Chances

Since I've been spending less time with Sara, my mother thought it would be a good idea for me to spend all my waking hours either at the store with my father or in Lakeland, visiting my brother.

It's not that I don't like spending time with either one of them.

I love my dad, he's a great guy, it's just that spending too much time at the store makes me want to shoot myself in the foot to liven up the day. I don't want to be friendly and helpful to snotty little kids who are only in the store to see if there's anything good to steal. I don't want to suggest music to some old granny for their precious little brats upcoming birthday. I don't want....you know, it's working at the store that makes me happy that I work nights, away from all of them.

Travis, well, I guess I like him. We get along, most of the time. The first couple times I went to visit him, everything was ok but this last time wasn't. Mom told him how I screwed up with Sara so he kept making snide remarks about how I thought I was so smart when he was in trouble with Shelly. "But you don't have a fucking clue, do you Tanman?"

"Fuck off."

He just laughed, "Where are all your grand ideas now?"

"I have ideas," I snapped.

"Let's hear them," he leaned forward in his chair. "Tell me how you, the biggest dumb fuck out there, is going to fix this screw up with Sara?"

"I'm not the biggest dumb fuck," I muttered.

"No?" Travis chuckled as he took a swallow of his beer. "Correct me if I'm wrong Tanman," he pointed the beer bottle at me. "You are the one who's single and alone, right?"

I glared at him.

Sitting back in his seat, he smiled. "I may not be the world's biggest sap but I am the only guy in this room getting action."

"Fuck you, I can get laid whenever the hell I feel like it and I don't have to marry the chick first either!"

For a second there, I thought Travis was going to jump out of his chair to strangle the life out of me. "I didn't have to marry Shelly to sleep with her," he hissed. "I married her because I didn't want to sleep with anyone else."

I stared at him, I couldn't believe those words came from his mouth. "Shelly won't believe me when I tell her you said that."

"Fuck you!" He leapt from his chair. "You keep your fucking mouth closed!"

"What? Why?"

"Come on Tanman! She's a chick, they never hear what you tell them! She'll twist and turn it until she comes up with something fucked up like," he paused to think and then his eyes bugged open. "I want to sleep with other women!"

"What?" I scoffed.

"That's right!" He jabbed his finger at me. "If you tell her I said that, her mind will twist it around and I'll be in the fucking doghouse again! So shut it Fucker, leave my wife alone, you have your own woman to worry about."

I was thinking about what Travis said since I left his house that day. Was that what happened with Sara? Did she hear what she wanted to hear? Sure, the 'we don't have to spend every fucking minute together' was pretty straight forward. I didn't mean it, I loved spending time with her, I really miss her even though I see her every night at work.

Two nights ago at work, during the meeting, I was sitting across from Sara and Billy. I watched them for a while, wishing I was in on whatever conversation they were having. They were laughing together, heads close together as they spoke. And I was fucking jealous. I hated seeing Billy cozying up to Sara like that. I wanted to jump of the counter, go over there and punch his fucking lights out.

"Good Morning Everyone!" Judy came out of the office with her usual handful of paperwork to start the meeting. "I have some good news. After a week of two truck nights, we some how managed to end up with a no truck night! Yay!" She started to walk around handing out our productivity sheets, telling us that the unloaders pulled every single skid that was back on the floor in the back room. She handed mine to me and then went over to Billy and Sara, gave Billy one but not Sara.

"Umm Judy?" Sara looked puzzled. "Where's mine?"

Judy informed her that she didn't have any skids in the back room, "You get a break from infants tonight."

"Oh?" Sara frowned, "Where am I going?"

"With me," Billy piped up, looking shocked.

Judy told them that the MODs were set in Toys so the 15 skids that were in cold storage needed to come in and be worked. "And when you are done that, there are some skids in the steel," she joked before turning to everyone and telling them to have a great night.

"This is going to be great," Sara squealed as she jumped off the counter she was sitting on to hug Billy before they walked off together.

I had a feeling that it was going to be a long night.

And it was, watching Billy and Sara working together, playing around and laughing was torturous. I tried as hard as possible to ignore them but they were so loud - shouting across the department, singing at the top of their lungs and laughing at absolutely nothing.

It was just after lunch when I heard Sara squeal and shout something. I walked to the end of the aisle just in time to see Sara running towards me with Billy chasing her. "Save me Tanner," she gasped as she slid behind me, grabbing my arm, using me as a shield. "I didn't mean it Billy!"

"He can't protect you now sweetheart," Billy made a move to grab for Sara and without thinking, I grabbed the front of his shirt and held him. "Hey, we were just playing."

"Yeah Tanner," Sara's hand slipped over mine. "We were just playing."

I looked back and forth between the two of them, shook my head and released him. "I have work to do."

A couple times after that, I happened to catch Sara looking my way. I wanted to go over but I had no clue what to say to her. Once or twice we were both in the main aisle together. She would smile at me, I would return the smile but she would turn away.

When Judy called last break, Sara and I were in the main aisle, she glanced at me - I finally made a move.