by Linda Ellen
Fleet tossed her a look of understanding. “Don’t worry, not all men with initials for names are jerks. Remember you used to call Alec ‘Double A’.”
Testing the bottle’s contents on her wrist and satisfied it was the perfect temperature, Louise giggled and nodded. “He busted out laughing the first time I did that.” Handing the bottle to the new mother, she added wistfully, “Those were some good times.”
Her friend and co-conspirator from those months long ago nodded as she watched her son begin to take his bottle. “Yep. But these can be good times, too. I got my guy…and you’re fixin’ to get yours, too.” She glanced over as Louise busied herself at the sink, noting the tenseness of her posture. “So, what’s up?”
Louise grinned to herself, thinking how she had missed her friend. Fleet could always read her like a book. Beginning to wash the dishes from lunch, Louise filled her in on the strange goings on from the day before.
“Man, the plot thickens! I bet there’s something going on. Maybe even something illegal, and old man Blankenbaker knows about it, has her over a barrel,” Fleet gushed, the wheels of intrigue turning as she tried to imagine just what that could be. “I heard a plot like this just last week on Perry Mason,” she added with a chuckle.
“Well dag nabbit, I don’t want to be in the middle of it – and I sure don’t want Tommy, or Mama and Billy in the middle of something like that! What is wrong with that man? Tommy’s his grandson!” she griped, hating the fact of not knowing the particulars of what was going on.
Fleet shot her a look. “Unfortunately.”
Louise sighed, the old regret rearing its ugly head. “Yeah. Unfortunately.”
*
“I can’t believe you did that!” Louise gasped as Fleet finished telling her what she called the Saga of Fleet and Alec.
Fleet grinned mischievously. “It worked, didn’t it?”
“You were lucky. He could have said the heck with it and left town…” Louise began, stopping short as she realized what she had said. “Well…you know what I mean.”
Fleet reached across the little table and took hold of Louise’s hand. “I know. Honey…I’m so sorry for everything you went through. You do know how sorry Alec is, don’t ya? He kicked himself for years that he didn’t do something soon enough to stop things.”
Louise managed a smile and closed her eyes for a moment in acknowledgement. “Well, I told myself after Tommy was born – at least one thing good came out of it all. And he’s a good thing.”
“He’s a pistol, that’s for sure,” Fleet agreed, smiling fondly. “And Vic…he’s real taken with him, isn’t he…”
Louise truly smiled at that, closing her eyes again as she pictured her two males together. Vic playing ‘horsey’ with Tommy…or tickling him and getting him to squeal in glee…Tommy always so excited when he saw Vic approaching. “Misser Vic!”
“Yes. Vic’s been wonderful. I…couldn’t ask for more,” she added softly.
Fleet snorted softly as she stood carefully to head into the living room, her now sleeping baby snuggled against her shoulder. Louise spread a quilt down and Fleet laid little AJ on the settee, placing pillows strategically around for safety. Over her shoulder, she quipped, “Except a weddin’ ring.”
Louise nodded and wandered to the front window, moving the curtain aside and gazing outside as she leaned against the frame. “That’ll come. Gotta get untied from the first one, first.”
“Yeah. And that takes money.”
Louise sighed dejectedly, one hand unconsciously raising to gently grasp her amethyst necklace, idly running her fingers over the smooth stone. At that moment, she had no money. No job. No prospects of any, either. Billy was going to get a summer job and her mother had mentioned trying to find something to make ends meet and help pay for the apartment. Sonny had said he would pitch in what he could. Vic too…only he hadn’t secured a job yet. Thankfully, Willis’ employer had stepped up and offered to help pay for the funeral, so at least there wasn’t that hanging over their heads.
Fleet came to stand beside her and they opened the window a bit to hear the baby before wandering out to sit on the front porch.
Hoping to lighten the atmosphere, Fleet offered, “Hey, did Vic tell ya? Earl and Ruth are gonna tie the knot. She finally got that big lug to ask her,” she joked with a chuckle.
