Chapter Two: Nobody Cares

 Lapis oversaw the prisoners, fanning himself gently in the sun. There was a time I hated my foreman, sitting so comfortably while I felt the lash. He thought idly. The scars on his back itched a little in solidarity.

Joseph came over. “We’re ahead of schedule, sir. May I suggest a break? The day is at its hottest point, and we’re not due back until the work is over. Nobody will care if we work at night.”

“Agreed. Give the men water.” Lapis sighed. Another day done. Even with everything rolling around in his mind, he noted that Joseph had taken to their change in dynamic easier than most prisoners. There were no hooded looks, or cutting remarks.

“Sir, are you in charge here?”

Lapis turned at the new voice and saw an older man coming over, wearing the garb of a farmer. “I am. And you are?”

“My name is Zosar.” The man bowed slightly as he introduced himself. “I manage the farms along the eastern side of the Nile. Sir, I put in a request for a workforce over a month ago, to dig irrigation ditches for my fields. It’s been weeks. The season is starting. If I don’t get that irrigation dug, then I cannot plant crops. I’ve spent so much of my savings to get that land. Having it sit empty for another season…”

“Half of Egypt is expanding, sir.” Lapis said roughly. “There are workforces all over the land who would work for a fair wage-”

“Yes, but you know these men work for far less than a fair wage.” Zosar said through his teeth, lowering his voice as he said it. “How can anyone compete with free labor?”

Lapis wasn’t moved. “You can get the work done soon, or you can get it done cheap.”

Zosar glanced around, and pulled a cloth bag off his belt. “I know it’s surely a long list, and naturally, your time is valuable. I would know the value of your attention.” He cupped his hand around the bag and passed it discreetly to Lapis.

Lapis felt the gold coins sliding against each other in the bag, and felt his heart beat harder, just for a moment. He should have expected this, knowing that the previous Warden took bribes like this often; but it was the first time for him. “I’ll… see what I can do.”

“Thank you.” Zosar said with relief.

Lapis returned to his post, overseeing the work, trying to determine how much wealth was in the bag. Is it really so much cheaper to bribe me, rather than pay an honest worker to do the job?

Of course it is. Your expenses are few. A little food, a little water. You don’t have to treat the prisoners like real people. Were you treated like a person when you were getting the whip?

The thought made him shudder. The coins in his bag were worth a week’s wages. If others made offers like that, he could build up some savings. Money was power. If he chose his moment, saved carefully, he could possibly improve his means, build up his future…

Or he could just take the bag of money to the brothels and have the best night he’d had in years. If he was caught taking kickbacks, would he wind up back in the prison himself? Or did nobody care about that either?

Lapis groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose. And all because I told the truth at the wrong moment.

“Nobody cares.” He decided, and put the bag in his pocket.

~/*\~ Ellis ~/*\~

Ellis came into work, and felt the tension in the air. Everyone was lowering their voice. He could hear Del in the next room. He sounded angry. And everyone in the building was pretending they weren’t listening in, but everyone was straining towards the office door, trying to hear them.

“What’s going on?” He asked Lyndsea quietly.

“You didn’t hear? Del’s getting fired.”

“Why?!” Ellis felt his heart stop for a moment.

“He withheld payment to one of the sub-contractors. But when Darrel sent a check anyway, it bounced. Looks like there was about a thousand dollars missing from the fund.”

“They think Del stole a thousand bucks from the company?” Ellis blurted.

“Not enough evidence to prove it wasn’t just a paperwork mishap.” Someone else said, eager to gossip. “But we all know Del’s sites are the most expensive ones in the company. He comes in barely scraping past his budget limits. Something like this was bound to happen eventually.”

Ellis translated in his head: Del doesn’t skimp on safety and parts for savings like the other foremen do. It’s costing us the difference. Sooner or later, he was going to be pushed out.

Lyndsea, who sat at the reception desk for Darrel, spoke eagerly. “We know he must be short of cash. He hasn’t placed a bet in the office pool for months. I heard Darrel has been looking for a reason to fire him for a while. Now we know why.” She tilted her chin towards the office. “The boss is making Del an offer. Go quietly, and he won’t call the police.”

“Del might tell him to go ahead and call the police.” Ellis countered. “If he’s saying he didn’t do it, then an investigation might save his job.”

