by Vicky Jones
“It won’t work,” Bertie replied, folding her arms.
“Never try, never know,” Shona replied, hearing Dorothy’s voice suddenly in her head.
After Shona had finished up at the garage, she and Bertie walked across to the police station. They looked at each other and took a deep breath as they pushed open the door and went inside. At the far end, Barnes was standing behind his counter listening to a young blonde woman who seemed very agitated. Her face was streaked with tears, her palms flat down in front of him.
“He can’t keep coming home from the bar every night and doing that to me, can he? It ain’t right. I say no, but he just drags me into the bedroom and…” The woman paused to take a handkerchief out of her purse then held it to her nose as more tears fell.
Barnes let out a long breath and leaned into her. “Look, Mrs. Simpson, Sheriff Lawrence has already explained this to you. Cliff ain’t doing anything illegal. He’s your husband, you’re his wife. He has rights to that.”
“But he’s so rough. How can it be OK for him to do it anyway, even when I say no?”
Barnes shrugged. “Maybe you should take the advice Sheriff Lawrence gave you last week and treat your husband a bit better. Go home to your kids, Mrs. Simpson. Make Cliff a nice dinner. Then, maybe, he’ll be more tender with you.”
Mrs. Simpson sniffed and somehow composed herself. She picked her purse up off the counter and turned to leave, passing Shona and Bertie on the way to the exit. Shona met her red-eyed glassy stare and felt a pang in her belly.
“I’m so sorry, Jenny,” Bertie whispered as Mrs. Simpson drifted past. She didn’t reply, her mind seemingly elsewhere.
“Good afternoon, Shona, how can I help you today?” Barnes sighed. He spotted Bertie glaring at him.
“Hi Jerry, can we go in to see Sheriff Lawrence, please?” Shona replied.
“Yeah, sure, I’ll see if he’s free. Um…your friend can wait here.” Barnes looked Bertie up and down, taking in her unconventional look.
Bertie looked between Shona and Barnes. “We are literally dressed the same way,” she said, with frustrated sarcasm dripping from every elongated word she spoke.
“Yeah, I see that. But she’s politer than you,” Barnes countered, pointing at Shona.
“We’d both like to have a word with him if it’s all the same to you?” Shona’s deep blue eyes were convincing, melting Barnes into submission. It wasn’t often that Shona used her feminine charms on men, but this was a necessity with a man like Barnes.
“Well, OK then. Come through.” Barnes lifted the desk hatch and led them towards Everett’s office. “Someone to see you, boss,” he called out after he’d knocked on the door.
“If it’s that Simpson dame again, you tell her what I told you. I got better things to do with my time than to give a shit what happens in Cliff Simpson’s bedroom. He ain’t breakin’ no law, he can do what he wants.” Lawrence’s annoyed voice bellowed through the closed door. Pushing it open, Barnes led Shona and Bertie into the sheriff’s office. With his feet up on the table as they entered, Lawrence looked up and grinned.
“Well now, Miss Clark,” Lawrence greeted, chewing on his gum slowly as he took in Shona’s slim figure dressed in well-fitting jeans and a short-sleeved black shirt which revealed her neckline just enough for Lawrence’s mind to wander. “To what do I owe the honor of your visit here?” He leaned back in his chair and clamped his hands together behind his head. Seeing Bertie enter after Shona, Lawrence lowered his legs and sat up straight in his wooden chair. “What’s that doin’ in here?” he asked, pointing. The look on his face was of pure disgust, a look which Shona recognized only too painfully. For once, though, it wasn’t aimed at her.
Bertie chose not to respond, but the look on her face said it all.
“We came to talk,” Shona replied. “About Bertie’s bar, and if your men could cut them a little slack over there. They ain’t doing no harm.” Shona reached over to clamp a hand on Bertie’s rounded shoulder. “And Bertie here would be honored to offer your boys the first drink on the house after their long and tiring shift. In recognition of their outstanding service to the community.”
