Free The Marrying Kind by Monique Miller Page B

car.
    Travis figured the guy was striving to one day take Andre’s place as he emulated him with his two-thumbs-up gesture. Travis shook his head, breathing hard, as he looked at what he thought was a bit of a spectacle. Before Travis could catch his breath, his team headed toward the next car that was being pulled up to start the whole process again.
    He did his best to keep up with the guys for the next two cars, but by the fourth car, Travis was spent. He was hot, sweating, and tired. But the rest of the team was rolling like a steam engine.
    As the next couple of cars rolled in, Travis found himself cutting corners by only using the vacuum to pick up large particles that he saw instead of methodically sweeping the vacuum in rows as he’d been instructed to do. His cutting of corners caused him to fail inspection two times in a row, thus causing the area to have to be redone. Because the car was not cleaned within the guaranteed time, both of the customers received coupons for a free car wash on their next visit.
    After his third failed inspection, Andre came out to the car with another guy in a purple shirt and pulled Travis from the team. He pulled Travis into the office to talk. Travis was glad to have the break. He needed a bottle of cold water.
    Andre must have been able to read Travis’s mind because he pulled a bottle of cold water out of the refrigerator in his office.
    â€œTravis, you look pretty hot and tired,” Andre said. Travis took long gulps of water. He’d never felt so thirsty in his life. His stomach didn’t feel good and he was starting to feel a little dizzy. He sat in a seat in the office.
    â€œYou okay?” Andre asked.
    â€œYeah,” Travis said, even though he did not feel well at all.
    â€œTravis, my man, we’ve had a couple of customer complaints about the time it took for their cars to be cleaned. And we’ve had to give out three coupons today within a three-hour period.”
    Travis nodded his head, knowing that the coupons had been given out because of mistakes he’d made.
    â€œWell, I gotta tell you, we normally only give out three coupons a week, at the max.” Andre shook his head. “Man, at this rate, Wash and Dash store number 103 will go out of business in no time.”
    Travis knew exactly what was coming next: the ax.
    â€œMan, I gotta let you go. Wash and Dash isn’t for everyone and it looks like it isn’t for you either.” Andre, who looked like the hyena, wasn’t laughing like one now.
    Travis took another gulp of water. He set the bottle down on Andre’s desk and gave him a two-thumbs-up sign. Then he jumped up and ran to the bathroom, where he threw up most of the water he’d drunk.
    Andre was gracious enough to drive him home. After stepping out of the passenger side of the car, Travis looked back toward the window Andre had rolled down and thanked him.
    â€œThanks, Andre, for driving me home,” Travis said.
    â€œNo problem, man. Are you sure you are going to be okay?” Andre asked with concern.
    â€œYeah, I think I just got a little dehydrated. I am going to head on in and take it easy as I try to get some fluids in me.” He held up the second bottle of water Andre had given him. “I need to sip the water instead of gulping it down.”
    â€œOkay, well take it easy, man. And I am sorry I had to let you go, but you understand.”
    â€œYeah, I understand. You take it easy too.” Travis turned and headed up the driveway to the front door.
    As soon as he got into the house, he set the bottle down on the counter in the kitchen and pulled out some grapes from the refrigerator. His stomach felt empty. He turned on the radio and started humming with the lyrics to the song “The Moment.” And it only took him a moment to realize that he needed to be the ninth caller so he could win tickets to the Sonnette concert.
    He had no idea if he was too late, but it was