by Vicky Jones
"Instead of sitting 'round doin' nothing, sir, I watched him clean the whole tool room! Look, see–" Shona held her arms out wide. She had no idea why she was speaking up for him, but she couldn't unsee the look of dread that was etched on Cuban's face when Bruce had spotted him.
"Shona, you not been put to work yet?" Ellis frowned.
"No, sir, I was told to wait here."
Ellis switched his attention to Deputy Paul.
"We can get her cleanin', scrubbin'–" Deputy Paul shrugged.
"Trucks," Ellis interrupted. "I want her on trucks. Let's see what she can do."
Bruce glared at Ellis.
"That one just come in?" Ellis pointed out of the tool room window at a white truck being winched off a low-loader, then dropped to the ground outside. Outwardly, it looked reasonably sound but the fact that it hadn't driven itself there didn't bode well for it. Three mechanics surrounded the stricken vehicle, scratching their heads. One stubbed out his cigarette, took out his wrench and motioned to the other two to pop the hood.
Deputy Paul nodded. "Yessir."
"See if you can get it goin'," Ellis smiled at Shona.
"Jeffrey, you lost your mind?" Bruce said in a low voice.
The group walked outside towards the truck. The mechanics attending it looked perplexed as to why the truck was resisting all their best efforts to spark it into life. The engine's problem seemed a bit of an enigma, but this didn't faze Shona. She approached Deputy Paul and gestured for the keys, his stare burning a hole in her head as he dropped them into her hand. Bruce smirked as they waited for her embarrassment to commence. Ellis exhaled, hoping she wouldn't disappoint him.
"This vehicle's expensive, y'understand?" Deputy Paul snarled.
Ellis folded his arms as Shona got to work. She stuck her head under the hood and tinkered about. Clanks and clonks sounded from the engine bay as she investigated the manifolds, sprockets and gaskets. Little grunts and groans emitted from her as she tightened her wrench around the bolts and metal tubes.
Five long minutes passed.
Shona was done. She climbed up into the driver's seat and slid the key into the ignition as everyone in the group held their breath. The engine coughed for a few seconds and then spluttered into life, black smoke billowing from the exhaust. Before long, the truck was purring like a kitten.
"Well, I'll be damned," Ellis blew out his cheeks.
Closing his eyes, Bruce shook his head.
"So what? Pull a few wires, flick a few switches? That's the easiest damn job you coulda given her!" He was furious.
His attention, however, soon moved away from her and, like a searchlight in the darkness, landed on Cuban who was smiling at Shona's success. He'd enjoyed the few brief moments of blending in with the crowd, but it couldn't last. Cuban met Bruce's fiery eyes, panic fizzing in the pit of his stomach.
"Let's get this bastard off our land!" Bruce snarled. "Paul, grab his arms–"
"Wait!" Shona jumped out of the truck and in front of Cuban. He didn't stand a chance out there judging by the state he’d arrived in.
"Get out the way!" Deputy Paul growled.
"Mr. Ellis, please give Cuban a chance. Look at the difference he's made to the tool room already, and that’s without being paid!" she begged.
"Paul, wait," Ellis waved his hands for Deputy Paul to cease manhandling Cuban. "Elbie, the tool room is normally your domain, right?"
Elbie nodded.
"This man here, y'think he's done a good job?" Ellis continued.
"Sir, that room–" Elbie paused. "I ain't seen it no better in a long time, do say so m'self. You could eat your dinner off that floor!" He caught Shona and Cuban's relieved faces in the corner of his eye.
Deputy Paul and Bruce put their hands on their hips. Ellis approached Cuban and spoke in a low voice.
"You got one chance. You mess it up, I ain't gon' help you. I'll leave Shona to explain my rules. If you break 'em, I'm behind Larry all the way. Understand?"
Tears glistening in the corner of his eyes, Cuban managed to croak out his thanks.
"Come on, gentlemen." Ellis turned to walk around the side of the building and back to his office. Shona noticed him limping slightly.
Waiting until Ellis was out of earshot, Deputy Paul strode over to Shona, Cuban and Elbie.