“Are you kidding? Darrel has the receipts.” Lyndsea told him. “You should know. You signed the money order that bounced. That was how he found out. He sent the contracts that Del refused to, and...”

Ellis froze. Was that it? The ‘favor’ he had done for his Boss? “Th-There’s so much paperwork going over my desk in a day, I don’t really remember…”

Lyndsea gave him a look. “If I were you, Ellis? I’d keep that to myself.”

~/*\~

Procedure required that someone be in attendance when Del cleaned out his desk, and his locker. Since he did most of his work on-site, he had few personal items to pack. But Del wasn’t resigning by choice, so he had to be escorted.

A few people came over to say goodbye. One or two of them admitted he was being treated unfairly. Most of the staff handled it by avoiding him, just in case. They’d all heard stories of people having angry outbursts, or complete emotional breakdowns when losing their jobs. Nobody wanted to involve themselves in other people’s problems.

Ellis checked the paperwork again. He’d signed the money order that Darrel had used as evidence, but he also had the ledgers for the rest of the company. He balanced the accounts, after all. Someone had withdrawn a thousand dollars from one of the company accounts just a few hours before Ellis had signed the money order; and only because he’d been more-or-less ordered to do it. The ledgers said the ‘withdrawal’ was for petty cash. A reason that wasn’t nearly enough for a snap infusion of a thousand dollars. Except that the thousand had been returned the next day. Whoever had taken it, they didn’t spend it.

It wasn’t proof of any wrongdoing. But it did confirm it: The boss had wanted Del gone, and Ellis had helped him do it.

Del has surely figured that out. Ellis thought. He isn’t fighting it. He looked over at Del, who was scanning out at the door, and handing his access card to his escort. Del was taking all of this with a zen-like calm that didn’t seem right.

The guilt was gnawing at him, so Ellis found he was watching out the window as Del left. He carried his box to the street, where his wife was waiting with her car. Ellis had only met Eleanor once, at a company get-together. She and Del had been so… supportive of each other. Even when alone, they had nothing but good things to say about each other.

Eleanor took the box from her husband’s hands, put it into the car, and then caught his wrist, pulling him in for an embrace before letting him open the car door. She held him for a while, looking up at him with a relaxed, easy smile. The sympathy was clear, the support was clearer.

The guilt that Ellis felt was replaced with a quick stab of jealousy.

Outside, Del gave his wife a kiss and got into the car. He didn’t even look back at the building.

Everyone was back to work ten minutes later. Del was replaced by the next afternoon.

Just like I would be, if I tried to make a fuss about it. Ellis reminded himself, and kept his head down.

~/*\~

The guilt still bothered Ellis, but he had to focus on his job. The rest of the week was routine, until Darrel called him in on Friday afternoon.

“Ellis, it’s time we got you out of the office.” He said plainly. “I think your journey with us is coming to a natural end.”

A thrill of horror went through Ellis. Does Darrel know I’m feeling guilty about Del? Did he know I was looking at the ledgers? Does he know I could argue that Del was set up? “Sir… I really need this job-”

“Of course you do.” Darrel soothed. “Don’t mistake me, Ellis. We’re not releasing you.”

Ellis relaxed. “You’re not?”

“Ellis, you came on board as an electrician. When the economy tanked, we didn’t have as much work for you, but you had a minor in finance, and that meant we had a job for you, even when things were slow.” Darrel looked at him kindly. “But that was years ago, and business is back. You’ve been behind a desk longer than you had to be. Why did you never ask to go back to your real job?”

“I-I was happy where I was.”

“You’ve never been happy. You’ve been grateful.” Darrel countered. “It’s not the same thing. I told you the other day that I remembered the people who could be counted on.”

Ellis nodded. “Thank you, sir.”

“I was having lunch yesterday with a good friend of mine. His name is Jerrold, and he works in the city council.” Darrel explained. “He says there’s a new position open for a Site and Building Inspector. Your name came up.”

“It did?” Ellis was surprised. “Why?”

“Why do you think?” He grinned. “You should go for it, Ellis. I think you’d be good at it.”

“My training for that kind of thing is all academic. There are probably a few things that weren’t covered in college-”

“Well, turns out there are classes you can take. It’d be a relatively easy thing. The company covers training expenses.”

“Boss, the company covers training and qualifications for employees. Inspectors are appointed by the city council. You can’t train me for a job I’d have if I left your employ.” Ellis reminded him. An instant later he realized exactly what he’d just said.