Louise smiled, truly happy for them. She had fond memories of both of them, but since getting away from TJ, she hadn’t had much opportunity to visit with the old gang. This was actually one of the few times she had been able to spend any time with Fleet. “’Bout time!”
“That’s what I said.”
For the next little while, until Louise’s family returned from the market, the two old friends set about catching up with the particulars of their lives.
*
A week went by and the family’s cache of money was running low. Billy had been looking for a summer job, but no one seemed to be hiring – at least not an inexperienced fifteen-year-old boy. As expected, Lilly fell into a habit of lamenting their bad luck and predicting the worst. It grated on Louise’s nerves, so she found other things to do – like looking for a job she could do.
One evening, she, Vic, and Tommy went to spend some time with their friends, Fleet and Alec. For Louise, it was a wonderful break. Even riding in Vic’s car, the radio playing, and Tommy chattering away on her lap, made her problems seem not so huge and overwhelming.
As Vic carried Tommy up the walk to the apartment house, the toddler was still keeping up his excited chatter, asking the favorite question he had learned recently, “Whas dis?” With a chuckle, Vic explained yet another query – this time concerning a business card inside of his shirt pocket.
The door opened in response to their knock, and they walked in, the delicious aroma of food immediately assailing their senses. The scent seemed oddly familiar.
“Somethin’ sure smells good, what’re we havin’?” Vic asked as he placed Tommy on the floor inside the room.
Alec emitted his customary snicker and ushered them toward the table set with their best dishes. “Fleet didn’t feel like fixin’ food, she was up and down all night with AJ, we think he has an earache…so…” he teased as he took the lid off of a plate in the center of the table with the flourish of a maître de in an expensive restaurant. “May I present, Chef Alec’s…Hors d’oeuvres de White Castle. You’re just in time to eat ’em while they’re still warm!”
Louise and Vic laughed delightedly, Fleet joining in as she emerged from the bedroom with a slightly fussy AJ over her shoulder. It was almost like old times.
“Here’s that bag of baby clothes I promised when you were at the apartment,” Louise mentioned as she held a paper sack out to her friend. “I weeded out the ones with the worst stains.” Fleet smiled in appreciation and leaned to give Louise a quick hug.
“Thanks sweetie. I can tell this one is going to grow out of his things quickly.”
“Whas a Wy-cassa, Mama?” Tommy asked innocently as he quickly scrambled up on a chair and stretched over trying to reach the plate in the center.
“Ahh young man, you’re in for a treat!” Alec intoned as everyone took their places for the meal.
It was a happy group, laughing and teasing, and chuckling at Tommy’s antics as they ate their meal. The burgers had never tasted better. After about an hour, Fleet rose to put little AJ down for a nap in the bedroom at the back.
When she returned, the five moved over to the living area and Tommy settled on Louise’s lap, for once content to just sit quietly. The four adults talked about the latest motion pictures they wanted to see, with Alec joking that Barbara Stanwyck’s character in The Lady Eve reminded him of Fleet. That earned him a playful elbow in the ribs. Louise brought up current songs, including her new favorite, You and I, which she mentioned with a shy smile toward Vic. Then the conversation changed to what was on the radio, which Alec snapped on just in time to catch the last half of The Lone Ranger. This affor
ded them all the precious joy of watching little Tommy climb down off Louise’s lap and run over to the big old Magnavox in the corner, only to stand and stare at the speaker as if he were watching his hero ride off into the sunset on his beautiful horse Twigger.
When that ended, and Vic caught the little boy up in his arms to stop him galloping around the apartment and possibly waking the baby, Louise mentioned she was thinking about taking some sort of job now that Lilly was there to watch Tommy, only she hadn’t found anything suitable.
“At the market yesterday, I ran into…a friend of my mother’s,” Fleet began, her eyes quickly cutting over to meet her husband’s. They shared a long, meaningful look before she continued, “He mentioned the place where he works was looking for girls to run the machines…wanted me to come to work there,” she added, rolling her eyes.
