During the second week of her stay Rachel decided she needed to find herself a job. She had the reference from her old job at Woolworths but she wasn’t going to be able to get a job in a pub she was too young. She couldn’t go to a supermarket because they would probably check her reference and that’d let her parents know where she was. In fact a lot of jobs would result in that which was about the last thing she wanted. What she really needed was something that paid cash in hand and where she wouldn’t be asked a lot of questions.
It turned out to be a lot more difficult than she thought it would be to find a job like that. Nearly no-one paid cash. She called a few places, not wanting to go in just in case they called the police on her, but they wanted older people.
Finally she got lucky. The deli down near the train station was looking for a casual junior, it was a fair hike from the hostel but the bus that ran right past it stopped at the train station. She only found out about it because she overheard a conversation and applied before they even had time to advertise it. The wife of the couple who owned the deli was six months pregnant and had just begun to find the hours too much to handle. They offered her cash.
She told them her parents were dead and her aunt’s boyfriend beat her up so she needed a job in order to stay out of their place. The couple were sympathetic. Rachel felt a bit guilty lying so outrageously to them, they seemed nice, but she needed the job. Not desperately, yet, but she didn’t want to let it get that far, she had no idea when she would need some emergency cash.
The work wasn’t really exciting but at least it was a job. When she wasn’t at work she was with Liz, Brett and Jez. Jez treated her better than any other guy she’d been with, though that wasn’t necessarily saying anything. Life quickly settled into a loose sort of routine. Liz ended up stay a week longer than she originally intended before heading down south. They had one blazing send off for her though.
They stayed up all night drinking and watched the sun come up down on the beach. ‘Which really was somewhat stupid,’ Jez had said, ‘considering the sun set over the ocean and rose on the other side.’ No–one could argue with that but like many drink induced ideas it had seemed like a good one at the time.
Liz decided to take a taxi to the bus terminal. She figured she would be less likely to get lost that way, the cabbie could simply drive up to the terminal and kick her out. She hoped there wouldn’t be too many busses waiting she didn’t want to get on the wrong one. The alternative was bus then train, transfer to a different train and make sure she got off the at the right station. Liz was still very drunk and wasn’t feeling that confident in her ability to make the right changes at the right places.
As the taxi pulled away Rachel felt sad. She hadn’t known Liz for very long but she was the closest thing to a best friend Rachel had had in her life since she was ten, even though she’d never gotten around to telling her the truth.
“Well I guess that’s that.” Jez slapped Brett on the back.
“Yep.”
Rachel felt as though she was intruding. “I’m heading up to bed, I am stuffed.”
“Oh you wuss. I’m sure there has to be more beer left somewhere in this place.” Brett flung his arm around her shoulders.
“Fine, you go hunting for more beer, I am going to have a shower.”
Standing under the hot water felt so good. Rachel had sand everywhere, ‘but,’ she thought ruefully, ‘that’s what you get when you are down the beach for several hours drinking and being silly buggers without the benefit of many clothes or even a towel to sit on.’
She heard the door to the bathroom open.
“Hey I’m in here,” she shouted.
“I know,” Jez stuck his head in the shower. “Would you like some company?” He didn’t wait for her answer, just stepped under the water fully dressed.
It turned out to be a lot more difficult than she thought it would be to find a job like that. Nearly no-one paid cash. She called a few places, not wanting to go in just in case they called the police on her, but they wanted older people.
Finally she got lucky. The deli down near the train station was looking for a casual junior, it was a fair hike from the hostel but the bus that ran right past it stopped at the train station. She only found out about it because she overheard a conversation and applied before they even had time to advertise it. The wife of the couple who owned the deli was six months pregnant and had just begun to find the hours too much to handle. They offered her cash.
She told them her parents were dead and her aunt’s boyfriend beat her up so she needed a job in order to stay out of their place. The couple were sympathetic. Rachel felt a bit guilty lying so outrageously to them, they seemed nice, but she needed the job. Not desperately, yet, but she didn’t want to let it get that far, she had no idea when she would need some emergency cash.
The work wasn’t really exciting but at least it was a job. When she wasn’t at work she was with Liz, Brett and Jez. Jez treated her better than any other guy she’d been with, though that wasn’t necessarily saying anything. Life quickly settled into a loose sort of routine. Liz ended up stay a week longer than she originally intended before heading down south. They had one blazing send off for her though.
They stayed up all night drinking and watched the sun come up down on the beach. ‘Which really was somewhat stupid,’ Jez had said, ‘considering the sun set over the ocean and rose on the other side.’ No–one could argue with that but like many drink induced ideas it had seemed like a good one at the time.
Liz decided to take a taxi to the bus terminal. She figured she would be less likely to get lost that way, the cabbie could simply drive up to the terminal and kick her out. She hoped there wouldn’t be too many busses waiting she didn’t want to get on the wrong one. The alternative was bus then train, transfer to a different train and make sure she got off the at the right station. Liz was still very drunk and wasn’t feeling that confident in her ability to make the right changes at the right places.
As the taxi pulled away Rachel felt sad. She hadn’t known Liz for very long but she was the closest thing to a best friend Rachel had had in her life since she was ten, even though she’d never gotten around to telling her the truth.
“Well I guess that’s that.” Jez slapped Brett on the back.
“Yep.”
Rachel felt as though she was intruding. “I’m heading up to bed, I am stuffed.”
“Oh you wuss. I’m sure there has to be more beer left somewhere in this place.” Brett flung his arm around her shoulders.
“Fine, you go hunting for more beer, I am going to have a shower.”
Standing under the hot water felt so good. Rachel had sand everywhere, ‘but,’ she thought ruefully, ‘that’s what you get when you are down the beach for several hours drinking and being silly buggers without the benefit of many clothes or even a towel to sit on.’
She heard the door to the bathroom open.
“Hey I’m in here,” she shouted.
“I know,” Jez stuck his head in the shower. “Would you like some company?” He didn’t wait for her answer, just stepped under the water fully dressed.
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