Inspectors had the authority to block or force construction sites and contractors to make changes to their work. If Darrel was willing to pay for his classes, so that he’d qualify for an inspection job… what would he want in exchange?

“Ellis, it was one thing when times were hard. I didn’t want to lose a sound employee anymore than you wanted to lose a job when you had two kids to support.” Darrel said simply. “There are a lot of benefits to this job. Of all kinds. Get my meaning?”

Ellis got the message, loud and clear. He wasn’t sure he liked it. “They’d never go for it.” He wavered. “I’m surely less qualified than more than half the people who would go for it in the first place, there’d be reviews and committee meetings of all kinds.”

“You haven’t dealt with many local councils, have you?” Darrel quipped. “Y’know, when my dad entered the workforce, it was a matter of finding a ‘Help Wanted’ sign in a window, and going in to introduce yourself. But it’s the twenty-first century now. You need a job, you have to apply online, with two hundred other hungry people, and hope they pick you.” Darrel nodded sagely. “So impersonal, isn’t it? Don’t underestimate the power of knowing someone who can help. This is still the world. You gotta know someone to get a really lucky break.”

If I can get a job like that on your say-so, it’d be so lucky there ought to be a law. Ellis thought, knowing better than to say it out loud. In fact, there is a law against it, isn’t there?

“Darrel,” Ellis began carefully. “I’m grateful to you for all the years I’ve been employed. It’s not an exaggeration to say my time here has kept my kids fed and a roof over their heads for as long as they’ve been alive. If I start taking classes for a job that I don’t have yet… If I start campaigning for a job I may not be qualified enough to do, then I can’t, in good conscience, keep giving my all to this place.”

“Conscience, or confidence?” Darrel challenged him.

Ellis couldn’t answer.

“Ellis, you’re a team player. You’re trustworthy here. And I like to see my employees have a future. A real future. Don’t think of it as rolling the dice. That implies you don’t trust yourself and your ability. I’m willing to take that chance with someone I trust. You know why? Because I’m invested.”

“In what?” Ellis couldn’t help but ask.

“In you.” Darrel said grandly. “You’re worth the effort, my boy. Don’t ever think you aren’t.”

Ellis looked away, not comfortable with the compliment.

“Been a while since someone’s told you that, isn’t it?” Darrel observed his reaction. “How long has it been since someone decided that you were worth taking a chance? Worth making a change? When was the last time someone took you seriously?”

Ellis couldn’t meet his eyes. “It’s been a while.”

“I’ve been there.” Darrel said gently, persuasively. “You know what I’ve learned? You want to be worth something to people, you have to take it. The first person who has to believe in you has to be yourself. That’s a thought that doesn’t come easily from a vacuum. Enough people tell you you’re nothing, you start to believe them.”

“Yeah.” Ellis still wouldn’t look at him. For some reason his eyes were starting to sting, and he blinked it back. Del was more honest and reliable than I am. You fired him for it.

“This job, it would pay more than what you’re making here, plus whatever ‘bonuses’ you might find along the way. You’d be surprised how many people would be invested in your career, if you took this job.” Darrel said kindly. “You’ve been letting fear hold you back too long. Yes, it’s a risk. But it’s an investment in your future… and in yourself. Because you deserve it.”

~/*\~

“Were you even going to tell me?” Debra snapped.

It wasn’t the reaction he was hoping for when he came home that night. He’d had to tell his wife that his schedule would be changing for the training seminars. She had reacted angrily.

“It happened kind of fast.” Ellis admitted, already on the back foot. “I know it’s unexpected, but I thought you’d be pleased. I mean, it’s a promotion.”

“No, it’s a possible promotion.” Debra scorned. “One that requires you to take a sabbatical for training, change your hours entirely… And for all that, you still have to go through the whole approval process. Government can’t do things quickly. And in the meantime, you can’t be on your regular payroll. How can you take a chance like that with our mortgage? With the kids?!”

Ellis tried to remember everything Darrel had said. It had all made sense when he’d explained it, but somehow that confidence didn’t work on his wife. “Debra, you gotta take my word for it. Yes, it’s a change, but it’s an investment.”

“In what?” Debra shot back.

“Me.” He spread his hands wide.

She didn’t answer, but he saw the exact moment her eyes flashed. She had thought it, and stopped just short of saying it: That wasn’t an investment. It was a waste.