"Mr. Bruce told me to let you know that if you pull another stunt like that you won't be able to work, y'hear?" he growled. He stepped closer to Shona and traced down the side of her smooth face with his dirty fingernail. She stood motionless, regarding him with an icy stare. Not receiving the satisfaction of a rise out of her, he cackled as he left them and ran to catch up with Ellis and Bruce.
"So, what now?" Cuban asked.
"Don't know about you two,” said Shona, “but I need to wash that dirty bastard's stink outta my face!"
Shona walked over to the faucet outside the mechanics' shed. Feelings rushed around her body like a kaleidoscope as she splashed the cool water on her face. Humiliating one of your bosses isn't the most ideal way to start a new job, she thought. Turning to look over at her two new friends, she saw them toeing the dust and attempting to make small talk. She smiled as she walked back over to them, her hands in her pockets.
"You're quite the brave lil' lady," Elbie said.
"Yeah, thank you. You didn't have to do that," Cuban added.
"You're welcome. It looks like we need each other 'round here?" Shona said as they made their way back to the tool room.
"You're damn right. This place, it's awful. Didn't used to be." Elbie's eyes saddened.
"What changed?" Shona asked.
"Larry Bruce, that's what! This place was run by Mr. Ellis for twenty years and he did a damn fine job of it too. But he needed to spend more time with his sick wife, so he got Bruce the Brute on board to take care of the day-to-day running around five years ago and then–" Elbie fiddled with his cap. "It got real dark 'round here."
"What d'you mean?" Cuban asked.
"People just came and went. If you disagreed with the bosses, well, your days were numbered. Good people with consciences left or were made to leave." Elbie's face dropped.
"Well, we got each other, right?" Shona affirmed.
"I could tell you some stories, alright. I write everything down in my diary. I started writing it when my wife passed. I made a promise I would talk to her every day." Elbie licked his lips as his emotions began to engulf him. "I write about everything that goes on here but my damn hands tremble with age now, so I have to keep it short."
The same loud buzzer from earlier sounded again.
"What's that?" Cuban asked.
"We've been summoned." Elbie's face blanched.
Chapter 11
The three of them were the last to reach the canteen, where all staff briefings were routinely held. In the far right corner was a wrought iron spiral staircase leading up to the management offices on the balcony above. As soon as the trio walked in, there was an ominous silence when the crowd of workers caught sight of Cuban. As looks of disgust were thrown in his direction, whispers, jeers and growls from the hostile crowd began to ring out.
"Another fuckin' colored."
"Lock up your stuff, boys."
Men spat at Cuban's feet but it wasn't the first time that had happened to him. Shona was stunned by the savagery of the crowd, which seconds later turned on her.
"What the fuck have we got here, boys?"
"I'll bet you five bucks she's screwin' somebody within the week."
From above, a man's voice bellowed, followed by a whistle and then a hammering on the iron bars of the balcony.
"Alright, everybody, hush now!" Deputy Paul hit the balcony bars with his wooden stick, his face maroon with the exertion of trying to silence the mob. "We have a couple of new additions we'd like to present to you and I'm sure they'll get your usual warm welcome. I'll hand it over to Mr. Bruce."
Bruce's intimidating stare held the attention of the crowd. He appeared at the
edge of the balcony in his expensive three-piece suit, showing the glint of a gold watch that would take these workers a year to save up for. His bass tones growled as he addressed the workforce.
"It's no secret I'm always looking to advance the company, but Mr. Ellis and I won't be around forever." Bruce glanced towards Ellis.
"I plan to be," Ellis lightened the mood.
"It's a good time to invest," Bruce continued. "The market's expanding, which is exciting for all of us. We're doing more business further afield so we need some fresh young blood to keep up with it. I've sat down with a few guys and I've picked one. Somebody who’s from great stock, has good energy and thinks the way I do."
"That ain't no good thing, let me tell you," Elbie whispered.
"I'd like to welcome…Kyle Chambers."
