CHAPTER 11
A ball of nerves anxiety plucked at Pam's calm. She smiled falsely and the act of acting natural didn't come natural at all. When her mind veered to her lover and Eggs, she considered all the negative scenarios. How could she not with the risk involved? Earlier she was high on the excitement that came with the process of planning and imagining the reward, however, sitting on the proverbial sidelines worry nibbled on the thrill. Checking the news would be premature, texting Tara would be distracting. Lafayette, usually flamboyant, worked with a reserved worry dampening her own mood.
The coworkers caught each other eyeing their phones. The duo glances occasionally to a clock hanging over a row of pictures drawn, colored, and donated by an elementary art class. Deliberately going through the motions Pam lost count twice during a withdrawal with a customer. Lafayette dropped a dollar's worth of dimes under his stool. Over the day, they committed other small mistakes more than happy to duck the concerned glances of customers and colleagues when 5:15 came. Relieved and headed to their cars a police cruiser rolled to a stop in their path. A meaty arm hung out the window and a face covered in peach fuzz greeted Pam happily ignoring the dark skinned man beside her. Lafayette always joked that the officer used his time on duty to take a gander at Pam. Tyler was a plump man with peach fuzz coating the round chin with wide eyes that might have been more attractive and less unnerving if they had been less spread apart.
"Hi ya'll doing, Miss Pam?" the officer greeted her with a red blush climbing up his neck.
"Better now the day's over."
"Feels like this day went by a little too slow, or is just me?"
"You too?"
The blonde haired woman lacked the patience for empty conversation, but the deputy was insistent.
"I hear you're going to be in Arlene's show."
She responded tiredly, "If that's what you hear, it must be true, you know how these gossip mills work."
"I don't gossip, but I keep my ear open and can you blame me if I listen a little harder when my favorite bank lady is involved." He smiled and in civilized circles, Pam, expected to return the gesture because of a compliment. However, the smile she managed appeared more pained than it did inviting.
"My husband will be pleased to hear I've got the law looking out."
The deputy's smile didn't shrivel at the mention of her husband. He ignored the obstacle of marriage like he ignored the shiny ring on her finger and the palpable waves of discomfort coming from Pam. She attempted to ignore Lafayette's eye rolls and the craning of his neck during one of Tyler's obnoxious laughing fits. Her coworker joked he sounded like a dying lamb choking on dirt.
"Well," she checked her watch.
"Oh, I'll see you tomorrow then," he tipped an imaginary hat on his hatless head, a signature move for whatever reason—perhaps he watched too many westerns.
Lafayette and Pam resumed walking to their respective cars with the darker man craning his neck to watch the car leave the parking lot.
"I swear he almost gave me a heart attack rolling up on us, I felt like the motherfucker from the tell tale heart."
Pam sighed pulling out her phone on reflex. No call, no text, it was expected. Tara and Pam agreed to be more careful contacting the other. Experts at it now with a few months under their belt considering their clandestine affair Pam breathed an impatient sigh.
"Everything's okay," Lafayette try to reassure as he leaned against her car pulling out a cigarette.
"When did you start smoking?"
"Does it make a difference?"
Pam eyed Lafayette as he inhaled deeply. No, it didn't make a difference, "see you later?"
He nodded pushing off her car as he finished the short trek to his. Dropping into the fabric seat of his Buick, he rolled down the window of his car manually while the hand holding his cigarette rested on the wheel. Smoke floated up and he hummed a hymn in his head add a small prayer to the several prayers he'd prayed today. He wanted Tara safe. He wanted this life of crime to go by painlessly. He remembered stealing a lollipop from a corner store his mother always bought her cigarettes. On one such visit, he tried his hand as a thief, caught after they got home because he missed one vital part of thieving, evidence. His mother asked him about the candy she remembered implicitly she said he couldn't have and didn't buy for him because he hadn't eaten supper. A switch and a bucket of tears later young Lafayette learned his lesson about stealing, he only needed to go through painful lessons once. Tara was always more hardheaded than him and more prone to beatings from her aunt, his mother, since Lettie Mae never laid a hand to discipline her child.