The unsaid thought hung in the air until she turned away. “Fine. Do what you like.”

“I’m going out.” Ellis groused, and grabbed his coat.

~/*\~

“Let me guess. She got the house.”

Ellis looked up, startled out of his thoughts. The waitress was standing over him, sympathetic. Her nametag read ‘Patty’. “I… I was just…”

She nodded. “Tanlines on your finger says you’ve been wearing the ring for a while, but you’ve been spinning it around on the table for twenty minutes now. First time you’ve taken it off?”

Ellis blinked and looked over at a clock on the wall. “Didn’t realize how long it had been.”

“Time flies when you’re trying to figure out where it all went wrong.” Patty nodded as she collected the empty glass from his booth, automatically wiping down the table in front of him. “I work in a bar; believe me: I’ve met people with the same story. Whatever your story might happen to be.”

“I suppose you have, at that.” Ellis admitted, and pulled out his wallet. “Can I get another?”

Patty nodded and took his money. “Hey. Whatever it is? In a hundred years, nobody’s going to care.”

Ellis scoffed, despite himself, and nodded thanks.

~/*\~

Time passed, and two drinks became four. Ellis wasn’t a heavy drinker, and nursed them slowly. Even so, he knew he should have stopped two drinks before. He didn’t, because he didn’t want to go home. Debra would be wondering where he was by now. Or maybe she hadn’t even noticed.

He blinked as someone slid into the other side of the booth. It was Patty, now wearing her jacket. Her shift was over. “So. I really shouldn’t let you drive. You need a ride somewhere?”

Ellis blinked, and nodded. “Yeah. You’re right, I shouldn’t be driving.”

Patty put her arm in his and led him out. “You put the ring back on.” She commented, sounding neither pleased nor upset by it. “Decided you still love her, then?”

“Love isn’t the issue. I’ve been thinking about it for three drinks, and I finally got it. She loves me, she just has no respect for me anymore.” He sighed, feeling the cold night air buoy him a bit as they went outside. “I think that if she had anywhere else to go, she would have left me years ago.”

Patty nodded. “I’ve heard the story at least twice a week for my entire working life.” She commented. “Sometimes I just want to slap the guy. Sometimes, I wanna slap the wife. I’ve seen guys who are abusive, guys who are criminals, guys who are total layabouts, or drunk all the time.” She unlocked her car and slid into the driver’s seat, while he took the seat beside her. “You got a job?”

“Yeah. And a better one is coming, as a matter of fact.” Ellis nodded.

“You put a roof over her head? Take care of all the bills?”

“Things were tight, but they’ve been a lot worse.” Ellis nodded, feeling his shoulders straighten.

“You have to hurt anyone to do it? You ever hurt her?”

“No.” Del doesn’t count, does he?

“This is the world, handsome. We fight like crazy to keep our heads above water, and call it a good night. Family and home and love? Those are the things that aren’t meant to rely on money and power. Those things are meant to be free.” Patty said easily. “Where do you live?”

“Acron street.”

Patty started driving. “I’ve seen guys on their third mortgage, guys who never see their kids because that’s how hard they have to work to keep them fed. I’ve seen guys who are so burned out they need to get wasted, just to hold on for another night. And all you want is someone to be nice to you at home?” She said sagely. “Seems to me like your wife doesn’t know how good she’s got it. And if she doesn’t figure it out, it’ll be her problem more than yours. If she’s not giving you enough credit, then give yourself some.”

Ellis felt his shoulders straighten. “Y’know something? You’re the first woman who’s said something like that about me since… well, I can’t even remember.” He scoffed to himself as the thought hit him. “I actually get more respect from a stranger than my family.”

“Don’t we all?” Patty demurred. “Look, you really want to go home? Because I can take you to a friend’s place or something.”

Ellis sighed. I go home, I apologize for something that isn’t really my fault, and we pretend it never happened until the next time we have this fight. “No. I don’t really want to go home.” He admitted. “But I don’t really have anyone to stay with.” He checked his watch. “Not at this hour, anyway.”

Patty glanced at him. “Well. My place is closer than Acron street.” She offered.

Ellis was feeling the fourth drink a little more than was obvious, but he caught the invitation. “Yeah?”

Patty didn’t look at him, eyes on the road. “Yeah.”

“I could be a serial killer, y’know.”

