by M Dauphin
"Tripped." She chuckles. "Hey, I was wondering if there's any work for me today?"
"Shouldn't you be in school?" I ask checking my phone for the time.
"Half day." She smirks and her eyes skim my bare chest, making me hella uncomfortable.
"I got nothing," I quickly respond.
"Travis?" Bev calls out and I huff, knowing once she sees this girl, she'll put her to work. "Oh, hi." She smiles, approaching.
"Lunch ready, BB?" I ask, trying to get her back inside.
"Yes. Come on. There's enough." She opens the gate and the girl comes in like a rat following crumbs.
She's just a kid, and she did save my life, but we don't need this kind of trouble around here. That black eye didn't come from a fall. She probably got into a fight at school and got suspended or something. Now she's here probably to rob Bev.
I watch her through lunch and her eyes stay on her plate while she quietly eats. Afterward, Bev suggests I take her to the field. We could use the hands, but I'm still skeptical about this girl.
"What's the real story? Why weren't you in school?" I ask as we ride out into the orchard.
"Uh, hello. Did you see my eye?" she snickers.
"Black eyes are allowed in school."
"Not in my case without CPS being called, and I really can't lose a place to stay right now."
"Wait." I release the accelerator and before she falls off from the abrupt stop, I grab her shoulder. "Your dad did this to you?" I snap, trying to see her face but she turns away.
"My brother. I don't have a dad. And my mom don't give a shit."
"What the hell! How old's your brother?"
"Twenty-two."
"You've never called the cops?" Man, I can't get involved in this but I can't sit by idly while this little girl's brother beats on her.
"My mom lies for him. It's not a big deal, but my counselor caught on and she thinks it's my mom. She's gonna try and get CPS involved. I'll be eighteen in like ten months, then I can get the hell out."
"No! Fuck no!" I shout and jump off the four-wheeler.
"Oh my God. Chill out, dude," she scoffs.
"We're calling the sheriff. Right now."
"Oh my God!" She hops off. "No! Fuck you, dude! But no! I just need some money, okay? That's why I'm here. If you're not gonna let me work, I'm getting the hell out of here!" She starts to march toward the house and I jog up behind her, but before I grab her arm, I just yell, "Wait!" With a pout, she turns around. "Let's do some work," I huff and walk back to the four-wheeler, not really sure what I should do. Bev would know.
Things are quiet the next few hours, but I keep her on the trees by me because I forgot a walkie.
"Travis, this is bad, right?" she calls out and I start to feel guilty I can't remember her name.
She's holding a cherry that's on the brink of being too ripe and I nod. "Put ones like this in a separate crate. BB can make pies with them."
"Do you do this shit all day?" She looks up at me.
"Yeah, but I like it. It's quiet. I can listen to music. Don't have to deal with other people." I toss a soft cherry at her head and she laughs, stumbling away.
"Isn't it like, dangerous though? ‘Cause you're allergic to bees or whatever?"
"I'm usually more careful. I was trying to get you two the hell out of here." I chuckle and she scoffs, acting offended.
"We were really annoying yesterday," she mutters, looking away like she's embarrassed.
"You guys weren't that bad. I'm just used to working alone." I start pulling from her tree, feeling bad for the girl, and I'm still trying to figure out what to do.
I know what it's like to get slapped around. My dad would get rough with us sometimes, but we always deserved it. We never learned our lessons. But if my brother wailed on me like hers did her, I woulda killed him. Plus she's a girl. Probably weighs a hundred and ten pounds.
"Hey, what about your friend? Can't you stay at her place or something?"
"Brooklyn's only sixteen. Her parents don't like us hanging out. My brother doesn't do shit like this all the time. He's a truck driver and goes out of town a lot. I just want to save up some money so I can move out at eighteen."
"You can't be missing school 'cause of black eyes. You shouldn't even have black eyes."
"It's cool." She smiles up at me, tucking her hair behind her ear and I can see the gears turning in a direction they shouldn't be.
"It's not cool. We gotta get you some help. You're just a kid."
The gear reverses and she moves away some. "I'm not a kid. I'm seventeen. I can move out right now if I wanted."
