So…
So that’s when Mary dropped the ladle she was going to use to spread the drippings over the round. She had opened the oven and leaned in, but her underarm touched the hot shelf and got burned. She dropped the ladle and that was that.
She closed the oven door and looked at her arm. There was a dark stripe on it on the underside. Pissed off, she kicked the ladle and watched it fly down the length of her stoves and ovens only to crash against the wall.
Bill was on his way from the line to the back on the other side and he watched Mary take that kick from behind her. He was quick to purposefully make a noise so Mary would know he was there. She seemed startled when she turned to him.
“Feel better?” he asked.
“You know what you can do.”
Bill smiled. It was kind of amusing, he thought. Here was Mary, Mother Mary, always the steady-eddie, ever the calm one, the one with the head on her shoulders, losing her cool.
“I know,” Bill said. He smiled, smirked actually, and guffawed. “Come here,” he said, reaching out for her.
She let go another f-bomb which caused Bill to laugh even more, his laugh making her more irate. She moved away from his outstretched arms, but he stepped with her and in toward her and got her. He kissed her, hard, forcing his tongue into her mouth, holding her so she could not escape. He let one hand roam down her back to her buttocks and pulled her against him, forcefully kissing her all the while until finally her tongue danced with his and he felt her relax under his touch. He copped a quick feel of her butt then let her go.
“Now let’s see what you did.” He took her arm and looked at where she’d burned herself. He saw it was just a small stripe, same like many he had all up his arm from reaching into the broiler. Later in life he would discover that these stripes stained, so to speak, meaning they left small marks on his skin as did almost all the grease pops on his hand that had immediately blistered.
“It’s nothing,” he said. He leaned over and kissed it softly then went to the ice machine and brought her back some cubes to cool it down. He took a clean ladle and did what she had been about in the first place. Then he made sure the sauerbraten was okay. “What’s next?” he asked.
“Au jus,” Mary said. “Then the sweet-sour sauce for the sauerbraten, then a pan of rice for the line and a pan of rice for rice pudding.”
Bill said okay and went about the work. Mary sat up on her counter and iced the burn. She was sitting there when Tommy came into the kitchen. He had a new girl with him, a pretty little thing, Bill thought, looking at her for the first time. Tommy walked past Bea and around back. He stopped to pick up the ladle that was on the floor.
“Everything okay?” he asked, seeing Mary icing her arm.
“Little burn on her arm,” Bill said.
“Let me see.” Tommy reached for her arm.
“It ain’t nothing,” Mary said.
“This is Alexa. She’s going to trail as a new waitress. She’ll be starting tomorrow. I just wanted her to meet everyone.”
“I’m Bill,” Bill said. He put out his hand to shake. “That’s Mary.”
Mary nodded.
“Call me Lex,” Alexa said. She smiled. “Hope your arm feels better.”
Mary nodded again and watched Tommy lead her over to Bea’s station to meet Bea. She also watched Bill’s eyes which were riveted to her ass. She wore high heels and a short skirt—her interview outfit.
“You’re drooling, Romeo,” Mary said.
“Only for you, Mary.”
“Be careful, boy. And change that shirt.”
Upcoming:
The Ghost Writer, Rose’s Story: A Look At The Worlds We Hide
