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“Oh, honey you need to get the same one or you can upset babies’ tummy” she tells me and I look at all of the tins and try and remember
“The one with the gold lid and blue writing”
“How old is baby?” she asks me
“Um… she’s two months old”
“Oh, so young, the one your describing is Enfamil or Similac”
“Which ones the cheapest?” I ask her knowing there’s only forty-three dollars in my account
“Oh, honey you can’t put a price on your babies’ health” she tells me and I look at her
“I can when I only have forty-three dollars, so which is the cheapest?”
“The Enfamil, its nineteen-eighty-two” she says and I look at her
“Twenty dollars! for formula” I say outraged that it costs so much, she nods
“Yeah honey, and that’s the cheap one in here”
“Dammit”
“Are you ok?” I look at her and nod
“Yeah, I’ll be fine but I need diapers to”
“Ok, the cheapest ones for her age are these diapers at twenty-four-ninety-four”
“Jesus are you kidding me?” She shakes her head looking down at Wiley
“I tell you what, I’ll give you my staff discount to help you out how does that sound” I look at her like she’s an angel from heaven
“Really!” she pats my arms again
“Yeah, I can see your struggling” I smile feeling embarrassed but feel grateful towards her
“Thank you so much”
“Honey, I’ve had six kids, but it’s my first that sticks in my mind the most. Come on” she says walking towards the register and I feel my nose prick with tears as she rings up the two items that have now drained my bank account leaving me with a whole two dollars and seventy-two cents.
*
As I pull into the dinner I take Wiley out of her basket and walk in, the moment Delores notices me she comes over smiling “Oh, my goodness, look at this little thing, let me hold her” she says her face softening as she takes Wiley from me
“Can you watch her a minute? I need to talk to JT”
“Sure honey, I got her”
I walk out the back and JT’s standing at the stove “JT can I talk to you?” I ask and he looks at me than turns back to the grill
“NO, you can’t have time off and no you can’t bring the kid to work” he tells me in his usual abrasive voice
“But I need to work” I almost squeal in desperation
“Then find a sitter” he tells me with his back still to me and I laugh sarcastically
“I can barely afford to feed myself, I need this job, Please JT”
“No” he says and I stand there looking at his back my fist clenching
“Please” I beg and he turns around looking at me, the greasy slim down his front from the grill
“NO!” he shouts and I walk back out knowing there’s no use (he’s such an asshole)
“So, what did he say?” Delores ask but I shake my head
“He won’t even listen”
“Honey, I could watch her when you’re at work” I smile but remember we have the same shifts
“It won’t work, we work together and I know the other girls won’t change their shifts”
“What are you going to do?” she asks me and I shake my head
“No idea” I tell her looking at my niece “Delores, can I borrow some money” I ask knowing I’m broke and desperate
“How much?”
“Not much.” She pulls money out of her apron and hands it to me
“It’s not much” she says smiling and I feel bad, she works like eighty hours a week and is still struggling herself
“Thanks” I say looking down at the four Twenty-dollar bills and I take Wiley from her giving her a hug “I’ll pay you back” I tell her almost in tears again and she pats my arm smiling
“Take your time”
As I drive back to my bedsit I pass the strip club with its pink neon sign, the large flashing stripper in big Pink letters make me lift my foot off the accelerator and I pull into the parking lot and take a deep breath.Chapter SixSocket
As we pull up to the clubhouse my back is aching and my balls are numb, its one hell of a long fucking ride that’s for sure. I back my bike in as Cuff pulls in next to me “Good to be back man” he says as I watch all the women and kids run up to the guys
“Yeah it is.”
Mason runs past to his Dad and Scythe lifts him up throwing him in the air, Mason telling Scythe a story at the rate of a hundred miles an hour and I watch as one by one the guys kiss their women
“Hey you” a female voice says and I turn seein’ Lila smiling at me
“Hey yourself” I say pullin’ her to me.
The party starts almost immediately with the women already havin’ food set up and Dover at the BBQ grillin’ burgers and steaks. This year he’d decided to step down as treasurer handing it over to Tiny, so he stayed back this year to watch over the women. I think this was the first year since I joined that there wasn’t an almost punch up to see who had to stay behind to watch the women.
