All in a Day's Work

Blurry.
That's the best way to describe the weather. Somewhere between rainy and foggy.
Blurry.
And with winds so strong and cold, it's feeling like a blizzard.
Ultra blurry.
Some places closed due to weather problems. Others had to stay open due to how helpful they are. Few stayed open because it was wanted by all of the workers.
Being your own manager has its perks.

      I have the greatest respect for Amanda because of this. Everyday at 6 in the morning she passes by me to open her cafe. It's a two mile walk from her apartment to her cafe. She braves the weather twice each day for two miles, not stopping to talk or accept any drinks or extra coats. She opens at 7 in the morning, cleaning up everything she missed from the night before. She then works, by herself, serving costumers and taking their orders, and takes a break from 12:10 to 12:20. She only allows herself that small break for lunch.

      At about 4:30, I bring her daughters and son from school. I wish I could bring them in personally, but I just wait until they're safely inside. The kids do their homework before helping their mom as best as they can. I can only assume it's hard to be a hardworking, 30-year-old widow with an 8-year-old daughter (Lanie) and twin 6-year-olds (Color and Lou). They work constantly, not accepting help from others. It's them against the world.

     Amanda refuses my offer to take her to her cafe and back home everyday. She has me take her kids to school at 8, bring them to the cafe at 4:30, and take them back home at 9. Amanda doesn't leave work until somewhere between 11 and 12. I always just wait outside for her kids to be safe inside. She never has me wait for her or help her. She passes me on her way back home. Sometimes, if work had been extremely bad that day, I make sure she gets home safe. She never minds - I think she appreciates it, actually - but she doesn't consider it as me helping her. I'm just that one caring friend.

     I know nearly everyone in town, but this family is the one I feel connected to. It makes me glad I live across the street from the school, a mile one way takes me to their apartment, and a mile the other way takes me to their cafe. Life could be simpler, but this is an easy schedule. One day, Amanda fell extremely sick. I couldn't help her at all.

     A man, her brother Nick, came to live with them and help with the cafe. He appreciated me to help him to the cafe and back to the apartment. I think Amanda didn't want me to take her to the cafe or back home because I'm technically the reason she's a widow. Nick eventually brought in his 4-year-old son (Chris) and I helped take another kid to each place. Nick was also stubborn in not letting people go to help him at the cafe. Eventually he stopped needing my help, too.

     Later on in life, maybe a couple months later, Amanda passed on. I don't know why I was so upset; my life is based around people coming and going. I'm just so glad that Nick, Lanie, Color, Lou, and Chris are staying. Well, I guess it's just all in a day's work...

                                                                                             ...for a bus, that is.