Inhaling from his cigarette, he it left in his mouth to start his car. It stalled once, which was normal, when he tried it again it purred to life and he started in the direction of his home. His stomach grumbled and his designs on dinner changed his route taking a left at the Quick Pick Mart and gas station towards the drive of Lou Bee's for the best southern burger terrible for anyone's health. He needed the greasy goodness and the comfort of a large order of fries. His mouth watered as he passed the Soap Shack with less than a two-minute ride before he arrived at Lou Bee's Burger joint. Uninterested in the effort it took to exit his car, walk inside, and order Lafayette opted for the drive thru instead.
The southern twang erupted from the speaker underneath the menu. He browsed the menu while she went through her spiel with his mind set on his stomach growling he declined the daily deal. He waited impatiently for the car ahead of him to move forward drumming his fingers against his wheel glaring at the time.
Then he looked at his phone sitting silently and idly, "come on Tara, fucking call me," he hummed.
"Hey boo," the girl in the window called out when she recognized Lafayette in her window.
"Hey girl," he hung his arm out with a crisp twenty to hand over; "you ain't been fired yet?"
"You know they love me here," she answered counting his change leaning behind her to pass his food and his change when she was done. "This all going to go to your ass," she teased.
"Even more for the boys to love," he enunciated on taking a bite of his fry from the bag between his legs, before driving off.
One hand on the wheel and the other inside the bag he chewed hungrily. When he washed it down with a long gulp of a large drink his phone went off. Brown eyes went wide narrowing at the name belonging to the number. Hurrying to answer he missed the cup holder and dropped the soda on his phone.
"Motherfucker!"
He swerved to the right ignoring the honking of oncoming traffic rolling over a curb to park in small parking lot. Dabbing the phone with napkins he answered it answered the call using his touch screen.
"Hello, hello, Tara!"
"Lafayette, we fucking did it," he heard her say.
Closing his eyes, he dipped his head in silent prayer she made it through, "is you okay? No bullets in you bitch?"
"Scariest fucking thing I've ever done in my entire life…"
"Where the fuck is you?"
"Headed to town now," breathing a sigh of relief he pursed his lips at the situation they were all forced into, "Eggs?"
"Alive, kicking, and counting," she answered quickly.
"Not even a lick of pepper spray to ass?"
Tara snorted, "You cooking tonight?"
"Naw bitch, I got some burger and fries to go and answering my phone you done fucked up all my drink. Is you sure you okay?"
"I'm doing what I do," he imagined the shrug acquainted with the tone.
"Alright," he acknowledged the fact hanging up with his cousin soon after.
Cars buzzed by him and he rested his head on the headrest considering the consequences of their actions. From another point of view, just as dangerous as getting caught, but higher on the totem sat Eggs. He was greedy, unpredictable, and worst of all violent. A crush could only inspire a man to do so many crazy things and the convict's judgment from the past to now didn't console him.
Tapping at his window startled Lafayette. He slammed his hand on his bag and froze looking at the curious image of Tyler frowning on the other side. Hesitantly, he moved his arms to the window rolling it down only a quarter of the way.
"Hey, you know you uh, you parked kind of funny?"
Lafayette gave his surroundings an oblivious look stretching around then he returned his attention to the doctor.
"Well shit, I didn't realize."
Clicking his tongue Tyler had a look of deep contemplation before he leaned on the dark skinned man's car.
"You work with Miss Pam right?"
"You know the answer to that question deputy."
He scratched the back of his neck nervously, "you're in that play with her too ain't ya?"
"I got wrangled into recently, yes."
"You think, is it too late to audition for anything, I could play a mean tree," he joked trying to hide his desperation for the answer to be a yes.
"I don't know," Lafayette shared. The last thing any of them needed was a cop part of the play as well.
