The early summer heat only added to Angie's crankiness as she turned over the dried soil in the garden. By her nature she was not a gardener, but she felt the urge to 'do something'.
On the evening of her graduation, her father gave her a choice; sign up for classes at the community college or get a job. Having never been inclined to study, she presumed that classes would be tedious and irrelevant; Angie decided to get a job. Her father set a time limit of a year to live rent-free. That year was quickly drawing to a close. The numbers were not adding up. All the expenses she calculated far exceeded her expected income. Angie quickly surmised living on her own might not be as easy as living with a cantankerous parent.
The chirping of the phone interrupted her brooding.
"Hey, it's Barb" the voice at the other end chimed. "I have a favor to ask. It isn't a real favor, but I thought you might be interested."
"OK", Angie sighed.
"Remember this couple I would babysit for, the Crosby's?"
"I think so. Maybe. What are the like?"
"Paul is the nicest guy you could meet, friendly, easy to talk to, fun to be with. Two kids about six and four, girl and a boy. They are good too. And they pay good. They need a babysitter for tomorrow, and I can't do it with this schedule. They want me to suggest somebody and you are the only one I could think of.
"But what about the mother? What is she like?"
"Her name is Gail and to be honest she is a bit of a stick. Paul says she has some high-powered job that puts her under a lot of pressure, so she is stressed out a lot and she looks it. You know, real thin and wound tight. She doesn't say much. She will give you the orders: TV at this time, snack, read a book, lights out but she isn't mean or anything, just cold. But don't worry about that, Paul does everything."
Angie mulled over the proposition. Even if it was a bad outing it was some extra cash.
In spite of her misgivings, Angie agreed, if only for one time
Angie sat on the porch watching the cars cruise up and down the street wondering, which one was Paul. A sports car with a low throaty growl wended its way up the street. The car slowed down a few houses to scan for an address before stopping in front of Angie. The driver stepped out and glanced around. He was medium build and medium height with neatly groomed hair. Angie thought him attractive.
"Angie?" he called from the street. She nodded and walked towards the car. "I'm Paul Crosby."
As she approached the car he stepped forward and opened the passenger door. Before climbing in, she studied the low two-seater.
"Is this a Porsche?" Paul nodded.
"Nice color."
"Flint blue. Do you like it?"
"Yeah. I like it a lot."
The car pulled away from the curb with a growl and a squeal of the tires. Angie slid low in the bucket seat and imagined herself driving, speeding, low to the ground, turns at high speed.
"We are really glad you were available tonight." Angie snapped out of her reverie. "It isn't easy to get babysitters during the week especially at the last minute. I feel I must warn you about Gail, that's my wife; she can be a little rigid at times. Her job puts her under a lot of stress and sometimes she can be testy. That is one reason we like to go out to dinner in the middle of the week, less crowd, more casual, a chance for her to unwind. I am only mentioning that she is not always that way."
Angie relaxed. It was a relief to hear Paul reiterate what Barb said.
"You and Barb go way back, is that right?"
"Yeah. I met her when she moved here about 5 years ago and been friends ever since."
"Barb said the two of you were soul mates."
Angie smiled. Soul mates! It was more like sisters in sin or the Elsmere High Whores, she thought. Soul mates is a good enough.
Gail met them at the door, tall, thin wearing a tan business suit and her straight hair pull taut into a bun, which made her features more hawkish. She extended her hand, "I'm Gail Crosby." Angie shook her hand and smiled. "This is April", the taller child nodded, "and Maurice. I don't expect any trouble. They have been bathed and fed. They can watch a movie for about an hour or so and then a snack if they want. Read them a story and then lights out at nine." She stared at Angie for an acknowledgement. Angie nodded.
The couple walked to the car in single file, Gail followed by Paul. Without hesitation Gail opened the door lowered her ass into the passenger seat. Angie smiled as she noticed Gail's skirt ride up to her upper thigh as she awkwardly swung her legs into the car.
The evening passed as Barb described and no incidences. Angie prowled the first floor and surveyed the wall of books. The upper shelves held large hardback volumes, while the lower tiers were well-worn paperbacks. She studied the titles looking for a familiar one and decided on
The Old Man and the Sea
and settled on the sofa. It was a book assigned to the class, but Angie never read.
The growl of the engine quieted and then cut off. Angie peeked out of the window and noticed, again, Gail unfolding herself from the seat and letting her skirt ride far up her thigh. Angie chuckled as she imagined some lurker observing her inner thighs.
"It's only us", Paul announced. "I don't see any broken furniture or scribbles on the wall, so I think all is well." Gail followed draping her suit jacket across the back of the chair. "Is everything alright?" She undid the bun, shook her head and let her hair fell across her shoulders.
Angie waited for Gail to finish her routine and commented, "everything worked on schedule: movie, snack, book reading and in bed a little after nine. I checked about fifteen minutes ago, and they are sound asleep." Angie paused, "how was dinner?" trying to sound friendly.
"Good enough for me", chimed Paul. Gail added, "except for the service. The waiter was annoyingly attentive when we did not want him around and annoyingly absent when we needed him."
Angie sighed, "I know what you mean but that is something that the waiters need to learn. You have to be able to read people; some like a lot of attention others don't like to be bothered. It takes time to figure that out and sometimes you guess wrong."
"If you have figured that out, you should be a waitress then."
"Oh, I am", Angie replied, "been working over a year. I started last year part time and got more hours after I graduated."
"May I ask where?"
"A local on my side of town. Nothing fancy."
"HMMM. I know a little about that side of town. Does this local have a name?"
"Mallory's."
"Mallory's! On Lancaster Street?"
"Yeah. Do you know it?"
"Budge Mallory's place. Is that still around? It was old when I was your age. I went to high school with Budge's kids. Long time ago."
"If they are the same, they are still around. Moon is the night manager. Frank has a day job but helps out on weekends or when short."
"Moon! It is amazing how some people never outlive their nicknames. He preferred Moon rather than his given name. Even the teachers called him Moon. I have no idea how the name stuck. There were lots of stories, but I don't know which one was true." Gail laughed, "I'm sure you have heard some. Do you know his given name?"
"Everybody calls him Moon, just like you said."
"I'll let you in on a secret, his name is Melvin, but he never cared for it." Gail chuckled at the thought and added, "If you tell anyone where you heard that, I will deny it."