Chapter One
"No!" Claire yells. "I won't do it!"
"You'll do it or lose your allowance and car privileges." Her mother stands with arms folded, quiet and firm. She shares Claire's red hair and brown eyes, and is now looking as fixed as Claire has ever seen her.
"I hate you!" Claire can't believe this is happening. Tears burn her eyes as she turns and flees upstairs. There is no way she's going to flip burgers. She'd rather die than be working at McDonald's when Nan and Chad come in after a day on his father's yacht. But she can't live without an allowance either.
After crying for a while, Claire thinks to call Allison. She picks up on the third ring.
"Allie, you wouldn't believe what my mother is making me do. She says I have to work this summer." Claire puts all of her distress into that one word.
"Oh, but that's good, Claire. You can work with me on Henry Tillard's campaign. He's running for senate. Your mom doesn't care if you make money, does she?"
"Henry Tillard? My cousin's husband is Ralph Gorney. He's running against Tillard."
"That's no good." Allison pauses and then suggests, "You could do it anyway just to piss her off."
"I need to be able to drive and have money. Mother would cut me off. No, I'll have to do as she says. But what job can I get? I can't do anything."
"You can put lipstick on with your boobs."
"That's not a marketable skill, Allie."
"You like to shop… Why not get a job at the mall?"
She stops to think about this. It would be mortifying if she had to ring Nan up at 5-7-9 or Macy's, but better than working at McDonald's. Perhaps… if she got a position at a store she knew Nan never shopped in…
"Al, I think that might work. But how do you get a job?" She has no experience with this. Does one simply go in and ask for work? Then what happens?
"You put in applications. What you have to do is…" Allison goes on to explain the steps of seeking work: looking in the paper for ads, putting in applications, going for an interview. This all sounds so complicated, but Allison bolsters her confidence. Claire definitely can dress well, and that is half of the battle in getting a clothing store job.
"Can you come with me?" she asks Allison.
"I start work with Tillard's campaign Monday. Anyway, being seen with me won't help you get a job."
Allison frequently speaks uncomfortable truths like this. She's right of course.
After an update on Andy's wrestling injury (his knee is still in a brace), Claire hangs up feeling much reassured. Thank God for Allie.
Monday morning Claire dresses carefully in her Laura Ashely dress. Not one of those horrid puff-sleeved flowered monstrosities. This is a maroon and cream geometric pattern in a slim pleated look, with a bit of a 1940's flair.
Her first stop is JC Penney. Nan would never shop there. She decided against Payless Shoe Stores. Nan wouldn't be caught dead in there either, but Claire might be spotted through the shop window. She puts in an application at Sears as well. On impulse, she goes into the Mushroom. Maybe she can find something for John. A skull head lighter perhaps. Somehow she ends up in front of a display of lewd joke items. When she realizes what she is looking at, she is mortified. Before she can move on, a shop clerk approaches.
"Can I help you find something?" His red lips and blue eyes are a sharp contrast to his pale skin and white-blonde hair. Claire blushes, then feels like an idiot for blushing. She puts down the package of colored condoms she'd been inspecting. She's never seen a condom before; she'd thought they were odd balloons, maybe the long skinny kind you can twist into dogs and hats and swords.
Trying to cover her blunder, she says, "Yes, I'd like to look at your lighters and wallets," as confidently as she can.
"Over here." He gestures to the counter at the front of the shop. "You looking for something special?"
Is she? Yes, she is looking for a gift for John.
"I want something with a skull or a snake."
"That narrows it down," the clerk says. Is he serious or being sarcastic? She peers into the case. He's being sarcastic.
Summoning up her haughtiest manner, she says, "Thank you. I believe I can browse on my own."
The clerk returns to the cash register where he busies himself with a clipboard. While inspecting the merchandise, she can't help but look back towards the clerk. His lips are so red and his eyes so blue. He glances up from his clipboard and she snaps her eyes back to the display case. Maybe he'd been making fun of her with his sarcastic comment, or maybe he just has a sense of humor about life. It is hard to tell. Why does she care? He's just some random guy. Finally she settles on a Zippo lighter with a skull and crossbones on it.
"You don't look like the skull and crossbones type. This a gift?" the clerk asks. His eyes are dancing with private amusement.
"For my boyfriend," she answers, making her voice as cold as possible. Jerk.
John's father works first shift, so it is safe to visit John in the morning. On her way home from the mall, she decides to drop by to tell him about her mother's strange dictum and her productive morning. She is now feeling proud of herself, having overcome her apprehension about applying for jobs. She hears John's voice and knocks lightly before letting herself into the Bender home, as she always does.
Sylvie Pearson's blouse is half unbuttoned. Claire can clearly see this as Sylvie is facing the door from her position on the couch. Her position on top of John, on the couch. To be specific. Sylvie's sultry smile stops, frozen.
John's voice continues, playfully asking, "And what do we have under here, young lady?" as he unbuttons another button. After a motionless second, Sylvie jumps up and pulls her blouse shut. John's head becomes visible as he sits up, asking Sylvie, "What's wrong, honey?"