Free The Big Dream by Rebecca Rosenblum Page B

him, but he was just hovering around, making the carpet crackle. For a gay, he sure was skittish about touching a man. Finally he sort of slouched one cheek down on the arm of the thing, and said, “It is terrible, though – two weeks after, how long? I’ve been there almost three years, I think. God, is that possible?”
    â€œAh, don’t go there, all them wasted years,” Danvir said.
    I was still working on the plastic wrap to get at my snack cake, mainly because I was distracted by thinking so hard. Finally I tore it open at the same moment I worked out what I wanted to say. “What I don’t get is what we did wrong? Mark and Sanjeet shoulda said. Cause I thought the call-completion
times, the renewal rates, well, we were pretty badass, weren’t we?”
    Danvir shook his head. “Too soon for were , Will. Say are for a bit, still.”
    Wayne finally swallowed and looked serious. “We didn’t do anything wrong, kid, don’t you worry about that. What we didn’t do was work for a dollar a day. You couldn’t have beat those sweatshops in Delhi or somewhere, no matter what yer close rate.”
    My Jos Louis got away from me before I’d got to take even one bite. Everyone watched it somersault under the coffee table. I looked up at Martin. “Would you eat that?”
    â€œProbably not. Not with the cats.”
    â€œCats?” Danvir stood half-way up and looked around. “I hate cats.”
    I got down on my knees and grabbed the cake. There weren’t any obvious hairs on it, and the chocolate coating hadn’t cracked. There were only six in the box, and I had $117 in the bank. I nibbled a little chocolate off and said, “What’d a cat ever do to you?”
    Wayne was still on the other thing. “O ffshore vendors – ” he made air quotes with his greasy fingers“ – a bunch of starving kids with flies on them chained to desks to punch in Dream Sailing subscription orders.”
    Martin opened his mouth and eyes wide and flapped his hands at Wayne. “C’mon, be a little sensitive.” He jerked his ear at Danvir.
    And then Danvir dropped his Jos Louis – it was an epidemic. At least his was still wrapped. But he didn’t even bend for it, just glared at Wayne and Martin. “Fuck you. I’m from Scarborough.”
    â€œYeah, but like . . .” Martin jumped upright, waving his beer. I wanted a beer. “. . . your parents?”
    Danvir stood up, too. He stepped on the Jos Louis and I heard the bag pop. “They run a car lot on Ellesmere – they don’t want your job.”

    â€œWait,” I said suddenly. “If they’re just sending the Dream Sailing orders over there, why’d they lay off all of us?”
    Wayne rolled his eyes. “It was a general statement. They’re sending it all, so you can order your Dream Wedding, Dream Baby, whatever subscriptions in Hindi now too.”
    â€œPeople speak English there.”
    â€œBut I mean, now, Hindi’s an option.”
    â€œThat’s what you meant? Really?”
    I started chewing, tasting carefully, chocolate and cream. It didn’t taste like cat, so I took another bite. I always eat when I’m stressed out, just like my mom. Maybe we could live together again, if I apologized.
    â€œWhat do you think I mean? Speak your mind, Danvir – you got a problem with me?” Martin was maybe 140 with his clothes on, but the thing was, so was Danvir – so was I, for that matter. Most of the guys in customer service were not setting the world on fire, tough-guy-wise. Or anything-wise. Except Wayne, with his knees the size of basketballs and head two feet above the top of the couch. If there was a scrap, and suddenly it felt like there might be, everyone but Wayne was pretty even money.
    â€œI think you’re racist, is what I think.”
    Martin bumped down on the chesterfield next to Wayne.