Ugly

by Margaret McHeyzer

Both have insisted they take me to and pick me up from work. But I can’t be their responsibility. I need to learn how to drive and buy a car for myself.

  At eleven-thirty, Dale comes into the office and stands in front of the desk I’m sharing with Candace. “Lily, can I take you to lunch today?” he asks.

  “Thank you, that would be great. I’ll be ready to go in about half an hour. I can come and find you if you like.”

  “I’ll be on the floor, so just come downstairs.” He turns and leaves and I wait for the half hour until lunch.

  “Oh shit, Lily. What’s that about?” Candace asks as she points toward the door Dale just walked out of.

  “Nothing.” I shrug.

  “What did you do wrong?”

  Suddenly my hands sweat and my heart beats frantically against my chest, what if he’s taking me to lunch to tell me they made a mistake and I’m not really suited to the position? Can they really tell just after one day? Oh my gosh, now I’m so nervous. I’m beginning to feel sick in the tummy, like I’m going to throw up. If they pink slip me, I’ll have nowhere to go and I won’t be able to earn a living.

  Crap, crap, crap.

  The half-hour flies by, and before I know it Candace tells me it’s time to go find Dale. With a lot of tension coursing through my body, I take my bag, put on my coat and go downstairs to find him.

  He’s talking with one of the floor managers, and looking over some paperwork. He sees me and smiles, holding up one finger indicating he’ll be a few moments. My stomach tumbles around nervously waiting. Bile slowly creeps up to sit in the base of my throat as I walk toward the front entry to wait for Dale.

  “You ready?” he asks as he comes to stand beside me.

  I look up to his tall frame and stand with my shoulders slightly slumped. “Are you going to fire me?” I blurt and quickly bring my hand to my mouth. “I’m so sorry, I don’t know why I just blabbed that. I’m so sorry.”

  Dale laughs a huge belly roar, so loud some of the shoppers are turning to see what all the noise is. “Come on, let me buy you lunch. And no, we’re not going to fire you.”

  I breathe out a huge expulsion of air, relieved I still have my job. Oh crap, what if Trent is trying to create trouble with them and they want me to deal with him? Crap, crap, crap.

  Dale’s talking as we walk down toward the café, but I can’t pay attention to what he’s saying. All I can think about is what problems Trent might be stirring up, and what Dale’s going to say to me.

  “Here you go, ladies first.” Dale opens the door and waits for me to go in first. “How about we get the table in the furthest corner?”

  Oh my God. What has Trent done? If Dale wants a table in the furthest corner, then I’m definitely in trouble. “Okay,” I answer, though what I really want to do is let the earth open up and swallow me. My own personal sink hole.

  “Here.” Dale pulls out my chair and waits until I’m seated before he sits opposite me. “So I do have a reason I’ve asked you to lunch, and a reason as to why I wanted to sit at a table where we’d get the fewest interruptions.” He looks around, and I do too, following his line of sight.

  “We certainly are isolated,” I say as I pick the menu up and start perusing it.

  “They make the best hamburgers. I already know what I’m getting. Don’t tell Betsy, she’ll kick my butt. If she asks, I had a salad with extra salad crap.” He chuckles, and I can’t help but join in on the chuckle, too.

  “Your secret’s safe with me.” I wink at Dale.

  “Hi there, what can I get you today?” the waitress asks. She’s the same girl who was here yesterday, and she looks at me and smiles then does a double look at Dale, obviously remembering I was here yesterday with Max.

  “I’ll have a burger, with a side of onion rings and a Coke. Not diet, the full-strength good stuff.” Dale leans over and whispers to me, “Don’t tell Betsy.”

  I tap my nose and wink again. “Shhh,” I confirm by putting my finger to my lips. “Have you got chicken noodle soup?”

  “We do.”

  “I’ll have chicken noodle and a hot chocolate with…”

  “Extra marshmallows. I remember. I’ll be back in a moment.” She smiles and takes our menus, turns and leaves.

  “So, Lily, the reason I brought you here is because I talked to Peter about your situation.” I shudder when he says that. “I had to talk to him, and tell him what happened with you and your husband, in case there’s going to be a problem at work.”