“Much as I’d love to take up your offer, Shona, I cannot guarantee my boys won’t take it upon themselves to instinctively carry out their sworn duty.” He leaned forward and gave Bertie a nasty smile. “We all know what your bar is, we just can’t prove it. Yet. I don’t want that filth goin’ on in my town, so we will do what we can to find the evidence to revoke your license.” Bertie’s face creased with compressed anger, the corner of her eye twitching. “Now, get this trash the fuck out of my office,” Lawrence snarled, looking at Shona but pointing at Bertie.
“Well, that was a total waste of time,” Bertie said as they reached the sidewalk outside.
“Just don’t give them a reason to think anything illegal is going on in there. Maybe invite more families in for a two-for-one on burgers or something?” Shona looked at Bertie.
Bertie’s shoulders sagged in her oversized shirt. “Is it so bad that I just wanted to run a bar people like me could go without being stared at?” she murmured.
“I know. But they’re staring now, Bertie. You gotta be smarter about it. You can’t beat cops with force, only compromise. To survive in this world when you’re like us is to fit in, not stand out.” Shona’s words came straight from the heart.
For a second Bertie seemed to ponder that thought until behind her appeared Dee, Lula and Edie.
“Hey girl,” Lula said, draping a lazy arm around Bertie’s shoulders. “You been over to stick it to that Lawrence? I just seen Jenny Simpson cryin’ her goddamn eyes out again. We need to stand up to this asshole.”
Bertie locked her now-fierce eyes with Shona, whose heart sank, knowing what was coming. Turning around to her friends, Bertie nodded. “It’s time, ladies.”
Shona returned home exhausted. After a full day of work, she’d then spent a wasted hour in the police station, then a further hour trying to convince Bertie and her friends why it was a bad idea to make enemies of the police. But all of her reasons fell on deaf ears and that night there was sure to be something bad happening in town. Bertie was so riled up by the time Shona had left her that she thought it best to stay home that evening.
“Hey guys, I’m home,” she called out after dropping her satchel by the door and walking into the living room. “Chloe? Dorothy?”
Shona walked along the hallway, finding Dorothy in her bedroom reading. Outside, she found Chloe lying on a bench fast asleep.
“Hey baby, you OK?” Shona whispered in her ear after bending down to kiss her on the cheek.
Chloe murmured and opened her eyes. Seeing Shona, she attempted to sit up, but her swollen belly made that movement less than fluid. “Oh, my, is it that time already? I meant to do the housework, honey, I’m sorry. I just felt a little funny so thought I’d get some fresh air. Must have fallen asleep.” Chloe half-laughed.
“Don’t worry, I’ll go see to it. You stay here and rest.” Shona lowered Chloe’s head back to the little cushion on the bench.
“But you’ve been working all day,” Chloe began.
“Yeah, and you’ve been growing a human,” Shona replied, smiling. She kissed Chloe’s stomach. “Relax, OK?”
Chloe closed her eyes and within seconds she was fast asleep again.
“She alright?” Dorothy appeared by Shona’s side.
“Yeah. I guess it’s just a little hard to adjust to how things are now,” Shona added, her gaze lifting to the messy yard, then out on to the peaceful looking ocean. “It’s like everything we wanted, we got, but then this happens.” She motioned her eyes down to Chloe’s bump. “Oh, don’t get me wrong, it’s just amazing the chance we got now. For a family, you know? I never in all my dreams thought I’d have a kid. I thought…”
Dorothy reached out to hold Shona’s hand as she paused. “You thought it’d just be you two. Being young and carefree,” she concluded.
> “I love Chloe more than I ever thought it was possible to love anyone. I’d crawl to the moon for her. I just wanna make everything alright. She’s been through so much.”
Shona choked back the tears and felt the old lady squeeze her hand.
“It’ll be OK, you know? It’ll be hard and I don’t pretend to know anything about having children, not having any of my own, but you will both find your way. And whatever those folks think about it in town, well…” Dorothy nodded her head, “we’ve faced worse, haven’t we?”
Shona lifted her eyes to the sky and breathed out a long sigh. “Oh yes,” she agreed, smiling.
