Indisputable (30 page)

“And to drink?” She asks
while taking out a notepad from her apron and pulling the pen from her hair.

“Water,” I reply, trying
to go as cheap as I could. Most restaurants don't charge for water and I’m
hoping Maggie's Diner is one of those places.

Anna scribbles on her
little notepad, sticks the pen back in her hair and says “I'll have it right
out for you.” Still smiling, she turns and flounces away.

A little dazed from my
encounter with the exuberant waitress, I glance around at my surroundings. I
notice that the young couple seated in a booth a couple of places over from me
to the left is staring at each other with stars in their eyes. They can’t be
more than 16 or 17 years old, but you can tell they are completely infatuated
with each other. When I was just a few years their senior, I too thought that I
had found something special and lasting. After college graduation it didn't
take long for me to realize my hopes and dreams were all an illusion.

Looking to my right, I
find one of the older men has turned around to look at me. He looks to be in
his 70's. His hair is as white as salt with just barely there hints of pepper.
His skin is wrinkled and sagging and his cheeks have that sunken in look. The
arm that he has draped across the back of the booth is skin and bones. He’s
wearing a green and gray plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up to just below
his elbow.

“Why do you wear your
hair in your face like that, little girl?” He asked in a well-used and scratchy
voice.

I sit there stunned and
speechless at his inquiry. Not many people ask that question of me. I don't
know if it’s because they don't notice, they don't care, or they don't want to
offend me. This old man threw me for a loop and I don't know how to respond.
Luckily, the old buzzard’s equally old friend rescues me from coming up with an
answer.

“Jack, don't ask the girl
that, it's none your business,” he scolds his friend. He can't have been more
opposite in looks than the first old man named Jack. Where Jack is a bag of
bones, his friend has maybe 50 pounds too many. He has thinning hair and it’s
solid gray. He has on a pair of old coveralls with a deep blue button up on
underneath.

Jack turns and looks at
his friend. “What? I just don't understand why a pretty girl like her would
want to cover up that face. She should pull her hair back so we can all enjoy
her beauty.” He turns back towards me with his eyebrows puckered in
concentration.

“Jack! Don't talk to her
like that! Can't you see you’re scaring the poor thing?” Says the unknown
friend.  Bringing his eyes back to me he continues, “Don't mind him, he's
very simple minded and if he comes across something he doesn't understand he
lets others know. He's never learned how to curb his tongue.”

“Hey, I take offense to
that, you old goat. There's nothin’ wrong with tryin’ to bring the girl out of
her shell. It's obvious she's a shy little thing and just needs a little push
to get moving.”

Jack's friend looks to
the ceiling and rolls his eyes. When he looks back at me he says, “I'm Jake and
this here nosy body is Jack.”

I bite my lip, trying not
to smile. I really have no inclination to get to know anybody here in this
town. I won’t be here long enough to form any type of friendships before I have
to move on to another no name place. But these two old men are hard to resist.
It’s plain to see that they have been friends for a long time, probably more
years than I'd been alive. They both compliment each other. Where Jack is
gruff, grouchy, and way too outspoken, the other is kind, considerate, and
keeps his manners.

A little smile forms on
my lips and I introduce myself. “Hello, I'm Bailey.”

“Very nice to meet you,
little lady,” replies Jake.

“Yeah, good to meet ya.”
This from Jack, which he follows up with, “What brings you to our little town?”

I’m saved from answering
his, once again, nosy question when Anna comes back with my water.

She places my water down
on the table in front of me, props her hands on her hips, and turns towards
Jack and Jake's table. “Alright Jack, I won't be having you harassing my
customers again. Leave this nice lady alone and get back to your dinner.”

Jake winks at me while
Jack turns back to his table while grumbling, “I was just trying to make
conversation. Can't a body inquire about a new person in town?”

Anna turns back towards
me and says, “I apologize about that. He may be a bit overbearing at times but
he's completely harmless.”

“That's okay.”

“I could tell by the look
on your face that he was making you uncomfortable. Next time, just tell him to
put a sock in it.”

Jack grunts.

My lips twitch.

Anna smiles and tells me
my food will be out soon and then she walks up to Nick, gives him another quick
kiss, and slips back behind the counter.

I grab my purse and pull
out the cheap disposable cell phone I bought at the beginning of my trip. I
know until Chris hears from me, she will be on pins and needles. I promised her
I would call or text her daily just to let her know I was okay and where I was.
She’s been my lifeline through this whole mess. I don't know where I would be
if it weren’t for her. Hell, I don't even know if I would still be alive if it
weren’t for her. We've been friends since third grade and she has saved me more
times than I can count. If it weren't for her I would still be stuck with
Steven
living in my daily dose of hell. She was the one who helped me
escape. She is the one that gave me the courage to make a stand and
metaphorically say no to Steven. I say metaphorically because there is no way I
could ever say no to his face.

I shudder at the thought
of the repercussions I would receive from Steven if I ever worked up the
courage to stand up to him.

