Cherished

"Just about three times a week." He said, walking me through.

Mason and Munson's General store. Just opened last month, and to my good fortune they were in search for a cleaner.

Also to my good fortune, my age didn't seem to bother them. The store wasn't very huge, it had five overstocked aslies, two bathrooms, a small "breakroom" in the back, and that was it.

Tom Mason and Lester Munson probably figured a seventeen year old couldn't mess up that bad. And I had the training, my Dad's cleaning company since I was in kindergarten.

My first account. I was scared, and excited, and somehow managed to keep my cool as Tom showed me around.

We had already worked out pay, and after a test cleaning I came to the conclusion it wouldn't affect my school schedule.

"So," Tom pulled a set of keys from his khaki pockets and took one off, handing it to me. It had the security code attached to a bright yellow label. "You are good to go."

"Thank you."

"No, thank you. I mean we're doing good business wise, just well..." He smiled a bit, somewhat nervous when he told me his wife found out she was pregnant.

Found out weeks ago, when I first saw the help wanted ad.

"I was the one handling the cleaning after we closed, staying an extra two hours. After the baby comes, I don't think I can do that." He chuckled.

"Congratulations," I smiled back, "How she doing?"

"I think we're both still in shock." He said, "But its a happy one."

Cleaning proved to be great. Just two hours after school, I still made it home for dinner.

Able to proudly declare, "Just got off from work." As I walked in. My Dad, true to form, said nothing in return.

They also told me to help myself to the snacks in the breakroom, which was extra motivation to do a good job.

It was five months later and I was munching on some potato chips, when I saw the fridge had a new photo stuck to it.

An ultrasound. The baby. I thought about how I had to remember to ask Tom what they were having, and names, etc.

I never did. Two weeks later, the ultrasound was gone.

I went to pick up my check, and could read it on him.

He was stocking shelves, something Lester usually did. But that day Lester was at the front.

His back was to me, but the body language was clear. I don't know why I didn't say something, as much as I wanted to.

Months went by. I spent the summer at home mostly. Dad was gone. Mom was working like a slave already, so I upped my hours too.

When school started I already knew I couldn't finish my senior year. For a lot of reasons not just work.

And work was okay, I liked it. I got more accounts after the first semester was over and I started applying for my GED.

It was a full year later, I saw another ultrasound on the fridge. And this one stayed for three days.

Another year, when my own mother had remarried and was showing herself; there was another one. This time it stayed. Stayed for months.

Tom was his smiling self, but there was an overarching feeling of anxiety to him.

And it quelled when weeks later, I saw the photo of the newborn on the fridge.

A little pink hat. Tom's wife Frida holding her. Tom in the shot, and they both looked like they had been crying. I started to tear up too.

The shop started to expand. They added on a section, and it wasn't too much trouble.

I was enrolled in phlebotomy classes and I went down on hours for all my accounts.

For Tom and Lester I could guess they needed the extra money.

Lester and Tom's relationship was interesting. They were opposites, and had quite a few years between them.

Tom younger, more open faced and friendly. All smiles and cheerfulness, especially after Karla's birth.

Lester was older, probably ten years on him, and more quiet, but not mean at least never to me.

Lester adopted too, a big brother attitude when it came to Tom. He sometimes manned the store alone, when Tom was gone. Either worried the baby or Frida was sick. Or when he wanted Frida to have a day off and recover from the activity of childbirth.

"He'd do it for me." Lester said on one such occasion when I came in to collect my pay. "You got any siblings, Jan?"

"Little brother and sister, twins. They're about as old as Karla."

"I never did." He said, "Sometimes I think that's why Tommy's here."

So, when three years later, I came in and saw Tom alone, and asked if Les was out sick, and he didn't answer... I was worried.

I was very worried, for that two second pause before Tom said, matter of factly, "He retired."

"He did?" I was confused, how could he retire? They both owned the store. I mean I don't know how retirement works, but that seemed weird.

