“Yeah, I can do that. Oh, wait, Steph is coming over. Is that okay?” he replied.
“I don’t care. Just make sure you pay attention to my child and not just Steph,” she said, running over to him. She kissed her daughter on the forehead. “I have to get out of here. I’m gonna be late, and Pete said if I’m late one more time – “
“Then get to work! Don’t waste time talking to me! It’ll just make you later,” Nick laughed.
“Okay. Um, make sure she gets some medicine, just a teaspoon of the kids’ cough medicine, before she goes to bed, and put her to bed a little early tonight. Thanks. Have fun!” She looked at Caitlin. “Goodbye, sweetheart. I love you.”
“I love you, too, Mommy,” Caitlin answered, watching her mother run out the door.
On the five-minute drive to Pete’s Diner where she worked, Aimee kept one hand on the wheel and rested her head on her other hand, whose arm was against the window sill. How was she going to pay for her phone bill this month? And how was she going to pay her half of the bills? She felt so guilty. Nick was always helping her out financially, and he really didn’t have to do that. “He SHOULDN’T have to do that,” she spoke out loud. “I should be able to pay for things, myself.”
Ever since she had Caitlin almost four years earlier, Aimee had no extra cash to spend. Having a child was incredibly expensive. At least she was best friends with a pop star. Nick was so great. When she had gotten pregnant and her parents had kicked her out, he immediately offered her a place to live. When she had work, which was practically all of the time, he was willing to watch Caitlin or hire a babysitter. When she couldn’t quite pay her share for utilities, he always lent her a few bucks, most of which he refused to let her pay back. Still, life was not easy.
Not that she regretted having Caitlin. She hadn’t ever felt regret about her decision. If she had it all to do over again, she knew she could never choose to change what she had done, even though the father was a jerk who now refused to be a part of her their lives. Caitlin was her lucky star. Her baby. As difficult as it was to take care of her and be patient with her and pay for her, Aimee couldn’t live without her.
Before she knew it, she was in front of the diner, getting out of the car. She walked into the building and looked guiltily at her boss. “Hi, Pete,” she greeted him.
“Hummel, you’re late again!” he exclaimed.
“I know. I’m so sorry. Caitlin wasn’t feeling well today, and I had to take care of her.”
He shook his head and groaned, and she prepared herself for a lecture. “This is the absolute last time for a long while, Hummel. I promise you that. You know you’re my best waitress and I would hate to let you go, but we can’t afford to have you be late all the time.”
She sighed. “Thanks, Pete. It won’t happen again. How’s business tonight?”
“Pretty busy. You got sections two and three today because Ann called in sick,” he said.
“All right.” She threw on an apron and got to work.