by Mimi Barbour
“I don’t think so. I’ve made other business arrangements. Jay, would you help me gather my stuff and escort me to my car?”
Jay backed away from Lumpy and said, “If you ever touch me again, it’ll be the last thing you do, at least with all your appendages. I’m not afraid to go back to jail, but when and if I do, it’ll be for a good reason, not because I succumbed to the call of a bottle of vodka.”
“Eww, eww,” Lumpy said, his hands in the air in mock surrender.
Kay gathered the few clothes she had left in the house and threw them in a shopping bag. “Come on, let’s go. I’m ready.”
Jay handed her her coat, put on his, and picked up the blue plastic tote that held nearly all of Kay’s worldly possessions. How could he have let her down so quickly? Now what?
The two proceeded to her car in silence. “At least it isn’t snowing,” she said as she hit the remote start and opened the back door for Jay.
He shook his head and smiled at her. “You know, that’s one of the things I like most about you. You always find a bright side to everything. Where are you going?”
“Shit. I don’t know. And what do you mean ‘you going?’ Aren’t you coming, too?”
“Not until I have all my stuff out of that lean to. He’d have my tools sold in a heartbeat if I wasn’t around. I’ll go in and gather my sleeping bag and what not, and sleep in the truck. Don’t worry. He won’t hit me.”
Kay started giggling. “You were right. You never know when you’re going to need that sleeping bag and toiletries.”
“What bothers me most is why Steve never told us what was going on. He could have at least given us a heads up,” Jay said.
Kay sat in the driver’s seat, took out her smartphone, and looked at the second screen. “Shit. There’s a voice mail. I don’t know if I can retrieve it or not, but,” she scrolled through the call list. “Yup. I missed a call from Steve and he left a voice mail. I guess I should have pulled over to listen to it. He must have called when I was doing the final walk through and getting paid by the landlord. Shit!”
“Now, that’s three times I’ve heard you cuss since I’ve known you and all in the last minute. Don’t let this get to you. I’m not sure what’s going to happen, but missing that phone call just let us have an extra hour or two together.”
“I just wish we hadn’t wasted it on Taco Bell,” Kay said, then started laughing and crying at the same time. “I gotta go. Don’t let him get to you. He seems bent on pushing your buttons, and no matter what you say, I don’t want you going to jail. Again.”
“You’re not getting out of here that quick. Come here.” He reached in and helped her out of the car, then bent to kiss her.
“Wait, whoa. Won’t Lumpy see us?”
“Lord, I hope so. Maybe then he’ll stop hitting on you.” He kissed her deeply, grinding his loins up against hers, letting her know that he wanted more than his tongue inside her. “Us getting kicked out of our home, even if we were essentially squatting, is just a temporary setback. Drive carefully.”
“Okay,” she said meekly.
Life had felt so right for her the past couple days. She’d never let a man dominate her, but she’d let Jay be in charge any day. She felt safe with him. But now what?
Chapter 9
December 23
How could she have been so naïve. It had been six weeks and not a word from him. It was time to bite the bullet and call Steve and see if he knew where Jay was.
“Good afternoon. Is Steve in today?”
“No, he’s not. He’s on vacation. May I help you or take a message?” the receptionist asked.
“Just tell him Kay called in to see if he needed anything.”
“Kay? Kay the parts lady?”
“Um. Yes.”
“Oh, great. He was hoping you’d call. He lost your phone number and has some projects he wanted to get started on after the first of the year. Let me get your number and I’ll give it to him when he checks in.”
“Cool. Thanks.” Kay gave her the number, then hung up and did the happy dance. “Money, money, money!” she sang. “Finally!”
Kay stopped dancing when the phone rang. “This is Kay.”
“Oh, my God, Kay. You are the hardest person in the world to get in touch with. Of course, for some stupid reason my receptionist thought your name was Karen and she kept looking all over the internet for Parts by Karen, or some such nonsense. Actually, I’m not sure how she was looking it up, but she recognized your voice when you called. Hey, are you still in the parts business?”
