Waiting for Christmas by Pat Simmons

Author:Pat Simmons
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: charity work, billionaire, romance, Black romance, Christmas and holiday romance, social worker romance
Publisher: Christian Reads Press
Published: 2021-11-29T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

Get fired or quit. Resignation or termination. Ciara weighed her options as she rang up the next Walmart shopper at register ten.

Where was her relief?

Ciara skipped her lunch and breaks to leave an hour early to make Sterling’s Christmas party. That was her only option, since none of the coworkers she knew wanted to switch shifts with her.

Spying the time, Ciara pasted on a tense smile for her customer, then paged Tanya, yet again, about her relief. With no choice, Ciara scanned the next item on the conveyor belt.

Being terminated was not an option two weeks before Christmas. She had a purpose for the extra money. Using her personal savings to buy a few more things wasn’t an option. Plus, she had never gotten fired from a job, even her first job at a daycare center during her summer vacation.

Finally, with little urgency in her steps, Tanya made a pit stop at register eight to answer a question.

Lord, I’m not Lazarus that I can wait for hours for this woman to come rescue me.

“What ya need, Ciara? A void?” Tanya made her way to register ten.

Dumbfounded, Ciara kept a straight face when she wanted to cross her eyes at the woman who was slow to respond to anything—fire alarm, shoplifting threat, bathroom break. “To leave, remember? Who’s my replacement?”

“I’m working on it.” Tanya turned away.

“Working on it?” Ciara could feel her attitude rising. “While you do that, I’m turning off my light and closing down my lane. I hope my replacement is here before then.”

Spinning around, the shift supervisor’s nostrils flared as she lifted her voice. “Do that, and you’re fired.” Tanya didn’t blink.

Oh, a standoff, huh? Ciara felt like rolling her neck but didn’t. “Will that be before the next customer or when I shut it down?” Ciara’s sass surprised her. This was so out of her character, especially when she believed in taking one for the team.

“After your last customer.” Tanya hmmmphed and shuffled away.

Ciara’s heart pounded. What had she done? So many contrary thoughts ran through her mind. You did that for a man? You did the right thing, girl, you’re a professional, You don’t have to take that, and... Don’t do it. Those families will benefit from what you’re doing for them to survive.

She had checked out a shopper for the last time. Ciara turned off her light and said to her customer, “Sorry, someone else will check you out.”

No turning back now. With forty minutes to get home, shower, and get dressed, Ciara didn’t waste any time clocking out for the last time at Walmart.

“You’ll receive your last check next Thursday, but you just blew your two hundred bucks signing bonus.” Tanya escorted her out to the entrance to make sure she didn’t go ballistic like the employee who was fired the week before, or to make sure Ciara didn’t shoplift any merchandise like another guy Tanya fired two days ago.

During the drive home, Ciara felt numb, questioning her actions. It sunk in that she’d lost wages.

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