(Don't Mess With) Clear Lake Women

by Linda Hadaway

  Sunday forced herself to turn towards him and fake a smile. She felt her lips quiver. “Spaced today. I think I’m going to start my period.”

  Duffy frowned, rolled his eyes and walked towards the door. “I don’t need to hear about that.”

  She turned back to the computer and tried to focus. Seconds later the front door opened and closed. She placed her hands in her lap and attempted to soothe her jitters. She reflected on the night before. The alcohol and anger had given her a false sense of defiance that could have ended in disaster. She had to be more careful.

  The diesel truck started up. Sunday waited until she knew he had turned onto the highway. A moment later she stood and looked, just to make sure. She walked quickly towards the back room and opened the safe. She had methodically gone through the upper stack of files, paperwork and contracts. She slid out another handful, carefully noticing the file above and below. They had to be placed back in order. Sunday held the bundle closely to her chest and stood up.

  “There you are!”

  Sunday reeled in terror. There was no place to run! She turned quickly towards the voice, hoping to have a second to come up with an excuse.

  “Oh! Hey, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you!”

  “Michael!” Her heart pounded so hard she could hear it. He must see it! She placed her hand to her thumping chest. “I wasn’t expecting anyone.”

  Michael appeared embarrassed. “I, uh, should have knocked.”

  Sunday flashed a smile. God, I hope he doesn’t mention to Duffy I was getting papers out of the safe.

  “No, it’s all right. I’m just having...being here alone sometimes makes me jumpy.”

  Sunday sat the files on the table next to the safe. Then she knelt and closed the safe, locking it in place. Don’t mention it. He’ll be less suspicious if I don’t bring any attention to it.

  “Coffee?” she offered, smiling.

  “Uh...” Michael glanced towards the door once again. “Okay. One quick cup.”

  He took a step closer to her. She reached up into the cupboard to get a cup. Her outstretched hand caused her long sleeved blouse to ride up her arm. Too late, she realized her bruised wrist was all too visible. She grabbed the cup and set it down on the counter; pulling her arm in front of her and pulling the sleeve back down.

  “What happened there?”

  “Huh?” she asked, handing him the coffee with her left hand.

  Michael frowned. He reached for her injured arm. Sunday pulled back defensively and crossed her arms.

  “What?” Sunday glared at him. She felt her eyes moisten.

  Michael shifted his stance. His face took on a hard look. “Nothing.” He glanced out the window. He took a sip of coffee and glanced at her. Perhaps contemplating. He set the cup down. “Thanks for the coffee.”

  Sunday stood ridged, watching him walk out the door and towards his truck. When he took a step into the vehicle, Sunday found herself running to the door. “Michael!”

  He turned quickly to face her.

  “I, uh...I’m fine.”

  He nodded and stared at her. “If you ever need anything... You know where I am.”

  She crossed her arms and gave him a nod in return.

  “You’d have a job, too.”

  Sunday outstretched her hand. “You won’t say...”

  “I haven’t been here.” He slammed the truck door hard and sat for a moment before he drove away.

  She was sure Michael wouldn’t say anything to Duffy. He’d been around the block. He probably knew if he said anything to Duffy, he’d take it out on her. Michael didn’t want anything bad happening. She could tell that. Michael would probably take it a step further if she asked. She didn’t want that to happen either. She wanted out of the marriage with as little blood as possible.

  Chapter 19

  Roxy walked down the hall to the door marked “Housekeeping.” She opened the door, stepped inside, and took a hold of a vacuum cleaner. She turned it around before she noticed the note attached: “broken.”

  “Ah, damn.” She gave it a shove. Out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of the monstrosity, off in the far corner of the room. The old heavy duty vacuum had a slight layer of dust on the elongated bag. “Hummpf.” Roxy walked over and looked the machine up and down. “I could go all the way downstairs and bring up another vacuum, but Ebby is probably using it.”

  She took the handle and wheeled the old Hoover out of the room, closing the door behind her. The wheels squeaked loudly. Roxy opened up the motel room and pushed it inside. “If it wasn’t for Miss Louise, I wouldn’t bother with you. But I gotta get those dust bunnies, or there will be hell to pay.”

