More Good Things

Laura felt refreshed after a long shower. The warm water lasted longer than she'd expected. Ready to start the day, she ate, dressed, and tried to go the extra mile to look professional and hireable. As she was headed out of the apartment building, she spotted Mack behind the counter.

"Morning," she called as she headed toward the front door.

"Oh, hold on for a moment, Ms. Laura," he called.

Blinking, Laura turned back around and headed inside. Mack looked her over once before locking eyes with hers. "You mentioned needing a job. The Hopkins Clinic off Hope Street is looking for a new receptionist. It's minimum wage, but it's something at least. Tell them Mack Muller sent you. Tony is a good man and looks after a few of the women who stay here," he said.

Laura realized what kind of clinic it might be. She wanted to ask questions but realized she couldn't be picky on jobs. "Thank you," she said. "I'll stop by there first."

"I can't promise you the job, only a foot in the door. The rest is up to you and Tony. That being said, if you're free this weekend, I'd love you to come down and look a few things over around lunch. Food is on me."

"I'll... be here," Laura said, unable to think of a polite way to refuse after Mack might have just gotten her a job. As she walked to her car, she wasn't sure if the older man was doing everything out of the goodness of his heart. He might be, but she wasn't prepared to completely trust him.

Hopkins Clinic looked like what she'd imagine an outpatient center would look like. The one-story building had a bay with ambulance access as well as a general admittance door. Several cars were in the parking lot and more than a few of the women waiting inside were several months pregnant. Not intentionally judging the women, Laura couldn't help but wonder how many were prostitutes or call-girls. A harried brunette woman with flyaway hair sat behind the desk.

"Hello, first time, dear?" the receptionist asked. She breathed out and held her swollen belly.

"Mack Muller said Tony might be hiring," Laura hesitantly said as she scanned the cluttered desk.

"Oh, wonderful. Dr. Tony said you might be by. Unfortunately, he's not in at the moment. We had an emergency call and he went out."

"Ah," Laura muttered. "I can wait, if necessary," she offered. "Or at least, fill out some information."

"I could get you into the system for a checkup," the woman said with a smile. "Oh, my name is Letta. Word of warning, don't drink the water here," she joked with a wince as she stretched to the rack to her right. She pulled a few forms and sheets.

"I... uh... don't have insurance," Laura quietly said.

"No, problem, dear. We don't charge much and, for you, I'm sure the doctor will forego payment for now. I'll get you the standard application as well," Letta continued, unperturbed.

Thirty minutes later, Laura finished the small stack of paperwork. She'd watched the flow of patients of all ages, sexes, and walks of life as they entered and left the lobby. She was heartened to see not everyone had the haunted look she'd seen in some of the younger pregnant women's eyes.

"Ma'am," Laura said as she placed her clipboard on the counter.

"All done?" Letta asked as she checked her phone. "It looks like the doctor will be longer than he anticipated. Would you be willing to come back tomorrow, say ten in the morning?"

"No problem, thank you," Laura smiled. "Is there anything else you need from me?"

"Honestly," Letta sighed. "I need to use the bathroom and pump. I can't ask you to work behind the counter, but if you'd stand there and explain that I'll be back in a few minutes, I'd be grateful. You don't need to answer the phones or anything," she reiterated as if worried Laura would refuse.

"That's no problem."

Laura ended up spending two hours helping where she could. Letta might have been abusing her goodwill, but two hours for a good word with the doctor might make the difference between getting the job and having to keep looking. Even minimum wage would go a long way to helping the bills.

Across the street was a popular grocery store known for cheap cuts of meat and low prices. She checked her purse and made sure she had enough to grab a few staple items for the apartment. It wouldn't be fine dining, but she'd learned long ago to stretch simple meals.

Dan called her before leaving work. She felt bad that she'd spent some of their money but food always came first.

"Hey, I'm back" Dan called as he opened the front door. "It smells great," he complimented as he sniffed the air. Laura smiled at him and said, "thank you, it's just something simple. How are you? How was your day?"

"It went really well considering, thanks. I'm going to get a quick shower. I had to do a decent amount of lifting and started sweating half an hour into my shift. It wasn't fun," Dan laughed as he ran a hand through his short hair.

"Food will be ready in about ten."

"Thanks!"

That night, after dinner, Laura told Dan what she'd been able to accomplish during the day. She got an interview for a receptionist job at a clinic down the road. While grocery shopping for dinner, she happened to see the sign in the window and asked about the position. It was a lie, and she wasn't sure why she'd kept Mack out of the conversation, but she wasn't sure what to think about the older landlord.

"They cater to... women of the night," she said with an uncomfortable shrug. "It's a job, even if it's minimum wage."

"Hey, that's still wonderful. Maybe you'll get it," Dan praised.

"Worse come to worse, you can always keep looking after you get the job. What do they need? Someone to check people in? A preschooler could do that, just give them crayons."

Laura laughed and smiled. "Something like that, yeah," she said. "I need to get a shower. Any idea what you'll do? I still need to make a call to the cable company. I completely forgot to earlier. We can cut the cost of cable and just go with the internet."

"Being able to use my phone at least will be a small blessing," Dan joked.

"Okay, be out in a bit," Laura called as she moved toward the bathroom with a change of clothes. "Oh, I picked up some cards at the store. We'll play poker or blackjack like when you were a kid."

"Did you get the candy?" Dan called after her.

"You know I did!"