Help Wanted

The car ride to the convenience store was a quiet and heavy one. Mai and Chloe snuck several glances at Mark using the rearview mirror, but he never diverted his gaze away from his nametag that he held tightly in his hands.

“What’s going through your mind? Why won’t you open up to me Mark?” Chloe thought as she took another look through the rearview, hoping that Mark would magically read her mind and answer her.

“Why does it feel like the only thing certain to me anymore is this job?” Mark asked himself as he studied the plastic card that bore his name on the front.

After an eternity of agonizing silence ended, they arrived at the store, just in time for opening. Mark took an unsteady breath and gathered himself physically and mentally. When he tried to get out of the car, he noticed Chloe trying to get his attention, but he ignored her and headed out of the car.

“I just need to wash my face and start working. I’ll feel better afterwards,” he lied to himself.

Chloe struggled to find words to say, but as Mark left the car, she thought about her visit to Damian’s room in the hospital. She quickly rolled down her window and yelled out to grab his attention.

“Mark!”

Mark’s body faltered to Chloe’s call, and he slowly turned around to face her.

“I forgot to mention, Damian may be starting physical therapy soon. There’s a chance he can walk again. Isn’t that great?” Chloe said in the hopes of bringing him good news.

“That is great.”

“Mark, come here for a second. Please?”

Mark took a couple steps back to the car towards Chloe’s window.

Chloe reached her hands up gently and placed them on the sides of his head. After softly massaging the sides of his face for a few moments she gathered her words to give him his sendoff.

“Damian told me that he doesn’t blame you, so stop blaming yourself for what happened, alright? Dami and Alexa will both get better soon, and I’ll do my best to help. You can always count on me. You know that, right?” Chloe reassured, putting her forehead on his.

The emotions lying dormant in Mark’s shell were awakened by the care and reassurance provided by Chloe.

“Of course I can. You’re always there for me,” Mark answered as he tried to control his breathing.

Once Mark finished his sentence, he retracted himself from Chloe, who let out a warm and genuine smile. Taking another glance into the car, he noticed that Mai had been looking on during their entire conversation.

“Thank you, Mai. Even though we just met, you were there for me. I hope to get to know you better in the future,” Mark said softly as he waved at her.

“I hope I get to know you better too,” Mai replied softly as a gentle smile protruded from her face.

Seeing the smiles coming from both of them, Mark contagiously let out a smile. Afterwards, he got up from Chloe’s window and headed to the store to open up. The keys jiggled as Mark fished them out from his pockets and unlocked the door.

Chloe and Mai stayed in the parking lot for a few minutes, watching as Mark walked through the store doors and out of their gaze. They were parked off to the side of the building, and the only way to see inside was through the actual glass doors themselves.

“Chloe, do you know when Mark’s shift ends?” Mai asked, momentarily breaking the silence.

“I think he’s working until close today. Why? Were you thinking about asking him for a job?” Chloe teased while offering Mai a cheerful smile.

Mai silently looked up to her side towards Chloe. The silent stare was laser focused on Chloe and strong enough to cut diamonds.

“Oh, you’re being serious. Why the sudden interest?” Chloe interrogated.

Mai looked around the car, looking for her response to appear for her out of thin air, before returning her gaze to Chloe.

“I kind of understand what Mark is going through. He’s going to probably work himself to exhaustion,” she said softly. “All to avoid coming to terms with the issue.”

“Are you trying to lighten his load?”

“Well, that’s one reason. The other reason is that I don’t have any money, and I’m almost out of food,” Mai answered stoically.

“Wait, what do you mean? Out of food?” Chloe asked concerningly as her voice started to get louder.

Throughout this conversation, a man in a stained, tattered white shirt and ragged pants walked into the convenience store. His movements were slow and heavy. He approached Mark, who was standing by the register, and in a worn and tired voice, spoke with him.

“Mr. Mark, do you think you can spare me some food today? It’s been a really rough week for me. I appreciate all of the food you’ve spared me the past few weeks,” the man pleaded weakly as his posture seemed to stagger.

Mark took one look at the man and recognized him easily. This man had been coming to the store for the past few weeks, always asking for food. After handing a breakfast sandwich to the man, Mark walked over to the cash register, grabbed some money from his wallet and placed it inside the cash register, paying for the man’s food.

“There you are sir. If you ever needed anything else, please come back later,” Mark said nicely as a fake smile rested upon his face.

“Thank you for your kindness,” the man replied. He offered a staggered bow and walked out of the store.

As the man left the store, Mai and Chloe continued their conversation with each other.

“My mother only gave me enough for a couple weeks of instant cup noodles and occasional decent meals,” Mai answered honestly. “I guess she either didn’t realize how little she gave me or how little she cares about me.”

“M-maybe she just didn’t realize how little she gave you?” Chloe asked softly as she tried to reassure her.

Mai saw the hope that Chloe was trying to give her, but instead of looking towards it, she turned her head away from it.

