Chapter 4
''Enjoy it. You'll never feel teetered until you've found your totter.''
Frankly, Robin’s nerves at this point were shot. Butterflies were playing ping-pong in his stomach, he could feel sweat seeping from his forehead, and his throat was dryer than a summer in Albuquerque - which is very, VERY dry.
Here he was in Mr. Castle’s office, drumming his fingers nervously on his chair while Mr. Castle perused his resume. Finally, after what seemed like forever to Robin (which had actually been only a minute or two) Mr. Castle looked up.
‘’You know, you came very highly recommended from Mr. Ondrik,’’ Mr. Castle beamed. ‘’He says you’re the best student he’s had in years.’’
Robin looked up, genuinely surprised, and actually, a little shocked. Mr. Ondrik had never said that to him. Still though, a compliment is a compliment, even if it’s second hand.
‘’Well,’’ Robin started nervously, ‘’I’m uh-glad to hear that, sir.’’ He swallowed hard, only to feel like he was swallowing cactus needles. Stop playing with me! Just tell me if I’ve got the job already! ‘’I uh, I do try hard.’’
Mr. Castle chuckled a little. He just couldn’t help but find a little humor in Robin’s nervousness, especially when there was no need for it.
‘’I think I know that about you, son, and that’s why, along with your resume, I’m hiring you.’’ At that, Mr. Castle had a smile on from ear to ear.
‘’What?’’ Robin exclaimed excitedly. ‘’You, you mean it? I- I do? Really? I mean - you don’t- I’m not -just-’’ Mr. Castle silenced Robin with a small putting up of his hand, and yet another friendly smile. ‘’When can you start?’’
‘’When can I start?’’ Robin repeated The magnitude of just landing his dream job was still in the process of hitting home for him when he heard this from Mr. Castle, and his mind was anywhere but where it was supposed to be. Still, Robin managed enough to come up with a catawampus smile and a, ‘’Tomorrow’s good.’’
‘’Good then, I’ll see you tomorrow morning then, bright eyed and bushy tailed,’’ He stood up and shook Robin’s hand firmly, to which Robin was almost oblivious to.
Finally, Mr. Castle dismissed Robin with a heartfelt, ‘’Welcome aboard,’’ Still, Robin was on cloud nine, and was barely able to squeak out a ‘’Thank you, sir,’’ and he closed to door lightly. The second he was out of earshot, Robin was anything but quiet. He released shouts of joy like no one had ever heard, resulting in many a head turned in his direction.
‘’Sorry,’’ he said, abashed.
As if this blessing was not enough, Robin came back by the front desk, just in time to see the lovely front desk receptionist packing up to leave for the day. She looked up at him with that same big smile.
‘’Well hey there, that smile on your face can only mean one thing,’’ Her smile only grew wider as she said this.
‘’Yeah,’’ Robin said excitedly, ‘’I got the job!’’
‘’Congratulations!’’ Megan said this solemnly and sincerely, her hands clasped over her heart in affection. ‘’You’ll do great here, I’m sure. And..’’ she lowered her voice to a sultry, almost dangerous tone, ‘’I guess this means we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other.’’
Robin leaned in closer to Megan’s desk, still a healthy distance away from her, and lowered his voice to match hers. ‘’I’m definitely looking forward to that. Have a good night, now.’’
This time as he turned to leave, it was Robin’s turn to wink. Megan’s only response was a slight look of surprise, but dominantly one of intensified interest. Maybe, she thought to herself, the new guy wouldn’t be so bad after all….
The thought was dashed as Megan made her way out the door and heard her cell phone ring. She grew anxious, almost fearful when she saw the name that appeared on the caller I.D. Hopefully, he would be better this time. Reluctantly, she picked up the phone, fully prepared but completely unwilling for the worst.
‘’Hello?……..I know, I know I said I would be home earlier, it’s just…you should you weren’t going to do this anymore, you promised me…..no, you promised….’’ Megan listened intently and carefully as tears started to flow from her eyes while she trudged through her nightly serving of verbal abuse and guilt trips.
‘’Why do you have to say things like that? You know I don’t do that….Now? But I had plans to go out with the girls tonight….You know, just a girl’s night…..No, it’s not to go scope out boys!…No, it’s not to complain about you, either….it’s just to chill out for a while, that’s all…..But….Ok…ok…just stop..please…fine, I’ll be there, soon. Bye.’’
