Tessie D

I wasn’t supposed to work last night, but Mr. Despare called the house while I was at school and asked me to come in to cover Deidra’s shift so that she could study for an exam. Momma gave me the message as soon as I walked in the house, so I changed into my uniform…

I worked again last night on the floor from five until closing. I am not training any more so I have my own tables and can keep all my tips, which, I’m not going to lie, are pretty great. I don’t have to take customers’ orders because they go through the line before being seated.…

It’s Monday, and I finished my first weekend working at the restaurant. I have never walked so much, so fast, in my life. My first shift was Friday night—“five ’til slowdown,” they called it. Hours of go, go, go. Everyone running around filling drinks, bringing out food, carrying away plates, bussing tables. When I first…

Mr. Despare had called while I was at school to talk about my work schedule. I’m supposed to start training on Friday night.  When I got home from school yesterday, Momma was in the kitchen wiping off the countertops with a dishrag. We started talking about the job, but I didn’t tell Momma about the…

I did it. Yesterday, after school, I took Daddy’s truck and drove over to the diner in Stephenville and got a job.  I left school after Business Accounting, with Mrs. Smith. It’s my last class of the day, and there are only six of us, so as soon as we’re finished, she lets us go…

I told Momma and Daddy last night that I’d head over after school today to see about the job at the diner. They both seemed relieved. As if I’d lifted something heavy off their chests. They were talking to each other this morning. Momma said something about going out this weekend just the two of them…

It’s been almost two weeks now since Prince died. Momma took a few extra shifts at the nursing home. I’ve been doing all the housework, Annie has been cooking dinner every night. We both have been trying to stay busy. To make Momma happy. Daddy is back at the dining room table. The phone was…

Prince was gone.  Daddy came out later that morning and dragged Prince to the back pasture and buried him. It was the first time Daddy had done anything resembling work in months. I half expected him to be angry about Prince but he wasn’t. He wasn’t anything. The Daddy of the Carnival was gone —…

I stopped yesterday before I got to this part.  I wish I’d hadn’t.  I wish I’d written it down already. We got up early on Monday morning to get Prince ready since, before Daddy could take him to the sale, he’d needed his shots.  Momma got the medicine from the refrigerator and drew up the…

It was late by the time I got Daddy home from the carnival. I didn’t have any reason to feel embarrassed — I wasn’t the one stumbling around drunk — but I did. This feeling wasn’t rational -— most everyone in town already knew what Daddy was like. Still, he makes it so easy for…