Rachel's Speedy Delivery

It was dark out when I descended from my grandmother's front porch steps onto the cold frozen ground. I quickly walked down the driveway and took one last look at the house I grew up in. I know that inside that dreary cabin my grandmother stirred in bed, worried about my welfare. 

She wanted me to go to college and continue down the path of a child prodigy, but that's not who I want to be. I don't want to be the kid genius who graduated at fifteen, and I don't want to attend a school where everyone is older than me. I never had friends my age, but that doesn't mean I don't want them.

No one will be friends for me based on how fast I was able to speed run the American public school system. I need to be me, and outside of the academic setting, I'm a nobody. So, I looked for a job, any job, and I planned to form a personality for the first time in my life!

My grandma didn't understand what I'm looking for and wanting out of life, so I'm out here in the dark waiting for my ride as snow begins to fall. I looked up at the cloudy sky, and for a minute, the clouds parted, and I saw the stars.

"Hey, you're the new hire, right?" A voice inquired from a dark brown truck. 

I suddenly broke free of my trance and replied, "Yep, that's me! I'm Chloe."

"I'm Rachel, I just got back from maternity leave, so they assigned you to help me with the heavy stuff. Get in, we're late."

I felt excitement deep inside starting to bubble out as I lunged forward to get in the truck. Only, I didn't make it in. I slipped on some ice and fell on my back.

"Come on, newbie!" Rachel groaned, "You can't afford injury leave on your first day!"

"I'm alright," I groaned and mumbled to myself, "Let's try this again." With a much lesser boost of confidence, I boarded the vessel and buckled myself in.

"So, here's the deal. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and I don't qualify for holiday hours, and we get paid by the number of packages we deliver. The current quota is a hundred-seventy over a twelve-hour shift. You're new so you don't qualify for the bonus either. If we exceed our quota, we get an automatic bonus so you can bet we'll be moving fast."

"Got it. How many packages do we have?"

"The truck is loaded up to about three hundred right now, and our first delivery is forty-five minutes out. So, I guess we can get to know each other a little bit until then."

"Right, I'm Chloe, I graduated High School a year ago and now I'm looking for a job. That's about it for me."

"Wait a minute, how old are you?"

"I'm sixteen, ma'am."

"Wait, you're that girl who graduated early! Chloe Barker! I heard about you on the news, didn't you get some huge scholarship?"

"Yeah, but I turned it down."

"Why the hell would you do that?!"

"I just didn't fit in at University. I really don't like talking about it."

"Unbelievable. You know what I'd do for an opportunity for that? I had to drop out of school to raise my first child. Before I left, I was just as smart as you, skipped grades all the time. I didn't have a choice about passing an opportunity like that up. I'm sorry but I already know you and I aren't going to get along." 

I decided to bite my tongue and carry on hoping my bad first impression would fade away. This wasn't the first time someone reacted poorly to my life decisions. Part of me doesn't care, because it's my life! However, this road I've found myself walking on does get lonely. Most of the time I'm content with my lack of friends. Some days though, although they're rare, I do feel lonely.

As we started delivering packages, Rachel kept reminding me of my time and urging me to go faster. I began to sprint full speed from the truck to many a stranger's porches delivering packages. There were times I slipped on ice, and I got a seething review.

"We don't get paid to deliver damaged packages," she would scowl, "and if there are any complaints from the customers then it comes out of both of our pay!"

However, after the first few deliveries I began building a routine speed and the time from our arrival to our departure began to decrease, as did Rachel's irritation towards me.

After a few hours, we pulled into the distribution center for a lunch break as the tallymen counted our load. As we entered the building, I made my way to the break room, but Rachel called me away.

"Never eat in the breakroom, there's TVs in there that blast training videos at you at full volume."

"Thanks for saving me from that."

"Anyways, I decided that we got off on the wrong foot. I'm taking us out to lunch."

"Wow, uh, I'm not going to be able to repay you for this, though. If that means you don't want to have lunch with me that's alright," I panicked.