“Yes, I am. Can I help you with something?”
“Just give me your email and I’ll send you the scanned parts lists. Go ahead and get everything coming. I won’t need it until after New Years, so bring it in accordingly. And if you need money up front, just put together a pro forma invoice and get it to Alice, the receptionist. I think she has a little crush on you, by the way. I didn’t want to break her heart and tell her you didn’t play for her team, so be nice to her, but don’t lead her on.”
“Oh, okay. Thanks. And have a merry Christmas, wherever you are.”
“We’re in Hawaii and believe it or not, I’m missing the snow. My wife isn’t and all she has to do to distract me is to put on that itsy-bitsy bikini of hers and I’m all for warm Christmases. I’ll see you in a week or two! Aloha!”
Kay hung up the phone, opened her laptop, and started looking for the email. Refresh. Nope. Not yet. “Give it a minute, woman.” Refresh. “Ah, there you are. Cool! One, two, four parts lists! Money, money, money!” she sang again.
It wasn’t until she had finished her last spreadsheet of part numbers, suppliers, and costs that she realized she hadn’t remembered to ask Steve if he’d heard from Jay.
Why are you even thinking about him? True, the physical part of the relationship was off the charts fantastic, and he was a considerate and respectable man, and those bulky clothes hid that ‘so much better than the statue of David’ body, but you weren’t in love with him. “Yeah, but I sure had a serious case of being in like with him,” she said aloud as she shut the laptop.
“Dang dark winters,” she said, looking at the setting sun through the south-facing window of her puny rent-by-the-week hotel window. “And it’s only four o’clock. I don’t care. I’m tired and going to bed. I’ll call Mom tomorrow and wish her a merry Christmas.
***
January 2
“Wow. I didn’t know these would take up so much room. Let’s see. If I combine all these parts into this box, and make two trips to Steve’s, I should be able to make room for the rest of the parts that are coming in this afternoon.”
Kay got out her box knife and opened, checked off, and rearranged the contents of the twelve parcels Fed Ex had brought to her, consolidating them down to three boxes. “Cool. I only need to make one trip. Good grief, how pathetic is this. The highlight of my day is sorting tractor parts.” She chuckled out loud. “No, all these parts mean money coming in. Money, money, money!” she sang again, and finished taping the boxes.
***
Kay pulled up in front of the construction company and headed in with just the invoices. “Hi, there, Alice. I have some of the parts Steve ordered and the invoices. Where can I take the boxes?”
“We can put them in the back room for now. When the guys come in tomorrow, I’ll have them take them out to the shop. Here, let me give you a hand. You look a little beat. I mean, you look great, but are you feeling okay? You need to start taking some vitamins or something. You’re getting dark circles under your eyes and you’re too young for those. Oops. Sorry if I’m being too familiar.”
“No, no. You’re fine, but I will take a hand. I may have made one of these too heavy.”
“Which is the heavy one?” Alice asked. “I’m a body builder and love a challenge.”
“Am I in time to help?” Steve asked as he came out the front door. “Sorry, I should have come out earlier, but I was on a phone call.”
He looked at Kay and smiled, then frowned. “Come inside and I’ll help Alice with the rest of these. You don’t look too good.”
Kay grimaced, but didn’t say a word. Did she really look that bad? She hadn’t felt like eating lately, but hadn’t been sick, just tired. Maybe Alice was right and she should start taking vitamins.
Alice walked in with the one heavy box and Steve carried the other two. “Alice, get a check ready and I’ll sign it. Not that I’m trying to kick you out the door or anything, Kay.” He came over and sat on the chair next to her. “What’s wrong?”
“Why do people keep saying I look sick or puny or whatever? Maybe I’m just showing my age,” Kay said, hoping the irritation she was feeling didn’t come through her voice.
