by Alexis Gold
Delaney was nervous, too. The way he looked at her after he slapped her. He knew he’d done something wrong, but he couldn’t stop himself. That’s what terrified her about her uncle. He couldn’t stop; he just couldn’t help himself.
She had hid her uniform under her mattress, and she hoped he wouldn’t find it. Tears suddenly threatened to overflow, and her eyes burned. A deep longing ached in the pit of her stomach. She wished her mother were here. She wished there was someone she could talk to, someone to be proud of her.
For hours she half dozed in a limbo state, not quite awake and not quite asleep. Her arms felt numb, and she rolled over onto her other side, facing the wall. Her uncle’s music had stopped, and she wondered if he was finally asleep. The sky outside was beginning to lighten. It had gone from the deepest color of navy blue, to a cerulean, and to a pale indigo. The sun hadn’t come up yet, but it was threatening to. Delaney closed her eyes again, trying to get at least a few hours of sleep.
The floorboards in the hallway creaked. She didn’t move, but her entire body tensed up. On alert, she listened carefully. They creaked again. Her uncle must be right outside her room. She didn’t dare move. She pretended to be asleep, slowing her breathing and keeping her eyes closed. Her heart was pounding in her throat and temples.
The doorknob turned slowly. Delaney held her breath, trying not to scream. She heard the door open and her uncle took one step at a time until she could feel him standing right over her bed. It took everything she had to stay perfectly still and not cry out.
His breathing was laborious and wet sounding, catching in his throat, and filling the room with the smell of stale whiskey. He stood there for an unbearably long time, looming over her bed, a reticent threat. The room was silent except for his breath and the sound of Delaney’s heart beating—she swore she could hear it.
Her uncle sat down on the side of her bed, his hips touching the back of her legs. She continued to pretend to be sleeping, but her body burned with repulsion. He reached out and touched her shoulder, then started to caress her cheek. She held her breath. He had to stop. He would stop. He lay down next to her on top of the blanket and groped her. Delaney couldn’t pretend any longer.
“Uncle Mike, stop! Get off!” She tried to sit up, but he held on to her.
“Where do you think you’re going, Shelly? You stay right where you are.”
“No!” she screamed. “Stop it.”
She struggled against him and managed to sit up. Shelly. He always did this when he got way too drunk. He’d mistake her for being his ex-wife.
“I’m not Shelly!” she screamed. “I’m your niece. I’m Delaney.”
She threw the bedding over his head and he fumbled in a sea of blankets, trying to paw his way out. Delaney scrambled out of bed and raced to the bathroom without looking back. She locked the door, and then double-checked it. Turning, she leaned her back against the door and slid down until her knees were in front of her chest.
She gripped them tightly, put her head in her hands and began to cry. Once she could breathe again, she listened for any sounds coming from her room, but it was silent, deafeningly silent. The light through the bathroom window was brighter than before. The sun had come up.
She decided to take a shower. She felt dirty. She could smell whiskey on her cheek from where her uncle had caressed it. When she turned the knob to turn the water on, it hissed and startled her back to reality. She was no longer scared. Now, she was angry. How many times would he do this? How much more could she put up with? She had to leave. She promised herself then and there that she’d be out of this house within a week.
She took a long, hot shower, and attempted to quiet her mind. Her hands shook as she massaged her scalp with shampoo. The water poured down on her, and washed away the stench of desperation that followed her uncle wherever he staggered. She focused on feeling clean and refreshed, and by the time she turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, she felt more grounded.
Wrapping a towel around her, she put her ear to the door to see if she could hear any movement on the other side. Nothing. She was almost positive he was passed out. He must have been incredibly drunk to have come into her room and call her Shelly. Shelly had left him years ago.
Delaney felt disgusted and sorry for him at the same time. On tiptoes, she crept into the hallway, and toward her room. Before she even peered inside, she could hear him snoring. Her uncle lay on her bed, the blankets still thrown over him. She shook her head. Pathetic.
She grabbed a changed of clothes and her purse off the floor, went back to the bathroom to change, and left the house just as the sun was peeking over the trees. It was hours until her shift started, but she decided to take a long walk to stretch her legs and clear her mind.
Chapter Four
Even though Delaney’s morning had been awful, the world outside was beautiful. It was another glorious sunny day, strange for wintertime. Birds sang as she strode past the trees. Not a single cloud marked the sky. She passed the local bank and noticed a man standing in front of the large wooden doors, frozen in front of them as if time for him had stopped.
Then, two women came out of the bank, arm in arm. They seemed to disorient and startle him. Only then did she notice it was Wade. He stood for a moment longer, shook his head, and then entered. Delaney didn’t know why she noticed the unfolding of this scene, but it left an impression on her.