  “Considering he got me fired, I’m hoping he doesn’t find out I have my job back and cause any problems for me, especially at work.”

  “He may, and if he does involve work, then you need to come to Peter or myself.”

  “Thank you.”

  “There’s something I’ve been wondering about you. And it’s something Peter brought up too, when we had a meeting about you.” My cheeks pink, and I feel like a fool. “Don’t be embarrassed, Lily. Trent had me convinced you were stealing money. That’s what manipulators do. They convince everyone around them they’re saints, when in actual fact, they’re nothing but evil.”

  “Yeah, logically I know your words are right, but…”

  “There really isn’t a ‘but’ to the situation. The guy isn’t good at all. Down to his soul, he’s rotten.”

  “Here are your drinks, folks,” the waitress announces and puts down our beverages. First mine, then Dale’s.

  “Thank you,” Dale says on behalf of both of us.

  “Your food won’t be too long.” She turns and goes to serve a customer sitting at the counter.

  “As I was saying, Peter and I were talking and there’s something we both noticed about you. And with your permission, I’d like to ask you.” He sips on his Coke.

  “Please, ask away.”

  “You catch the bus here and home?”

  “Yes, I do. But my friend Shayne and her husband have taken it on themselves to drive me to work and pick me up. They don’t want me catching the bus home, for the obvious reason.” I mean Trent, without actually saying his name.

  “Are you too frightened to learn to drive?”

  “Oh my gosh, no! I’ve wanted to learn how to drive since I was old enough, but Trent said he’d take me anywhere I needed to go, and I didn’t need a license. I asked so many times, but he just kept saying no, so I stopped asking.” I pick my mug of hot chocolate up and sip on it, focusing on it rather than the intensely sympathetic look Dale is giving me. “Please,” I whisper. “I don’t want your sympathy.”

  “I’d have to be made of steel if I didn’t respond to what’s happened to you. I may be a man, and I may be old enough to be your father, but I still have a heart. And I’m sure what you’ve told me, is probably only the tip of the iceberg.”

  I nod my head, not saying anything because I’m not sure if Trent or my Dad was the worst out of the two. I don’t know, and it’s not something I want to spend time thinking about, either.

  “Back to why I brought you here.”

  “Okay. Why did you bring me here?”

  “Peter and I have decided if you want to get driving lessons, we’ll pay for them. We’ll also lend you the money, without interest, to buy a car. But there are conditions to this.”

  I feel my mouth fall open, and my eyebrows knit together. The look on my face must be amusing, because Dale starts laughing. “You want to pay for me to get driving lessons and you want to buy me a car?” I repeat what I think he said, but I’m expecting him to laugh and correct me.

  “Yes.”

  “Why?” I place my elbows on the table, and lean in forward toward him. “I mean, why?”

  “Because you’ve worked for us for almost seven years now, and your reviews are always fantastic. Every supervisor you’ve had has sung your praises, and you’re a valued member of our team.”

  “Oh,” I murmur as I look away for a second to comprehend his beautiful and encouraging words. Slowly I bring my hands up to my face and cover th
em as I sob. I’ve never, in my entire life, had anyone do something for me as nice as what Dale is offering.

  “Hey, before you get all weepy, I said it comes with conditions.” He tries to sound all tough, but the crackle in his voice tells me he’s affected by my crying, and understands exactly why I’m sobbing.

  I gather myself, using my hair as a shield to fall around my face so I can calm down and stop crying. When I wipe the tears away, I lift my head and look at Dale. His features are beyond sympathetic, I truly see the concern he has. “What are the conditions?” I ask once I’ve been able to gain control of myself.

  “First, you need to pay back the money for the car, over time.”

  “And the driving lessons,” I interrupt to say.

  “No, not the driving the lessons.”

  “Why not?”

  “Let’s call it your seven-year bonus.”

  “My what?” I scrunch my mouth in question.

  Dale laughs at me and sits back in his chair. “Your seven-year bonus. Seven years of continuous service entitles an employee to a bonus.”

  “I’ve never heard of the seven-year bonus,” I quip. If he and Peter are going to do this for me, I’ll pay back every cent I borrow.