“Let me look at your eyes,” Steve said, and held her hand at the same time. “Hmm. I’ve seen this before. You got me those parts for the dozer before Thanksgiving, right?”
“Yeah. What does that have to do with anything?”
Steve whispered in her ear. “I think you’re pregnant.”
“What?” Kay screeched and pulled back.
“Babies. They happen to the best of us. I just found out I’m going to be a father again while we were in Hawaii. You have that same look. If you were my wife or daughter, I’d tell you to first, get to the store and buy some pre-natal vitamins, then call and make an appointment with an obstetrician.” Steve saw the shocked, then sad look on her face. “Don’t tell me. You don’t have insurance and you haven’t heard from Jay since Lumpy got out of jail.”
“Okay. I won’t tell you. You seem to know everything already, anyhow.”
“Damn! I wish I knew where that kid was. He’s a good man, don’t get me wrong, but after Lumpy went after him with the shotgun, he fell off the radar. But you’re a tough one. You’ll make it. And I’ll throw all the business I can your way. And I’ll spread the word, but only to folks I know who’ll pay you. I’m pretty sure you’ll qualify for Medicaid, so get working on that right away.”
Steve looked back and saw that Alice was waiting for him to sign the check. “Here,” he said and scrawled his signature, “and this is my private cell number. I noticed you had a receipt from a hotel in the front seat of your car. Go find a decent apartment or duplex and I’ll help you get in to it. You know, do any heavy lifting, first and last month’s rent and security deposits, that sort of thing.”
Kay bowed her head, ashamed of the tears that were welling up. “Hey,” Steve said. “I may be finally getting that daughter I always wanted. If for some reason I couldn’t be around to help her when she needed it, I’d hope that someone like me would be there to get her out of a bind.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it.” She wiped her nose with the back of her coat sleeve. “All right. First to the store for vitamins and a pregnancy test, then I’ll let you know about the housing. I’m still not sure that I haven’t had a period because I’m starting menopause.”
“Pfft! You’re too young and um, I mean…” Steve was embarrassed and just waved the rest of the comment away. “Let me know when you find that apartment. I want to check it out and make sure it’s in a safe neighborhood.”
Kay waved the check he had given her in the air, “Until then, I’ll do my best to pay my own way,” then walked out of the building, headed to the bank and pharmacy.
As she pulled away, Alice walked out to stand next to Steve. “So, you didn’t tell her that Jay was working for you out on Shemya?”
“No, and don’t you tell her, either. If he were closer, I’d kick his ass. Her pregnancy is between the two of them.”
“No,” Alice said. “It’s between you and Kay. I don’t think Jay knows about it.” Steve glared at her. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell him. But I think someone should.”
Chapter 10
Early June
“I still don’t believe you, and what are you doing, calling me again? I told you in January that you’re full of crap and never to call me again!”
“Now, Jay, you and I got along just great before Kay came into the picture. I got some big jobs lined up here in Anchorage. Why don’t you come on back and help me get some of these old engines put back together? Kay still has that same boyfriend, but you should see her now, all swelly-belly, hanging all over that big dude. I think he’s a doctor or something.”
“You’re a liar, Lumpy. If words are coming out of your mouth, they’re lies.”
“Hey, if you don’t believe me, just call around to some of your old vendors. She’s still working. I guess that husband of hers wants her to quit, him being a doctor and all, but you know her. Little Miss Independence wants to work and earn her own way.”
Lumpy was grinning from ear to ear. He may have missed his former mechanic with that old shotgun, and those lazy good-for-nothings he hired to rearrange the features on Jay’s face wound up in the ER after he fought back and stopped them with his snow shovel, but getting back at him with lies and making him hate Kay was even better. He knew he didn’t have a chance to get into Kay’s pants, but now Jay wouldn’t get back into them, either.
***
“I need to order an o ring kit, some bearing mount compound, and has that parts gal Kay come in lately?”