"You can't rent a place until you're eighteen."
"I probably could. I'd just lie."
"Smart. Lying, skipping school. You're on the path to being an exemplary young woman." When you've already been down that road, you can judge it.
"Oh my God. Like you should talk. How old are you? Like twenty-three and you're covered in tattoos. I've never even seen someone with so many tattoos. You have a tattoo on your throat." She winces. "Didn't that hurt? What about the ones on your head?"
I chuckle at her guess at my age. "I'm a hell of a lot older than twenty-three. I've been collecting these for years." That's not entirely a lie, but I did obtained most of them before I was twenty-one. When you apprentice at a tattoo parlor, you need a canvas, and if your mentor wants one too, you offer any blank skin you have.
"Well whatever, but you can't lecture me because I want to lie about my age to get the hell away from my brother."
I sigh, remembering why we're talking about this. "You gotta do something about this shit."
"I am. That's why I'm here, making money."
"More work, less talk," I grumble.
It's five before I realize it and I need to get out of here but I don't want to just send this girl home.
"BB," I whisper and walk her toward her bedroom. "That girl is having some trouble at home. That's where the black eye came from."
She gasps and frowns.
"I don't know what to do. Call the cops?"
"What's she want to do, Trav?" she quietly asks.
"She said it's no big deal. It's her brother. BB, I don't know what to do for this girl."
"She can stay here," she suggests.
"Hell no," I snicker. "Not unless I'm staying and I can't tonight."
"Hello?" the girl calls out.
"Just a minute, Violet," Bev calls back and I try to store her name. "What should we do, Travis?"
"Shit." I huff. "Violet, can I take you to stay somewhere tonight?" I ask, finding her in the kitchen.
"Yeah, home. My brother's not home," she quietly says and I'm not sure I should believe her, but why would she lie and willingly go home to abuse?
I look over at Bev who's got a sad but reassuring smile on her face and she gives me a soft nod. She knows better than me.
Walking over to her, I kiss her head. "Call me if you need anything. I'm just going to be with Jeff."
"Jeff…is that the one I like?"
"Uh, no." I chuckle because Bev hates Jeff. "Jeff's the one getting divorced."
"Oh," she mutters with contempt in her voice. "Be safe, Travis. That one…that one's a pain in the dupiyash."
I laugh and look at Violet who's trying not to giggle. "She says that means ass."
"It does and that Jeff is a dupiyash," Bev grumbles going to the fridge.
"I'll see you in the morning. Let's go, Violet."
"Thanks, Ms. Bouchard."
"Tuck in tight. You're welcome back anytime. Plenty of work." Bev smiles at her then glances toward me. Before I follow the girl out the door, Bev grabs my arm. "Careful with that one, Trav," she whispers. "She's fragile. Impressionable."
I snicker. "I'm not a bad influence."
"I mean a man paying attention to a young girl will put the wrong thoughts in her head."
I worried about that, but I'm not going to just let this girl get the shit kicked out of her. "You wa
nted me to persuade them to stay the other day by flaunting my body, Bev."
We laugh and she says, "That was for the good of the farm. I'm warning you for the good of a little girl's heart."
"I won't let her think anything she shouldn't. Text me before bed." I quickly kiss her forehead and leave. Clearing my throat, I buckle up. "So, look, I'm eleven years older than you and stuff."
"What?" She scowls over at me.
"Like, I don't want you to get any ideas because I want to try and help you out. You're a kid."
"I'm not a kid, and you're lame. I don't like you. You're allergic to bees." She laughs at me.
Rolling my eyes. "Ha, ha. Hilarious a tiny insect can kill me. Tell me where you live," I say as I pull off Bev's drive.
As we approach a lone house with the porch light on, I slow down. "You sure you're cool here tonight? I could have a talk with your brother or something," I offer, not really wanting to do that.
"I'm totally cool. He's not home. Thanks, Trav. Can I come back to the farm tomorrow?"
With a sigh, I look into her face and stare at the black eye that'll take at least the weekend to settle. "Yeah. The earlier you get there, the better, okay? You have a chance to make some good money tomorrow."