She wondered what business Wade had there. Her uncle wouldn’t go to this bank. He said it was crooked and corrupt, but her uncle talked about a lot of things he knew nothing about. She thought she might say something to Wade the next time she saw him, which she hoped would be later that day.
Delaney arrived two hours early for her shift. She sat at the counter drinking coffee and reading a book that Verna had given her to pass the time. It was called Well-behaved Women Seldom Make History. Delaney was embarrassed by how appropriate the title was; she felt as if this was the exact book she needed to be reading right now.
“What’s wrong, dear?” Verna asked her.
Delaney thought she was doing a good job of concealing her distress, but apparently she wasn’t. She shook her head, and cautioned Verna, “It’s too much to explain.”
Verna put her hand on the younger woman’s shoulder and said, “I’m here for you, dear, if you need me.” And then the bell above the door rang, and she was off to help the customer who had just walked in.
Delaney closed the book and stirred her coffee. It was cold, but she didn’t seem to notice. When she looked up at the clock, she realized it was almost time for her shift. She groped in her bag for her uniform, and then remembered it was at home under her mattress. She cursed her uncle. He made her life so miserable.
Catching Verna when she had a free moment was difficult as the diner was busy, but she managed to ask for another uniform to borrow for the afternoon. Verna frowned at her, but ultimately said she understood after Delaney explained what happened. She didn’t realize she was going to dump the whole story on Verna then, but once she got started, it all surged out of her like an inevitable downpour.
Verna handed her an extra uniform and said she could keep it at the diner if she needed to. Delaney thanked her, and Verna gave her a motherly and heartening hug.
Delaney changed in the bathroom and looked at her face in the mirror for the first time since last night. Her cheek was slightly red and puffy from where her uncle had slapped her. It was sore to the touch. She swallowed and tucked her hair behind her ears.
She couldn’t do this any longer. She had to find another place to live. Someone knocked on the bathroom door. Startled, Delaney grabbed her clothes, stuffed them in her purse, unlocked the door, and went out to start her shift.
Today went by faster than yesterday. It was substantially busier, and Verna had her
doing more than simple cleaning tasks. She started taking orders and running food. She had an aptitude for remembering orders without having to write them down, and sh
e enjoyed interacting with all the people who came in.
Halfway through her shift, Verna told her she was doing a great job and gave her a break. Delaney took her apron off and sat down to have a piece of pie at one of the tables. She just happened to lift her head and look out the window when she saw her uncle crossing the street, heading straight for the diner. Her first thought was, “How did he find me?” which was followed by, “Please God, don’t let him come in here.” Luckily the diner was busy and nobody noticed her slip outside and divert him before he blundered his way inside. He saw her uniform and gawked, but Delaney could tell he felt more saddened than angry—at least right then. She couldn’t tell if he was just hung over or if he had started drinking again.
“Come home, Delaney. You don’t need to be working here,” he mumbled, slurring his words, and not looking at her directly.
“Yes, I do, Uncle Mike. Now please, go home. I have to get back to work. Please, Uncle Mike.”
She managed to convince him to let her go back inside, and fortunately, he didn’t follow her. When she got inside and looked out the window, just to check, he was hobbling in the opposite direction. A huge sigh of relief escaped her throat as his silhouette got smaller.
Verna was watching her. Hiding the shame and embarrassment she felt was impossible, so she just put her head down and went back to work. She was able to distract herself, and the customers were all so friendly and welcoming that Delaney began to forget what a terrible time she’d been having at home.
When Wade arrived, just as she hoped he would, her heart quickened and she smiled at him, relieved. He came and sat down at the counter. Delaney got him a cup of coffee, and they talked a little. She told him she’d be off at eight o’clock, and he said he’d wait for her. He looked so handsome, his red curls escaping out from under his black Stetson. She felt her face flush and turned so it wasn’t so obvious. She went back to work.
When she looked back in Wade’s direction, another young man was sitting with him. He had short brown hair and a full beard. He was much louder than Wade. As the two of them talked, she could hear his voice above everyone else’s. They were talking about the bank.
Delaney’s ears perked up. Eavesdropping, she discovered Wade had gone to the bank that morning to discuss a letter he’d gotten in the mail. Jacob said that he and a number of other ranchers had gotten the same letter, and now, half of them were bankrupt. The bank was running a scam, and there seemed to be nothing they could do about it.
She chanced looking up, and Wade was looking directly at her. Did he realize she was listening in? She turned quickly, and asked another customer if they’d like a refill of coffee. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jacob motion to her, and she walked over to refill his cup as well.
Wade put his cup out, and she almost spilled hot coffee on him, distracted by his smile. She wondered what Wade was going to do about the bank, and if there was anything he could do.