Louise perked up, sitting forward on the chair as she automatically reached to intercept a polished glass figurine from Tommy’s curious fingers. “What company is that, Fleet?”
“The American Tobacco Company, down at Thirtieth and Madison. The job is working on a machine making Roi-Tan cigars.”
“Cigars?” Louise pondered, glancing at Vic. “Wonder if they’d hire me?”
Vic smiled, thinking that could work out nicely if he got the job he was counting on with Brown & Williamson. “I’ll take ya down there tomorrow to put in an application,” he offered, grinning at her obvious excitement.
*
Vic had been sitting in his car for about ten minutes, parked on the street outside the American Tobacco Company’s building. With only a telephone pole to provide shade from the hot July sun, it soon became too hot to stay under the vehicle’s black top. Opening the driver’s door, he paused to allow a delivery truck to drive past before getting out and circling around to the passenger side. Leaning back against the doorframe, he casually crossed one foot over the other as he reached for the cigarette pack in his shirt pocket. He glanced inside, lamenting that he only had two smokes left and he’d be reduced to bumming. He shook his head, his mouth turning up in a smirk as he gave his head a slight shake. This might be a good time to give up this stupid habit. Taking his lighter from his pocket, he lit the end of the smooth white stick and took a draw; his eyes trained on the door Louise had disappeared into earlier.
It had been a full week since he’d had his terrific interview with the hiring boss at Brown & Williamson. With each day that passed, his hope for landing the position shrank that much more. Just the day before, he had spent time with Doc, helping him paint a room in the basement of the church, and when Doc had prayed for him about the job, he had used the words, “If it be Thy will.” For the first time, one of Doc’s prayers had failed to buoy his faith in Divine assistance. What if it ain’t ‘His’ will for me to get the job? Vic drew in a large breath, hating that feeling of helplessness. He had given his all, put his best foot forward, in the interview. Now, it was up to the Almighty and Mr. Herbert Segal. I gotta get that job. Why is it always so hard for me to get work in this town? He swore silently for a moment, feeling the familiar frustration from the old days creeping in on him, like the slowly inundating floodwaters of the Ohio. Someday. Someday I’m gonna get my break. Someday I’m gonna get my Bold Venture. Just wish it would come on and happen!
Just then his brooding thoughts were interrupted by the appearance of the young lady who held his heart captive. As he watched her emerge from the door and look his way, her bright, happy smile, coupled with the spring in her step, told him instantly that she had snagged the job. For a moment, he fought a feeling of jealousy that it had been so easy for her. But then she was running towards him and he barely had time to toss his cigarette away before she launched herself into his arms with a squeal. He couldn’t help but laugh with her as the momentum swung them both around.
“I got the job! I got the job!” she gushed, grinning up at him when he placed her on her feet. He stared down at her, his eyes twinkling as her excitement infused him as well. Oh, how he adored her, this little slip of a girl. He often wondered how she had managed to wind him around her pinky as thoroughly as she’d done, but wound he surely was, and he knew for a fact there was no remedy for it. It made his jobless state that much more frustrating – he wanted to provide for his Mary Lou. He didn’t want her to have to work – he wanted to have a good paying job and be able to support her and her son. He wanted to be the dependable man in her life – he wanted to be the one to pay for her divorce so he could marry her, but thus far, he hadn’t been able to contribute a dime towards that end.
His thoughts snapped back to what she was saying as she jabbered on, “Mr. Greenwell said I was just what he was looking for to round out a four person machine. I start work in the morning, seven fifteen, and he said to be here fifteen minutes early so he can show me where I’m gonna be working. Oh Vic, I can’t believe it – my first real job!” she giggled.
*
They talked excitedly of plans for the future on the way back to her family’s apartment. Louise knew he was still on edge about not hearing from Brown & Williamson, and she made a special effort to encourage him that he would hear something soon. “Maybe you should go see Mr. Segal and find out when he’ll make his decision,” she suggested. Vic nodded and replied that that was a good idea.
So after dropping her off at the curb with the promise to see her later that night, Vic did drive on down to the plant, parked, and went inside. Mustering all of the confidence he could scrounge, he approached Mr. Segal’s secretary and asked if he was in.
