“Ain’t nothing wrong with fat girls,” Mary said. Her work was mostly done for the day. She and Bill had locked themselves in the staff bathroom. Bill was leaning against the vanity, Mary was in his arms. They were kissing.
“You ain’t fat. Bea is getting toward really fat.” Bill’s hand had found its way there, or sort of there because he had stopped short of there and was teasing.
Mary shushed him. She spread her legs some so getting there was easier. “Meat on the bones is good,” she said. Then she reached around his head and pulled his lips to hers so she could kiss him and control the kissing.
“It’s supposed to snow,” she said.
“And?”
“Promise you’ll be careful driving home.”
“Maybe I should come over by you.”
“Maybe you should get with them fat girls. You could get paid and laid and kept plenty warm.”
“That is very cold.”
“You bet your ass it is. Now make me warm and creamy.” Mary stepped away slightly and lifted her dress. But just when she was about to settle Bill how she wanted him, there was a knock on the door.
“You got a call,” Henry Lee said to Mary.
“Goddamn,” Mary said. “Take a message.”
“It’s your mom.”
“Lord have mercy,” Mary said. “I got to get this.” She let her dress fall into place and opened the door. Bill followed behind her. She turned off to the party room where she could talk in private. Bill went into the meat room.
“What you need cut?” he asked Henry Lee.
“Nothing, really. Everything’s done. We could start on the inventory for tomorrow, but I think it’s gonna be real slow tonight.”
“You know, Columbus has some of the ugliest winters I’ve ever seen,” said Bill.
“Yeah well, what it is. Still if it snows like they saying, you gonna be sitting around.”
“So what should I cut?”
“Tops. But not too many. Then see what Mary needs besides what you were doing in the bathroom.”
Bill cut five top sirloin butts which yielded enough Boston strips and Tops for them for the next day. When the steaks were neatly trayed and fully wrapped, he cleaned up where he’d been working and went upstairs. Mary was sitting out in the hall. It was almost time for Marie to be coming in, almost quitting time for her and Bea. All her work was done except taking out the baked potatoes and putting the food items on the line. The prime rib was still in the oven.
“You got any weed?” she asked Bill as he got to the top of the stairs.
“Sure.”
“Let’s get high.”
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah. My mom’s keeping the kids overnight. They’re saying it’s gonna be a major storm. Gonna start soon too. They’re saying we could have like a foot of snow by morning. You really should think about staying close by. Maybe Tommy close early.”
“Maybe I should come over by you.”
“Maybe you should.”
“What I get for it?”
“You might find me in purple.”
“Really?”
“Maybe.” Mary stood up from where she was sitting. She blushed red over her dark chocolate skin. “What I get for it?”
“What you want?”
Mary leaned in and whispered in Bill’s ear. When she was finished, she kissed him once on the cheek. Before he could see her face, she gingerly stepped down the stairs. Bill followed right behind her. He was calculating and scheming.
After they’d all gotten high in the deep freeze and helped themselves to a generous amount of bourbon, Mary sat on the stainless steel counter like she always did, legs and feet hanging over the edge, feet crossed at the ankles.
“Think they close early?” she asked Henry Lee.
“Just might if it starts real soon and comes down heavy.”
“They done it before,” Mary said.
“Never know,” Henry Lee said. “Never know about a lot of stuff,” he added.
Coming Shortly
