Page 35 of His Old Lady
"What's his problem with you?"
She'd hoped he wouldn't ask. "Remember when I told you he went through a divorce a couple of years ago, and afterward, his wife had nothing to do with the lounge after the settlement?"
He nodded.
"I guess his newfound freedom gave him the urge to get a little too friendly with me." She held up her hand when he opened his mouth. "Nothing happened. I never allowed him to get me alone at work, but he continued to get pretty handsy with me around the customers when I couldn't push him away. I told him to stop, and he wouldn't, so I quit."
Cal had taken his inability to corner her out on Angela, Jenna, and Stephanie. While Cal had done everything possible to get close to her, he'd gone in the other direction with her friends by harassing them and treating them like shit. It made her feel awful and scared. If anything happened to her or the others, it would've been her fault.
"Good girl. You did the right thing. Now, you need to stay away from him." He gazed through the glass. "Are you looking for a job or going to try to get the nursery big enough to support you?"
"I already found a new job." She scooted to the edge of the chair and lowered her voice. "Before I tell you, promise you won't interrupt, okay?"
His tired gaze narrowed, and he refrained from agreeing. Knowing that's all he'd give her, she swallowed, gathering her strength.
Dealing with everyone who believed they had some say in her life took bravery that was hard to muster when she felt all alone.
"So, my friends knew what was happening at the lounge, of course, and I leaned on them for support. They're awesome. I think you'd really like them. We've always been friends, even though we're so different, but this thing with Cal brought us closer. They made sure Cal kept his distance, even when doing so made him be rude and mean to them." She blew out her breath. "Uncle Walker...my friends are all struggling, money-wise. We started talking when I wanted to quit, and well, they offered to walk off the job, too, as a sign of support, mostly. We all thought it would be easier to find a serving job, even if we had to go into Missoula. So much about waitressing is getting along with other waitresses. That's the problem with waitressing. If waitresses don't get along or don't like each other, it causes a lot of problems with the customers and tips. Anyway, I found a place where we could all work together."
He tilted his head in attention. "Where?"
"Well, it's a part-time job that pays just as well as working full time. The first night went off great. My new boss was happy with how we worked together. The customers gave great tips on top of what we earned. I'm excited about the extra income. It will go a long way to purchasing a plot of land where I can move the nursery and eventually expand and be able to afford to work in the greenhouse year-round. You know that was what Grandma June always envisioned and was never able to do. I finally feel like it's possible to have everything I ever wanted since I first stuck my hands in potting soil." Her heart raced, trying to talk her way through the conversation. "The thing is I've hit a road bump."
"Where are you working?" He ignored her overexplaining.
Afraid of what he'd say, she blurted, "Curley thinks he can tell me where I can and can't work. You need to tell him that I can make the decisions about what I do with my life. I'm old enough to know what is best for me, and working right now gets me closer to my goal. In one year, I should have enough money saved to start looking for the right piece of property to purchase for the nursery."
Tension hardened Uncle Walker's body. Over the phone, the links chaining his arms and legs together clinked against the counter in front of him.
"The amount of money I'll be earning will give me more options." She pressed the phone to her ear. "Not only helping me with my dreams, but Stephanie is a single mom, trying to raise her child and take care of her mom with no support. It feels good to be doing something with the others and seeing how this benefits everyone."
The knuckles of his fingers holding the receiver had gone white. "Where are you working?"
"Kingston Bar." She held her breath.
"No."
"But—"
"No." Uncle Walker dipped his chin breaking eye contact. "It's not a safe place."
"How do you know?" Losing patience, she gritted her teeth.
It wasn't fair to argue with him, but he'd been in prison for sixteen years. Missoula had changed since he'd lived on the outside. Lance probably hadn't even owned Kingston Bar back when Uncle Walker was living there and riding with Tarkio.
"Don't question how I know things." Uncle Walker's lips thinned. "If...he... told you to quit, you quit."
"And if I don't?" She almost stood from the chair, signaling the end of the visit, before she slumped back down and leaned closer to the Plexiglas. "You can't even say Curley's name, and this relationship between him and me is a joke. He doesn't care about me."
"God damnit, little girl," mumbled Uncle Walker.
"That's the thing, Uncle. I'm not a little girl. I want you to tell Curley to let me go. I want to be free to work where I want. Love who I want to love. Have a life, a family." Anger replaced the nerves coiling in her stomach. "You know, I'll never find my happiness as long as he's claiming me, and giving me nothing in return."
"He went in front of Tarkio and swore on his life to take care of you. You do belong to him."
Her vision blurred, knowing how going to the table at Tarkio meant more than common laws for citizens.
She'd never told Curley or her uncle what she wanted more out of her life. Always afraid they'd see her dreams as something they'd failed at providing her. They both had to face the fact that she was an adult. She was the only one responsible for her own happiness.