“Enough people saw me leave with you that I’m willing to risk it.” She grinned. “Besides, what are the odds we’re both serial killers?”

And Ellis was just drunk enough to find that hilarious. As an afterthought, he slipped his ring off again, putting it in his pocket.

~/*\~

Ellis’ phone buzzed a few hours later as a text came in. He reached a hand over carefully to collect his phone from his pocket. The text was from Debra. I went too far. Let me know that you're okay?

Oh hell…

Patty hummed a little, woken by the light from his phone. “They’re wondering where you are?”

“Yeah.” Ellis admitted as he sat up, feeling like his head weighed a hundred tonnes. He started reaching for his clothes slowly. “Listen…”

“You gotta go.” Patty nodded.

Ellis wondered if there was some perfect thing to say that would make it alright, but his head hurt way too much to think of it. “I… I don’t…”

“Handsome, I already called you a cab.” Patty held up her own phone, showing the app. “You still shouldn’t be driving.”

He stared at her, finally realizing she was far more at ease with this than he was. “Just like that.”

“The thing about married guys is that they never want to talk about it after. So much neater that way... for both of us.” Patty kissed his cheek. “Go home. Sort things out. Henpecked guys always think they’re stuck for good. Now you know: You still have a choice.”

She was holding his hands. He looked down and found she’d put his wedding ring back on his finger. The thought struck him mute. I’ve been dismissed.

That should make it easier. Why is it a million times worse?

~/*\~

The cab dropped him off at home, and he let himself in. The house was dark, the kids were asleep. There was one light on. Debra had waited up for him. He made it to the living room. She was sitting at the end of the couch, reading a magazine by lamplight, looking tired.

“I…” Ellis slurred a little. “I’m sorry.”

“Me too.” Debra said quietly, taking in the state of him. “Did you drive home?”

“I... I took a cab.” Ellis returned, trying madly to think like a sober person for a minute. Do I confess? Do I hide it?

“Good.” She rose from her chair, switched off the lamp. “Drink water. You’ve got work in the morning, and you don’t need a hangover.”

They were on opposite sides of the room, making no effort to approach each other, sounding more tired than apologetic, finishing up the day; just wanting to sleep. In the morning they’d pretend the fight had never happened.

We pretend a lot of things never happened. Ellis thought, stomach roiling. “I’m gonna take a shower.”

She nodded, already past him. “I’m going to bed.”

~/*\~

In the light of the next morning, the whole night seemed slightly unreal, like it had happened on television. He took a cab back to the bar and collected his car. No sign of Patty. He went through his day’s work on automatic pilot. Darrel was lightening his workload anyway, so certain that the transfer to the council was a sure thing.

He went to the city council chambers. Plush carpet, high ceilings, with plenty of modern upgrades to keep the workers equipped and comfortable. The old-style architecture with modern technology in every office was standard in a lot of government buildings.

Jerrold came to collect him from the foyer for the interview personally. He wore a crisp suit, but seemed perfectly relaxed in it, as though he owned the world around him. He led the way through the halls to his office, and the whole trip, he kept up a stream of light patter with the other employees. He knew everyone’s name, smiled at all the younger interns… Ellis had to admit to being charmed by the routine himself.

They got to Jerrold’s office, which was on a corner of the building, giving his windows views in multiple directions. He invited Ellis to sit down, and they began to talk.

They made small talk about the weather, and the traffic, and then he asked about Ellis’ job. It seemed like a natural extension of the small talk, but Ellis suddenly realized this was the interview. Nothing pointed, nothing about his credentials. They touched on everything, but didn’t get into specifics.

He wants to be able to say that he asked me about these topics, but he’s not looking closely at any of them. Ellis realized. So that I can’t give the wrong answer.

Darrel had indeed smoothed the way for him. The interview was easy enough, with an ‘old friend’ in the process. His qualifications were largely academic, but enough to qualify him.

You get this job, you know what will happen. Darrel will expect a blank check. Ellis thought to himself. Of course, if you don’t get it, the wife will have all the proof she needs that you’re as useless as she thinks you are.

“Thank you, we’ll be in touch.” Jerrold said with a smile.

“Just like that?” Ellis said before he remembered not to ask.

“There are several steps to this sort of thing.” Jerrold assured him, also rising. “I’ll walk you out.”

The two of them made their way through the corridors. Every now and then, someone would scurry over with a clipboard, and Jerrold would scribble down a signature.

