6: Matters of the Heart

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Waking up before dawn on Thursday felt good. Sookie and I had gone out for dinner the night before to Taco Bell again. I was sure she was getting sick of it, but it was cheap and delicious. Once I got my first paycheck I was going to take her somewhere nicer. I figured I could ask Alcide for a suggestion since he would know more places around town than I would.

On Tuesday night Pam had tried to give me more sex talk, but she didn’t get past the disease part to show me anything on the computer. The disease stuff made me feel sick. I didn’t get why people wanted to have unprotected sex with so many different people when there were diseases like that floating around.

Pam told me that it would be awkward, but I had to ask Sookie if she was clean. Thankfully she didn’t seem to be offended by it given the horrifying stories I’d just told her about the diseases Pam had told me about. She promised me she was, and since she knew I was she said we didn’t have to think about any of this until we decided we were even ready for sex.

The over-saturation of the sex experiences and talk actually left me feeling a little overwhelmed. I’d only been away from home for a few days and already I had a girl I really liked and knew I wanted to have sex with. We’d already done things I’d never experienced, and that doesn’t mean tacos.

I wanted more nights like the night before when we only went out for dinner and then sat in her car and talked a bit before I had to go inside. I felt closer to her that way, and in a different way from when we did the things we did in the field.

Pam had called it dry humping, but that seems weird.

Once I was dressed I grabbed my hat and headed down to the kitchen where Pam had a plate waiting for me. There were eggs, sausage, and four pieces of toast. I sat down and started eating while Pam fixed her own breakfast. She didn’t eat the same things I did in the morning, and I wasn’t really sure why.

“Will you pick me up after, or should I walk back?” I asked.

The Herveaux office wasn’t actually that far from Pam’s house. I wasn’t sure if we’d be going back there, or if someone was going to drop me off after we finished work at the site.

“I’ll be at work,” Pam said. “Maybe Sookie could pick you up?”

“I’ll have to see if one of the guys will let me use their phones,” I said. “Alcide probably has her number.”

“Probably. No offense to you or anything, but they were a cute couple. I saw them around a few times,” she told me.

“They dated?”

I hadn’t been aware of that.

“They looked like they were a couple,” Pam said.

“Maybe they’re just close friends.”

“You’d have to ask her, but they looked pretty… cozy,” she said.

“They’re not anymore, so why would it matter?”

I’d still ask Sookie, but I wasn’t worried about it. She clearly liked me and wanted me.

“It doesn’t,” Pam shrugged.

“What are you making anyway? It’s like a drink, for breakfast?”

“It’s a protein shake,” she explained. “It has soy milk, protein powder and frozen fruit in it.”

“But… that’s not breakfast.”

Breakfast was biscuits and gravy with sausage in it, eggs of all kinds, pancakes, bacon, sausage, fried potatoes… You weren’t meant to drink it.

“Yes it is. Englishers don’t usually have the kind of breakfast you’re used to every day of the week. There isn’t time for it,” she explained. “Plus I don’t like to eat so heavily in the morning anymore.”

“Mom says breakfast is the most important meal. If I don’t have a big breakfast I get hungry way before lunch.”

“And that’s fine for you. You’re going to be out in the sun doing man’s work. I’m not trying to make you drink this, am I?”

“Well no, I just don’t want you to waste away because you’re not eating food,” I said.

“I’m not wasting away, mother.”

I smirked and said, “I love you, Pam.”

“I love you too. Now eat up or you’ll be late for your first day,” she said and started the machine her drink was in.

“Why is that so loud?” I hollered over the noise.

“The motor!”

I shook my head and went back to eating my breakfast. Pam poured hers into a glass when it was done and started to drink it. I didn’t really understand how that would fill her up, but I guess we weren’t the same.

After breakfast we both went to brush our teeth and Pam handed me a little… purse? It was a black box shaped one with a zipper.

“What’s this?” I asked.

“Your lunch, silly. You do plan to eat before sunset, I imagine.”

“What’s in it?”

“Food.”

“Okay,” I said. I knew she wouldn’t pack me anything I wouldn’t eat, and I liked just about everything.

Pam put on her shoes and we headed out. She dropped me off at the Herveaux garage and I headed towards the guys I saw standing by a couple of the trucks. Alcide spotted me walking up and came over to greet me.

“Good morning,” he said in a surprisingly chipper tone. “You ready for today?”

“Yeah, I’m ready to get to work. I miss it,” I said.

“That’s good. There’ll be plenty to do,” he told me. “Did you bring tools?”