Bruce gestured towards Kyle, who swaggered forward in a made to measure gray flannel suit. His highly polished Oxford shoes echoed on the metal platform of the balcony as he made his entrance to the crowd's applause. He muttered something to Bruce and then beamed his winning smile down at the canteen floor, giving a wave to indicate that he was ready to speak.
"It's an honor to be given a chance to lead such a fine-looking workforce. I'm sure we can do great things together."
After five long minutes of grins and smug mutual backslapping from Bruce and Kyle, the sound of shuffling feet and bored grunts began floating around the assembled workforce. Sensing they'd dragged on for too long, Bruce quickly concluded.
"I got one more thing to announce–" Bruce pointed at the crowd below him. "My daughter Chloe is finally home where she belongs. She’s been studying business at college these last five years, so she can help run things when I’m gone." He went back into the management office, then returned holding his daughter's hand.
"Everybody, meet Chloe."
The applause was initially polite, but when all eyes focused on her properly, a few low whistles and murmurs of admiration followed.
Chloe Bruce shone a beaming smile at the crowd, her chocolate-brown eyes radiating warmth as she acknowledged some of the more well-mannered comments with a dainty wave. She wore a bright red fitted jacket, a red and white polka-dot blouse and a smart black pencil skirt, showing off her perfectly toned legs and significantly distracting the men standing below. She cleared her throat as her father raised his hands to hush the crowd for her.
"Well, I didn't expect that. Thank you, I'll keep it brief. I just want to learn the business, help the company grow, and I especially can't wait to come around and meet every single one of you."
The workforce below cheered more rapturously this time as Chloe stared down at them. She flicked her light brown mid-length hair out of her eyes as she continued to melt the crowd with her effortless charm.
But not everybody in the crowd was cheering.
Chapter 12
"Shona, you in here?"
Elbie called out to her as he returned to the tool room with Cuban. Walking quickly over to the back door to investigate why it was wide open, he found her outside hunched over, trying desperately to control the wave of retching that had consumed her. Embarrassed, she wiped her mouth on her sleeve and walked back into the tool room, brushing past Elbie and taking a seat on one of the stools.
"Why'd you take off like that?" he asked.
"I just needed to get out of there. I didn't feel so good. This was where I was told to wait," Shona mumbled as she wrapped her arms around herself. Elbie looked at her, his eyes full of concern.
"It's gon' be tough here," Cuban sighed, wincing as a fresh stab of pain rippled through his thigh.
"We just gotta keep our heads down, work hard for our money and get the hell out of here as soon as goddamn possible," Shona said into space, her mind somewhere else entirely.
Deputy Paul swaggered into the tool room ten minutes later, a sly grin draping itself over his greasy face. He strode over to Shona who was gradually recovering, helped by a small tot of the brandy that Elbie kept in his drawer for emergencies.
"Let's get one thing crystal clear, lady. You ain't gon' work on no trucks, y'hear? I don't give a fuck what magic you pulled from your ass out there, you ain't touching 'em from now on, get it?" He pressed his face inches from Shona's. "You'll clean the trucks when the ones for repair are ready to go, you scrub the canteen, the floors and anything else I wipe my feet on. That's what you do. As for you, boy, you'll get changed in a different place to us. I don't want your dirty fucking diseases or you being 'round my things thievin' 'em, you hear me? You'll take a shit in a hole if you have to but you stay the fuck away from us." Deputy Paul finished his brief by pointing in Cuban's face, then stormed off.
Cuban took a seat at a work bench, unsurprised by Deputy Paul's hostility.
"This is bullshit! Why we gettin' treated this way? I got a job fair and square. I fixed the damn truck in front of their eyes," Shona ranted.
"This is the work of Bruce the Brute, I'm telling you," Elbie reflected quietly.
That afternoon, as the three of them had completed their list of jobs, they sat down to take a well-earned five-minute break. Just as they did so, their peace was interrupted.
"Elbie!"
All three heads swung to face the door. It was Deputy Paul again and he wasn't alone. The kitchen staff he'd brought with him looked menacing in their chef whites and blue work pants, laden with large pots and deep bowls. The deputy hung back by the doorway as his cronies stomped into the tool room.