“So, what do I do now?” Ellis asked him.

“We’ll be in touch with you. Just between us, it’s likely to go well. There’s the review, of course. But the truth is, most of the guys who make the choice? They aren’t in the industry. They don’t know a grounding wire from a washing line.”

“So naturally, they’re making appointments about safety inspection.” Ellis quipped.

“They’re political appointees. People in your job need qualifications. People in our jobs just need to know what’s expected.” He grinned easily, carefree. “Don’t worry, man. You come with good references,”

How good a friend is Darrel? Ellis found himself wondering, as they arrived out at the Council building’s off-street parking. Ellis went over to his station wagon. Jerrold went over to a gorgeous little sports car. Ellis heard himself whistle.

“Like it?” Jerrold chuckled. “It gets me from A to B.”

Ellis felt a wave of good-natured jealousy. As a young man, when he dreamed of what he wanted his life to be like; it was something a lot like what Jerrold had. Striding through hallways while people came running for his approval on things. A nice suit, a fast car, a corner office.

The good life. Ellis thought to himself.

“We’ll be in touch about the review.” Jerrold called over to him. “There are still a few other names we need to check out.”

“I’ll be ready.” Ellis promised.

~/*\~

And suddenly Ellis had nothing to do for the rest of the afternoon.

The kids are probably out of school soon. I should go home, spend some time with them…

The guilt hit him in random moments. When he thought about being at home, with his family, a sudden spike of unworthiness. When he saw a clearly happy couple walking past, he felt a stab of jealousy…

Do I just pretend it didn’t happen? He asked himself. My father had affairs. He never confessed, even if mom suspected... Debra wouldn’t pretend it didn’t happen if she knew, would she? Has she done the same?

~/*\~

“You seem deep in thought.” Benedict commented.

Del blinked, emerging from himself to answer. “Nothing very profound.” He admitted ruefully. “I was just thinking that if you told me two or three years ago that this would be my life, I wouldn’t have believed it.”

Benedict grinned. “The move went well? I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help.”

“Oh, we had half the congregation there.” Del assured him. “I was glad so many of the sisters showed up. Ellie didn’t take to the move real well.”

“I thought she was in favor of it.”

“Ooh, she was. And even if she wasn’t, basic finance made sure we had to shift to the apartment.” Del nodded. “But we go from a three bedroom house to a two bedroom apartment… We had to get rid of a lot of things. Eleanor can remember the story behind every knick-knack, every photo.”

“Ahh. So ‘trimming down’ your belongings was…” Benedict searched for a tactful way to put it. “An emotional experience?”

“You could have wrung her out once or twice.” Del admitted, and the two of them chuckled. “It’s been quite a journey, and it’s not even close to over yet. I think we landed on our feet, but...”

“You’re still fairly new as a Witness, Del. It’s been amazing to see your progress. You’re putting it together faster than most newly baptized ones I’ve seen. Your answers are getting better during the meetings-”

“Yeah, but part of me still feels like I’m making it up as I go.” Del admitted. “This probably isn’t the time, of course…”

Benedict glanced out at the street. Nobody was making deliberate eye contact with them. “Someone comes over, we can pause this conversation. Making it up, how?”

Del sighed. “There were a few things I knew I needed to work on. Things I wanted to improve at. I got nowhere with them. I know there’s things I’ve improved, I know there’s things that have changed for me. But there were a few things that I wanted to improve, that just haven’t.”

“For example?”

“I wanted to talk to some of my coworkers about my faith.” Del offered. “I never really got there. It wasn’t just that there was no interest, there was… pushback, before I even started. For example, when I didn’t join in the office pool, or the Secret Santa? It was like I flipped a switch. The opposition was just… instant.”

“Mm.” Benedict nodded. “I’ve seen places like that. Some places, indifference isn’t enough.”

“The boss made it hostile.” Del admitted. “Enough that I eventually had to leave. But that’s my point: Shouldn’t I have been able to handle it?”

Benedict smiled warmly. “I’ve heard the question once or twice. Brothers who think that ‘turning the other cheek’ means ‘take the abuse’. I’ll tell you what I told them: Whenever Christ’s early followers faced blatant danger or opposition, they were under orders to move on.”

“That’s what I figured.” Del admitted. “But I still wonder if it was at least partly just me being chicken.”