My text to Chris is
short, just letting her know I was in Jaded Hollow, Ohio and that I would be
staying here for a while. She knows my cash is running low. Between the two of
us, we were able to scrounge up a whopping $5,534 for me to travel on. That may
sound like a lot to some, but when you’re constantly on the go it disappears
fast. Most of the money came from her, which I refused in the beginning because
she is a struggling full-time waitress. Unfortunately, due to certain
circumstances, she had to put off going to college for a few years. Her
waitressing gig is what’s paying her way through college. She kept insisting
and I finally realized that I had no choice. It was either take her money and
run or end up dead. And I knew one of the times Steven lost it, he would end up
killing me.

So, while Steven was at
one of his “meetings” I checked myself out of the hospital early. Chris took me
to get a cheap car and I loaded it up with as much of my stuff as I could. Just
outside of town my first stop was a cell phone store in a strip mall to
purchase a cheap non-traceable phone. My next stop was a gas station to fill
the gas tank in my car and I vamoosed. I was gone, hoping and praying, into
thin air. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Steven caught up with me two
weeks after I left.

My thoughts are
interrupted when my cell pings with an incoming text. I know it was from Chris,
she was the only one that has my number.

Chris: Please be careful
and keep a close look out. Keep me posted daily. Love you.

Me: I will, I promise.
Love you too.

I slip my phone back into
my purse just as Anna walks up to the table carrying my food. “Here ya go,
sweetie.” She says when she sets my burger and fries in front of me. My stomach
rumbles at the sight of it.

I blush and peek up at
Anna, who is still standing at the table watching me. When I do, my hair falls
away from my face and exposes a small portion of my scar. Although she recovers
quickly and tries to conceal it, I hear Anna gasp. This is a typical reaction,
so I ignore it.

I lower my head, so my
hair falls back into place and slowly raise it back up to glance at her. I
decide I might as well start my job search.

Tentatively, I ask, “Do
you know of any places around here that are hiring? The only experience I
really have is bartending and housekeeping.”

Her expression is
troubled. She’s biting her bottom lip while she considers my question. After
several seconds her eyes light with excitement and she nearly shouts, “Yes! I
know just the place!”

Although I know I need a
job I am a little leery at her excitement. I mean, seriously? How can someone
become so excited about the prospect of referring someone to a possible job
opportunity? Something else is going on here and it makes me nervous and
cautious.  I decide right then to watch myself around Anna. She’s sweet
and seems like a nice girl and I already like her, but she also seems
mischievous.

Once she is done bouncing
on her heels in her excitement she looks at me with her eyes dancing merrily
and says, “Jaxon's Pub needs a bartender. Do you know where it is?”

Yes, I know where it is.
I remember driving right past it on my way into town. It was the bar with the
motorcycles out front. My previous experience in bartending was back home at an
upscale restaurant called ‘The Bryler.’ There was a bar in the restaurant. It’s
independently owned by a local family. I worked there while I was in college to
help pay for my education. It was there that I met Steven. He was there for a
meeting with a client and I had the misfortune of being the bartender on duty.
Working in a high-class restaurant was a lot different than working in a rugged
bar. I’m not picky though. I know I need a job and am willing to give just
about anything a try.

“Yes, thank you, I know
where it is.” I tell her and give a little smile.

She returns my smile with
a big one of her own and says, “Just tell Jax I sent you over. And don't let
him scare you off. He can be, let's just say, intimidating at times. Underneath
it all he's a good guy, though.”

Her words make me
nervous. There is no telling what I could be getting myself into working for
this Jax character. I've had enough drama in my life to last a lifetime. I
definitely do
not
need or want more; especially now, with my life in
shambles.

With a few more words,
where she informs me that Jaxon should be on shift soon, she walks off to take
care of her other customers. I look at my food and, with a desperation that’s
pathetic, dive right in. It is the best burger and fries I’ve ever eaten.

Once I’m finished, which
took all of five minutes, I gather my purse and slide out from the booth. As I
make my way to the counter to pay for my meal, I notice Anna standing next to
Nick. They are whispering and glancing my way. They quickly avert their eyes
when they catch me looking.

Behind the counter is the
elderly woman that was with Anna when I first walked in. She came to the
register that sat behind the counter. Her name tag shows that Maggie's Diner is
her restaurant. She has white, gray hair that she wears in a bun at the nape of
her neck. Her eyes are a dark chocolate brown. Upon closer inspection, she
appears to be nearing her seventies, rather than the fifties or sixties that I
had originally thought. She’s wearing a white button-up short-sleeved shirt, a
pair of tan slacks, and completing her outfit is a pair of black nursing shoes.
Over her outfit she has the same colored apron as Anna.

“Hi, did you enjoy your
meal?” She smiles and asks in a warm and friendly voice.

“Yes, ma'am, I did, thank
you.” I return.

I pull out my wallet,
grab some money, and hand it to her. After ringing up my total and putting the
money in the register she hands me my change.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Come
back and see us again soon.” She calls as I start walking away.

I slowly turn back to her
and hesitantly tip up my lips a little and say, “Okay.”

I make my way to the door
and push through it to go back out into the nippy air. The temperature has
dropped a few more degrees since I had been inside so I slid my hands into the
front of my hoodie and approach my car. After unlocking it, I climb inside,
more exhausted than I was before I ate. I relax against the headrest, preparing
myself for the task ahead- talking this Jaxon person into hiring me.

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