Bill made the second trip quickly and set the rib down on Mary’s counter. Mary had tied an apron around her and was starting to work. Because it was second nature, because she really didn’t need her head, because it was all by rote, she went into her routine from where Bill had left off in the time he’d had.
Bill stayed with her. Bea went back to her own station and started work on her salads. Bill knew what she was doing because he knew all the jobs in the kitchen now. So he knew she was cleaning the dressing containers and making sure everything was neat, tidy and covered. Once this was done, she would go downstairs to bring up what she needed and then she would start to wash a case of lettuce.
So the morning wore on, a typical morning other than that Mary was far from herself. Hung-over and being held together with speed, she was edgy and angry. She snapped at Bill several times such that he pondered going down to the meat room and starting to cut meat even before Henry Lee came in. But it was clear she needed help, especially for lifting some of the things she would normally have handled herself.
Bill was tolerant. He knew she was angry with him for his going with Arlene. He knew she was starting to feel that in about six weeks when his fiancé would be graduating, in all likelihood he might be thinking about making a move. He knew she had feelings for him. He knew, all together and all around, it was all messed up.
The third time she barked at him, he stopped what he was doing, which was washing the baking potatoes, and went down the stairs. He went into the meat room, straight to the bourbon drawer, took himself a long drink then leaned up against the counter where Mary usually sat. Standing there, he lit a cigarette.
A moment later, Mary came into the room. She didn’t say anything. She sidled up next to him and stood so that her hip touched his. Although she didn’t smoke, she reached for his cigarette and took a puff.
“Need another black beauty?” he asked.
“Maybe.”
“Want one?”
“I want something.”
“What?”
“You know.”
“I’ll roll a joint,” Bill said. He took his cigarette back, handed Mary a black beauty and the bottle of bourbon. From inside the bourbon drawer, he took a baggie with weed in it and some Bambu. He proceeded to roll two joints, then put the weed and papers back in the drawer.
“Ain’t what I want,” Mary said. “But I’ll take it.”
“I know what you want,” Bill said. He leaned in and kissed her, a long, passionate kiss. Then they wrapped themselves in the arctic parkas and went into the deep freeze to get high.
“I got to pee,” Mary announced when they were back out and had hung up the parkas.
“I got to pee too,” said Bill. He followed her out of the meat room and around the corner down the hall to where the staff bathrooms were. When they were both in the female bathroom, he locked the door behind them.
“We have time?” Mary asked.
“Everything okay upstairs?”
“Far as I know.”
“So we got time.”
“Kiss me like you mean it,” Mary said.
“I do mean it,” Bill said.
He took her in his arms and kissed her, long and deep. Then he held her tight against him. They stayed that way a good while just feeling each other against each other.
Then, “I really do got to pee,” Mary said.
