Marcos came back to the desk holding two thick bundles of cash and placed them in front of me.
For a second, I just stared at them. “Uh… what’s this?”
“It’s a welcome package.”
My eyes widened. “For real? But wait. Is this like an advance or a loan I have to pay back?” I asked, needing clarity before my heart got ahead of my brain.
He chuckled. “Nah… none of that. Consider it a courtesy gift for helping us out. Not a cent of that has to be paid back. Go shopping for you and your brother. Get you a new car. Go do some of that girly shit with spas or whatever y’all do. That’s yours… all yours. No strings attached.”
I had never held that much cash in my life—not even close.
My vision blurred, and I blinked fast before I embarrassed myself.
“You good?” Marcos asked.
“Yeah. This is just… a lot.”
“Well, just know… there’splentymore where that came from. I believe we’re going to make good money together, so get used to it.”
I stood up slowly, still staring at the cash. “Thank you… for real.”
He waved it off like it was nothing. “It’s all good. Come on. I’ll walk you out.”
Once we made it to the front, he said, “Go home, get some rest, and come ready to work in two days.”
Two days.
This is really happening.
“Yup… two days,” Marcos repeated, catching my expression. “You’ll come right back here. I’ll give you the time the day before. And when you show up, you’ll get more instructions.”
I nodded. “Oh… wait!” I blurted. “What about my other jobs?”
Marcos shrugged. “That’s up to you.”
He pushed the warehouse door open.
“If you want to juggle three jobs so nothing looks suspicious… that’s your call.”
“That sounds exhausting.”
“Anything involved with making money usually is. Second option: You can also put in your two weeks at both jobs and leaveon good terms. That way you’ve got something to fall back on if this doesn’t work out.”
That actually made sense.
“But understand something,” he added. “When I call you, you need to be ready. Some runs might be early morning, but most of them happen at night.”
“Okay.”
“And since I know what you’ve got going on at home, we’re going to start you off with shorter routes. I’ll also send a schedule ahead so you can plan around it. That gives you time to plan your week and keep your other life looking normal.”
My other life.
That phrase hit harder than he probably realized.
I nodded, gratitude slipping into my voice. “Thank you. I’d appreciate that.”
“But I need to warn you… short routes don’t pay as much.”