  Roxy plugged it in and, surprisingly, the vacuum roared to life and went right to work. Off into the bedroom. She got down on her hands and knees, pulled the hose loose and reached under the bed as far as she could go. There, in the back, a few puffs of fuzz and lint lay. Roxy pulled harder on the hose and was still just a few inches short of reaching the dust bunnies. “Ahhg,” she said and pulled harder. Suddenly the hose jerked out of her hand. Roxy scooted out from under the bed a few inches, but when she turned her head, she saw that the vacuum had tipped back from her pulling too hard on the hose, exposing the beater bar brushes whipping around and around. Stuck under the bed, her body filled with tension; a claustrophobic feeling overtook her. She had to get out from under the bed. Her head was bent in an odd manner as she continued to try to scoot backwards. A searing sharp pain went through her neck muscles from the odd tilt and strain. She felt like she was suffocating and panicked. She was able to turn her head back around and crawled backwards a few more inches when she felt her hair being yanked from her head. “Ayyeiii!” The Hoover had her hair! She reached behind her, trying to push the vacuum away, but it only tilted it up higher, where it grabbed more of her hair. Roxy screamed and tried to yank free, but in doing so, her face was now exposed to the old brushes which spun quickly on her tender skin. “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” Roxy pulled her other arm in front of her and she battled with the machine until she was able to get it away from her. She scrambled the rest of the way from under the bed and jumped up, kicking the machine again and again. “Fucker!” The machine continued to roar loudly; the brushes kept on spinning. Roxy reached down and grabbed the cord, and yanked it from the wall plug-in. The Hoover died. The brushes slowly turned to a stop.

  Roxy stood and stared at the machine, unable to comprehend what just happened. She saw a hunk of short blonde hair on the floor. It took a couple of seconds before it registered it was hers. She reached up and patted her head until her hand landed on, what felt like, a spot where her hair didn’t feel as thick. Still in shock, she walked into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Her face, usually a pale ivory, now half her face was scratched and red. Her breath came in heavy pants. The perspiration beaded up on her forehead. Her t-shirt glued to her slender frame from her panicked-driven-adrenalin-rush-sweat.

  “Oh, man.” Roxy moaned, staring at her reflection. “I look like shit!” Roxy turned her face, checking out the damage. “Frig!” After a moment she turned and walked back into the living room, plugged in the vacuum and worked the carpet. “Better not try to fuck me up again,” she scolded the machine.

  When she finally finished cleaning and airing out the room for Miss Louise, it was time for her lunch break. She trudged down the stairs into the small lounge area and opened the refrigerator. No sooner had she picked up her lunch bag when Meredith came around the corner from the lobby.

  “Roxy! I’ve been looking for you.”

  “Oh?” Roxy set her lunch on the table.

  “Yes. Mari fell off the slide and the school nurse thinks she broke her leg. I have to go. Can you please watch the desk for awhile? It may take a few hours?” Her eyes were pleading.

  “Can’t Caroline...”

  Meredith shook her head. “She’s out sick. Besides, you’ve watched the desk before.”

  “Only for a f
ew minutes...”Roxy did not want that responsibility.

  “Roxy, there’s no one else. Charles had to go to Seattle. You’ll be fine. Call me on my cell if you need anything.” She stared at Roxy for a moment. “What happened to your face? The side of it is...scratched.”

  Roxy waved. “It’s a long story.”

  “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” She turned and hurried out of the room. Roxy stood with her mouth hanging open. She couldn’t just do that! Leave her here alone!

  “Dammit! I’m eating my lunch! I won’t do anything.” Roxy sat down and un-wrapped her egg salad on whole wheat sandwich. “Uhmm. After my morning!”She took a big bite, chewing with enthusiasm. Just as she swallowed, the desk phone rang. “No frigging way!” She stared at the desk in the lobby. “I’m eating. Call someone who cares!”

  After the fourth ring, Roxy got up and answered the phone. There was only a dial tone in her ear. “Of course! What else would I expect?” She hung up the phone and turned back to her lunch. Just as she was ready to sit down, the phone started again. “Dammit anyway!”