Megan hung up her phone sorrowfully as she looked around, hoping that no one had overheard that terrible conversation. When she saw that no one was about, she tucked her phone into her pocket, and attempted to dry her eyes and she hurried off to her private misery.
Later that night found Robin in his favorite restaurant, The Frontier, celebrating with his little brother, Jared. Out of all of Robin’s hundreds upon hundreds of brothers and sisters, Jared had always been the closest to him, for countless reasons, really. The two of them were enjoying creamsicle floats and laughing, thinking about all the ridiculous and unrealistic things Robin was going to do with his new earnings, such as buying a giant sandbox and making a Jacuzzi out of it.
‘’Congrats again, bro!’’ Jared said, raising his glass. Robin met his and the two clinked their glasses together; took a good swig. ‘’Maybe now with your new job, you can actually get a date.’’
At this, Robin raised what would have been his eyebrows at him, and put his glass down. ‘’Ha ha ha,’’ he said sarcastically. ‘’New job or not, I’m still your big brother, and I can still take you down in a second.’’ He smiled at this.
‘’Oh yeah?‘’ Never one to back down from a challenge, Jared rose from his seat and pounced on Robin. The two playfully wrestled for a minute, before Jared, as always cried uncle.
‘’Ok, ok Rob, ok! Let me go! Ok, you win!’’
‘’No! Not until you say it!’’ Robin said through clenched teeth.
‘’Never!’’ Jared spat.
‘’Ok,’’ with that Robin just applied more pressure to the already tight headlock that he had Jared in, making him wail in pain.
‘’Ok! Ok! I’ll say it! Robin is the supreme master of the universe, and I eat his dust! Just let me go!’’
‘’That’s better,’’ Robin said evilly. He released Jared, who then gave Robin an evil look which made Robin chuckle.
‘’Told you I’d take you down in a second.’’
‘’Yeah, whatever,’’ Jared was, of course bitter that after all these years, it was true. ‘’It’s always the headlock that gets me every time.’’ Jared rubbed the sides of his neck while Robin smiled.
‘’Then let’s be done with this like gentlemen and go back to drinking,’’ Robin offered and he lifted in glass. Jared half heartedly met him halfway and clinked again as they both took sips.
‘’Payback in rock paper scissors,’’ Jared mumbled.
‘’Yeah, dream on,’’ Robin chuckled, and this time, Jared joined in.
‘’No but seriously, congrats on getting that job. Mom’ll be so proud when she hears, and I know Dad would’ve been proud too.’’
For some reasons, Jared’s well intending words swept over him like a tidal wave, and the last words he ever heard their father say to him came rushing back to him:
‘’You treat little girls just like princesses, because that’s just what they are. And one day, you’ll find that perfect girl, son, the one who makes the world go ‘’shh.’’ The best part is, you treat your women well, and you won’t have a hard time finding her. I know this won’t make sense to you now son, but always remember this: Enjoy it. You’ll never feel teetered until you’ve found your totter.’’ Robin remembered feeling confused at this last part then, and was even more confused at it now. He would figure out what that statement meant one day, right?
Still for the time being, he went on to remember the last thing he ever saw his father do, it would be the way Robin remembered his father for the rest of his life.
Robin’s downcast eyes shot up towards Jared as he tried his level best to shake the memory Jared had unintentionally given him. He tried his best to then hide behind a smile, though Jared could always see right through it.
‘’Yeah, I think he would be, too. Or, at least, I hope he would be.’’ A short pause ensued as the two brothers read each other’s mood and saw the their moods were taking a substantial drop. But, as if they were reading each other’s minds, they both got up, paid for their drinks, and walked towards the door.
‘’Let’s get out of here,’’ Robin said at last. A nod of his head and a simple ‘’Yeah’’ was Jared’s only response. As the left the restaurant however, their moods lifted almost instantly as they went back to their childlike way of play. Robin placed a protective and affectionate arm around Jared, only to turn around two seconds later and give him a first class noogie.
‘’Aww man!’’ Jared complained. ‘’I fall for that one every time.’’
‘’Sucker,’’ Robin teased, and the two brothers walked home in laughter and friendship, having successfully pushed those nasty memories from their minds.
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