"You said to us the tool room was so shiny, so clean–" he taunted. "A man could even eat his dinner off that floor! So–"
Elbie's face hardened. He knew what was coming next.
"Let 'em have it, boys!"
On Deputy Paul's command, they tipped what seemed like gallons of sludgy brown liquid, mashed up food and waste all over the spotless floor, splashing it all over Elbie, Cuban and Shona. The kitchen staff marched out on orders, leaving Deputy Paul unscathed and grinning in the doorway.
"You should know better than to side with a colored. That's almost worse than being one. Get this mess cleaned up. Now!" He barked and then sauntered out. Elbie straightened his cap and stared at the dirty floor.
"This was a bad idea, you helpin' me," Cuban said shaking his head
"Don't you say that!" Shona said as anger raged inside her at Deputy Paul's cruel actions. She went to get a mop and some rags to start cleaning up.
"I shoulda retired years ago. Biggest mistake o'my life. I hope you two don't end up like me, where the only safe place you can speak your thoughts is in a damn diary." He shook his head, still staring at the floor as he clenched his fists.
Shona looked around, quietly assessing the mess. Food waste was everywhere. It'd splashed on the walls, all over the tools and had even found its way inside the workbench drawers. Her attention was momentarily drawn back to Elbie who seemed to be deep in thought. He leaned heavily on the workbench, his watery red eyes staring at her.
"I think we just rattled the cage of a goddamn monster," Elbie warned.
Chapter 13
Shona walked the two miles home that evening after work thinking over the events of the day–Deputy Paul's cruel stunt, Cuban's situation, Elbie's diary and Bruce's speech to the workers.
And Chloe.
So many conflicting thoughts tumbled over themselves in her mind, but right now she was walking back to a place of pure happiness and looking forward to the simplicity of sitting around the table with two genuinely kind-hearted people whose only agenda was to make sure she had enough wholesome food in her belly. Her route home took her along the long driveway of the Ellis and Bruce site, up to the crossroads, past the town gas station on the corner, then across the road and into town. As she passed the gas station, two oily-looking men whistled at her, then pointed down suggestively to their private parts.
"In your dreams, jerks," Shona muttered in repulsion, injecting a faster pace into her stride.
The town of Daynes was only five minutes' walk from th
e gas station. On either side of the main road were the typical small-town shops—a grocery store, a butcher’s, a drugstore, the town’s Methodist church and a few small eateries. She noticed one building in particular, a small, ornate-looking fabric shop with the assistant outside closing down the hatches for the day. He was exceptionally well dressed, his gray hair combed meticulously into a perfect side part, his small round glasses delicately perched on the end of his nose. He wore an elegant navy plaid suit jacket with a yellow tie and neatly pressed pants. Shona looked down at her own dirty, stained overalls and sighed with envy at this man's obviously less messy day.
The light was fading as Tom and Ruby's house came into view half a mile further on. It wasn't huge, but it was their home. The sight of it filled her with warmth, not least as it was Ruby's mouthwatering roast chicken, biscuits and gravy for dinner. Shona could almost taste the cornbread as she walked with a spring in her step up to the front door.
"Hi, only me," she called out as she bounded into the kitchen.
"Hey, Shona, how was your first day?" Ruby’s soft voice immediately made her feel at home.
"It was … different," she replied with a lopsided grin.
Tom walked into the kitchen minutes later and kissed his wife on the cheek.
"You two must be famished," Ruby said as she placed a steaming roast chicken on the table and invited them to sit down. Shona didn't need to be asked twice and jumped into her seat. Warm biscuits and a jug of thick gravy joined the chicken in front of her, but when Ruby motioned to her to wash her hands before she was allowed to tuck in, Shona's face dropped. Within seconds her hands were the cleanest they had ever been and she was back at the table clutching her knife and fork.
Tom and Ruby chuckled at Shona's lack of social etiquette as she shoveled food into her mouth, not letting the novel idea of swallowing slow her down.
Happiness engulfed the three of them as they talked and laughed over dinner and long into the evening as the Alabama sun sank slowly below the horizon.
