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It was cool and crisp as the sun rounded the clouds to make a welcome appearance in the morning sky. Dan glanced over his shoulder, for he knew the door to his house would inevitably slam shut. He could hear his Mother’s scolding tone reverberate through his head, because she’d told him countless times to hold onto the door handle, or the whole house would shake, when door slammed shut - it really got on her nerves. He’d meant to close it carefully, but this morning he was in way too much of a rush, and Dan needed to get to school early. He wasn’t a keener because he didn’t enjoy school that much but he really needed to get inside the school building, to the safety that it provided. Dan lived in the state of New Jersey, U.S.A. He’d moved to this location two months ago after his Mother had finally ditched her controlling and abusive boyfriend. He loved his Mother unconditionally, but she had lousy taste in men, or, as she would say, lousy luck in men. Using the assistance provided by the children’s aid society, she’d managed to relocate them to another part of the country, in the hope of escaping this man, and making a new life. Starting at a new school is always tough, but breaking into a tight knit community school, where everyone seems to know each other, or was somehow related, was even tougher.

  From the first day Dan was labeled an outsider, he was a quiet shy boy who couldn’t make friends easily, and was considered a loner. He always had a book in his hand, because he enjoyed escaping into other, more exotic, worlds. Dan loved to read, an activity that is sadly classified in today’s world as being squarely in the realm of a geek, uncool, and considered just plain weird. Other kids would pick on him, teasing him relentlessly they would try to take his book away from him and throw it in the garbage, or worse still, destroy it. Dan learned to sneak away into vacant classrooms or the relative safety of common rooms, which were patrolled by teachers. The walk to school was short, at a brisk pace he could get to the school gates in sixteen minutes.

  At the half way point he would pass a row of storage buildings, this was the difficult part of the route that left him exposed. He couldn’t avoid it, but it afforded the bullies an opportunity to hide between the small buildings and generally get into trouble. Some used this area to smoke cigarettes but generally they would hang out and harass kids on their way to school. Dan had been teased relentlessly; he was called a weirdo and a freak, and one kid, Brian Betchley, had taken an instant dislike to Dan. Brian was a slow learner, his reading capabilities were weakened, and his progression through the school curriculum had been slow. When Brian saw the new, shy kid, with his face constantly buried in a book, it was akin to waving a red flag in front of a raging bull. Brian decided to charge, and charge he did. Every day Brian would bully Dan, eventually persuading his cronies to join in with the abuse.

  Dan had avoided the gang for the last few days by leaving for school early, a ploy that seemed to be working. It was another crisp morning and Dan could feel the strain in his calf muscles as he quickened his pace to a fast walk. He glanced upwards where he saw a flock of small birds, dark against the blue grey sky. They swooped together like one amorphous mass, turning, darting, and diving together. They reminded Dan of Moby Dick, and a large whale gliding gracefully through the water. The birds were majestic, hypnotic, and a welcome distraction. Life can be an interesting experience - just when you marvel at its beauty, it can present you with an ugly contrast. When Dan returned his eyes from their upward gaze, he was confronted by the contorted face of Brian Betchley, complete with four of his misguided friends

  “Well now what do we have here lads? Looks like freak-boy here is leaving earlier, to try to avoid our morning chat.” Brian grabbed Dan roughly by the hair slamming him into a brick wall - face first. The warm feeling of blood trickled over his chin from a cut sustained under his lip. “But I so enjoy our morning meetings, by the way freak-boy, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll tell the school you tripped and fell,” he said pointing to his injured face. “I’ll re-arrange your face if that cut of yours comes back to haunt me, understand?”

  Dan nodded as his voice deserted him. The boys laughed at the trembling mess before them, a mousey looking kid pushed forward, “What’s he got for lunch today?”

  Brian took a while to understand the question, “Well that’s a good question, let’s take a look shall we?” Brian quickly wrestled away Dan’s backpack, and threw it in the direction of the boys. They rifled through Dan’s belongings until they found his lunch, neatly packed by his Mother earlier that morning. Brian had Dan pinned against the wall, while the boys threw his sandwiches onto the floor and stomped upon the brown bread exterior. An apple was thrown over the roof of the storage building, and a chocolate bar was deposited into the pocket of one of the boys, “Guess you’re going hungry today freak-boy.”