“I don’t have any here. Was I supposed to?”

“Usually guys bring their own equipment,” Alcide said. “Come on, we have extra stuff you can borrow until you get your own.”

“Sorry about that,” I said. “I’ll buy my own as soon as I can.”

“No worries. Guys just get particular about the things they use, ya know?” He led me toward the warehouse.

“I understand that,” I nodded.

We went into the warehouse and he grabbed me a belt with some tools already in it, then started handing me more things to add. Pretty soon it had everything I’d need.

“Thanks. What kind of job are we doing today?”

“New house in the next town over. The foundation’s already poured so we can get to work on the framing part. Trades’ll be coming out to start laying plumbing and pipes in the next day or so,” he told me.

“I don’t know much about plumbing, for obvious reasons,” I chuckled.

“You don’t have to worry about that anyway. That’s what the trades are for. They handle the plumbing, roofing, electrical…”

“Oh I know, but I’d like to learn as much as I can.”

“You’ll pick things up.”

I nodded and followed him back out to the trucks. He introduced me to a few other guys and then Mr. Herveaux came out with rolls of paper and asked if everyone was ready to go. The guys started loading up, but then a familiar car pulled into the lot and Sookie got out.

“What are you doing here, sugar?” Mr. Herveaux asked with a big smile on his face.

“Well, I wanted to wish Eric a good first day,” she said as she approached. “And I baked banana bread last night. A lot of it.”

“How much is a lot?” Alcide asked.

“Enough to feed your crew,” she replied.

“Thank you,” I smiled down at her. She was really sweet and thoughtful. It was something my mother would have done.

“You’re welcome,” she smiled back at me. She produced a single loaf from behind her back to present to me. “This one is just yours. I added chocolate chips and walnuts to it. A little extra protein is good.”

“Awww…” a couple of the guys chorused, having overheard what she said.

I knew my cheeks got red, but I ignored the guys.

“Thanks,” I said, and leaned down to kiss her cheek.

“You’re welcome,” she said again before stepping back. “I won’t keep you. I just wanted you to have a good first day.”

“Will I see you tonight?”

“I don’t know. I was up until about three this morning baking,” she admitted. “I might just go home and crash when I get done at work.”

“That’s fine. I’ll probably be wanting to do the same thing.”

“Okay. Well, have a good day,” she smiled. She popped up on her toes to kiss me one more time and then turned toward her car to get the rest of the baked goods from the backseat with Alcide’s help. Four reusable bags of mini-loaves appeared before Sookie got a hug from Mr. Herveaux and a kiss on her cheek. She waved at the crew and then got in her car to leave.

“Son, I’m sure your folks are hopin’ you’ll go back and find a nice girl to marry, but if you decide to stay in the English world, that’s exactly the kind of girl you should be lookin’ for,” Mr. Herveaux clapped me on the shoulder on his way to his truck.

“Yeah,” I smiled as I watched her drive away. I knew he was right about that.

† † †

I was exhausted. By lunchtime it was damn near impossible to stay awake. The banana bread was a last minute decision the day before. I didn’t regret it, exactly, but I was wishing I would have waited until Sunday to get started on it. We had planned to go to the drive-in that night but I knew there was no way I’d stay awake that long. Instead of eating when I went home for lunch, I crashed on the couch. I didn’t even care if I got in trouble with Dad for not waking up to go back to work.

Thankfully, my alarm went off on my phone and even though I wanted to stay right where I was, I wasn’t the kind to shirk my responsibilities. So I forced myself to get up. I went to the bathroom to splash some water on my face and grabbed an apple from the fridge before going back to the car. Mom ran a daycare center from the house, but it was separate from our family space. Kids were running around the yard, burning off energy before naptime. I waved at Mom as I backed away from the house.

She had been a little disappointed when I opted to start working for the other family business, but I didn’t really have the interest in working with kids. Truthfully, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to get married, be a mother and all of that but it felt like there was supposed to be something I did first, before I found those things. There were plenty of girls in my area that got married shortly after high school and had a kid or two before they could legally drink, but I wasn’t sure that was the life I wanted either.

Maybe that was why I seemed to be attracted to those Amish boys with a decision to make. I had some choices of my own to decide on and so far I wasn’t sure what the hell I was going to do. College was the obvious choice but I had no idea what the heck I’d study. I didn’t want to rush into a marriage just because it was something to do with my life. No, that wouldn’t be fair to me or my husband. I liked to bake and cook but folks around my neck of the woods didn’t really hire personal chefs and I didn’t have the money to start a bakery or anything like that. Besides, there were plenty of Amish folks that were willing to supply the neighborhoods with their baked goods.

