I sighed. “I know it may not sound like a big deal… but the thing is, my relationship with the two of them is so complicated that we never really make the effort with one another. I’ve spoken to them maybe three times in the last year.”
“Only?” Zoey asked, in surprise.
“Yes… and whenever we do speak there’s so much hostility that we end up fighting and I end up walking away, promising myself never to attempt to talk to them again.”
“Oh, Devlin,” Zoey said gently. “They’re your parents, and for that reason alone, I think it’s worth trying to mend the relationship. You don’t always have to agree with them, but you can be civil to one another.”
“They’ve never really offered me an olive branch,” I pointed out.
“They don’t have to,” Zoey replied. “You can be the bigger person. You can be the one to make the first move. Don’t let pride get in your way.”
“You’re right,” I nodded.
I walked Zoey outside and gave her a long good-luck kiss before waving her off. Then I went back inside and checked the time. Today was going to be my last day at the station. I had finished my sentence, and I was going to be a free man from tomorrow. I hadn’t mentioned that to Zoey however, mostly because I still felt so guilty for lying to her about why I was really there.
I had promised myself that I would come clean with her, but I had decided that in order to do that I needed to have stopped dealing first. The only problem was that I wanted enough in my bank account to give myself time to find a real job. Also, I wanted to be able to give Zoey the nicer things in life. I wanted to be able to take her to nice dinners and to buy her flowers, and dealing pot gave me the freedom to be able to treat her like she deserved.
That had pushed back my plan to tell her the truth a little, and it was starting to get uncomfortable. I had already kept the truth from her for too long. I needed to act fast, or it would look really bad if she found out from anyone else. I got dressed and headed to the fire station for my final round of community service. Seth was there when I arrived, and he gave me a pat on the back.
“I have to say,” he said, “I feel almost emotional about this being your last day.”
“I wish I could say the same,” I said.
Seth chuckled. “I have good news for you though.”
“Yeah?”
“I managed to find you a job,” Seth told me.
“What… are you serious?”
“Yup,” Seth nodded. “I know you’re into art and stuff… so I spoke to a few people in the community. There’s this guy I met a few years back. I pulled him out of his car after a freak accident on the highway. He was so grateful that he found me afterward and we kind of hit it off. His sister is the manager of this local art publication. They sell magazines that specifically deal with everything and anything in the arts. She’s willing to give you a job there.”
“No way,” I said, amazed at my luck.
“The pay’s not amazing, but it’s decent, and if you do well, you could be earning a really good salary in a few years’ time.”
“Does he know my record?” I asked.
“I told her,” Seth nodded. “Her husband spent a little time in jail… so she believes in second chances and fresh starts. She wanted you to finish your community service before you started work with her though… which is why I’m telling you today.”
“Oh man,” I said. “Thank you, Seth. You have no idea how much this helps me out.”
“Happy to help,” Seth nodded, and again I felt another spasm of guilt for everything I was keeping from him.
Not just the fact that I was living and sleeping with his sister, but also the fact that I was currently dealing pot. I vowed to myself that now that I had a job l
ined up, I would finish the last of my pot supply and that would be the end of it. I couldn’t afford to risk my friendship with Seth or my relationship with Zoey. She was just too important to me.
I spent four hours at the station, checking the time on my phone because I really wanted to go to Zoey’s campus and surprise her. The second I was done, I found Seth in the lounge room so that I could sign off with him.
“Last day huh?” one of the guys asked me.
“Yeah.”
I was expecting him to shoot some snide comment at me and but instead, he nodded once and said. “You did a good job while you were here.”
I was so shocked, I didn’t even respond. Then one by one all the guys came up to me and either gave me a handshake or a gruff good luck. I looked at Seth in disbelief and smiled.