May Day. The fight between Bill and Bea was inevitable. Tension was getting thick. New waitresses were starting, two of them to replace Norma and Lexi. They were both young and cute. They both liked Bill from the start. They both flirted openly.
Bill did not play. Lord knows he wanted to. Lord knows he could have and maybe he might regret that he didn’t, but he kept to himself with them. As he had discovered about women, though, the more he kept to himself, the harder they tried. He would discover, and on his birthday no less, that they had made it a contest to see who scored with him first.
Two things pissed Bea off. First, Bill had become as powerful as her in the kitchen. When things needed to be done, he no longer waited for her to act. He took control himself, gave orders when necessary, even contradicted her sometimes. Tommy deferred to him now too. Sometimes Tommy told Bill what needed to be done instead of Bea. Sometimes Tommy would just tell Bill to make sure everything was taken care of.
The second thing that pissed Bea off was that Bill didn’t get with her much anymore. The more Mary cared for Bill, the more apparent it was that Mary loved him, the more angry Bea became. It wasn’t that she cared about Bill, that she loved him or anything like that. It was that she felt jilted in a sense, jealous, maybe envious.
So like that dishwasher had been, Jim, the one who was kicked by the horse and wasn’t quite right in the head anymore, who always wanted a beer and challenged Bill about it, Bea was on fire inside, on slow burn and getting hotter and hotter and more and more ready to explode. She seethed every time Bill and Mary disappeared downstairs together whether they were doing anything down there or not. It was like she was permanently on her period.
Jim, that dishwasher, had finally exploded, a horrible explosion. He grabbed up the chef’s knife from the knife sheath and started after Bill calling him a Royal French-Canadian Cocksucker. Only by the grace of God had Bill been changing the French-fry grease. He had a big stock pot full of the old, hot grease before him. He had lifted the pot, threatened Jim with it and stopped Jim in his tracks.
Nothing was about to stop Bea.
So that morning, May 1st, with bright sunshine outside and the prospect of a really nice day weather-wise, first thing, Bea threw Bill’s uniform at him. Mary was already stripped down to her bra and slip. She stood on the cold floor in her Bobby socks waiting for Bea to toss her a kitchen dress. Bea had not stripped yet and was still smoking a cigarette.
“What the hell,” said Bill.
“Come on Bea,” said Mary.
Bea looked at them both with an expression Bill did not recognize. “I’m horny,” she said to Bill. Then she tossed Mary her dress somewhat calmly.
Bill did not say anything. He dressed quickly and sat down to put on and tie up his work shoes. Mary stepped into her dress and buttoned it up.
When Bill was ready, after tying his apron around his waist, he told Bea and Mary that he had to go into the meat room to get a round. Bea told him she would need help to carry up the things she needed. Bill said he would meet her in the storeroom.
“What’s with her?” Bill asked Mary when he was upstairs with her and they were dressing the round to put it into the oven.
Mary just shrugged her shoulders. She told Bill Bea wasn’t talking much in the car anymore and that she seemed angry all the time. She finished what she was saying by telling Bill maybe he ought to take care of her downstairs.
“I’m giving all that up,” said Bill. “Only one I’m sticking with is you.”