  She reached for the phone and stopped. “Okay, Roxy, simmer down. It wasn’t her fault she had to go. Besides, I should be thinking about poor Mari. What a bummer if she broke her leg.” Still, the thought of the responsibility caused her hands to shake when she picked up the receiver. “Valley Motel.” Her voice sounded so pleasant; it even surprised her.

  The caller inquired about the price of the room and made a reservation for the following weekend. Roxy took the credit card information over the phone, writing it all down on a note pad. She hung up and glanced at the clock.

  “Crap! Miss Louise will be here in a few hours!” She looked up the number of the flower shop that Meredith used for special guests.

  “Yes, this is Roxy at The Valley Motel. Miss Louise is coming today and...”

  “Oh, yes,” the woman’s voice on the other end said and she chuckled. “Meredith already ordered them. They should be there later today.”

  “Oh, yes...” Roxy stopped and remembered something Miss Louise had told her. “Today, we’d like something different. Could you bring a bouquet with lots of irises?”

  “Well...” she paused as if thinking, “I already have the other arrangement of red roses ready...”

  “We’ll take them both...if you can... I’ll see if someone can pick them up later today, if that’s going to be a problem.”

  “No. I’ve got some time right now. I can do it. Meredith is such a sweetheart.”

  “Thank you very very much!” Roxy hung up the phone, knowing that Miss Louise would be delighted with the bouquet. She walked back to the lounge area and retrieved her lunch, bringing it to the reception desk.

  The phone rang again and Roxy answered with more enthusiasm. “Valley Motel. How can I help you?”

  * * * *

  An hour later, a family of five walked in. The man was quite large. His round wife walked in behind him and two young teenage girls, followed behind her, arguing about something.

  “I’ve got reservations. Name’s Jensen. Michael.”

  Roxy looked on the computer. She couldn’t find him listed. She heard the girls snicker and glanced up in time to see one girl motion at Roxy’s hair. She felt her face grow hot as she continued to look for “Jensen, Michael.” However, she did have blonde hair, red ends. Jewelry stuck here and there on her face. Not an ordinary motel clerk. She scrolled forward.

  “I’m sorry. Could it be listed under another name?”

  “Oh, for crying out loud! I made the damn reservation a couple of weeks ago.” His voice was as gruff as his looks.

  “Excuse me, sir. Did you need one room with two doubles?”

  “No. I ordered two rooms close to each other. One King and one with twin beds.”

  Roxy looked quickly through the rooms. There was one reservation for number twenty-four, but she could move that one to room fifteen. Twenty-four had a king sized bed and twenty-two had twin beds. She would need to call Ebby and see if they were ready. “Hold on just a minute, sir.”

  She got the radio and called for Ebby.

  “Hey, what are you doing calling me?” Ebby inquired.

  “I’ll get back to you later on that. Are rooms twenty-four and twenty-two ready?”

  “I’m almost done with twenty-two. Give me five.”

  Roxy turned back towards the couple. “The rooms will be ready in just a few minutes. I’ll show you where to go.” She pulled out a map of the layout of the motel. She drew a diagram. “Can I get you some coffee while you wait?”

  “Yes, please,” his wife replied meekly.

  Roxy fetched the coffee and offered her a comfortable chair.

  She looked up at the grumpy husband. “Will you be paying by cash or credit card?” Roxy attempted her best smile.

  “I already gave my credit card information when I called for the reservations.”

  “I’m sorry, sir. I don’t usually work the desk. However, I can have the motel manger check with you as soon as she returns.”

  He sighed loudly. “I don’t want to be bothered later.” He glanced out the window, perhaps contemplating if he should leave or not.

  His wife spoke up. “Come on, Michael. Pay the lady.”

  He sighed again. Finally, acting as if it was going to kill him, he pulled his wallet from his back pocket. “I better not get charged double for this or there’s going to be hell to pay!”

  He gave his credit card to Roxy. She wrote down the information. “Do you know how long you’ll be staying?”