“Not everyone is as caring as you, Chloe,” Mai answered softly.

Chloe opened her mouth to try and refute the statement but chose silence over stumbling on broken words. After a few moments of silence, Chloe had gathered herself to present a new topic of discussion.

“Mai, I think working with Mark might do some good for the both of you. You’ve become so quiet compared to how you used to be. Mark is pretty good at helping others open up, and he’s always willing to listen,” Chloe commented while placing her hands loosely on the steering wheel, ready to drive off.

“I, I guess he is,” Mai said aloud, nervously tapping her finger against her lap as the car left the parking lot of the store.

“How are you feeling, Chloe?” Mai asked as she looked up towards her pensively.

Chloe kept her eyes glued to the road ahead of her. She gripped the steering wheel tightly and took a long and exhausted breath.

“I don’t know. I just want things to get better, but I can’t keep my eyes on all three of them. Not by myself,” she stated.

“Maybe there’s something I can do to help?” Mai thought to herself as she looked outside of her window, watching the different families that were in other cars.

One family caught her eye when they stopped at a red light. A little girl in the backseat, and a father driving the car. Mai couldn’t hear their conversation, but she observed the little girl closely. There was a clear back and forth between the girl and her father which ended in the two of them laughing. Though it was silent, Mai heard the laughing loud and clear.

The cars continued side by side for a few minutes, and eventually split once Chloe made a left turn. During that turn, Mai silently raised her hand towards the window, reaching out to the family until she could no longer see them.

“What are you thinking about?” Chloe asked quietly, still keeping her eyes in front of her steadily.

“I want to help, but I don’t know how to,” Mai said sincerely.

“Just be yourself Mai,” Chloe started, but then quickly added a request. “If you do end up working with Mark, please watch him for me?”

Mai turned her head at Chloe’s request and stayed silent.

The car slowed down, and after a few seconds, found its way parked in front of Mai’s home.

“You want me to watch him? What do you mean?” Mai questioned as she leaned in slightly towards Chloe, trying to understand what she was trying to imply.

“I still can’t get a read on him. I don’t know what it is, but Mark seems more comfortable with you than he does with me,” Chloe said softly with a strong tone of sadness in her voice.

“Chloe, you two have known each other for so long. I’m sure he’s comfortable with you. He probably just doesn’t want you to worry about him so much,” Mai answered back.

“How do you know that?”

“Well, that’s how I’ve been feeling all this time,” Mai answered. She took her own hands out in front of her and studied them carefully.

Chloe wanted to poke and prod a bit more at what Mai said, but she decided to stay quiet and leaned back in her seat.

“Don’t worry Chloe, I’ll try to keep watching him for you,” she continued as she took one of her hands and placed them on Chloe’s shoulder.

“Thank you. Hopefully I can convince Damian to just go home today. It hurts to see him struggling so much just to make a little bit of progress,” Chloe said honestly. While the thought of Damian walking again made Chloe happy, the idea of watching him push himself as hard as he did made Chloe upset.

“Then it’s a plan. You watch over Damian, and I’ll watch over Mark. If he opens up to me, I can help you understand what’s going through his head,” Mai concluded stoically as she took off her seatbelt.

“Thank you, Mai. I’m glad to have a friend like you,” Chloe cherished as she pulled her in for a tender hug. After Mai let out a sudden gasp of air, she calmly returned Chloe’s hug, and gripped the back of Chloe’s shirt softly.

Unsure of what to say to Chloe’s kind words, Mai sank deeper into the hug. Once Chloe felt comfortable and relaxed, she let go of Mai.

“Don’t worry Chloe, I’ll have your back,” Mai assured as she left the car and closed the door behind her.

Mai, with slow steps, walked up the small driveway of her family’s home. There was a small garden out in the front that was occupied by different budding plants. It looked like something a family would grow together.

After a brief glance at the garden, Mai made her way to the front door, and let herself in, taking off her shoes in the process. As soon as the door closed behind Mai, Chloe drove off towards her own home.

“I’m home,” Mai called out softly, as if waiting for a response from someone in the house.

“Where are my house slippers?” Mai thought as she searched around the area by the door like a dog chasing their own tail. Once she found them next to where she placed her shoes, she let out a nervous chuckle.

“Wow…very observant,” she thought teasingly to herself as she shook her head in disbelief.

Once Mai had her plain white house slippers on, she walked over to the refrigerator in the kitchen. Inside, there was a single egg, a small pint of milk that schools would offer during lunch, and a couple bottles of water.

“It’s been a long day, Sasaki. You can spoil yourself. You deserve it,” she thought as she grabbed the pint of milk. She then opened the pantry in search of something to compliment the milk. After scanning the bare pantry, Mai reached towards the back of one of the shelves to grab a to-go cup of cereal.

Silently, Mai walked into her room, sat at her computer desk, and quietly ate her cereal, savoring every spoonful of the bland and boring meal, imagining that it was the same sweet and childish cereal she used to enjoy.