I was going to have to figure something out.

When I got back to the office I poured myself a fourth cup of coffee and hoped it would wake my ass up. Time seemed to move by slowly and within two hours I was nodding off again. I about jumped out of my skin when Dad came over and touched my shoulder.

“Goodness!” I hollered and grabbed at my chest. “You trying to kill me?”

“You’re jumpy today,” he chuckled.

“I’m running on two hours of sleep and four cups of coffee,” I replied.

“Why were you up so late?”

I yawned and answered, “I stayed up baking banana bread for Eric and his crew to wish him a good first day.”

“And you didn’t save a loaf back for your dad?”

“I put one in your office first thing. Maybe Jason got it.”

“That little shithead,” he growled.

“Sorry,” I yawned again. “Since when did we start making such weak ass coffee?”

“Why don’t you go on home, baby girl,” he said. “It’s alright with me.”

“I have work to do,” I said. “I’ll be fine.”

“It’s nothing that can’t wait until you’re more rested up,” he said. “Go home and take a nap. Boss’ orders.”

I smiled and said, “Yes, sir. I’m baking cookies this weekend so I’ll make sure I set a bunch aside for you. Double chocolate bacon sound good?”

“Sounds delicious, just make sure the shithead doesn’t get them before I do.”

“I’ll do my best.” I turned and started to shutdown my computer. It was Friday, so at least I wouldn’t have to be back until Monday.

“I’ll see you at home later,” Dad said as he left the office.

I turned off the lights once my computer was down and took my coffee much to the kitchen to empty it. Arlene was in there, fixing herself another cup of coffee. She ‘worked’ as an administrative assistant in the sales division, but I’ll be damned if I ever actually saw her working. More often than not she was gossiping, talking to her kids on the phone, trolling around on Pinterest or, on more than one occasion, painting her nails on company time. I knew my dad kept her around because he felt sorry for her being a single mother, but enough was enough, and she hated me for reasons I wasn’t exactly clear on, aside from thinking I got preferential treatment because I was the boss’ daughter.

Dad sending me home for a nap wasn’t a great example of how I didn’t get said treatment, but I usually didn’t. I didn’t make more money than anyone else would working the same job I did in the accounting department. If I stayed on with the company full-time I wanted to get into payroll or maybe human resources, but I was going to have to talk to Dad about that.

“How’s your day going, Arlene?” I asked just to be polite.

“Just fine, and yours?” she asked like she was being tortured into speaking to me.

“I can’t complain.” I washed out my mug and set it in the rack beside the sink to dry. “Got plans for the weekend?”

“None that are any of your business.”

Right.

“Well… have a nice weekend, then,” I said before walking out. I really didn’t know what I ever did to her to make her hate me.

As I was walking out I caught Dad and Jason in what appeared to be a small tiff.

“Dad, I swear I didn’t touch it!” Jason said.

“You eat everything you see, how could you resist something like that?” Dad countered. “Just admit it!”

I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

“Sook’s banana bread ain’t even that good,” Jason shrugged and I gasped.

“Liar!” I snorted.

“You know your sister’s banana bread is better than your mother’s,” Dad said. “Apologize.”

The entire argument was funny and a complete waste of time, but it was entertaining as hell.

“Yeah, Jason, apologize,” I smirked.

“I ain’t apologizing for anything. I didn’t steal that loaf and you’re a mediocre baker,” he said. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I got things to do around here.”

Oooh he was in a mood.

“Boy, I didn’t raise you to be so rude,” Dad said, but Jason just kept walking. Dad turned to me and said, “What’s his problem?”

“Who knows,” I shrugged. “Maybe something happened with Sarah.”

His ex-girlfriend was the only thing that really got under his skin like that. I’d have to ask around to find out what was going on. If Jason was in that kind of a mood he wouldn’t take it too well if I started questioning him. When the bug up his ass died, he’d come find me to talk.

“Well he can get over it and be nicer to his sister. You’re a great baker, doll,” he said, and kissed my forehead.

“Thanks, Dad. I’m gonna get out of here,” I said.

“Goddamnit, Lisa, what did I tell you?” Arlene barked into her phone as she pranced through the office on her cell phone with a cup of coffee in one hand… and banana bread in the other.

Oh shit.

Maybe I didn’t have to go home quite yet…

“Arlene!” Dad barked in a way that was rare for him. He wasn’t really a yeller unless it was Jason on the receiving end.

Yeah, she was dead meat.