"Yep. We both thought it was best." He said, looking for my envelope among the papers behind the counter.

As he looked, I saw a picture of toddler Karla. Her dark curly hair, and bright blue eyes. She had dimples and big lips, even for a baby. But she was a cutie.

"It's here somewhere Jan." Tom ran a hand through his blonde hair.

"Take your time."

The photo of Karla as a baby stayed on the counter, and another (she's wearing a yellow dress and mud all over her hands) on the fridge in the breakroom. Next to the ultrasound.

It stayed for years, the way they just happen to. Even with Killian and Andra, I had them as babies on my phone until one day I thought; you know, if they run off at the park or somewhere, I'll probably need a more updated photo.

So when they were five I retook it.

Five is also when Karla started to come to the shop now and then.

It was surreal. I had gotten use to her baby face and curls. And now she was a little kid. Made me realize how old I was.

She was sweet. Lively. Loved her Daddy, and the way he looked at her made my heart melt.

Seeing that she was so cherished.

Another year and I realized I hadn't seen her in forever. But I also saw that Tom no longer wore his wedding ring.

By now I was bringing Killian and Andi in with me, same as Dad did with me.

They wanted to. And they were happy with the three dollars they got for watching movies in the breakroom, polishing the silver bars on the door and helping me sweep.

I tried to imagine Karla, as I looked at the new items sold, things a bit more pricey than when they first opened. More food items now too. Cold food I mean.

The freezers now installed looked almost wrong against the mom-and-pop feel of the store. Guess it was growing up too.

I asked about her, the following years. Tom always smiled, always proud. She was playing soccer now. Got good grades. Learning to ride horses, and was a natural of course.

I think seeing the twins helped him, since they were around the same age.

Lester never came up. Neither did the calendar I found, dusting behind the counter. Attached to a clipboard, every month the days were labeled clearly; "Karla".

There weren't a lot.

The store eventually began selling electronics. A gas pump was set up outside. I started meeting people, kids who were my age when I first started, when I came to pick up my check. The fridge had been replaced, and so had the photos on it. Now it had notices, flyers on workplace conduct, anti-discrimination laws, things like that.

I was gonna move. Out of state, with my cousin. I needed "to start [my] life, [I'm] thirty." And the past few years, I guess the feeling had been sneaking up on me.

Mom didn't need me around to help pay the bills anymore. And Guy made "jokes" I was freeloading. Despite the fact I was paying my own phone, car, and giving him rent.

Guy reminded me a lot of Dad in those ways. I was ready to leave. Even if it meant leaving the twins.

Picking up my last check, I waited til I knew Tom would be there. I wanted to bring it full circle, or something corny.

But I did find myself missing it.

My first account. We grew parallel. All of us.

Even a ten year old girl, that I saw in the breakroom, as I did one last walk around.

I couldn't believe it, after all these years.

She had stayed a little kid to me. A toddler, a baby in my mind and now she was...big.

"You remember me?"

She looked up from her book and shook her head. She was defensive like I was gonna take her.

"I met you when you were little."

"Oh…"

That was it. It wasn't like the twins, it was...just that.

"You know where your Daddy is?"

She shook her head, and went back to reading. In the chair next to her was a backpack and duffel bag.

I felt like I knew her. Like I had seen her grow up the way I did the twins, the shop, me even.

But I didn't.

I saw a photo of her, that was all. I snuck her candy once, played pattycake once. That was it.

But I had seen how much she was wanted. How much Tom loved her. How much he had wanted to raise her. I could tell her, 100% certain, that she was cherished by Tom. Even with everything else. Even with the back and forth, and the time apart.

You are cherished.

"Jan!" Tom's voice made me jump. He pulled me into a bear hug, almost lifting me off the ground. Ten years older but who could tell?

"Whelp."

"Whelp…" I said. Holding my last check.

"Good luck."

"You too...thanks."

He smiled, before going into the breakroom, and me to my car.

One last look at the Shop in my rearview.

So different now.