  The mousey kid tipped the contents of his backpack onto the ground where lying on the top of the contents pile was his book, ‘Call of the Wild,’ by Jack London, proudly embossed in large gold letters across its cover. The mousey kid reached for the book as Dan struggled to retrieve it first. He was pushed firmly into the wall, fighting an inescapable restraint, “What’s that crap?” billowed Brian.

  “Some stupid book about a wolf, I think.”

  “It’s not a wolf, it’s a ….” Dan was slammed hard into the wall, and the mousy kid smiled as he gleefully ripped pages from the spine of the book, as he let them race away, carried upon the strong wind. Dan could see printed pages strewn across the street in front of him, with more pages were being removed, liberated by the swirling wind. He watched a page caught in an updraft, behaving in a similar fashion to the flock of birds earlier.

  The ripping sound of the book’s fabric spine brought his attention back to his plight, “Only freaks read this type of crap, you hear me?” Dan felt a strong punch land deep within his gut, causing him to double over in pain, it was followed by a slap to the back of the head as the boys ran away in the direction of the school. Lying on the ground, Dan managed to regain his senses and tried to focus his eyes. The street scene before him was predominantly dark grey with asphalt accents. In stark contrast was a bright yellow shape, the shape of a long rain jacket worn by a tall girl standing across the street. She paused as Dan stumbled to his feet, began to collect his belongings and started to re-pack his bag, when he glanced upwards in her direction, she’d gone, disappeared around the corner on her way to school, but she’d seen everything.

  Dan wiped his chin, startled to see his red blood smeared across his wet fingers. He was now aware of a stinging sensation from a deep cut below his lower lip, but the wound was not closing to stem the flow of the blood. The gash on his chin remained open enough to concern his teachers who forced Dan to accept that he needed treatment. Four stitches and an ugly, white scar, was the result of his morning’s run in. As Dan received treatment the wheels of justice were turning in the background, for Jenny Smithe had reported the incident when she got to school, she felt sorry for Dan, and had talked to her teacher as soon as she’d stowed her long yellow jacket into her locker. When Dan arrived at school sporting an injury, the teachers were ready and waiting. Jenny had identified the boys responsible, and they would be spoken to, or worse, receive a temporary suspension. The suspension back-fired, as it allowed the boys more time to harass frightened kids on their daily commute to school.

  Once Dan’s protective Mother got involved, the situation escalated, after she had discussed the incident with both the principal and Jenny, she came to a swift decision. Dan was pulled from the school and they soon moved to Westtown, PA. Westtown seemed a world away from New Jersey, as people were openly friendly and welcoming. The bullying had given Liz everything she needed to push through a move to a new, safer, environment. She worked quickly to exert pressure upon Children’s Aid, and they moved to a new town to start a new life. Liz liked the vibe of Westtown instantly, it seemed to be a slower pace of life, where people cared for each other, and got to know each other. She and Dan settled in quickly. She expected Dan to raise a fuss about another move, but strangel
y, he accepted the move without protest. Children’s Aid introduced her to Gyanesh, a kind Indian man from an immigrant family, about to open the biggest gamble of his life. He’d poured his savings into a new business venture, where he’d renovated an old café centrally located on the main street, and turned it into a nice Indian restaurant. The menu was varied and fresh, he felt the people were looking for a change from the normal fried breakfast grill that was so popular. People’s tastes were expanding and there was a large immigrant community who were open to new food options.

  The local paper was supportive, taking pictures and writing a nice launch piece, highlighting the menu options and linking Gyanesh to the community. It seemed to work, as a palpable buzz was generated prior to opening day. Curious passersby peered in the window as renovations progressed. Local printers excelled with the new menu, and the business was starting to take shape. Liz was desperate to secure a job; she was a likable person with a pretty face and a warm personality. Liz was also a hard worker for she believed in earning her wage, and never slacking off. The Children’s Aid people had arranged for her to meet with Gyanesh at his new restaurant. She approached the burgundy colored door at 9.57am, just in time for her 10am interview. The chill of the morning air had made her hands cold, as she’d been waiting outside, a few doors down, staring at the door for the last twenty minutes. Her hands were so cold that she decided to rub them together furiously, so they would be warmed for the initial handshake.

