“Maybe you did, but Devorah sure didn’t,” Tamar muttered under her breath

A rush of warm air greeted Tamar along with the distinct smell of CVS carpet cleaner. Tamar looked around and made a beeline for the counter.

“Good evening,” Tamar said, forcing a cheerful smile. “I saw your sign outside — that you’re hiring? I wanted to know more about the positions you have available.”

“Sure. One second please, I just need to page my manager.” The cashier picked up the phone at the cash register and spoke into it. “The manager says you can come to the back office. Through aisle seven and to the left,” she said, pointing the way.

Tamar traipsed to the back office and knocked lightly on the door. The door swung inward to reveal a tall, heavyset woman, her dark hair pulled back into a tight bun, with spiky bangs covering her forehead. “You’re here about the job?” the woman boomed, looking down at Tamar.

“Yes,” Tamar answered. “Can you tell me what positions you have available?”

“We need a salesperson on the floor helping customers out, and another in the pharmacy. But for the pharmacy job, you gotta be 18. You18, girl?”

“Um, no. I’m 16. Is that a problem for the other job?”

“Not a problem for workin’ on the floor.” She heaved herself around the desk and thudded down into her seat. “How about I tell you a bit about the job. Then you tell me a little about yourself, and we’ll see if it’s a good fit.”

“Okay.” Tamar smiled hesitantly. Salesgirls had to be friendly, didn’t they?

“We got two shifts with openings,” the woman began, “one from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., and the other from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m.”

The hopeful feeling that had been bubbling inside Tamar sank and popped. She had to be at school during both those shifts. Not that I do much there anyway. I may as well be making some money instead of sitting through endless classes. But would the Weisses let her ditch school? Would the foster agency? Somehow, she doubted it. Even if she needed money way more than she needed to learn chemistry.

The manager was still rambling on about the job. “Then there’s stocking the — are you listening?” she scolded, pausing mid-sentence and staring at Tamar reprovingly.

“Uh, sorry. Um — do you have any other shifts available? Like maybe after five? The ones you mentioned aren’t that great for me,” Tamar stuttered.

“Oh.” The woman blinked. “Well then, thank you for your inquiry about the job. No, we don’t have any other shifts available. Those are the ones we need staff for. Have a nice day.” She turned back to the paperwork on her desk, completely ignoring Tamar, who, taking the hint, inched her way out of the office and closed the door gently behind her.