*     *     *

Later that night, Chloe was at the hospital, watching Damian begin physical therapy.

“I don’t want you to see me like this” Damian thought as he briefly looked at the wheelchair he was sitting in, then looked over at Chloe who was sitting in a chair, waiting to observe Damian’s therapy.

“Chloe, you don’t have to watch me y’know. The nurses can take care of me,” Damian said quietly while avoiding eye contact with Chloe.

“I’m just here to support you Dami. Do your best, but don’t over-do it, alright?” Chloe answered caringly while offering him a double thumbs up.

Damian offered a subtle nod and turned his head back to the path in front of him. There were two guard rails that protruded up from the floor. With slow and groggy movements, Damian reached up slightly to the rails. Once he had a grip on the rails, Damian used his arms to push down on the rails.

As Damian struggled to stand up, Chloe tried to get out of her chair to help him, though she stopped when she saw the nurses help Damian up on his feet.

“I can do it alone!” Damian grunted as the nurses finished standing him up.

Damian used his arm strength to take on the weight of his athletic body. Even though he was standing upright, Damian didn’t put any weight on his legs or feet. He appeared strong and in control, like a pride male watching over his pride.

“Damian, we don’t expect you to make it all the way to the end. We just want to see how strong your legs are before we put a brace on you. So don’t try and do this using your arms. Only use your legs,” the nurse informed as she saw the shaking in Damian’s arms.

“Crap, she knows,” Damian thought angrily.

Damian eased up the pressure on his arms by attempting to rely on his legs, as he was supposed to. Once the pressure switched to his legs, they began flopping around like a beached fish.

“C’mon legs, work! Please! I’m not giving up! I won’t look weak in front of her,” Damian thought aggressively as he bobbed his head to psyche himself up. He gritted his teeth together viciously and attempted to take a step forward.

“Just sit down if you need to, Damian. I won’t judge you,” Chloe thought worriedly as a look of concern flushed over her face when she watched him shaking where he stood.

Damian stood there, stranded and trembling, a lost kid in a crowded mall. The weight and pressure that he placed on himself was too much to break free from, and after only a matter of seconds, Damian collapsed to the ground. One of the nurses caught him before he could fully hit the ground and attempted to help him back to his chair.

“No, I don’t want to go back to the chair. I’ll crawl my way out of here if I need to!” Damian shouted in frustration as he attempted to crawl his way through, dragging his limp and useless legs behind him.

“Damian, don’t hurt yourself!” Chloe called out as she hurried over to the other side of the rails.

“I’m not going to!” Damian growled as he continued his crawl towards Chloe. The image of the man who caused his family’s accident flashed in Damian’s head. After seeing that image in his head, Damian tried to pick up the pace. He desperately fought his way towards the end of the rails where Chloe stood.

“I…I trust you Dami. I shouldn’t stop you from your progress,” Chloe thought as she took another look at Damian, who was fighting tooth and nail to make it to the other side.

“You’re almost there!” Chloe said encouragingly as she dropped to her knees and held her arms out, awaiting Damian to reach her, as a mother would do with her child.

Hearing Chloe’s words of support, he looked back up to her. The image in his head before started to erase from his consciousness, leaving only Chloe’s bright smile and loving embrace in his mind. He stopped for a brief moment, took a deep breath, and steadily crawled over to her.

Using Chloe’s love and care as opposed to his anger and rage, Damian made it to the end of the rails, being met with Chloe’s full and overwhelming embrace.

“I did it Chloe. I made it. Are you proud of me?” Damian asked with shaky breaths as he felt cold tears falling from Chloe’s face.

“Of course I am,” Chloe cried as she buried herself into Damian with a tight grip, not wanting to let him go.

Damian hugged Chloe back tightly. The hug that seemed to go on forever was broken up by the nurses. They had moved the wheelchair over to where Chloe and Damian were.

“Come on Dami, I’ll help you into the chair. Save your strength, and we can try again tomorrow,” Chloe said softly with a smile as she wiped her face.

As he glared at the chair in spite, Damian swallowed his pride and nodded his head. With the help of Chloe and the nurses, Damian was in his wheelchair safely.

“Thank you, Chloe,” Damian said quietly once he caught his breath.

Chloe smiled back at him with a genuine look of happiness.

Meanwhile, at the convenience store where Mark worked.

Mark had finished cleaning and organizing the store. There were only 5 minutes before the store closed, and Mark had concluded that no one else would walk in. As he was counting up the money in the register, he heard a chime from the door, and immediately shot his head in the direction of the sound.

The person interrupting Mark’s closing duties was Mai herself. Dressed in a black business dress and heels, she strutted over towards the counter where Mark was counting the money.

“Wow,” was all Mark could think when he saw her walking up to him.

“M-Mai? What are you doing here?” Mark asked as he slowly put the money back into the register.

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m here for a job,” Mai proclaimed as she held out a white folder to Mark with the word “Resumé” in block letters written on it.