Putting the coffee pot back in its place, she heard Verna say her name. She looked up, and saw her uncle as he blundered into the diner. He banged into the coat rack, knocking off a sweater or two, and staggered to the counter. Delaney cursed him under her breath, and then hurried over to him.
“What are you doing here?” she whispered. “I told you to go home.”
“I promised your mother—”
“I know what you promised her. Please, Uncle Mike, just go home,” she pleaded. She was keenly aware that Wade was watching her, and she needed to get her uncle out of there as quickly as possible.
Her uncle nodded and swiveled on the stool. Verna walked over and asked if everything was all right. Delaney looked from her to her uncle and back. Verna suggested she take him for a walk to get him out of the diner. It was a good idea.
“Come on, Uncle Mike. Let’s get out of here.” She grabbed him firmly by the arm, and dragged him out.
He followed placidly, dragging his feet. They got about a half a block before he started yelling at her, asking her what she was thinking, taking a job as a waitress, that she needed to go back to school, that she should have asked before getting a job at the worst diner in town.
When he said that, she began tuning him out. He was bent on making her feel terrible, and she decided she wouldn’t let him do that any longer. Every time she tried to turn and head back to the diner, he raised his voice and hurried after her. Finally, she realized she’d have to walk him all the way home. There was no way she’d make it back to the diner in time to finish her shift.
Her heart sank as she remembered Wade. She had been so consumed with getting her uncle out of the diner that she’d forgotten to say something to him. She felt terrible; she had not intended to stand him up. She hoped desperately that he’d forgive her. Lost in her thoughts, she just noticed her uncle stumbling away, headed in the direction of a little dive bar halfway down the block.
Watching until he disappeared into the building, she turned and rushed back toward the diner. Looking down at her watch, she noted that she had another half hour left of her shift. If she went as fast as she could, she might be able to make it. Her feet hurt from all the walking, but she pushed herself to take longer steps. A light layer of sweat glistened on her forehead, but there was a light breeze to cool her. The sun was almost down, but it was still light out. Dusk.
There weren’t many cars on the road, so when a red pickup coming toward her began to slow down, she noticed. She slowed her pace and tried to peer inside the window, but she couldn’t see anything. The car pulled over to the curb and parked about twenty feet in front of her. The driver’s door opened, and Wade stepped out.
“Delaney?”
“Oh, Wade. It’s you.”
“I waited for you at the diner, but you never came back. I saw you as I was driving home just now. What happened?”
“It’s a long story. I know that it’s late, but are you still interested in spending some time together?” Delaney asked, hoping the answer would be yes.
“I would love to,” Wade said, the concern melting away and the smile returning to his lips.
“Do you think you could drive me back to the diner? I need to talk to Verna and change out of my uniform.”
“Of course.”
She hopped into his pickup, and he drove her back to the diner. They didn’t say much in the car. Wade hadn’t had anyone in his car other than John. To have a woman, a woman he liked, sitting in the seat next to him made his heart pound. He glanced over at her as he drove. She was looking out the window. When she turned her head, he was looking back at the street. They both grinned shyly to themselves.
Back at the diner, Verna was just cleaning up. She was about to lock the doors when they approached.
Delaney apologized for not coming back sooner.
“Oh, sweetie, it is just fine. Don’t worry about it. It died down after you left.” She glanced from Delaney to Wade.
“Wade picked me up on my way back. He was nice enough to offer me a ride.”
“I see,” Verna said, her eyebrows arching and the corners of her lips turning up.
“Well, I was just about to leave, but I know Wade didn’t eat any dinner while he was here, and I’m sure you must be hungry. Would the two of you like to stay and eat here?”
“Verna, that would be lovely,” Delaney replied.
“All right then, it’s settled. I’ll leave a set of keys with you—just make sure you bring them back tomorrow.”
“Of course. Thank you so much.”
Verna left the two of them surprised and standing after hours in the diner. Not another soul was in the building. They looked at each other, and Delaney shrugged.
“Well, I guess I better make us something to eat,” she said.
“That would be wonderful.”
Delaney put the set of keys that Verna gave her into her apron pocket and headed toward the kitchen. Wade followed her to the counter and took a seat on a stool.
“I’m honestly not much of a cook,” Delaney
hollered from the kitchen. “But let me see. We could make grilled cheese sandwiches.”
“That sounds great.”
“Come on back and give me a hand.”
Wade slipped off the stool and stepped behind the counter. He felt as if he was breaking some kind of rule. He’d been coming to the diner for years and years, but he had never gone behind the counter. It was a different world back there.
“I’ve never been behind the counter before,” Wade told her. “Are you sure it’s okay?”
“Of course, Wade. Get back here.”
