The Kevlar of Knowing the Answer

James blinked awake just before the alarm blared the song, ‘I’ve Got You Babe,’ and he couldn’t help but smile at the irony of that particular tune. He sighed and pulled the sheets back, pondering the fact that his life just seemed to be on autopilot at this point. He could do it blindfolded; even with the recent events, the changes in the family dynamics were helping him out. He was beginning to realize that he was ready for more than just sleepwalking through life.

He threw off the sheets of his bed and hopped out, walked over, his floor clear, so he didn’t have to dodge shit, and switched on the light. He smiled as he walked past the full length mirror on his wardrobe and flexed. All the hard work since the summer had really paid off.

In the hall he met Amanda and the two went outside, where they warmed up and hit the pavement. Even as they jogged, he could feel the wheels moving in his brain, turning, spinning and working their way around. There was nothing unusual about silence in the morning; the two had fallen into a pattern of crawling out of bed, going for a run and then getting ready for the day. It almost felt like marriage to James.

He jokingly made such a remark to Amanda when they were taking a breather during one of their jogs and she had laughed it off, but James had been pondering a future where they were together and what it would entail. Would there be more with her, would they be a regular thing and how could he keep it from falling apart? But he realized that they would have to abandon everything they knew and they would regret leaving the family.

When they got back, he put on the coffee while she went up for her morning ablutions. Deciding he was hungry, he nabbed a frying pan, turned on the flame on the cooktop, and set the pan above it. Going to the fridge, James grabbed some eggs, cracked them into bowl and started whisking with a splash of milk. Checking to see if the pan was ready, he added some butter and watched for it to melt. Once it was warm, James poured the eggs in.

‘Obviously, you’ve never made an omelette.’ Remembering the old punchline, James laughed.

“What?” Amanda had arrived as he was playing chef and caught him unawares with her query.

“Something I heard once.” He paused his stirring the eggs and looked at her, “Do you want some breakfast?”

“Well?”

“Have you ever deliberately broken anything?”

“Not on purpose.”

He inclined his head, “Well, obviously you’ve never made an omelette then.”

She coughed a chuckle, then went and poured them some coffee, “Very clever. A change, coming from you.”

“Yeah, thanks,” he grinned and winked. “Would you like any?”

“Nah, I’m fine with cereal today,” she replied. Continuing, she asked, “There is something I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Sure.”

“You seem more focused than normal. Is something going on?”

“I’ve been putting my brain through the paces.”

“Oh dear,” she grinned as he plated up. She nodded, “You’re like you were at the beginning of summer.”

That had been when he had arrived back in the past; that first day his thoughts had been focused like a laser beam.

‘Like the arrow that springs from the bow,’ he muttered to himself. She only caught half of what he said and repeated.

“Like an arrow?”

He shrugged, “Another thing I heard once.”

“Do tell?”

“All my life I’ve had doubts about who I am, where I belonged. Now I’m like the arrow that springs from the bow, my path is clear.”

“Poetic.”

He shrugged, “It always stuck with me.”

She nodded.

“So what’s it got to do with anything?”

“Well, I’ve been thinking about my lack of focus,” he said leaning against the counter. “About sleepwalking through life, almost literally.”

“Like your dress sense and the way you acted last year.”

“Exactly,” he nodded, ignoring the good natured barb and focusing on the meaning. He smiled, “So to that end I’ve decided that I need to get a job.”

“Oh?”

“But I’ve got issues with what I want to do; there’s a big hurdle I’ve got to get over.”

“Other than your ego,” she winked.

“Ar,” he quipped and sipped his coffee. “It’s my age.”

“Why is that a problem?”

“I’m 14,” he shrugged. “15 soon. Most companies won’t hire a teenager because it limits the number of hours they can work and the type of jobs available. I’m hoping that by proving that I’m responsible, they’ll allow me to move into a job that I’d like, rather than one that will bore me to tears.”

“Like a paper route?”

“Yes,” he nodded. “That’s a traditional first job, but I want serious money.”

She nodded.

“So what were you thinking?”

“Something with computers.”

“I certainly never pegged you as a geek.”

He shrugged, “I’m learning all sorts of new and wondrous shit at the moment.”

“Fair enough,” She laughed. Leaving, she turned to him and told him, “Don’t forget to clean everything up. That’s why I go with cereal, only one bowl and spoon.”

The day progressed as normal at school and nothing of interest occurred. He saw Jessica and flashed her a grin. She quirked a red eyebrow up at him in riposte. She continued to watch him even as he went to his next class.

He saw Robin and sat down with her. As per normal, the two shot shit during the lunch period. She joked, “James, ever since you started bring your lunch, you pack like my little sister. I’m surprised your mother hasn’t said anything.”

