章 5: Side Job
I wake up the next day and move every muscles in my body. I couldn't accustome to my shorter body before, but somehow it wasn't difficult. But as I now have some time, I try it. I should also ask for a few credits up front to buy some clothes, as the one I got after arriving here are a little rough.
But my biggest priority now should be the side job.
I want to wait on Jaina, who contacts her connections, yet I have to search if that doesn't bring fruit. So maybe I should start in the afternoon after work even if most smaller stores close around that time. Couldn't be bad.
Just as I think it, Jaina arrives with a bag in her hands.
"How was the night, shorty?"
That was her nickname for me, but I can't say something as a 12-year-old isn't tall and even with all kinds of races and species I am the shortest of the workers here.
"Wasn't the best, but not the baddest either."
When we had a project, I had a few encounters with couches that weren't as comfortable as this, but nothing goes over a good job.
"Anyway, I got you breakfast. There are some credits in the bag and you have an hour before the others get here, so maybe new clothes wouldn't be a bad idea.", she says with something that sounded like a heavenly voice. Could be influenced by the points she talked about. Solving the problem of clothing I just thought about and the one my stomach had with me as I only had 2 meals yesterday.
"Thanks that's great. Any stores near here you know has open now?"
She thinks for a second and then says: "If you go to opposite the street from the front door and turn left into the next valley, you should knock on the third door on your right. Greet Saq from me and you can Shop before opening hours."
"Thanks again, boss. Be back in a sec.", I say while biting in a baked dough of unknown sort, that has a center of jelly or something alike.
She smiles and mutters, "I don't think so."
I go out like she described and knocked on the door. The door Was relatively small and didn't Look like that of a store. As it opened and a 1,90 meter zygerrian opened, I thought I made a wrong turn and my brain wanted to leave, but my mouth was faster.
"Is this really a clothing store?"
"Who wants to know that so early? We didn't open yet.", he grunts back unfriendly.
"Well Jaina told me to greet a Saq at this door to shop for a few clothes. If I am wrong here, can you tell me where I need to go?", with more courage than I thought I had at his face that didn't seem approachable at all.
He looked a little surprised at this statement.
"That girls always brings me trouble. Fine come in.", he says.
"Thanks, sir.", I respond.
"Sure. Customer is business or something like that."
I follow him through a corridor and arrive at a room with rows of clothes and a big garage door up front, so I guess I entered the backdoor. Makes sense.
"So what do you need?", Saq asks with a friendlier tone now.
"Pair of shoes and changes of clothes for 50 credits."
"Tight budget you got there."
"Can't help it. Next month I can buy more with the money I get, but this was already given ahead."
"Let's see what we can get you. Shoes first, as I assume you'll work in her store, something robust.", he talks and goes to the section for shoes in a corner.
"Size?"
"Don't know honestly.", and that is true. "I know the ones on my feet are a little big. By the way do you buy second hand shoes?"
"This whole shop is second hand aside from a few things I made."
"How about we change shoes against a pair that fits me. That way I can buy more clothes."
"And where do I earn anything?", he sighs. "10 credits for the shoes as the ones on your feet are worn out, but you can pay me next month. How about it?" I didn't believed he would really do that.
"That's more than I hoped for.", I thank him.
After nearly a hour in the shop, I had a complete set of clothes and even a second shirt, but now had a tap of 25 credits at Saq's shop.
I was happy nonetheless, and run back to the shop to make it back before working hour.
-
I worked this and the following day as Dax's apprentice again.
At the end of my third day, Jaina came to me.
"I have found two different jobs for you."
"Really? Thanks. What are they?"
"One is at a small droid repair shop around the corner. They can't pay as it is a family business, but they have a bed and give you three meals a day.
The other is in a droid factory with normal salary. Disadvantage: It is in the next district without dorm, so you need to find your own place."
"Can I sleep over it?", I ask
"Yeah. Tell me in the morning and I introduce you tomorrow to either of them.", she replys.
The reason I needed time to think it over was because on one side the smaller shop would be easier for beginners, but the second option brought more money. And as I wanted to get my own spaceship and droids, I needed money the most.
Well to be honest, Jaina pays really good and expenses on Coruscant aren't low and a family shop has a few other advantages.
I still sleep a night over my decision, but followed my first impression.
-
"Jaina, can you introduce me to the family shop.", I say to her the next day.
"Sure. I'll take you there after work."
So after work, we go three blocks away and around a corner.
We stood before a small store the size of a small convenience store.
Both sides were filled with different droids, but mainly class two or three.
For those that aren't in terms like me class two ar astromech or exploration droids and class three is responsible for human interaction such as protocol or servant droids.
Near the halfway point in is a counter and behind it is a workshop that looked like a big toolshed, your dad would have to repair something. Just with a lot of droid parts on one wall in different boxes in a shelf.
In it is a twi'lek working and what is presumably his daughter watching him and giving him different tools.
"Te'su!", Jaina calls him. He looks up and smiles. But before he could say anything his daughter runs to us.
"Jaina!", she yells while jumping in her arms.
Te'su also comes over.
"I presume you are the boy Jaina talked about?"
"Mark. A pleasure, sir."
"I'm Te'su, so no sir please. The little monkey on Jaina is my little daughter Eleena."
"Hello.", the little girl greets me as if she just saw me. She is blue, yet her father has a greenish skin tone, so I think her mother should also be blue, as their skintone is inherited by one parent.
"Did I hear Jaina is here?", I hear a female voice ask from a staircase I just spotted behind the shelf. Like I thought a female blue twi'lek walked out.
"Jaina good to see you."
"Likewise."
"Mark, this is my wife Vetedi. Vetedi this is the boy Jaina told us about.", Te'su introduced us.
"Nice to meet you ma'am.", I greet her.
"Just Veti is fine. We can't give you much for your work, but enough food and a roof above your head."
"Thanks that's already great. I can't say I bring much to the table at the beginning, but I have some basic knowledge on programming."
Well I say basic, but I was pretty good. But that is for earth standard, so I don't want to say more and do less than it.
"Oh, that is a good start, boy.", Te'su praises.
"Then I show you your room.", Veti says.
"Thanks Jaina, see you tomorrow."
"No get some rest. You only work 25 hours at my place, so I see you the day after."
"Then till then.", I say and follow Veti upstairs and Eleena, who let go of Jaina came with us. The first floor were the living quarters with kitchen, bath and living room. Upstairs were two bedrooms of the couple and Eleena. At the end of the corridor was a ladder that brought me to my room.
The attic.
-
While we were upstairs Jaina and Te'su had a little conversation.
"How is he Jaina?"
"He is a nice kid. Maybe a little naive or he just lacks a little common sense, but I found out from Daluk, who dropped him of at my place after days ago, he is from a different planet and got here through an accident. He works at my place 4 days a week for 6 or 7 hours, but the other time you can have him. He still learning the ropes, but he has a good head on his shoulders and learns fast, even Dax is impressed."
"Wow, now that is a reference.", he laughs.
"But he is still a kid. Should have seen his starstruck eyes, when he saw my workshop or your droids just now."
-
That evening I fell so fast asleep, after a few nights on a couch, a bed has such effects. And I start the new day. My first in this workshop.
I now work at both things I love most.
Spaceships and droids. It feels like a dream, I don't wish to wake up from.
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