Chapter 2-
Book Cafe
Beth and Christine walked down the main street of Harmony. Beth walking slighty faster than Christine, occasionally trying to hurry her cousin down the sidewalk. Christine had chose to wear an even shorter denim skirt, the same knee-high boots, and a baby blue tube top.
I have got to change her style of dressing....Beth thought to herself. There are people here who will give her the wrong kind of attention.
"Beth, can you slow down, these boots are not exactly made for running down a street." Beth slowed down to a pace to where Christine could catch up. "Thanks, so where are we going?"
"I have to stop by my cafe and check something, and then we will go to the boutique next door to look at clothes, alright?"
Christine sighed and rolled her eyes, "Don't like my style of dress?"
"Let's not even talk about this." Beth said as she stopped in front of a cafe. "Here we are."
Christine looked at the Book Cafe. "Not bad." She walked in and saw several people sitting around talking, reading, and sipping coffee. She also caught many glances as she walked in, and caused a few whispers. She followed her cousin to the back and sat down in a chair propped near the door.
"Well Christine, I am glad you think that it's 'not bad' because I am offering you a part time job here." Beth said as she handed over some paperwork.
"Why?" she grabbed the paperwork and looked it over.
"I am giving you opportunity. What did you think you were going to do, sit around my house all day?"
Christine was secretly happy deep down, it would be so better than where she came from, and what she was up to. But she didn't want to let her cousin know that she was happy about it. "Alright, I guess if I have to. When do I start?"
Christine ended up buying several "decent" clothes, as Beth put it. Jeans, khakis, and blouses. Beth told Christine to go back to the cafe while she did a few things.
She walked toward the cafe trying to ignore the glances and pointing. Geez, don't these people have lives she thought as she walked into the cafe.
"Excuse me Ma'am, you can't go back there, that is for employees only." Christine turned around and saw a middle aged woman with blonde hair standing behind the counter.
She walked toward her and the woman stepped back. "I am Beth's cousin, I am staying with her."
"I am sorry, she never mentioned that, I can't let you go back there!" The woman said loudly. "Plus, why would someone like you be staying with Beth?"
"Like me? What does that mean?"
"You are obviously not from here. And you don't dress appropriately, obviously not related to Beth. She is decent, and would never let someone like you stay with her!"
Christine felt as if she would burst into tears. Everyone was staring at her and as she looked around she noticed that they were all smirking in one way or another. She had no idea what to say, and flashbacks of back home came back at that instant.....
*** HE STARED AT HER WITH ANGER IN HIS FACE. "YOU ARE NOTHING TO ME ANYMORE! YOU ARE A PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR A WOMAN, YOU CAN'T
EVEN KEEP A MAN SATISFIED, LET ALONE LOVE HIM."
CHRISTINE CRIED, "B--U-T, I LOVE YOU AND I AM PREGNANT WITH YOUR CHILD. HOW CAN YOU JUST SAY THAT?"
"I CAN SAY THAT, I DOUBT IT'S MY CHILD! YOU'RE A WHORE, I COULD DO BETTER!" HE SCREAMED AT HER AND THEN ADVANCED TOWARD HER. HE GRABBED HER BY THE SHOULDERS AND SHOVED HER DOWN. "PREGNANT HUH? I CAN FIX THAT!"
"NO, PLEASE DON'T. I WILL DO ANYTHING. I WANT TO KEEP THE CHILD. NO, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!?"
AFTER HE BEAT HER HE SHOUTED MORE OBSENITIES. "YOU ARE NOTHING, AND NEVER WILL BE. YOU DRESS LIKE A WHORE, AND ACT LIKE ONE. THE ONLY REASON I STAYED WITH YOU IS BECAUSE YOU WERE AN EASY PIECE OF ASS TO GET."
THEN HE LEFT, AND SHE LAY IN A HEAP ON THE FLOOR, KNOWING SHE HAD JUST LOST THE BABY. ***
"Sweety, what's wrong?" Beth asked as she ran into the cafe seeing her crying. Christine just sunk to the floor sobbing. "Tell me what happened."
Christine pointed to the woman behind the counter. "Sh--eee----wo--ull---ddddnt....."
"Shh....I will take care of it, you go to the back and clean up in the bathroom." Beth said as she helped Christine up. She guided her to the back and called Susan, the woman behind the counter to her office.
"What the hell did you do?" Beth yelled.
Susan started rambling about all of it, but threw lies in there and said that Christine had threatened her. "I swear she did."
Christine has been standing by the door and burst in. "I did not threaten you! You yelled at me!"
Beth walked up to Christine and whispered, "Why were you sobbing like that?"
Christine stiffened, "I was.....really upset."
Beth gave her a questioning look. Then turned her attention back to Susan. "You can go home for the rest of the day. I will come over after the cafe is closed and talk to you."
After Susan left, Beth handed a bag to Christine. "Go put these on, you start today."
5 hours later Beth and Christine closed up the cafe, saying goodbye to the last customer.
"Ready to go?" Beth asked.
Nodding , Christine added, "I am sorry about today. Umm....I kind of had this flashback when she was yelling at me."