“I’m sorry, he has someone in his office at the moment. Would you care to wait?” she asked politely, indicating a few chairs against the wall. Vic nodded and took a seat. It seemed forever that he sat there, counting the gold three-leaf Brown & Williamson logos woven into the thick blue carpet. Mentally, he tried to calculate how much money the man made to have such an opulent office suite.
Finally, the door opened and Vic heard a young man’s voice saying, “Thank you, Mr. Segal. I’ll work hard for you. I can’t tell you what this opportunity means to me. My wife’s about to have a baby, so this job couldn’t have come at a better time.”
Vic stood up, his heart dropping to his stomach as dread began to permeate his being that this other man had just been given the job for which he was hoping and praying.
The other man turned around, nodded at the secretary and at Vic as he placed his hat on his head, and hurriedly left, excitement and relief evident in his long, fast strides.
His heart pounding with a mixture of apprehension and shyness, Vic heard the secretary say, “You may go in now.”
Mr. Segal looked up, and seeing Vic in the doorway, he gestured for him to proceed into the office. As Vic approached the desk, the man’s brows furrowed a bit as if he were trying to place him, and then recognition dawned. “Ah, Mr. Matthews. I was just about to have my secretary write you a note. I’m afraid the position we spoke about has been filled.”
Vic swallowed dryly as he fought against showing just how devastated he was at once again losing out, unconsciously gripping the smooth edge of his black-banded hat. As if the man read his mind, he added, “It was a tough decision. It came down to you and the young man who just left, but he had a bit more experience. I’ll keep your name on file for the next opening, however.”
Vic nodded, although inwardly he was fighting the irrational urge to punch the man in the mouth and yell at him that he needed a job NOW, not some time in the unforeseen future.
Then through a fog of disappointment and resentment, Vic realized the man was standing and reaching out to shake his hand with another apology as he wished him good luck on his job search. Before Vic knew it, he was standing in the hall outside the man’s office, his hat still gripped firmly in his hands. His anger dissipating, he wondered again if he had said the wrong thing in the interview about why he had left Diamond, and if that had been a deciding factor in his not being offered the job. He realized he would probably never know
for sure. With a tired sigh, he mused, So, I guess God didn’t want me to get it? Now I gotta start all over, tryin’ to find some place to work…
Numbly, he walked down the long hall and took the elevator to the ground floor. Reaching his car, he got in and just drove, his mind barely on what he was doing. Panic loomed just outside the car’s windows. What if I don’t find work? I’m just about out of money and the rent for my room at the Y will be due on Friday… Thinking of the two-man room he had been staying in at the downtown YMCA brought another wave of disconcertion, as the man he was sharing the space with had been talking kind of crazy…out of his head. Vic had been purposely staying away from there to avoid him and hoping he could find another place to stay.
Somehow, he found himself cruising down Fourth Street and as he glanced at the dashboard, he realized his gas gauge was registering below an eighth of a tank. “With gas up to eighteen cents a gallon, I sure can’t afford to waste any,” he grumbled.
Deciding to take a walk and clear his head, he pulled to the curb and parked. Jamming his hat firmly on his head, his gaze to the ground, his hands shoved in his trouser pockets, he just started walking aimlessly. It couldn’t have mattered any less where he was heading.
‡
CHAPTER 8
The Hack and the Cigar Factory
That evening, Vic parked his Coupe on the street in front of Louise’s apartment and hopped out, whistling happily as he headed up the walk to the entry.
Upon his knock, Louise opened the door, ushering him in with a big smile. Immediately, she went into his arms for a hug and kiss before she even closed the door. Besides the alluring scent of her perfume and the clean sweet fragrance of her hair, Vic could smell something good cooking in the kitchen. Once again, familiar big band music played on the radio in the corner. For a moment, Vic allowed himself to just glory in the fact that he could come to see Louise without the secrecy that had clouded the past. He looked forward to sitting down to a meal with the family.