"Thanks." She gets out and darts for the house.
"Fuck, man." I groan, wishing I were the same asshole I was years ago. I wouldn't give a shit about that little girl's wellbeing. It was every man for himself when I was younger. All was fair in the world.
I pull into my driveway to Jeff waiting.
"The fuck!" he bitches when he gets out and he's already a few in.
"I'm not tattooing you drunk, man," I huff.
"Fuck you, I'm not drunk."
"Dude, I'm serious. You're going to bleed all over my house." I unlock the door and catch Peter as he lunges at my chest. "Hey, buddy." We go through our routine before he darts for the kitchen. "Close the door before you let Pete out, asshole."
"Who names their fuckin' cat Pete?" This seems to be mine and Jeff's routine too.
"Hey, dude," I call from the kitchen. "Let's just skip the bar and throw a few back here."
"Uh, no. I'm gonna get laid tonight."
I glance at him then turn for the refrigerator. He says it every time, and by the end of every night, he's in tears, drunk texting his ex. The guy's a wreck and I really feel for him.
"I really don't want to go. No offense." I mumble into the phone, still lying in bed.
I left work an hour ago, came home and went straight to bed. This week has been tiring…rewarding, but tiring. A couple I helped match almost two years ago got engaged today and Facebook streamed it. Another happy couple from three years ago announced they're pregnant. The site has been all kinds of busy making those announcements. This is where we differ from other sites. We like to keep up with our clientele and make sure things are working out. When we have two big, life-changing events like these in one week, add on top an otherwise busy schedule, things just feel nonstop. It's only Thursday, but I feel like I could sleep all weekend.
"I'm not giving your ass a choice. Get out of bed," Frankie barks the order into the phone and I'm glad she can't see me roll harder into the blankets.
"Night, Frankie. I'll talk to you tomorrow morning, as usual. Don't get into too much trouble out there." I end the call and slide the phone to the nightstand and on top of my wireless charger before closing my eyes again.
She's better off having a night away from me tonight anyway. I don't feel too 'fun' lately. Portland is a great place to go out and mingle, but I'm not much a mingler. Frankie, on the other hand, could have hours on end of conversation with a stranger.
"NOPE!" I hear as soon as I start to drift off to sleep. Shooting up in bed, my front door slams and I laugh to myself. She couldn't just give me a night off. "Up, up, up, up!" she sings, the light flicking on makes me squint.
"I'm not going, Frankie. Call Kevin. He'll be more than happy to hang out with you." I grin, lying back down. The beastly noises coming from her tell me she's not up for negotiation. The covers that were just yanked off my warm body tell me not to argue.
"Ass. Up. Now." God, she's so demanding.
I huff and sit up, flinging my feet over the side of the bed. "I have nothing clean to wear."
"You do. I'll find something. Never fear." We sit in silence except for the screeching of wire hangers on the closet rod. "You're wearing a dress. Put it on. Now."
I roll my eyes and stand, stripping off my tank and shorts and slipping the soft dress over my head. I hate dresses, but at least this one is comfortable.
Frankie and I never had much of a closed off relationship. We were kind of forced into this best friends/sisters/soul mate type of bond, so it's not weird when we strip in front of each other. My parents are convinced we lez out together, and as many times as I've told them I'm not into girls, I still don't feel like they believe me. Frankie likes to tease me about it, and there's a part of me that wonders if she's secretly into chicks. But I'd rather not make things like stripping my clothes off in front of her to change outfits become awkward.
"Your bra doesn't match." She laughs, rummaging through my drawer and tossing another to me.
"You're so picky," I grumble, changing quickly.
"Just want what's best for my girl."
"I feel like you have ulterior motives for tonight, Frankie. I'll go for a drink. Then I'm coming home."
"Well your ride is going for a good time, therefore you are too. Come on, Kevin's waiting in the parking lot for us."
"You did call him!" I laugh as she drags me out of my bedroom. I barely have time to tell Gus goodbye and grab my bag before she's pulling me out the front door and I have to jog to keep up with her.
