hangry and not ready to deal with creeps on the train. Much to my chagrin, the usuals were there, smiling like they were being offered a free meal.
My usual first tactic was to look too busy to be approached. Sometimes I stared at a page of my text book like I was reading it or scrolled through my phone. Today I was desperate for some garlic to ward off the vampires, so I rifled through my bag, looking for something to do the trick. I momentarily forgot what I was looking for when I came across a piece of paper.
Sean: 555-2646
5000 Arnold St 1D
Knowing Evan would be annoyed if I called and likely remind me about the Quittero family driver, I knew this was probably my best choice without someone actually accompanying me. I dialed the number with jittery fingers and held the phone to my ear as the bold passenger got up and headed my way.
“Hello?”
“Hey,” I said. “It’s me.”
Sean sounded confused. “Olivia?”
“Mhmm.” I tried to keep my face neutral as the creep sat down beside me. “I’m on the train.”
“Is that your boyfriend?” the guy asked.
Apparently, Sean was able to hear him because he said very seriously, “Put him on.”
My heart pounded as I held out the phone to the man. “He wants to talk to you.”
I hoped this would have deterred him, but the weirdo grabbed my phone all too happily. “Yo, I hear you have a–” he was cut off and I watched the man’s eyes grow wide. I couldn’t hear what Sean was saying, but soon the man was handing the phone back to me, walking backwards with his hands in the air. “My apologies, I didn’t know you were banging a Commie. My neighbor is from the former soviet union. He’s nuts.”
He was back in his seat and I was relieved.
“Oh my God, what did you say?” I whispered into the phone.
“I might have told him to take a walk in Russian.”