  “You haven’t?” He scrubs his hand over his chin and then huffs. “Well, we’ll call it seven years of Christmas bonuses.”

  “I’ve received them; you can’t give it to me twice.”

  “Geez, Lily. Work with me. I’m trying to give you something, and I’m not quick enough to keep trying to come up with something viable-sounding.”

  I laugh and so does Dale. “How about this?” I start saying.

  “What?”

  “You can pay for the driving lessons, but I have to pay you back. Every cent you and Peter put toward me, I’ll pay it back.”

  “For the car, yes.”

  “Everything, including the driving lessons.”

  “But we want to give you the driving lessons.”

  “And I want to stand on my own two feet, and be able to say once everything is paid back, that I was able to get where I am because I had help, but I was still able to pay it all back.”

  Dale shakes his head, and groans an uncomfortable ‘damn it’ kind of sound. “Then, you can pay us back for half the lessons. Consider the other half, your birthday present. Which, incidentally I know was only last month and Peter and I missed it.”

  “Then I’ll pay you fair interest on the money you’re spending.”

  “No. That’s not part of the negotiations. And might I just add, you should become a lawyer because you can damn well argue.”

  I snicker at Dale and he’s sitting opposite me shaking his head in disbelief. “Thank you, Dale. I accept.”

  “Thank Christ for that. I thought you were going to make me sign a contract in blood. Phew,” he huffs. I laugh again. “But the other part of the condition is this. The car has to be brand new. I don’t care what type of car you buy, but it has to be brand new, because then Peter and I will know you’re safe.”

  “Brand new?” Suddenly I start to panic because if I buy a brand new car, I know they can be quite expensive and I don’t want to spend the next ten years paying it off to them. “I don’t think I can afford a brand new car.”

  “Peter and I were thinking something dependable like a Ford Taurus or a Toyota Camry. They’re both really safe cars and as it turns out; I have a friend at Ford, and Peter knows someone at Toyota, so we can get a good price. If you want something else, like a Honda or Subaru, then we’d need to pay full price.”

  I must have a weird look on my face because to me, a car is a car. There are big ones, little ones, and super-fast ones, but as long as it’s safe I’m not overly worried what type of car I get. “Okay,” I slowly add while Dale is trying his best to hold in a laugh.

  “Okay what?”

  “I’ll get a Toyota or a Ford.”

  “Which one? Or would you prefer time to research them both?”

  “If you say they’re safe, then I’ll go for a Ford. When can we go look for a car?” I’m now super eager and can’t wait to get my new car.

  “Ha, you’ve changed your tune.” From the excitement, I’m almost bouncing in my chair. “We can go on the weekend if you like.”

  “Yes!” I shout too loudly. Dale laughs at me again. I’m starting to think I must be like a kid on Christmas morning. I’ve never unwrapped anything which didn’t have an evil ulterior motive behind it. Whatever I’ve received, it has always come with conditions to benefit the person who’s giving it to me. “The weekend sounds so good.” I clap my hands together giddily.

  “Then Saturday morning I’ll come by and pick you up, and we’ll go to the Ford dealership.”

  “Your meals,” the waitress interrupts and puts down my soup and Dale’s burger.

  “Thank you,” I almost yell at her, unable to wipe the giant smile off my face.

  “I’ve never seen someone so happy to get chicken noodle soup before. But you’re welcome,” she smiles a huge smile toward us.

  “I’m getting dessert, too,” I enthusiastically tell her.

  “Then I’ll be back for your order.” She seems so happy that I’m ecstatic.

  Dale attacks his burger with so much gusto, he’s eating it like he thinks his wife is about to walk in and catch him. He drips some mustard on his shirt, but he doesn’t even realize it. I’d better remind him once he’s done. I wouldn’t want him to get in trouble with his wife.

  Dale and Peter are good men. Like Max, these men are a breed I never knew really existed. I’m sitting here, the happiest I’ve ever been. It’s not because Dale is going to finance a car for me, it’s not because he’s taking me out to lunch.

  I’m sitting here smiling, because for the first time in my life, I have something which was always kept from me.

  I have control.