“Del, there’s a reason we preach to people one-on-one.” Benedict offered. “You wanna bet me that if you met any of those co-workers in the field service, without their employer watching, and without each other there to egg each other on-”

“I don’t believe it.” Del said flatly over him.

“What?”

“That man. He was someone I worked with for a lot of years.” Del admitted, gesturing with his chin as Ellis came their way.

Benedict laughed. “Sounds like a golden opportunity. What were the odds?” He said dryly.

“Let’s be honest, brother.” Del said plainly as he stood up. “God having an ironic sense of humor would explain so much.” Benedict chuckled again as Del waved. “Ellis!”

Ellis came over with a big smile. “Del.” He returned, glancing at the cart, then back to him. “So, they pay you better than we did?”

“No. This is just what Witnesses do.” Del scoffed. “But the new job has different hours. I get some time to volunteer now.” He checked his watch. “You on the job yourself? Haven’t noticed any new construction in the area…”

“No, not on a site. I’ve… been at a job interview.”

Del’s face fell. “Oh, Ellis. I’m sorry.”

“No, I wasn’t fired.” Ellis assured him quickly. “In fact, it’s the opposite. Y’see, there-” Ellis rubbed his neck, almost embarrassed to admit it for some reason. “There’s been a suggestion that I would make a good safety inspector.”

Del’s head tilted. “Really? I didn’t realize you were interested in that sort of career path.”

“Well, it might not go anywhere. Today was just a preliminary interview.” Ellis forced a smile. “That’s why I can still talk to you, after all.”

“Ah, yes. I imagine I’m ‘the competition’ now.” Del nodded. “And if you became a Site Inspector, you’d be ‘the opposition’ to us all.”

“I would be kind, but brutal.” Ellis agreed. “You’re not wrong though. Every site that I’ve been on? We all hated it when Inspectors kept digging, because we just wanted to get on with things.”

“You know that when you get the job, you’re going to have to ‘dig’ too.” Del reminded him.

Darrel put my name forward specifically because he was hoping I wouldn’t. “I know.” He said aloud. “Sometimes I wonder if it’s worth the effort. We’ve seen guys who ‘coast’ and get paid the same as the go-getters.”

Del smiled easily, gesturing at the cart. “You’re asking the wrong guy. I’ve chosen a life that rewards efforts more than results. You know why?

“Because when you’re a… what’s the word? Evangelist? Your results depend on who you’re talking to.” Ellis smirked.

Del chuckled. “Well, you’re not wrong. But there’s a difference between taking it easy and letting yourself down.”

“Is there?” Ellis asked cynically.

Del’s face changed as he caught the tone. “Meaning?”

Ellis glanced at Benedict, who was hanging back a bit to let them talk. “If you kept quiet and nodded your head a few times, you wouldn’t have lost your job.”

“We were just talking about that.” Del admitted, nodding to Benedict. “Truth is, I wasn’t really comfortable working there anymore.”

“Nobody’s comfortable at work, Del.” Ellis quipped. “That’s why it’s called work.”

“Granted, but I didn’t like that the thing I spent the most time doing was also the part of life I enjoyed least. Just on principle, it didn’t make sense.”

Ellis couldn’t argue with that. “I remember, when you left, your wife came to collect you. I remember thinking that if I lost my job, Debra would be furious.” He didn’t say what he was really thinking out loud. Fifty-Fifty she’d dump me before I made it to the parking lot.

“We were worried for a while. Starting over with a kid.” Del admitted. “But the thing about family problems is that the family makes the solutions. It was never Ellie and Me having problems. It was her and me against those problems together.”

“Must be nice.” Ellis said, soft and bitter.

He hadn’t meant for Del to hear it, but he did. “Oh?”

Ellis shook his head. Del didn’t push it. But he also didn’t say anything else. The unspoken thought hung in the air for longer than was comfortable.

Finally, if only to break the stalemate, Ellis confessed. “I have a minor in business. I made some pretty smart investments, we had a nest egg growing larger by the day… Enough that the kid’s college fund was going to be taken care of, and the house was paid off… I invested in mortgage funds.”

Del understood. “The Financial Crash wiped out my family too.”

“I was one of the suckers that believed the ‘grown ups’ when they said it was a blip that would be corrected quickly. Enough that I didn’t sell up when I should have. I told the wife that everything would be fine. We had to cash in the kid’s college fund and sell the house to keep our heads above water.”

