Pieces of it All Read Online Free

right out and excused himself. Awkward conversation was something Harvey wanted to avoid, so he simply nodded. His nerves didn't leave space for small talk with this asshole.
    A place to sit would've helped him to relax a little. It wasn't like a waiting room existed, but a chair could do the job. The manager at least had an office. Interviews weren't typically held out in the open, were they? He imagined having to stop answering a question to allow Nelson to ring up a sale, or a customer observing Harvey's failure to impress, hiding the embarrassment of the situation with a smile. The clock ticked above the counter. Only three minutes passed? He put his hands in his pockets, immediately taking them back out to check the top and sides of his hair. Ninety degree weather and this mop on his head weren't friends. He must've fed it half a bottle of hairspray to try and keep the frizz at bay. Was there enough time to find the restroom and check for armpit stains? Ugh. Probably not. At least Nelson wouldn't forget him.
    "Harvey?" A balding man held out his hand. "I'm Nelson Anderson. Good to meet you." He was tall, lean and the hair he did have was entirely gray. The round glasses reminded him of Harry Potter.
    More anxious than moments before, his throat swelled as his sweaty hand made contact with Nelson's.
    "It's okay, Harvey. Don't be nervous." He patted him on the shoulder. "Come on back."
    He guided Harvey behind the counter, down a small hallway to a door with a marquee that said NELSON ANDERSON. "Have a seat." He shut the door behind them.
    The chair, a deep maroon plastic piece of junk Harvey would have seen in his high school cafeteria, didn't provide any comfort. Even readjusting his back against the synthetic material didn't help, but caused more pain. The sterile room only had one thing hanging from the wall - a diploma from some school Harvey had never heard of. Bold, cursive words reading "Associate Degree in Business Management" stuck out from the yellowing paper.
    Nelson sat behind a wooden desk with a cluttered table top. "Do you have a resume for me?"
    "No." Shit. Not the first impression he wanted. "Maggie said I shouldn't need one. She gave you my information."
    He shuffled through some papers. "Yes, you're right." He pulled out a piece of paper with handwritten notes on it. The upper left of the page was torn. "She called me and told me you know how to fix cars, so you'd know the inventory well, and that you're a quick learner. Seem to catch on pretty fast."
    His polo shirt began to stick to his chest. "Um, yes. True on all accounts."
    Nelson dropped the paper to his desk. He chuckled and scratched the top of his head and then ran both hands down either side of the graying hair left behind. "Loosen up, Harv."
    He hated being called Harv. It was bad enough to go through life as Harvey. Shortening his disastrous name to something as lame as Harv irritated him, but if a prospective boss wanted to call him Harv, fine. He'd let Nelson call him anything as long as he offered a job.
    "I'll be honest with you. I don't need to hire anyone on right now."
    Hope drained his body, and he was sure any air conditioning had been turned off. "Okay. I'm sorry to have wasted your time."
    Nelson put his hand up. "But, Maggie is my favorite cousin. We grew up together. If she thinks you can do a good job, I'm willing to hire you on for a part-time basis. You can cover people on their days off and when they call in sick."
    "I'll take it. Thanks for the opportunity." Harvey couldn't believe it'd been less than 24 hours and he had a job already! Maggie was a miracle worker.
    "I can offer you nine bucks an hour. I assume that's sufficient."
    "It's perfect. Thank you so much. I'll start as soon as you need me."
    They shook hands again. "Welcome aboard, Harvey." He pulled Harvey's hand to pull him a little closer to him. "No drinking on the job, you got me?"
    Maybe second chances didn't come as easily as he