"Kid, what the hell are you talking about? I'm buying you lunch, as a present I suppose. You don't have to pay me back for anything. If I couldn't afford it, I wouldn't make the offer. I am on a budget so don't buy anything expensive!"

Rachel suddenly stood out to me as someone different. When I did have friends during the brief periods of my scarce social success, they would often leave me to pay the bill. Sometimes they knew I couldn't afford it, but I always thought it was fair. Afterall, they didn't have to be my friends and I knew how burdensome being friends with an anti-social gifted kid can be. 

Diane took me to a diner called Belly's and ordered us some hot steak stew and hot chocolate to combat the freezing temperatures outside.

"So, what do you do for fun, kid?"

"Nothing much, I've mostly spent my time studying literature. I don't know why, though. I'm never going to be a writer."

"I wouldn't say that. There's no doubt you're smart, but maybe you just need some experience to inspire yourself."

"I didn't take this job for inspiration."

"I don't care why you took this job; all you are is a manifestation of everything I despise out of kids your age."

"Then why buy me lunch?"

"Maybe because it's Christmas, or maybe because I feel sorry for you. Either way you're paying next time so be prepared."

"Thank you, for the meal, and for showing me the ropes."

"After the way I've been talking to you, you're thanking me? There's hope for us yet!"

Once more, I bit my tongue and excused myself. I walked back to the warehouse and wiped away my tears. I met Rachel at the truck, who was on her phone. I jumped into the truck, took account of the packages, and buckled up. When Rachel got in the truck however, she did not seem ready to leave. 

"My kid's daycare just called and I need to pick her up. My husband is out of state right now, my mom isn't answering her phone, so I need to go."

"What about the quota?"

"Listen kid, I know it's your first day, but I'm sorry. I need to be there for my kids. I'm sure you come from a rich family so I wouldn't stress so much. Afterall, you can just go back to school!"

"I'm not rich. All my grandma and I lived paycheck to paycheck."

"So not only did you ruin your own chance of life by turning down the scholarship, but you also condemned yourself to poverty as well. How interesting." She stormed off after digging her daggers into my very soul.

Then, I decided to fight. I jumped into the driver's seat, turned the ignition, and pulled out of the lot to finish our shift. I looked at Rachel chasing after me in my mirrors, but I kept on driving.

I pretended that Rachel was still with me, scolding me for being clumsy and telling me to go faster. Faster, Chloe, faster! I only had a few packages and when I finished a delivery at an office building and began to pull out, red and blue lights danced around my mirrors. Crap.

"The reason I stopped you today is because you made an illegal stop in a fire lane." The officer said in a monotone voice.

"I'm sorry, with the snow I didn't see the lines, I'm not from this area, it won't happen again!"

"Listen, I hear the same excuses all the time. License and registration," the officer grumbled. When I handed the papers over to him, he stood aback when he realized my age. "Kid, aren't you too young to be working?"

"I'm sixteen, officer and I've been cleared by Speedy Delivery to work full day shifts."

"Wait… this ID… you're Chloe Barker!?" The officer explained.

Here we go again…

"You're that kid genius, aren't you?"

"Yes, officer."

"Well, just goes to show that book smarts aren’t all that. You got a thing or two to learn about the real world." The Officer smirked to himself and looked down at his ticket book. He tapped it on his hand as he debated something in his mind, and confined his solution unto me: "Well, it is Christmas and I'm guessing this is your first day on the job."

"Yes, Officer."

"Well then, I'll let you off with a warning. Be careful where you park next time, ok?"

"Thank you, Officer," I glanced at his badge… "Officer Desmond! Say, does your first name happen to be Jay?"

"My name is Jay Desmond," the Officer answered hesitantly.

"Do you live on Quarter Avenue?!"

"Why are you asking?"

"Here, can you sign for your package?" 

The officer drew a blank look over his face as I handed a receipt and wrapped present towards him. He signed the receipt and waved me on. As I pulled away, I saw him open the present and laugh as he pulled out a knitted sweatshirt. 