“I’m on the phone,” she replied, waving Dad off. “No, Lisa, you can’t have a sleepover. I told you–”

“Arlene, get off the phone right now,” he said.

This wasn’t going to end well. Arlene didn’t seem to care about Dad’s orders since she kept on talking to her daughter. I stood there while she continued to have a full conversation that lasted almost ten minutes before finally hanging up. If Dad didn’t get rid of her now, he was never going to do it. God bless Illinois being an at-will employment state.

“Want to explain to me why you think it’s appropriate for you to take non-emergency phone calls at work, and continue to have them after the man who pays you tells you to hang up?” he asked.

“Because I get breaks and I don’t have to ignore my children when they call,” she replied.

“You do it when you’re not on a break too, Arlene. That was clearly not an emergency, and you’re eating banana bread that was in my office. The office you shouldn’t be in when I’m not there,” he said.

“I am not! I brought this to work with me,” she insisted.

“Yeah… okay,” I snorted.

“What do you know about it, you little brat?” she glared at me.

Someone was itching to get fired, apparently.

“Don’t talk to your coworkers like that,” Dad said. “She knows because she’s the one that baked it and put it there. And I’m sorry to say it, but I have to let you go, Arlene. Go get your things.”

“You can’t be serious! You’re firing me over banana bread? That’ll look great when I file for unemployment,” she glared at Dad. “Fine. Fire me. I don’t need this lousy fucking job anyway, or this shitty banana bread.”

She dropped it in the trash. I thought Dad might take a swing at her before she sashayed toward her desk.

“Told ya I didn’t do it,” Jason said as he passed by us toward the showroom.

Ugh, that wasn’t what Dad needed right then.

“You okay, Dad?” I asked. His face was red as a tomato and I was sure his blood pressure was higher than was healthy. I didn’t want him dropping from a heart attack or something.

“I need to sit down,” he said after a moment.

“That’s a good idea.” I got a rolling chair and brought it over to him.

I could hear Arlene banging things around, suggesting she was leaving but not peacefully. Dad sat down and tried to take a few deep breaths. It took a lot to get Dad pissed off. He was a fairly laid back sort of guy, so to see him like that made me nervous. The last time I saw him that mad was when Jason thought one of his ‘girlfriends’ might be pregnant when he was seventeen. Thankfully it was a false alarm. I went back to the kitchen to get Dad some cold water and then brought it to him.

Arlene walked by us with a box in her arms I almost wanted to search to make sure she wasn’t stealing company property. Then again, if all it cost us was a box of pens and a stapler to get rid of her, then so be it. She flipped us off on her way out of the building.

“She’s a class act,” I said once the door slammed shut.

“I’m glad she’s gone,” Dad said. He was starting to sweat.

“Dad, you have to relax.”

“I can’t believe how ungrateful she is! After everything I’ve done for her,” he said.

He was getting more and more worked up instead.

“I know, Dad, I know,” I said calmly. It wasn’t the time for an ‘I told you so.’ I was sure he’d get one from Mom later, though. She had been after Dad for years to cut Arlene loose.

He took a sip of the water and then said, “Sweetheart, I need my meds.”

“I’ll get them. Just stay put.” I leaned down to kiss his cheek and then ran for his office. If he was asking for medication that wasn’t a good sign. Even though it was going to piss him off, I decided I had to call Mom. So I picked up the phone and dialed the daycare’s number.

“Michelle Stackhouse,” Mom answered after a ring.

“Mom, we have a problem. Dad just had to fire Arlene and he’s sitting in a chair all red faced and asking for his medicine,” I told her. “What do I give him?”

“He keeps a bottle of his medication in his middle drawer of his desk,” she said. “Give him two pills and take him to the hospital.”

My heart leapt into my throat and tears filled my eyes.

“Is he having a heart attack?” I asked nervously.

“He could be,” she said honestly. “You need to get him those pills fast. I’ll meet you at the hospital, okay?”

“Okay,” I nodded and then hung up. I raced back to where Dad was sitting with the pill bottle in my hand. “Mom said I have to take you to the emergency room and so help me if you fight me over it, I’ll whoop you.”

“That’s fine,” he said, holding out a shaky hand for the pills. He looked scared.

I took two pills from the bottle and gave them to him. After Dad swallowed them down I helped him up and walked him out to the car. I got him situated in the front seat and tried not to speed and have a breakdown behind the wheel on the way to the hospital. He was pale and quiet. Usually Dad was the type to crack lame jokes and be goofy. For him to be quiet and shift around uncomfortably… it couldn’t be good.

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