No one would be able to discount Elian’s hard work. Every one who hired him for his services could tell you that he always does a good job and he’d been kind, polite, respectful, friendly… overall, a really good worker. No matter the personality of his boss, he’s amicable to anyone. He remains in contact with a lot of people who would like to hire him again for infrequent jobs or projects. He gets a call or two in a week. He never runs out of jobs to do. But as majority of establishments do not hire for regular employment people like him who lack the educational qualifications… there’s the thorn in Elian’s life. He had to make do.

Sometimes, people would say he’s too nice. When he’s let go by a business, he doesn’t say anything. He accepts it calmly. As he sees it, no matter what he says, no matter how hard he works, he won’t be able to produce a diploma. So why does he still work hard? Recommendations. They do seek him out when they have a friend who’s starting a new business or whatnot and he’d go check them out. He gets a lot of choices. But of course, they’re all on the same level. He wanted something… better. Right now, he’s waiting to see if he’ll get offered a position at the auto shop. He’s got a certificate as mechanic and he does his job well. He’s a fast worker, too. Customers like him as the repairs get done ahead of schedule. He’s one of the reasons they have more clients. He has added to the reputation of the shop. But would he make it? Would that be enough? He hoped so. But at the same time, he doesn’t want to get his hopes up. Normally, when he does, they’re crushed.

When the weekend rolled in, he didn’t hear anything from the boss. He sighed, disappointed. It would always be like this. With all the years behind him, his resolve is starting to weaken. His optimism is waning as well. Truly, life could be unfair… but there is some fairness, too. It’s hard to always remain positive. He gets his low moments and he had to rethink his plans.

When he got home that night, Cindy noticed his expression. He usually has a smile whenever he returns. This time, he doesn’t. She didn’t dare ask. It could be sensitive.

“You’re early today. The stew’s still boiling.” She carefully stated, watching his expression. Elian noticed the lack of enthusiasm in her tone. Normally, she sounds upbeat in welcoming him. He paused for a few seconds before he smiled at her.

“Yeah.” He answered, wondering what to say next. He walked over to the fridge and saw it stacked with canned beer and soda. Huh. He’s sure there weren’t beers in there before.

“Do you drink?” He asked with a frown. She’s still underage.

“Oh, no. They’re for you. I drink the soda.” She explained. She got them from her boss, who actually knows Elian. Obviously, she wouldn’t be able to buy them on her own.

“Good.” He nodded, taking two of them out. Then, he got a soda for Cindy.

“Drink with me, then.” He stated before sitting on a chair.

Cindy took out a separate dish with stir-fried vegetables and ground meat.

“Tough day?” She asked carefully, reaching for the soda.

He exhaled deeply before answering, “Something like that.”

He opened a can and took a long swig. Cindy watched on the side. This is the first time she’s seeing him this way.

“I’m not sure if I already asked you this; have you graduated from high school?” He asked. Since she’s only sixteen, and it is only January, there’s still a few months left in the academic year.

He saw the way her shoulders slumped.

“No. Half a year. My mom couldn’t even wait for me to graduate.” She took a swig from her own can. She doesn’t know what beer tastes like, but she’s cool with the soda.

“What do you plan to do about it?” He asked, already thinking of a few schools who offer night classes.

“I don’t know yet. I should earn money first.”

Well, she’s not wrong.

“Well, check out a few schools for next year. There are night classes. With your current work schedule, you’d be able to attend without any problems.”

“Really? What time do they usually conduct night classes?”

“From six to nine. They’re tailored for working people. If you can’t attend a class, they’ll even let you take modular classes instead. You just have to hand in the requirements on time.”

Cindy suddenly felt excited, rubbing her hands together, and Elian was glad to see it.

When the cover of the pot started rattling, she checked the boiling stew.

“You want to have dinner now?”

“Sure.” He leaned back on the chair and watched her set the table.

“Did you take night classes before?” Cindy asked as they eat. They were considerably slow, though. Elian’s taking a sip of his beer every now and then.

“Yeah. It took me two years of night classes to get my high school diploma.”

“Oh, would I have to take a full year?”

Elian nodded to answer her question. He chuckled at her reaction.

“You think you’ll only attend the months you missed? It doesn’t work that way.”

“I see. Well, one year should be fine. I’ll start next September.” She resolved to make it happen. The earlier she achieves that, the better.

“What’s the problem you had at work?” She suddenly couldn’t help but ask.

“Well, as you know… it’s hard for us to get regular employment. I was hoping my hard work would be enough. Didn’t happen. It’s still disappointing.”

Cindy could understand his sentiments, but she didn’t know what else to say. She can only listen, so she looked at him attentively.

Seeing she’s willing to listen, Elian vented out his frustrations and grievances. Cindy could sympathize as she’s in the same boat. He even went as far as to give her advices on how to make sure she would be sought for excellent work services in the future. She could agree to that. She’s doing it now. It’s what she realized working in the last year. She’d seen workers who have bad attitudes and inappropriate personalities. Employers send them packing and are happy to see them go. She didn’t want to be that worker.

“Are you a good student? See if you can snatch a college scholarship. They’re hard to come by but at least you won’t be swimming in student loans when you finish.” Since he wasn’t very dedicated in his studies, his grades are mediocre. He doesn’t have any chance at academic scholarships at all.

Cindy showed a doubtful expression on her face. She’s a little above average in school, but she’s not that outstanding.

“I’ll try.” She really needs to get a phone of her own so she can do a lot of researches.