Its a small world

Charlie knew she should be worried about Draco, but what was the point. He would do as he pleased. He always had.

Besides, he wasn't standing in her way of happiness with Barry. In fact, he'd been rather chummy, lately. Even came over for Friday night dinners. Maybe there was no point of worrying about him at all.

But there was Omaha.

She'd overheard him talk about going in for an interview, a full time job.

"Well, that's great!" Funny, she started saying all the things she would want people to say about her, when she moved on from this job at the deli. But, that might never happen.

It wasn't long that she had him in the industrail kitchen where the real food happened in the grocery store. She sized him up. He was tall.

"Do you have a suit?" She wanted to know.

He shook his head, NO... as if that was so foreign to him.

"You'll need a suit." She looked over at Tiffany, who's hands were busy with a vat of potato salad.  She looked up, doe-eyed. "Don't you agree? He has to have a suit, if he's going in for an interview."

Tiffany nodded.

She could see Omaha was over come with anxieties.

"Don't you worry, about a thing." She smoothed her hands over his broad shoulders, as if he was wearing the suit already. "Barry, has plenty of them in his closet."

He shook head, no.

"I dunno. I've never worn a tie." He shrugged. "I don't even know what to say." He told her he doubted Taylor dressed up much, for his interview. He'd be working for the same company..if he got it.

"We are going to make you..look... so good." Charlie couldn't help to be his cheerleader. She really wanted him to succeed.

Omaha did his best to be straight-lipped, but he was ticklish. And then he saw Tiffany's face. Why hadn't he noticed before?

It was true, Tiffany didn't have much to smile about. Never had.

But they'd called her Taffy, back in high school..because she was tough. And she might have you in a headlock, if you did call her Tiffany.

Suddenly, he felt awful mellow. Remembering, her beat up car, driving her sister Carmen and him around. Well, to school.

Carmen.

Suddenly, his throat was so sore and he knew he might actually cry, if he thought of Tiffany's little sister. His eyes burned of grief. Why wasn't he past this? From so long ago.

Of course, Carmen didn't look a thing like Tiffany. Then again, their sister Brittany didn't look like them, either.

He was certain, he was coming down with something. His throat was raw. His nose congested. But he couldn't say a word about Carmen.

Soon, Charlie went back to her station at the deli.

Omaha sighed, thinking he best get busy himself, before they found him idle. Tiffany went back to the potato salad. Maybe if she didn't have the plastic hair net on, he might have noticed her sooner.

He'd always felt she would go far, somehow. But she was from a poor family. Still, she could come off sounding like a lawyer, if she wanted too. Now, she was so quiet. He would remain silent, too.

He headed out of the kitchen.

"Hey." He thought he heard her say. He looked back. She almost smiled.

"Good luck, on the interview." But her smile soon faded as if she'd met her fate.

"I doubt I'm going anywhere." He shrugged.

"Don't you even." She was serious. For a moment, he thought she might hit him with a ball of potato salad in her plastic wrapped hands.

"What do you mean?" He let a smile slip.

"If..if you can go somewhere, where you aren't on your feet all day-"

"Its not that kind of job." He looked at her wide-eyed.

Her frown was small.

"Maybe..maybe..you're the one, who needs to go to college." He told her. "I thought you had plans. You know, be a cop or something."

She was in a pout.

They both knew who went off to the University, and didn't come back. Carmen.

He turned to go. Oh, he'd known Taffy, once. And a part of her was just as bitter then, as she was now. Maybe some things never changed.