Another day at work...

Dan arrived three minutes before his shift started. He all but ran to the time clock to make sure he got clocked in on time. "You're in chemicals today," Ms. Carmen called as he grabbed his walkie and headset. She eyed him for a moment before nodding to herself.

"Thanks," Dan answered as he made his way out onto the floor.

The morning went by quickly, having plenty to do stocking the shelves. After lunch, Ms. Carmen found him again as he was headed back out onto the floor. "Dan, I really need you at Customer Service. Becky called out a few minutes ago. Listen, I wouldn't ask you to do this if I didn't think you could handle it. The other day was an outlier issue, right?"

Dan stared at his boss for a moment. She waited to see what he would say. "Yeah," he agreed with a sigh. "Who is going to finish my stuff?" he asked with what he hoped was a smile.

"We'll handle it," she promised. "Lawrence is already over there. Kristy will be in before your last break."

"Alright," Dan said again as he made his way to the front of the store.

It was a slow day, and there weren't too many customers with issues. Twice, Dan had to cover one of the registers instead of being at Customer Service due to the sheer amount of people trying to check out. Kristy relieved him from his job just before his last break. She gave him a strained smile as he headed back to the employee area.

"Do you have a moment? To talk about what we discussed yesterday?" Ms. Carmen asked as Dan went toward the break room.

"Sure," Dan answered. Ms. Carmen opened her office door and waited for him to take a seat before closing the door.

"First, thank you for stepping up to cover Customer Service. Second, we weren't able to get your area pushed. So, focus on that once you get back to the floor. Sorry," his boss apologized with a grimace. "I spoke to Heather. She's let Human Resources know about your recent problem. Well... I can't promise you anything, but there is a good chance the company can do something for you at least. I know you were in here yesterday and used a gift card. May I ask where you got it?"

Dan blinked and nodded before telling her about the call to the Red Cross. "They have a store that helps them, or is affiliated with them or something, in the shopping center," he finished.

"Ah, thank you. I'll need to report that. I'm not going to press you on what we discussed the other day, but keep it in mind if you will. Have you found somewhere to stay for now? Family?"

"It's just mom and I. I've got an aunt half the country away, but not close enough to stay with for a while. Why?"

"I just need to get everything down," Ms. Carmen questioned as she continued to write on a sheet of paper. She looked up at him and seemed to struggle with something. "You can... tell me to mind my own business, but... well... can you two make it?"

Dan sighed and sat back in his chair. "Honestly? I don't know. With mom out of work. Well, we've been there for each other since forever. Never had a dad. Grandparents died while I was super young. We'll manage," he answered.

"Thank you for telling me. I'll get back to you as soon as possible with whatever I can do for you," Ms. Carmen promised as she got up from her chair. She took a seat on the corner of her desk and stared down at him. "I... might be able to swing a couple more shifts for you, if you're interested. They might be in Customer Service, however."

Dan blinked. "That... would go a long way to helping, yes, thank you," he answered. The dreaded Customer Service shift could be endured if he could get a few more hours.

"I'm glad. Okay, so we'll do that then. It probably means you're on register duty or Customer Service. I can't imagine why everyone hates that shift," Ms. Carmen bemoaned as she rolled her eyes. "Get back to work, and I'll get you a schedule after your shift. Oh, wait, no take your break first. I pulled you away from that. Wouldn't want to get in trouble."

True to her word, Ms. Carmen allowed him to pick up another two half shifts to max out his hours for the week. He thanked her as he got ready to head home.