We stop just as we exit the door outside and she lets out an annoyed huff. "I didn't call him."
I bite my lip, trying to tame my grin. "So he just showed up here?"
"No. He called. I invited."
I snicker and she punches me in the arm, effectively shutting me up.
"Not a word. He's a good person."
"That he is." I follow her out hand in hand and smile as I slide into the backseat of Kevin's car.
"Ladies. Looking as beautiful as ever tonight," he croons. "Wait, Charlie, you're in a dress! You own a dress?!"
"It's not mine," I grumble.
"I pulled her sorry ass out of bed." Frankie laughs.
"You didn't want to come out with us tonight? I'm hurt, I thought you liked me more than that."
I smile sweetly and lay my head back on the seat, closing my eyes. "I was napping. And you guys would have way more fun without me. I'm exhausted."
"Poppycock," Kevin scoffs, making Frankie laugh a laugh that brings a smile to my face.
"We'll get a few drinks in ya and you'll be feeling all kinds of fun, don't worry, babe." She reaches back and pats me on the knee and I pull away.
"Just let me nap in the car. I'll be just fine."
They both laugh but leave me be. I'm not normally this exhausted, maybe it's just the heat, or maybe it's just my workaholic tendencies, or the lack of sleep lately, but it's all catching up with me. When Frankie finds out, she's going to tell me to slow the hell down and take a minute to experience life.
The bar's packed by the time we get here and the noise level is insane. Everywhere we walk, I'm bumping into at least one body. Frankie grabs my hand and we make our way through the crowd.
"Right by the bathrooms! Perfect!" Frankie giggles and slides into the booth before me.
"I'm heading to the bar ladies. Any special requests?"
"I'm okay for now. Thanks, Kev."
"She'll have a Manhattan, Kevin. Make it two."
"You're so demanding, Francis Eileen. What would your parents think?" I pretend to be shocked at her behavior but it's nothing new. We're all used to it by now. She definitely doesn't beat around any bush.
"Ha!" she barks. "My parents haven't talked to me since I moved here, Ch
arlie. And you know how much I hate that name."
"Can I call you Frank?"
"We've been over this too. No. Can I call you Chuck?"
"Ewe. No. Gah, no," I blurt, shaking off the ick of that name.
I huff and my phone dings from my purse. My finger twitches, trying to fight turning on my Bluetooth that's hidden by my hair. That lasted about forty-five seconds. Tapping my ear, I turn on the piece of technology that I'd be lost without.
"When'd you put that in?! This isn't a work night, Charlie!" Frankie scoffs.
"Shh, I'm listening to a message."
"Hey! It's Devon from last week. Brandi, the one you set me up with? She's beautiful. I think I love her. Is that normal? To love someone in the first week?"
I cringe. Not a good sign.
"Anyway, just wanted to say thanks. I've never been so happy!" The call ends and I make a mental note to get in touch with Brandi to make sure they're on the same page. I may have to have a chat with Devon.
"Can you take that out so we can enjoy tonight please?" When I don't budge, she demands, "Hand it over."
I roll my eyes and pull the small piece from my ear, handing it over to her.
"Thank you. You can have it back in the morning."
"Morning?! I'm getting it back tonight."
"We'll see."
Ignoring her, I start devising a plan to get it back. It's usually connected to me at all times. You never know when a hot lead for the site will come in…or my parents will call. Regardless if I have much of a social life, I almost feel naked without it.
"Ladies, your drinks," Kevin announces, sliding the glasses onto the table.
The cool glass presses against my lips and I let the liquid flow through my system. Dinner should have been a priority tonight, but I slept through it.
"Let's get this party started!" Frankie cheers and lets out a hiss after she drinks her glass down in a few gulps.
We spend the next few hours downing drinks and enjoying each other's company. It sounds lame since we spend every day together anyway, but not having to worry about work for once feels nice.
"I'm done," I sing, finishing off my fourth Long Island iced tea. After the two Manhattans and shot of Fireball Frankie forced down my throat, I was feeling just perfect. Now, I forced a fourth drink and my head is spinning. I'm not entirely certain I could make it to the bathroom if I tried.