“Must have made things difficult.” Del said kindly.

He’s drawing me out. Ellis realized. He’s not saying anything direct because he wants me to fill in the blanks. And I am.

“It hasn’t been easy, but it’s only been a… decade or so.” Ellis said with grim understatement.

“Time does that.” Del said blandly. “Crawls past, and vanishes instantly.”

Ellis felt a spike of guilt hit him. “I’m sorry you lost your job, Del.”

“I’m not.” Del said easily.

“I know you’re not.” Ellis nodded, eyebrows rising. “I’m trying to figure out why.”

Del gestured for him to sit on the park bench. “We should talk.”

~/*\~

An hour later, after getting some lunch; Ellis arrived at home. His wife was out running errands, and had taken Gigi with her. Piper was at home, feet up on the couch, scrolling on her phone. “You’re back early.” She said without looking up, her thumbs flying back and forth across the screen. “You get fired?”

“No.” He said shortly, not wanting to replay the fight he’d had with his wife, or the automatic pity from Del. Everyone assumes I’ve been fired. “Is your homework done?”

“I’ve been home for exactly twenty five minutes.” She scowled, but still didn’t look away from her phone. “You’ve been home for two, and you’re already nagging me.”

Ellis sighed, long used to it. “Do your homework.”

~/*\~

Ellis changed out of his work clothes, grabbed a beer from the fridge, and sank into a chair. He was exhausted, but not physically. He felt like he’d been rushing through the day, rehearsing answers constantly for the job interview, and when the interview came, he’d been asked things he hadn’t thought about.

He flicked around channels on the TV until he found a sporting event. Piper was sitting cross-legged on the couch, with her phone in one hand, and her textbook across her knees. Ellis left the sound off, not really invested in the game enough to listen to the commentary.

After a while, he noticed Piper was barely looking at her textbook. She was tapping at her phone, then writing something down on her worksheet, then scanning social media for thirty seconds, then back to her worksheet, then back to the phone.

“Are you… using Google to find the answers?” He asked.

“Yeah.” She nodded, not even trying to hide it.

“You’ve got the textbook right in front of you.”

“This is a lot faster.”

“It’s cheating!”

“How is it cheating?” She asked. “Nowhere in the paper does it say I have to use the textbook. Either I search a hundred pages for an answer, or I type the question. Either way, the answer is the same.”

“Yeah, but if you don’t learn it, you won’t remember it later.”

She tapped at her textbook. “You really think I’ll ever use any of this again once I graduate? How much do you remember from high school?”

“That’s not the point.” Ellis pressed. “School is meant to be training you in how to find answers to questions.”

She waved her phone. “This is how we find answers to questions. So do you. Every time you watch a movie and can’t remember where you know an actor from? I have his name and work history in twenty seconds.”

“This isn’t the same thing. This is about your education. If you have other people do the work, you aren’t learning.”

“Dad, nobody really learns anything.” She scoffed. “It’s recitation by rote. Why do you think searching the internet for the answers works? It’s because every kid in the country gets asked the same questions every year. It’s not about figuring it out, it’s about getting a passing grade.”

“When the exam comes, you won’t have your phone with you.” He reminded her.

“Dad, multiple choice questions barely matter. The essay responses? There’s a guy in my class who fills his essay with insults to the teachers, because he knows they only read the first and last paragraph.” She finally looked at him. “He’s never been caught. My teachers are more checked out than I ever will be. At least they get paid to be there.”

“Still, you should make the effort!”

“Why?” Piper asked. It wasn’t scorn, or sarcasm. She genuinely wanted to know. “If it makes no difference, and nobody else cares, why do I have to make my life harder?”

And Ellis froze. It was the same question he’d asked, more than once. He was struggling to find an answer that wasn’t blazingly hypocritical, or at least one that his teenage daughter couldn’t call him on, when his phone rang. The caller ID said it was Darrel.

Not wanting his daughter to overhear, he went up to his bedroom quickly. “Hello?”

“Ellis!” Darrel said jovially. “I just heard. Sounds like your interview went well.”

How do you know that? You’re not meant to have any connection to any of this! “That’s good to know.” He heard his voice say. “When do you think I’ll hear back?”

“Ohh, there’ll be red tape to clear, of course. It’s a council position. But the important thing is, we’re on our way. See you tomorrow.”

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