  It’s Friday night and I’m sitting in Shayne and Liam’s family room looking down at the permit I got today. I have the biggest, cheesiest grin on my face, which has been on my face since Shayne took me to the Department of Motor Vehicles this morning. She took an hour off work, and Peter said I can come in late if I’m going for my permit.

  Shayne was trying to calm me down before I took the written test. I was a complete nervous wreck, but she talked sense into me. And now, I have a permit.

  “You still smiling?” Liam asks as he walks behind me and ruffles my hair.

  “I am,” I confirm as I look up at him, still smiling.

  “I’ll teach you how to drive.”

  “Um, I’ve booked three lessons.”

  “Oh.” Liam wiggles his hips at me and says in a shrieking high voice, “Miss Hooty-Tooty wants driving lessons. Look at me, I’m Lily and I’m getting proper driving lessons.” He pretends to flick his hair over his shoulder. “Liam’s not good enough for me to learn from.” He moves his head as if he’s flipping his hair at me. We’re both laughing, because although I don’t flick my hair around, he’s got my voice down pat.

  “Stop being a woman, Liam,” Shayne says as she walks into the room and looks at me, still laughing. “You can only dress in drag in the bedroom.” This causes me to laugh even more.

  It also makes Liam swing around with his mouth gaping, looking at Shayne. “You promised you’d never tell,” he playfully says. “Great! Now you’re probably gonna tell Lily how I wear cat’s ears and meow for you, too.”

  By this stage, I have tears streaming down my face. “I love you two,” I say through gulping breaths and hysterical laughter.

  “Good, so you should,” Shayne says as she walks to the kitchen to cook. “’Cause we’re damn awesome,” she yells once she’s in there.

  I get up and follow her. “Do you need help with dinner?”

  “Nope, I’m good. But Michaela asked when you think you’ll be ready with her book. She also asked if she can have your phone number to call you, I said I’d check.”

  My shoulders stiffen, and automatical
ly I’m uneasy. “Just get her number, and I’ll call her to talk to her about it. I’m still reading it, but I should be able to spend all of Sunday on it.”

  “I have her number in my phone. I’ll just get it for you.” She goes to her bag, gets her phone and scrolls through it. “Here it is.”

  “Thanks. I’ll give her a call on Sunday. I’ll go spend an hour on it now, before dinner is ready. Sure you don’t need a hand?”

  “Yeah, right. An hour. That means I’ll have to call you at least five times, all of which you’ll say ‘I’ll be there in a minute’ which will turn into three or four hours.”

  “Number one problem of a reader, trying to find time to eat.”

  Shayne laughs, and goes back to making dinner. Liam’s disappeared somewhere and I go into my room and open the new laptop I bought straight after getting my permit. I plug the USB drive into the port and start back up a couple of chapters before where I left off.

  In the story up to now, the heroine meets the hero and she’s torn because she actually has emotions for him, and no longer wants to sell her body as an escort. There have been twists and turns, people coming in from her past, from his past, and from their immediate families. I can’t turn the pages quickly enough, and with every chapter that ends, I’m bursting to know what surprise will be presented in the next chapter.

  “Dinner,” Shayne says as she knocks on my door.

  “I’ll be there in a minute,” I yell back.

  “Huh,” she sarcastically adds. Even without seeing her, I can tell she’d be rolling her eyes and thinking ‘There goes Lily for tonight.’

  I keep reading, and of course I get to the end of the chapter, and start the next. Before I even realize, I’ve finished the book and I’m looking at the screen, breathless and panting. Not because it was crazy sexy, even though parts were, but because the book has left me hungry for more. I’m desperate to continue the story. It’s a stand-alone book, and the ending was beyond brilliant, but I want more.

  I look down to the right hand corner where the time is and I gasp from surprise. Damn it, I know Shayne and Liam have eaten and are in bed, because it’s nearly midnight. As quietly as I can go, I open the door to a dark house. I tiptoe into the kitchen to find a handwritten note, this time by Liam. It reads: ‘Slacker. Called you four times. But it’s okay, we know you were lost in the book. Dinner’s in the fridge. Remember, your boss is picking you up at eight so you can buy a car. Love you, chicken butt.’