"If I can meet those requirements, is the job definitely mine?"
It was late, past eleven at night.
Dexter was lying in bed watching TV when his phone buzzed with a text message. He opened it and glanced at the time again.
It had been several hours since his conversation with Fiona. Just how much had she struggled and thought things over during that time?
Dexter smiled and replied, "Yes."
"Okay, I'll get back to you with a definite answer as soon as possible."
"Sounds good."
As the night deepened, Dexter drifted off to sleep.
Fiona lay in her own bed, tossing and turning, unable to find rest for a long time.
---
A new day dawned—it was early morning.
Even though it was Sunday, the Gallaghers, as usual, were up super early—around six a.m., just as the sun was rising... well, everyone except Frank, of course.
The harsh reality of extreme poverty meant they didn't have the luxury of sleeping in.
After brushing their teeth and washing up, Debbie and Carl were immediately out the door. Debbie went to "acquire" newspapers and anything else she could get her hands on. Carl went to Veronica's to "secure" their breakfast.
Everything went smoothly.
Around seven in the morning, Fiona and the five kids were seated at the dining table, happily enjoying their free breakfast and chattering about what they'd do next.
Carl planned to go hang out with Dexter. Debbie hadn't decided yet. Lip, who could finally move around somewhat, was going over to Karen's house, ready for a major round of... well, he didn't say that part out loud. Ian was heading to work at the corner store—the work was secondary; a little sparring session with Kash was the main goal. Liam just looked around innocently, not saying a word.
Fiona was quiet, simply watching the boisterous scene unfold. She was long used to this kind of chaos.
However, something subtle had shifted this morning. She realized she felt something different.
After a little while, Fiona gritted her teeth and spoke up, her voice complicated, "I have something I need to tell you guys."
Hearing this, Lip and the four others stopped talking and looked at Fiona.
Fiona didn't waste any time. "Dexter's restaurant is opening soon. I went and talked to him last night to find out about the job requirements."
"One of the rules is that I can't take days off or skip work whenever I want, or I'll be fired."
"That means if I take this job, I won't be able to drop everything and handle things for you guys every time something comes up, like I used to..."
"Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Fiona spoke quickly, all in one breath, afraid that if she slowed down, she wouldn't be able to commit to the decision or get the words out.
When she finished, Lip was the quickest to react. "You're thinking about taking it?"
Fiona nodded silently.
Lip immediately got worked up. "I told you, that guy's sketchy. Can't you see it?"
Fiona gently shook her head. "I don't see it, and besides, money is money."
Hearing that, Lip got frustrated and opened his mouth to argue further.
Ian stepped in quickly, stopping Lip. "Lip, just cool it."
Then, Ian smiled slightly and nodded at Fiona. "We'll take care of ourselves. You just focus on your job, don't worry about us."
Fiona's nose suddenly stung, and she felt like crying. She quickly took a few deep breaths to hold it back.
Then, Debbie spoke up. "So, if I have a problem, can I still come to you?"
The urge to cry that Fiona had managed to suppress instantly came rushing back. After a few seconds, she shook her head, almost using all her strength. "Not while I'm working, no. Unless it's a huge emergency."
"Oh," Debbie replied, her face full of disappointment. She lowered her head and stayed silent.
Fiona couldn't handle that reaction. Her eyes instantly turned red, and tears welled up.
Carl looked at Fiona, swiveled his little head around, grinned, and said to Fiona with a bossy air, "I promise nothing bad will happen!"
That made Fiona crack a slight smile. "You promise nothing, you little punk! You're the one I worry about the most!"
Carl just gave a wicked grin. "Heh heh."
Lip couldn't take it anymore and finally spoke, asking Fiona in a decisive tone, "Do you really need that cash? We've made it this far on our own!"
Lip said this not because he truly couldn't understand Fiona's choice, but because he strongly disliked Dexter. He felt that Fiona taking the job would, in a sense, put her under Dexter's thumb... and Lip didn't want to see Fiona controlled by him! In Lip's eyes, the Gallaghers could handle things themselves!
Fiona looked at Lip with red eyes for a few seconds. "I'm not doing it for myself; I'm doing it for this family."
Lip just gave up. "Whatever."
And just like that, the lively atmosphere at the dining table was gone.
The six of them silently finished their breakfast.
Afterward, Lip, fuming, was the first one out the door, walking slowly toward Karen's house.
---
At Karen's house, once he got into her room, they hooked up a couple of times.
Lip lit a cigarette and grumbled about Dexter. "That jerk is bad news. I've gotta figure out a way to mess with him."
As he spoke, Lip looked at Karen and got an idea. "Karen, want to help me out?"
Karen blinked. "How?"
"Sleep with him. I'll find a chance to take photos and send him to the slammer."
Karen grinned, agreeing right away. "Deal!"
---
Around the same time.
Fiona was at Veronica's house, leaning against her, having just finished a good cry.
"Don't overthink it. Once you start bringing in money and get them some good food and nice stuff, they'll understand," Veronica offered as comfort.
"I really hope so," Fiona replied, sniffing. "You should have seen their reactions, especially Debbie..."
As Fiona spoke, she started crying again.
Veronica was at a loss. The Gallagher family situation was just too messed up. Fiona's relationship with the five kids was also pretty intense. Veronica didn't feel like she could say much.
As for the fact that not being able to take off work or skip shifts whenever you want is a completely normal job requirement—that was something she absolutely had to keep to herself and just think privately.
---
Ten a.m.
Under the bright sunshine, there was a massive crowd outside the "Dex Restaurant."
It was crazy—dozens of young, attractive women were practically shoving their resumes through the restaurant door.
The construction workers who arrived to install the sign were stunned by the sight.
"Are they opening a restaurant or a brothel?"
"Maybe it's a brothel disguised as a restaurant?"
"Man, check out the quality of these girls. They're all lookers."
"We should come back and check this place out later."
The workers muttered to each other. Afterward, one of them took out his phone and called Dexter.
Dexter, who was just about to leave, answered the call and said he'd be right there.
A few minutes later, Dexter walked up to the restaurant entrance and smiled at the beautiful crowd. "Ladies, could you please step aside for a minute? The workers can't get through. If you're dropping off a resume, just hand it to me."
As soon as he said that, in a split second...
Whoosh!
Naturally, Dexter was instantly surrounded!