  As she entered the restaurant she was greeted with the sight of workmen, power tools, sawdust, painters, and noise, “Watch it,” shouted a slim Indian man from across the payments counter. Gyanesh rushed over to greet the pretty woman who entered his fledgling business, “Are you Liz?”

  Liz managed a nod of her head, her senses being assaulted by the frenetic action that surrounded them both.

  “Good, come with me to the back room, you’ll find it a bit quieter there.”

  Gyanesh motioned towards the back of the restaurant, and confidently strode off in that direction. As if attached by a rope, Liz followed dutifully. They entered a small room at the back of the building that contained a desk and an older model laptop; it was setup like a small office. Gyanesh took a chair leaving only one chair open for Liz to choose. She hesitated, but his hand gesture urged her to sit, “So, Audrey must have sent you for the waitress job, yes?”

  “Yes,” she affirmed.

  “Tell me, have you waited tables before? Do you know the routine?”

  Liz was flustered, she needed this job so badly, and she was blowing it with short answers. She needed to engage with this man to show off her friendly personality. She appeared cold and awkward, she needed to warm up quickly for the sake of this interview, “I have plenty of experience, I’m good with customers, and I can learn the cash in, cash out, technology very quickly. I really need this job, and if you give me a trial, I’m sure you’re going to like my work.” Liz smiled, established great eye contact, and sat up straight. Gyanesh leaned back, his posture was relaxed, and she knew she had him at that point. When you get to watch people all day, as part of your job, over the course of many years, you soon learn to pickup their vibe - who’s fighting, who’s cheating, who’s lonely, who’s about to do a runner by leaving the restaurant without paying. It becomes obvious; who’s a big tipper, and who’s struggling to make ends meet. You can tell who’s in love, and who’s fallen out of love. Liz knew that Gyanesh instantly liked her, and was warming up to the idea of her working in his restaurant. He explained his philosophy, and what he was trying to achieve with his new business. In many ways he was taking a huge gamble. Would this traditional community be open to, and embrace, a new menu option and new tastes? It would certainly help to have a local looking waitress, with an honest face, a friendly attitude, and a local accent. Once the clients had been seated and welcomed, and then they could feel comfortable to experiment with new tastes delivered by an assortment of new spicy foods. This would be essential to the successful launch of the business. Once people got a taste of the food, Gyanesh was confident they would like it, and return. He would turn them into advocates through great food, accompanied by great service, at a reasonable price.

  Liz was warming to Gyanesh also, for he seemed nice, honest, and hard working, “I would need you to start in a week. Saturday is our opening day, but Friday will be our training day, and a dry run for family and friends. Can you start Friday?”

  Liz managed to blurt out a relieved “Yes,” she could not hide her smile. Gyanesh smiled back, as he thrust out a hand towards her.

  “Then welcome aboard,” he said, as Liz shook his hand gratefully.

  Gyanesh rose from his seat abruptly, “Bindi, come here quickly!” he shouted in an excited way.

  A slim, petite, Indian lady, dressed in an exquisite green silk sari, arrived at the door to the small office. “Gyanesh, why do you shout so, I’m only down the hall?”

  “Bindi, I would like you to meet Liz Proctor, Liz has agreed to be our waitress, and will start on Friday.” Bindi smiled as she sized Liz up, “Oh, I’m sorry, where are my manners. Bindi is my wife, and will be running this place with her normal efficiency.”

  Bindi pulled a playful face at Gyanesh, she extended a hand, “I’m pleased to meet you Liz Proctor, and I’m looking forward to seeing you work with the customers.” There was a slight hesitation in her voice, it hinted to Liz that Bindi was not quite sold on her, and needed to see her in action.