I finally finished delivering all the packages and checked back into the shop when the manager, Colin, called me into his office.

"Chloe, you're new at our company, and I've received high praise for your performance from Rachel. Now I understand Rachel had to leave you early today, is that correct?"

"Yes, sir."

"Yet you still managed to meet both of your quotas all by yourself, outstanding! You earned this, here you go!" He said as he handed an official looking envelope to me. 

"Sir, may I ask, did Rachel receive a bonus?"

"I'm not at liberty to disclose anyone else's pay, I hope you understand… But it is important to note that anyone who does not complete their shift will receive a dock in pay. So, think twice about your attendance, you hear?"

"Sir, with all due respect, I can't accept this. Rachel deserves the bonus, not me. She went out of her way to show me the ropes and I wouldn't have ever finished the shift if she hadn't shown me how!"

"Well, I'll talk to my account about it. After all, it's Christmas!" He said as he showed me out his office. To be completely honest, I didn't believe him, and I didn't feel right taking a bonus when Rachel deserves to get one too.

Just as I made it to the road waiting for my taxi home, a young woman a little older than me came running out. When she reached me, she held her head towards her knees as she struggled to catch her breath. After a minute of regaining her composure, she held an envelope out to me addressed to Rachel.

"This is Rachel's bonus; I was told by Corporate that you will be able to deliver it." The woman said as she defogged her glasses with her wool kitten scarf.

"Thank you, I don't know where she lives though."

"The envelope is addressed, is it not?" She said as she turned to walk away, "Oh, and merry Christmas! I heard you broke a record of packages delivered today."

"I did?"

As she continued walking back to the shop, she shouted "You'll go far with us, kid!"

Once my cab arrived, I redirected them to take me to Rachel's house. When I arrived, Rachel was helping a man, (who I assume is her husband), unload luggage from his car. 

"Rachel?" I asked as I approached the couple. 

"Chloe? What are you doing here?" Rachel responded.

"Who's this?" 

"This is Chloe, the kid I was telling you about."

"Ah, the genius who drives mail trucks for fun!" The husband joked as he shook my hand, "Name's David, I'm Rachel's better half!"

"Nice to meet you, David." I responded politely, and to Rachel, I informed her "I was told that I should be the one to deliver this to you."

"What… is this our bonus?"

"I believe it is."

"Why did I get this, I left in the middle of the day?" Rachel began reading a note that was sealed in the envelope with the check and handed the papers to David. She ran towards me and hugged me, lifting me off the ground! "Thank you so much! You're such a kind person!"

"Don't sweat it, you bought me lunch after all!" I joked. 

"I was wrong to treat you like I did, I shouldn't have judged you."

"You were right though; I did pass up on a huge opportunity. However, I think I'm ok with where I'm ending up."

"You know, not every day is going to be as easy as today." 

In consideration of constantly slipping on ice and being pulled over by the police, "I wouldn't have it any other way!"

"So, Chloe, what are you doing on Christmas?"

"My grandma and I were just planning on hanging around and watching her backlog of Jeopardy!"

"Well, would you mind changing your plans, just a little bit? I'd love to have you for Christmas!"

"I'd love that! I'll go home and ask my grandma right now!"

"Okay, have a safe ride home!"

With an exchange of Merry Christmases, I departed homebound. When I arrived, I quickly and excitedly informed my grandma of our invitation. She agreed but held suspension towards Rachel's character. She has always been paranoid about the people I called friends, and for good reason. Too many times have I been taken advantage of by those who falsely promise me friendship.

Her fears, however, were resolved when Rachel proposed I participate in writing contests to continue honing my skills. At the time I refused, but I later came around. As we speak, I am finishing my first entry into a sci-fi writing contest! 

It has been a few months since our first meeting, but our friendship has grown exponentially ever since. She constantly motivates me to improve my performance both at work and in the literary world. For the first time ever, I finally feel like I made a true friend. Who would've thought? A high school dropout and working mom became best friends with a child prodigy who decided to forge her own path in life. I am forever grateful for Rachel and David's presence in my life.