74

I went to the bar the next night, driving the Dart and wearing a suit. “Amanda! Get your skinny ass out here!”
She peeked out of the kitchen, fear on her face.
I gentled my tone. “Come on, Babydoll. I just want to talk.”
She eased out into the bar, looking like she was ready to run any second. I had already talked to Sam and Helen, so they knew what I was going to do.
“Sam, tell her she’s fired.”
Her face went pale and Helen laughed.
“Just for tonight, hon. You still have your job.”
“That’s right. You’re still employed, just not tonight. Tonight we’re going out. First I’ll take you to a place that serves real food…”
“Hey!” said Sam and Helen, together. But they were smiling.
“Let me rephrase that. Somewhere where burgers and fries aren’t considered a full meal. Then I thought we’d see a movie, one of those tearjerkers little girls like you love. Get cleaned up while I drink a beer.”
People were laughing and she was red. She unconsciously rubbed her jeans.
“Jace, I’m not really dressed to…”
“Ten minutes Amanda, or we repeat what happened the night it rained. Clear?”
She squealed and shot into the back room. I looked at Helen. “Go back there, use some of your makeup to help her feel pretty, calm her down. It’s just dinner and a movie.”
She surprised everybody by giving me a huge kiss.
“Maybe to you.”
They oohed and ahhed when she came out, cheeks glowing. Helen had helped her with her hair, put a little lipstick on her. She looked great. I put her hand under my arm, opened the door for her while the gang grinned. They watched from the door as I opened the door to the car and buckled her in. I could hear faint cheers as I drove away.
“Anywhere special you’d like to eat?” I asked, as we sped along. I couldn’t help driving fast. She had hardly spoken.
“Anywhere is fine.” she said, looking out the window.”
I pulled over in a office lot. “Look at me, Amanda.”
She turned her head.
“When I ask you a question, I expect a straight answer. Now again, where would you like to eat? Would you like to try something new? Italian, Thai, anything at all?”
She looked down, and in a voice so small I almost didn’t hear her, said: “I’ve always wanted to try lobster, but you don’t have to spend that much money.”
For an answer I took her to Red Lobster and got her a plate that had lobster in three different styles. She was tentative at first, but gained confidence as she ate. She even tried to get me to take a bite once.
“Sorry Amanda, I don’t like lobster.”
“Then why did we come here?” she asked in confusion.
“Because you wanted to try lobster. Besides, I’ve enjoyed the shrimp.”
That made her happy, and she had no trouble sampling my shrimp when I offered.
After dinner we went to the movies. There were eight choices and I let her pick. Didn’t think she was a horror fan, but apparently the gorier the better, for her. After the movie we went to an ice cream parlor and she got a large banana split with two spoons. Fr a tiny thing, she sure ate a lot.
Everything was perfect until we passed a bank, with the time and temperature flashing.
“Oh shit!”
“Oh shit what, Babydoll?”
“Oh shit I’ve stayed out too late to sleep in the homeless shelter. I guess you’ll have to take me back to the bar.”
“All right,” I said, driving her straight to my house. She sat frozen while I turned off the car and the garage door closed.
“Amanda, listen to me very carefully. I have two bedrooms. One of them will be yours for the night. And it has a lock. You can sleep in a comfortable bed, take a nice shower, I’ll even throw in breakfast. No strings attached, nothing owed, nothing expected. Up to you, I’m going inside now. If you don’t trust me, lock the doors and recline the seat, and I’ll wake you in the morning.”
It was thirty minutes before she came in.
“Where’s the bedroom?”
I showed it to her, showed her where the towels were, gave her a shirt to sleep in, and went to bed, laughing quietly as I locked my own door.
…
She must sleep like a rock, because I had showered, dressed, and had breakfast done before I knocked on her door.
“Time to get up, sleepyhead, breakfast is ready.”
I poured coffee, plated the ham and cheese omelette, placed the toast on the table and waited. I had just about given up when she stumbled into the kitchen, still in my tee shirt. It hung to her knees, she looked eleven.
Being slow to wake didn’t hurt her appetite any, and she cleaned her plate. We stacked the dishes into the sink and I picked up my travel mug.
“Where do you want me to drop you?”
She looked surprised.
“I dunno. I usually hang out at the library until time to go to work, but it’ll be two hours before it’s open. I guess you can drop me by the park.”
I didn’t like that idea. Bums slept in the park. No way I wanted her there, especially that early.
“I tell you what. Hang out here. I’ll take the truck to work and I’ll meet you after I get off. You can take the Dart to the bar. Scratch it and you better run for your life, understand?”
Her eyes were huge. “You trust me that much?”
I grinned. “You gonna steal from me?”
She went bright red. I cut her off before she could talk.
“I didn’t think so. In fact, I need the oil changed, think you could drive it to the Dodge dealership for me? It’s already paid for, so you don’t have to worry about that. I’ll call when they open. Will you do it if they can work me in?”
She was just nodding her head. I surprised her by kissing her cheek, backing up before she could react.
“Thanks, honey. I’ll call as soon as I find out. Watch television, eat anything you like. I’ll see you later.
She was rubbing the cheek I kissed as I walked out.
Everybody at work remarked on my good mood. A secretary asked me if I’d gotten laid. She said it kind of snippy, she’d made a run at me right after I’d started working there, and I’d turned her down. She was in her middle thirties, a little older than me. I finished pouring my coffee before I turned to her.
“As a matter of fact, Gail, I spent the night with a hot little redhead almost ten years younger than me. Remember the energy you had at that age? I’m lucky I can walk.”
I left her openmouthed, to the laughter of everyone else.
She did get the oil changed for me. I stopped by home to change, and was amazed at how clean it was. It literally sparkled from top to bottom, she must have been at it all day.
I had called Fat Boy, and he came by to pick me up so I could retrieve my car. He was grinning ear to ear.
“What?”
“You and Babydoll, huh? Is she as hot in bed as she looks?”
I looked at him and grinned.
“You’re a dirty old man, you know that? All she got last night was a bed, alone.”
“If you say so.” He said, still grinning.
…
I wasn’t prepared for what happened when we got there. She ran to me, jumping up so I had to catch her, and giving me a big kiss. Electricity shot through me so hard I fought the urge to look at my shoes to see if the soles were blown out. The bar howled.
“Shut the fuck up.” She yelled, “this how a woman is supposed to greet her man.”
I was surprised at the display of emotion. She spent every minute she could close to me, to the point Sam told her if she didn’t get to work he was gonna fire her scrawny ass.
When I got ready to leave, she asked if I’d stay a bit longer and drive her back to the shelter. How could I refuse? I warmed the car and waited. She came out with a big backpack that I had to put in the trunk.
“What’s in here?”
“Everything I own,” she said, sliding in to the passenger seat. “There’s no place safe for me to store it at the shelter, somebody would steal in in a blink.”
I thought about what a sad way that was to live as I drove. When I missed the turn to the shelter she questioned it.
“If I don’t get there soon I won’t have anywhere to sleep.”
“You’re not sleeping there tonight. You’ve got a room at my house. You’ve earned it, cleaning the house and running errands for me today. Consider it a thank you.”
She started to protest, thought better of it, and turned the radio to a station I hated, and cranked the volume.
Tonight, instead of going straight to bed, she took a shower, put on one of my tees, and flopped on the couch, grabbed the remote and started channel surfing.