Word Count: 72,051
Summary of Events:
Drake's youngest brother found a piece of paper on the driveway near Drake's car that contained a sentence fragment about potentially transferring programs, which infuriated Drake's dad, leading to an argument that ended when the phone rang. Drake took advantage of the phone call to leave the house and made his way over to the home of the head waitress, who had invited him over to talk about what was going on, as she felt sorry for him and wanted to help him . . .
Excerpt of the Day:
“So it wouldn’t be well received if you told them you didn’t want to be in the cooking program,” Sadie said.
“No,” Drake replied. “We already had a fight over that.”
Sadie sighed. “And I don’t have money to help you.”
“You shouldn’t have to,” Drake said.
“If you need help you need help kid,” Sadie said, reaching over and touching his knee gently. “I want to see you succeed in getting out of that place.”
“But what about everybody else?” Drake asked.
“I want to see them get out too,” Sadie replied. “I want to see that place shuttered, or maybe under new management.”
“What about yourself?” Drake asked.
“With Kyla and Cody working I can afford to change jobs whenever,” Sadie replied.
“So why don’t you?” Drake asked.
“Because by staying I keep someone else from getting trapped,” Sadie replied.
“Oh,” Drake said.
“I think your getting out of there will be a good thing, though,” Sadie said. “Not only for you, of course, but I think it’ll give the others hope that they can get out too, because I know some of them feel trapped there because they don’t make enough to survive between jobs for awhile and there are no other jobs requiring their skill set available in the area.”
Drake sighed. “I don’t think I’m getting out, unless I find some way to have a job in Alberta before I graduate that’s willing to promote me by the time I’m done, and how many people really get promoted after only two years?”
“I don’t know,” Sadie replied.
“And I don’t really want to live in Alberta,” Drake said.
“Why not?” Sadie asked. “Better minimum wage, lower cost of living, less taxes.”
“Not enough mountains,” Drake replied.
“Yeah, they are pretty,” Sadie said.
“I want to live in the wilderness,” Drake said. “Not a big city.”
“If that’s what it takes to achieve your dream, though,” Sadie said.
Drake shrugged. “I’d hoped Mom and Dad would just give me cash and I could enrol wherever I wanted to.”
Sadie nodded.
“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, though,” Drake said.
“Why not?” Sadie asked.
“It’s like my friend said,” Drake replied. “Dad probably bought me that Cavalier because it was unreliable and wouldn’t allow me to run away too far. He bought me a similarly unreliable replacement car too after refusing my request for money to help me buy the Malibu — which I got by selling the replacement to a junk collector.”
Sadie looked at him with concern.
“And he only agreed to pay me half of minimum wage because he knew it wasn’t enough for me to live on my own with,” Drake added. “I can’t afford to get away making six thirty two an hour.”
“You mean he’s trying to keep you permanently under his thumb,” Sadie said.
“Yeah,” Drake replied. “He means to make me what he wants me to be whether I want to be that or not.”
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