James responded, “Unless I complain, she’s happy. And what’s wrong with a PB&J and a bag of chips? It’s better than the nachos I always used to get.”

Robin stared at him and shook her head. “You keep saying you’ve matured, but have you ever heard of vegetables or fruit? I keep expecting a Juicy Juicy pack and a cup of applesauce.”

He joked, “Well, I can start bringing Fruit Rollups if that will make you happy. On the other hand, if you don’t approve of my food choices, then feel free to start bringing me lunch. You know I won’t complain!”

“Sorry, not my job. But you can bring the Fruit Rollups. I like them, too.”

When their lunch was over, he trudged to the next class.

At dinner he kept his head down and started shovelling in his food. His mother studied him for a few minutes before she couldn’t take it anymore, “What’s wrong, James? Usually you talk to us at dinner.”

“I’ve been thinking. I need to get a job. Actually, I want to have some money and that means a job.”

His father coughed and snorted up some food, “Say what?”

James shrugged, “I’ve been looking at my life and, while things have improved, there are still areas that need work. Unlike Rachael, I don’t know what to study in college, or even what optional classes to take next year. So I need to get some real world experience. I thought a job would show me what I might like or want to avoid. And then there’s the money.”

His father looked at his wife and then said, “That is surprisingly mature way to look at things. But you’re only 14, so what kind of job can you even get?”

“I was going to start with the computer stores to see if they need a stock clerk for a couple of hours each day after school. It may help with my class and I might be able to buy stuff at a discount,” James said while smiling. “I looked in the Yellow Pages and there are three stores within walking or biking distance. Mom or Rachael won’t need to drive me to work.”

Mom interjected, “Good thing you’re planning to work around school!”

“Mom, I promised you that I would concentrate on school and my grades prove it. Now I want to branch out, not just spend the afternoons playing videogames.”

Dad stared at him for a minute but before he could say anything, Cheryl jumped in with, “I never thought you had this in you. Rachael is right, you really have changed.”

Dad laughed and replied, “No chance of Rachael driving you. Tell you what James; we have been impressed by the changes since this summer. We’ll talk tonight and let you know tomorrow.”

“Thank you, that’s all I ask.” He smiled and resumed stuffing his face. That evening, he got a knock on the door. He closed his book, realizing that this was starting to become a habit. He’d say something at dinner, there’d be a knock on the door and they’d have a chat. He decided to change it up a bit and barked, “Yo.”

The door opened and as expected, his mother walked in and noted the book he was reading. She gave him a quizzical look and voiced the question on her face, “Dune?”

“I never got around to reading it. They did the movie that was on TV last month and it was okay, so I thought I’d actually read the book to find out.” She nodded. “What can I do for you, Ma?”

“I wanted to talk about your desire for a job.”

James nodded, “Sure.”

She sat down.

“James, if you can keep your grades at the level they are now and keep showing the correct attitude around the house, you have our permission. But at the first sign of backtracking, the job goes.”

“Okay that’s fair enough, I get where you’re coming from but all I ask is please don’t hold the job over my head like the sword of Damocles. Let me prove myself on my own merits.”

She nodded her head, “Okay. But we’ll be watching.”

“I know,” he nodded. She nodded back and left, closing the door.

On Saturday he biked over to each of the three computer stores. It was an eye-opener to see how he was treated. The big box store, CompUSA wouldn’t even give him an application because he was too young. The second store, Micro Center gave him an application with no encouragement. At MicroLand, the final store, and the only one of the three that wasn’t a chain, the owner spent a couple of minutes asking James why he wanted to work there.

James filled out the application and the owner promised to give him an answer within the week. He biked back home and as he arrived, his father pulled up. “How was your job search?”

“Not very promising, only one store would even consider me and I’m not hopeful,” James related. “If I don’t get this, I guess I’ll start with fast food restaurants or the movie theaters.”

Three days later, the owner called James and told him to come in on Saturday to have the job explained in more detail. He immediately ran to the kitchen to tell his parents. “They called back and gave me the job. They want me there this Saturday.”

Mom turned to me and admonished, “Excellent, but remember what we discussed. School and family come first.”

“Don’t worry, I understand and guarantee it won’t be a problem.”

James then sought out Amanda to share the news. She was sitting on her bed and looked up as he scurried toward her room. He filled the doorway, grabbing each side of the jamb. “Amanda, guess what! I got the job at the computer store and start Saturday.”

She looked at him and replied evenly, “I didn’t think you were serious about working, I just thought you were going through the motions to show the parents how much you’ve improved.”