“That’s the spirit. Now, you tidy up in there and I’ll start dinner. Like the old days, huh?” Dorothy tapped Shona on the cheeks with both hands and grinned. She shuffled back into the house, leaving Shona to follow seconds later after pulling a blanket over Chloe to keep out the evening chill.
Chapter 17
The drive to work that morning was one of trepidation for Shona. The cool breeze was calming, but her waters were stormy. As she drove, she replayed in her head the heated conversation she’d had the day before with Bertie and feared the worst.
She passed the garage, which at first glance looked intact, then carried on her circuit around the town square. As she reached the first row of stores, she let out a groan, her suspicions confirmed. Windows had been smashed in, with the most badly damaged ones being boarded up temporarily by the owners until the repairs could be carried out properly. Further up the road, she saw the planters at the edge of the doctor’s office being put the correct way up by Blanche and Marion, who were both visibly upset. The police station windows were also broken, in more places than any other building, unsurprisingly. In the green space at the center of the town square, there were flowerbeds ripped out and litter from the garbage pails strewn carelessly around. The place was a mess.
When Shona finally pulled up at the garage, she saw one word was painted on the heavy green doors:
COWARD
Half an hour of wire brushing the door down and three coats of paint later, the word was finally erased from the doors. Shona was kneeling down cleaning the paint off her hands when Bertie’s shadow loomed over her.
“Was this you?” Shona asked, looking up, her face stony.
“Not personally, no. But while you were at home playing happy families, we were all out here making history. Staking our claim to a future where you can have a family like yours, you know what I mean?” Bertie raised an eyebrow, encouraging Shona to get her hint. “You know, Shona, you need to think carefully about which side you’re on. Us girls are tired of being pushed around by Neanderthal men. I can’t promise your place here won’t get caught up in the crossfire next time.”
“Is that a threat, Bertie?” Shona stood up and glared at her.
“Just a friendly warning. Choose wisely, girl.”
Chloe and Dorothy noticed that Shona had been quiet all through dinner and now, as they all sat on the couch together, Dorothy took the opportunity to ask what was wrong.
“Why can’t people just all get along together?” Dorothy asked after Shona had filled her in on the events of last night.
“People just always wanna fight about something,” Chloe added, shifting in her seat, then fanning herself.
“I suppose they were just trying to speak up for themselves and get the cops to leave them alone. But they ain’t gonna leave them alone now. They’ll be all over that bar now looking for reasons to close it down. Even though most of the damage last night was actually done by the cops, so I heard. Oh, they tried to make it look convincing to the townsfolk caught up in it. Lawrence told them that Bertie’s gang struck first, but Alice was telling me that the cops were instructed to get anyone who goes to the bar fired. That’s why the bakery and the grocery store seemed to get the brunt of it all. Alice and Edie managed to keep their jobs though after agreeing to help pay for the damage, but I bet they’ll all be a lot quieter now over at the bar. Lawrence is picking them off one by one, turning the town against Bertie and her girls. I’ll be surprised if she’s still in business by the end of the month if she doesn’t pipe down.”
“Then you need to stay away from those girls. They sound like trouble. The cops might hit the garage next and we all don’t need any more attention brought to us and our setup,” Chloe huffed.
“You’re right. We got our dream home and I got my whole world in this room right now. I don’t want nothing to ruin that.”
Chapter 18
As the warmth of April 1959 grew day by day, so did Chloe’s baby bump. Shona, her stomach churning with nerves, was never more than ten feet away from the telephone on the garage wall.
Then it rang.
Three minutes later, after apologizing to the customer that had just pulled up for his oil change, Shona was wrapping the chain around the garage door handles. Bounding over to her truck, she jumped inside and sped off, nerves and excitement fizzing through her veins as she fought to control the grin that had spread broadly across her face. “This is it,” she said for the hundredth time as she raced home. Minutes later she skidded into the driveway, sand and dirt billowing up from her tires.
“Dorothy, I’m home. What’s happening?” she yelled as she burst through the door.
