CHAPTER THIRTY TWO
Surely there was another way? There must be somewhere else offering full-time work that's still relatively close, right?
Xeno had continued to search well into the night.
He hadn't realised how truly terrible the job market was nowadays.
He would have been willing to go for anything else that was full time in the area.
The bakery was the best choice for him financially; the others just couldn't compare.
Not that Xeno hadn't tried to make them work, of course.
And yet, here he was. Standing outside Baxterson and Son's bakery. When he'd left five or six years ago, he'd promised himself he'd never come back. Maybe things would have changed? He doubted it- his father was one of the most stubborn people on Earth.
He remembered how the conversation had gone.
It hadn't been sudden, he'd been wanting to go into astronomy since he was thirteen.
At that time, his dad had laughed it off as a phase, but Xeno's resolve had only grown throughout the years.
By sixteen, his father had told him that he wouldn't support him if he went into astronomy, and that he should just go into the bakery, like his half brothers would.
The Baxtersons had been in baking for centuries, apparently.
Handed down from one eldest son to another.
He had had to make his peace with the fact that his father wouldn't support his choice.
Since then, he hadn't really tried to maintain a relationship, and they didn't each-other anymore.
The occasional Facebook post was all Xeno really saw of their lives.
The door opened with the same familiar bell sound ringing from above him.
He noticed the youngest of his half-brothers, Robin, sitting idly at the counter- he hadn't even looked up from his phone as he had walked in.
"Honestly," Xeno thought to himself, "if Dad had walked in, he'd be in big trouble. "
As he crossed the familiar checkered floors, he noticed the tables were in the same places they were all those years ago. That made sense; his father was never one for change. Weaving between them, he reached the counter. "Hey, I saw you guys were hiring." He began. "Junior baker?"
Robin's eyes flicked up and did a double take, his eyes widening in shock. "Xeno?"
He was glad that the boy still remembered him. When he'd left home for good, he couldn't have been over seven or eight. "Yeah. It's me." He shifted awkwardly. Was coming here really a good idea? It was too late to turn back now.
"I thought you worked at the museum; why are you here asking for a job now?" He hadn't intended to be mean, but his words scathed the still-fresh wound of his last job.
Xeno noticed Robin had died in whatever game he was playing on his phone. "It's a long story. Where's Dad?" He pointed to the door, still seemingly in awe. Briskly, he walked past him and went into the kitchen.
The familiar heat blasted his face. The kitchen, although it was messy and had a couple more stains on its countertops, was exactly the same as when he had worked there when he was younger. Standing in the middle, commanding his other brother, Shane, was his father.
It took a moment for his dad to notice him; he was too engrossed in his work.
Xeno took a moment to look at him. In stark contrast with the rest of the bakery, he had changed.
His dark brown hair was now thinner than he remembered, streaked with silver like the scratches on the pans he still refused to replace.
He was shorter than he remembered too, though not by much.
Despite this, his presence dominated the kitchen, and Xeno still couldn't imagine one without the other.
However, there wasn't time to stand staring; it'd get odd if he just stood in their kitchen for too long without them noticing. He cleared his throat. The pair of them both looked up in unison and immediately froze.
"Hi, guys. I'm looking for a.. job? I saw you were hiring?
" The awkward silence that followed was almost unbearable.
It felt like a stalemate, where neither player could move.
The pair looked remarkably similar, and they both wore equally shocked expressions.
Finally, the silence was broken by his brother.
"You're back."
He looked at his father, who was staring at him like he had two heads. "Yeah, I am. I saw you were hiring." Xeno repeated, as if he were any other applicant. "It said online I could just walk in for an interview?" His cheeks burned, and he couldn't tell if it was from the ovens or from shame.
His father set down the mixing bowl he was holding with such force he thought it would shatter. "Of course. I'll conduct your interview right now. Shane?" He looked at Xeno's half brother. "Make sure the flatbread doesn't burn."
As his father walked towards him, he thought for a moment that he was going to shout. "Follow me." he said. He had less ice in his voice than he had expected; instead, he seemed more.. curious? He couldn't put his finger on it- his father was notoriously difficult to read.
They walked back into the seating area. Robin was still staring at him incredulously, but he tried not to notice.
He looked straight at his father, who had his back to him.
They sat down opposite each-other at a table in the front-left corner of the bakery, next to the window.
"So.." his father began. "You're back. Why? "
Xeno considered lying, but he knew it would be of no use.
His dad would be able to see through it in a heartbeat and, anyway, he'd probably be able to find out what happened as his employer.
"I got sacked at my last job, at the museum.
" He turned away. He was trying to be polite, despite everything, but the recent sting of getting fired was almost too much.
"I see. Why?"
He bit back a retort that it was none of his business.
And, as his father who'd practically kicked him out, it wasn't. However, as a potential future employer, it very much was.
"I was framed for something I didn't do.
" He wouldn't go into specifics. For the millionth time, he regretted coming here.
It felt like every word he was saying was another drop in the bucket that proved to his father that he was right- that Xeno should've just stayed in the bakery.
Ice-cold shame crept under his skin; every second felt like a lifetime.
"All right, any other work experience I should know about?"
"None that you don't know about already.
" His father looked pensive. He looked at him with an almost suspicious gaze.
"It was a waste of time to come here." He thought to himself.
It wasn't like he was actually going to get the job, no matter how qualified he was.
Despite being an “entry-level position”, it said online that at least 2 years of experience working in the food industry were necessary, as well as the food safety permits that Xeno had thankfully got when he was sixteen.
The silence that followed was unbearable for him.
He considered getting up and leaving then and there, just telling his dad not to bother.
To be honest, although he didn't want to admit it, he had missed the bakery.
He had missed his home. "I'm sorry for not reaching out?
" Xeno ventured. That much was true; the lack of communication between him and his family had weighed on him over the years, and he had spent many a night sitting next to his home phone, debating on calling the bakery.
His father looked at him intensely, as if he were scrutinising every one of his features. It seemed that he had given up on this happening for quite some time now. Xeno tried to take solace in that little victory, but all he found inside himself was guilt.
"It's.. fine." His dad began. "You're hired, by the way. Starting today. You can join Shane and I in the kitchen when you're ready."