Jay slapped his forehead, realizing how lame he sounded. Couldn’t he have worked it into the conversation with any finesse at all?
“What size range on the o rings, and yeah, Kay was in here yesterday. She looks like she’s going to pop any day, but says she has another month to go.”
Click!
“Hello? Hello? What in the heck was that about? Geez.”
***
Alice stuck her head into her boss’s office. “Steve, Jay just called in.”
“Good. I’ve been wanting to talk to him. He’s the hardest person to get in touch with. If he didn’t always get back to me via fax, I’d can his ass,” he said. “Come on in. What’d he say?”
“Well, he sounded out of sorts, like he was in a bind or something. Kinda crazy, if you know what I mean. He wasn’t making any sense. He said he hated to do it to you, but he had to quit. I asked if he wanted to talk to you about it; that you’d find a way to make things work out, but he said no and hung up.”
“He didn’t leave a number, did he?”
“No, sir. And the caller ID said private. I don’t even know if he was calling from the job site. You don’t think he got in trouble, do you?”
“No more than he’s already in. And of course, he’d have to do it in the middle of summer when every mechanic worth even half his wages is working somewhere else. Let me make a few phone calls and see if I can get a replacement. And call that job foreman and see if you can find out what in the hell is going on!”
***
“No, sir. I was in the field office when he came in from out at the crusher to make a phone call. Right after that, he came up to me and said he had to quit, sorry for the inconvenience, then scribbled his hours on an old envelope and said to direct deposit his pay like we have been.” The job foreman pulled the phone from his ear. “You don’t need to yell. I may be all the way out here in the Aleutians, but the land lines here work just fine. No, I didn’t ask who he called or what went on. I didn’t get a chance. He split so fast, he forgot his heavy coat. But not that damn cat. He did take her.
“Anyhow, I went back and hit redial on the phone he’d used. It was the bearing house. When I asked if Jay had just called in an order, they said the only call they’d had in the last hour was some crackpot looking for o ring kits who’d hung up. Sorry, Steve, but I don’t think he’s coming back. Hey, does that mean you’ll hire my nephew?”
“Can he lift eighty pounds and does he know the difference between AC and DC?”
“Yes, sir. And what he doesn’t know, I’ll show him. Still, it would be nice to have Jay back. I was sorta getting used to that mangy gray cat of his, too. She was the best mouser around. Shoot, she’d even take on rats as big as she was!”
***
You
imbecile. Now what are you going to do? Take an assumed name? Crap. Who are you hiding from and why? So, she broke your heart. It’s your own damned fault for not calling her. How was she supposed to feel? It’s not as if she was just a weekend fling, or an old girlfriend you popped in on when you got the hornies. You and Kay had a future planned. Maybe not in detail, but nothing could stop you two from creating a great business. She was someone you could trust. And now she went and married some doctor and is going to have his kid. To quote Kay, ‘Shit!’
***
“Steve, do you think your wife would let you take me to the hospital? I know she’s only been home a couple weeks, but I think it’s time.”
“Really, Kay? I mean, of course she will. She and the baby are fine. Oh, and thanks for that cute little kuspuk you made for Lily. Who would have thought to make a snuggle blanket like that? Keeps her bare little head warm when nursing. Oh, sorry. I’ll be right over. You do have your bag ready, right?”
“Ooh. Ouch. Yeah, robe and slippers. I’m set. The sooner you get here, the better, but don’t run any red lights.”
***
“Hey, weren’t you in here just last week with another pregnant woman?” the gray-haired woman at the admitting desk asked Steve.
“It was two weeks ago, but yes, I was. That lady was my wife. This is my…my friend,” he said with a flush.
“He’s one of my customers and the father couldn’t be here, so he’s stepping in,” Kay said and handed her the pre-registration papers.
The wrinkled crone administrator snorted in derision, and shuffled the papers to delay the sign in process. Another whore and her john.
