As October rolled in, Brian routinely got to work at five A.M., the same as Rico, and started getting paid for the extra time, and given a raise. They’d become a team, reading each other’s mind and making easy work of the breakfast and lunch crowds. It was a dream come true, and Brian felt more comfortable with the regulars. Even though he’d stuck his foot in his mouth sometimes when trying to copy Rico’s sense of humor, things went well, including with all the other employees. Only a rare patron gave him grief for being black, and Rico never put up with it. Once Rico had taken back a man’s breakfast and threw it in the trash, then ordered him out of the restaurant.
Yet, all that good lifted Brian out of his funk by only a few inches. He was no longer jovial by nature. He forced it. Then