Tyler made a sound between a grunt and a snort having made his mind up about something, "well you drive safe now." He pat the top of Lafayette's car giving the man permission to drive off any time.
Brown eyes followed the wide frame of the cop turning in his seat to get a better view. Shaking his head he looked down at the bag and the cup and broken fries. Suddenly he wasn't as hungry as he was before.
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"Dang it Terry," Arlene cursed under her breathe rolling her eyes at the Clumsy Jack frost crashing into the cardboard beginnings of reindeer.
Mumbling an apology, he looked everywhere, but at the ruined Rudolph or the coordinator of this entire production.
"I swear, this town's got a handful of talent, and most of it ain't here," she shook her head wildly. Meeting the interested gaze of tall bald dark skinned man sitting a few seats behind her she tilted her head to the side as his name escaped her. "Who are you?"
"Don't mind me, I'm just the help," he stated very comfortable in his chair with one leg resting on the seat in front of him.
With one last look, she went over to a familiar group of faces including Pam who excused herself to head to the bathroom. The custodian left the bathrooms across from the auditorium open for the actors. When she exited the double doors, she found Tara coming through the unlocked door of the entrance holding a sweater over her arm. Descending the steps leading into the auditorium Pam met the dark skinned woman half way.
"Hi," Pam stared.
"Hey," she watched Pam's eyes lower to the sweater, "Naomi gets cold."
"Right," she brushed by Tara to the bathroom.
When she reached the bathroom she caught her reflection in the mirror shaking her head at how pathetic she'd become so quickly. She knew better than to expect more from casual sex, but could she really help it? She was thankful for the clean stalls half expecting the candid writings of sex starved and confused angst ridden teens. Nothing catchy to read she exited the stall startled by a pair of brown eyes she wasn't expecting, not in the woman's bathroom.
"What you got going on with Tara?"
Stopping at the sink, she took the time to wash her hands before she answered, "you're in the women's bathroom."
Eggs studied the walls and the structure identical to the men's bathroom, with the exception of the urinals. "Prison makes you notice a lot of things you might not normally see. I see the way you look at Tara."
"With the same interest I might a cactus."
He mock winced, "that's kinky," she started passed him to be stopped by his broad muscular frame, "what?"
"I don't like to be lied to."
"Says the thief," she pointed out the hypocrisy.
"You went into this knowing my angle on things."
He looked at her not as clearly as he had before, "what's yours?"
"To get the girl."
"And the money," he stated because he didn't picture her as a hopeless romantic.
"It's not a bad wet dream."
He moved to the side to let her pass following when she cleared the door. They entered just as soon as everyone began packing their things with well wishes from Arlene. Same place thirty minutes later than their usual time to practice. For the group it was strange to hear the come up once or twice. People repeated what they heard on the news and through the circles famous for gossiping. Thankfully, no one gave themselves away, not as if anyone would notice or assume they were amongst the group responsible. For all they knew it was a professional job.
Naomi stretched grabbing Tara's hand. She had become especially affectionate since their fight. Perhaps she was trying to reconnect or pacifying her fears that Tara may not feel the same. Her dark skinned lover for her part took the neediness in stride comforting her girlfriend as much as she could. The day of the robbery the brunette text her obsessively and Tara braced for a fight that never came when she went home. She didn't know what to expect from Naomi anymore and quite frankly it scared her, but she remained patient.
"Tell me again why we're doing this," she asked as they walked to the car.
"Because you've got this complex with saying no to friends," Tara gave her girlfriend a shrug.
Naomi laughing agreeing that may just be it. Cars started and rolled slowly around them out of the parking lot. Tara's girlfriend caught sight of Eggs in the passenger seat with Lafayette, "I didn't know he was out."
Tara looked at her questioningly.
"You're old boyfriend."
Tara frowned, "I never should have told you that, it was never my boyfriend, it was a one time thing."
"He still likes you you know."
"Good for him," she opened the door for Naomi shutting the door after her when she got safely inside.