  Liz shook her hand warmly, and confidently, “Thank you. I’m very experienced, and love working with people. Gyanesh has explained his vision, and the priorities for this new business. I know he expects superior, courteous service, and I’ll not let you down.”

  “Good we’re counting on you, why don't we see how it goes in the first two weeks, and we’ll have a chat then, OK?”

  This wasn’t as positive as her interaction with Gyanesh. This one was more business like, more calculating, she wouldn’t be persuaded with a pretty smile. Liz knew she had to learn the menu, the systems, and the routine quickly. Her tableside manner would need to be impeccable for her to get this job. Bindi’s shoulders dropped, and for just a second, she seemed to relax. Bindi turned to her husband.

  She stared at him coldly and spoke in Hindi, “She’s a very pretty women, slim and fit. She should be able to wait tables quickly, and she has a grace about her, and a nice looking smile for a local - yes?”

  “Yes,” agreed Gyanesh.

  They continued in Hindi, “She’ll be good for the customers, but not so good for my husband if he’s distracted, understood?”

  Gyanesh looked at Liz, the stern warning settling into his deep brown eyes, “Understood,” he said, desperately hoping she would change the subject.

  Bindi reverted to English, “Good. Talk to Liz about the salary, the hours, and how we deal with the tips. Let’s make sure we all know the rules, and there’s no mis-understandings.” Bindi smiled at them both, before shuffling off to supervise the workers.

  “She’s really nice, she just wants everything to go well,” Gyanesh explained. He spent the next twenty minutes detailing how the restaurant worked and the potential for her to earn some good tip money.

  When Friday arrived Liz was early. It started with a training session, but the systems, order entry screens, cash, and card systems, were all modern and very simple to use. She took a menu home to study the dishes, and asked for a couple of pronunciation tips. It was relatively simple and she felt confident. She tried to focus, but her mind wandered to Dan; where would they live? She had worked the system to find him a local school, and it would be better if this job had more certainty, but she would work hard, and make sure she made it through her evaluation period. Bindi would be convinced of her value.

  Liz respected Bindi, having a woman like that, paying attention to all of the important details, boded well for the business, and she needed some stability. If it were her business, she would act in the same manner.

&nb
sp; Dan was not currently enrolled in any school, for arrangements had been made for him to drop out of the New Jersey school, so he wouldn’t be bullied any more. The new school had accepted him, but he wouldn’t be able to attend for another week. Liz had patiently explained her predicament to Dan, where he needed to stay at a Children’s Aid shelter for a week, two at the most. He seemed calm when she’d told him, but she guessed he’d thought it was better than having to face Brian Betchley. Liz was patient in her explanation, and she’d selected the right moment and concentrated on using a calm voice. Her strategy had worked, soliciting the calm reaction of understanding, and support that she’d hoped for. Dan knew that his Mother would try everything in her power to make this shot at a new life work. He knew it would eat away at her, knowing he was in a shelter and far away from her. He also knew that two weeks was probably going to be longer than first sold. He tried to hide his anguish and concern, shelters and group homes were a hard place to survive, but he would have to manage. Dan recognized that his Mother needed support at this time, and he knew that she was trying her best and near to a breaking point.

  Liz didn’t receive a formal education although she’d never given it much thought, and she’d never really regretted dropping out of high school early, until recently; she examined her motivation to leave school, enticed by the lure of quick money to be earned in the service industries. She realized her decision was shortsighted, but her decision and her circumstances meant she needed to be self-sufficient from an early age. Dan knew his Mother would do anything she could within her means, to secure a stable job, find him a good school and provide a safe place to live. To achieve all of this, within the next two weeks, would be a stretch for the most qualified and connected of person. Liz knew nobody locally and Dan felt like he was a definite handicap, he was determined to make the best of this situation. He knew he could be a royal pain in the butt, so he needed to support his Mother. He would do the best he could to get by and not complain. He needed to remain positive and calm, and wait patiently for his Mother to sort things out and get situated.

  * * * * *

  Chapter 6: A Mother’s Love

  Westtown, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., 2014

  “Mothers are the necessity of invention.”