“In here,” Dorothy called back.
Shona found her and Chloe in the kitchen, Chloe leaning over the kitchen counters with Dorothy rubbing her back. A tray of tea glasses lay smashed on the floor next to the sink.
“Baby, are you alright?” Shona asked, running up behind her.
“Watch that glass,” Chloe’s ragged voice rang out between heavy breaths.
“We need to get her to the hospital, Shona,” Dorothy said. “There’s a bag already packed in the bedroom next to the dresser. Go get it.”
Shona sprinted into the bedroom and found the bag, and then ran back to the kitchen and took Chloe’s free arm, her other one tightly held by the old lady who was walking Chloe to the front door.
“You got the keys?”
“Yeah,” Shona replied.
“Good, then let’s go,” Dorothy said.
“Are you sure this is it?” Shona asked. Chloe groaned as another contraction shuddered through her body.
“Did you see the puddle on the kitchen floor?” Dorothy snapped. Shona nodded. “Then I’m sure. Now come on.”
Between them, they managed to get Chloe down the couple of steps from the porch and into the truck. Shona ran around to the driver’s seat and hit the gas.
“It’s OK, baby, I’ll be with you every step of the way,” Shona said to Chloe, holding her hand.
“You’d better be. I can’t do this without you. And promise me you won’t let them give me any of that twilight sleep crap. I read about it in Woman’s Day. I think it’s bad stuff.”
“OK, baby, I’ll tell the doctor.” Shona tried to comfort her along the way to the hospital, but Chloe’s eyes were filling with terror by the second at what was happening to her. Shona hadn’t realized fully until this moment just what a massive thing Chloe was about to do. Shona looked past Chloe to Dorothy who was sitting by her side still rubbing Chloe’s back.
It’ll all be OK, the old lady’s eyes silently communicated back.
The next four hours that passed were the longest of Shona’s entire life. Sitting in the less-than-private hospital waiting area next to the delivery room that Chloe’s gurney had been wheeled into, she paced the floor, her nails bitten down to their beds, as Dorothy sat staring at the posters on the wall opposite.
“Eight hours,” the old lady said all of a sudden.
Shona stopped pacing and stared at her, her own face blank. “What?”
“Eight hours. That’s the average for the first one. I read it in that magazine you brought home last week.”
We’re only halfway? Shona thought. Down the corridor, a painful groan echoed out, causing Shona’s own heart to twist when she heard it.
“Why won�
��t they let me in there?” Shona yelled, pointing in the direction of the delivery room. “She needs me. I promised I wouldn’t leave her.”
“Look, calm down. Even fathers of babies don’t go in there. They ain’t gonna understand who you are, now, are they?” Dorothy replied. “She’s in good hands. The doctors know what they’re doing. You told them about the twilight sleep, so you’ve done all you can.”
Another hour passed before finally a nurse came into the waiting area to give them both an update.
“Are you Mrs. Clark’s family?” the young nurse asked, looking between the expectant faces of Dorothy and Shona.
“Yeah. What’s happening? How’s Chloe?” Dorothy asked. Shona remained silent, the questions catching in her throat as she prayed it wasn’t bad news.
“She’s doin’ OK. There have been some complications, with her refusin’ pain relief, but the doctors are doin’ all they can.”
The nurse’s words were like bee stings to Shona. “Please, I need to be in there,” she begged. “I promised I wouldn’t leave her.”
“I’m sorry, I can’t let anyone in there. I’ll come back out in a little while when I have more news.”
The nurse walked away and back into the delivery room, closing the door firmly behind her.
“I can’t stand this,” Shona blurted out, kicking the garbage pail by the door.
By the ninth hour of Chloe’s labor, the atmosphere in the waiting area seemed to grow heavier by the minute. Lots of nurses were coming and going, their faces graver each time the delivery room door opened. Dorothy had fallen asleep in her high-backed chair but Shona was standing watching the door, her hands rooted in her pockets. The loud groans from the delivery room had quietened down, but rather than being replaced by a baby cry, all that filled the air was an ominous silence.