  “Depends,” he replied gruffly.

  Roxy figured she’d let Meredith sort it all out. A few minutes later Ebby called, stating the rooms were ready. Roxy stepped outside and pointed the direction they needed to go, and quickly walked back into the office. “Whew!”

  The phone rang again.

  * * * *

  A couple of hours later the flowers were delivered. Ebby came in a few minutes later with the intention of going home.

  “I’m done.”

  “Hey, can you wait about ten more minutes? I want to take these flowers to the rooms.”

  “Sure. Do I have to answer the phone?”

  “Yes! I had to. If you don’t know the answer, take a message and I’ll get back to them.”

  Roxy picked up the bouquet of red roses that was meant for Miss Louise. She walked it up the flight of stairs to room twenty-four and knocked lightly.

  The woman answered the door. Roxy saw the husband reclining on the bed, watching television. “This is from the motel. An apology for the mix-up in the reservations.”

  “Oh, my! Michael, look at the lovely flowers!”

  Mr. Jensen glanced over; his eyes grew wide. “What’s that going to cost me?”

  “Nothing, Mr. Jensen. It’s on us, for the mix-up.”

  “Humph.” He turned his attention back to the TV.

  Mrs. Jensen smelled the flowers. She smiled. “Thank you so much!”

  Roxy nodded her head and hurried down the stairs. She wanted to get the other flowers before Meredith returned. She would ask questions and Roxy didn’t want to have to explain that Miss Louise really hadn’t liked those flowers they had ready for her all those years. A few minutes later she entered the room they had ready for Miss Louise and sat the bouquet of irises on the table. She turned and looked over the room. A shiver traveled up her spine, remembering the vacuum experience.

  Roxy returned to the office and told Ebby to go home.

  “Thanks. See you tomorrow. Back to the slave labor.”

  Roxy laughed. “I’ll be back in my familiar environment.” A moment later the phone rang. “Valley Motel. How can I help you?”

  “Roxy? Is that you?”

  “Yes, Charles. Did Meredith get a hold of you?”

  “Yes, she’s still at the hospital. I’m going to meet her there...if...you have everything under control.”

  “Everything is fine.”

  “Aunt Louise...�
��

  “Yes, I know. Her room is ready.”

  A brief silence hung in the air before he spoke again. “Well. All right then. Are you sure? We could close the office for a short time.”

  Roxy laughed. “Really, everything is fine. I’ll stay here until you can get back.”

  “All right then. You have my cell number in case...”

  “Yes, and Meredith’s too.” Roxy hung up the phone and chuckled to herself.

  * * * *

  A short while later, Miss Louise showed up in a taxi. Roxy carried her bags into the office and explained the situation. “Poor little girl!” the elderly woman exclaimed. Just then, Charles drove up, parked his car, and walked faster than normal to meet up with them.

  “How is little Mari?” Aunt Louise asked. Her face held concern.

  “She did break her leg, but it was a hairline crack. Meredith will be here any minute. I need to go over a few things with Roxy, then I’ll take you to your room.”

  “I’m so glad it wasn’t a bad break. Your Uncle Bob, he had that terrible tractor accident. His leg was broke in a dozen pieces, I think.” She stared down at the floor as if remembering. “I’ll fix myself a cup of herb tea while you two talk over business.” She walked slowly into the staff lounge.

  Charles put his hands deep in his tan slacks pockets. “Okay, Roxy. Update me.”

  Roxy walked over to the desk, handing him her notes and explaining each item. He asked a few questions for clarification, but appeared pleased. Roxy explained about the Jensen family; however, she didn’t mention the flowers. She decided to keep that bit to herself.

  “Wow! I’m impressed Roxy.”

  Roxy felt her face hot with embarrassment. “Thanks for the opportunity. It was...kinda...fun.”

  Charles laughed. “See you tomorrow, then.” He glanced up and seemed to see her for the first time. “Geeze. What happened to your face?”

  “Bad experience with make-up,” she explained. “Oh, one more thing.”

  “Yes?”

  “We need two new vacuums for the second floor.”

  “I knew the one was broken, but we have the old...”