Beth understood without saying anything. Her mom had told her everything that Christine had gone through, and she was sure Christine would eventually want to talk about it. "It's ok....But hey, you look great in pants and a blouse!"
Christine smiled, "Yeah, I look like you and everyone else in Harmony."
Book Cafe
Beth and Christine walked down the main street of Harmony. Beth walking slighty faster than Christine, occasionally trying to hurry her cousin down the sidewalk. Christine had chose to wear an even shorter denim skirt, the same knee-high boots, and a baby blue tube top.
I have got to change her style of dressing....Beth thought to herself. There are people here who will give her the wrong kind of attention.
"Beth, can you slow down, these boots are not exactly made for running down a street." Beth slowed down to a pace to where Christine could catch up. "Thanks, so where are we going?"
"I have to stop by my cafe and check something, and then we will go to the boutique next door to look at clothes, alright?"
Christine sighed and rolled her eyes, "Don't like my style of dress?"
"Let's not even talk about this." Beth said as she stopped in front of a cafe. "Here we are."
Christine looked at the Book Cafe. "Not bad." She walked in and saw several people sitting around talking, reading, and sipping coffee. She also caught many glances as she walked in, and caused a few whispers. She followed her cousin to the back and sat down in a chair propped near the door.
"Well Christine, I am glad you think that it's 'not bad' because I am offering you a part time job here." Beth said as she handed over some paperwork.
"Why?" she grabbed the paperwork and looked it over.
"I am giving you opportunity. What did you think you were going to do, sit around my house all day?"
Christine was secretly happy deep down, it would be so better than where she came from, and what she was up to. But she didn't want to let her cousin know that she was happy about it. "Alright, I guess if I have to. When do I start?"
Christine ended up buying several "decent" clothes, as Beth put it. Jeans, khakis, and blouses. Beth told Christine to go back to the cafe while she did a few things.
She walked toward the cafe trying to ignore the glances and pointing. Geez, don't these people have lives she thought as she walked into the cafe.
"Excuse me Ma'am, you can't go back there, that is for employees only." Christine turned around and saw a middle aged woman with blonde hair standing behind the counter.
She walked toward her and the woman stepped back. "I am Beth's cousin, I am staying with her."
"I am sorry, she never mentioned that, I can't let you go back there!" The woman said loudly. "Plus, why would someone like you be staying with Beth?"
"Like me? What does that mean?"
"You are obviously not from here. And you don't dress appropriately, obviously not related to Beth. She is decent, and would never let someone like you stay with her!"
Christine felt as if she would burst into tears. Everyone was staring at her and as she looked around she noticed that they were all smirking in one way or another. She had no idea what to say, and flashbacks of back home came back at that instant.....
*** HE STARED AT HER WITH ANGER IN HIS FACE. "YOU ARE NOTHING TO ME ANYMORE! YOU ARE A PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR A WOMAN, YOU CAN'T
EVEN KEEP A MAN SATISFIED, LET ALONE LOVE HIM."
CHRISTINE CRIED, "B--U-T, I LOVE YOU AND I AM PREGNANT WITH YOUR CHILD. HOW CAN YOU JUST SAY THAT?"
"I CAN SAY THAT, I DOUBT IT'S MY CHILD! YOU'RE A WHORE, I COULD DO BETTER!" HE SCREAMED AT HER AND THEN ADVANCED TOWARD HER. HE GRABBED HER BY THE SHOULDERS AND SHOVED HER DOWN. "PREGNANT HUH? I CAN FIX THAT!"
"NO, PLEASE DON'T. I WILL DO ANYTHING. I WANT TO KEEP THE CHILD. NO, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!?"
AFTER HE BEAT HER HE SHOUTED MORE OBSENITIES. "YOU ARE NOTHING, AND NEVER WILL BE. YOU DRESS LIKE A WHORE, AND ACT LIKE ONE. THE ONLY REASON I STAYED WITH YOU IS BECAUSE YOU WERE AN EASY PIECE OF ASS TO GET."
THEN HE LEFT, AND SHE LAY IN A HEAP ON THE FLOOR, KNOWING SHE HAD JUST LOST THE BABY. ***
"Sweety, what's wrong?" Beth asked as she ran into the cafe seeing her crying. Christine just sunk to the floor sobbing. "Tell me what happened."
Christine pointed to the woman behind the counter. "Sh--eee----wo--ull---ddddnt....."
"Shh....I will take care of it, you go to the back and clean up in the bathroom." Beth said as she helped Christine up. She guided her to the back and called Susan, the woman behind the counter to her office.
"What the hell did you do?" Beth yelled.
Susan started rambling about all of it, but threw lies in there and said that Christine had threatened her. "I swear she did."
Christine has been standing by the door and burst in. "I did not threaten you! You yelled at me!"
Beth walked up to Christine and whispered, "Why were you sobbing like that?"
Christine stiffened, "I was.....really upset."
Beth gave her a questioning look. Then turned her attention back to Susan. "You can go home for the rest of the day. I will come over after the cafe is closed and talk to you."
After Susan left, Beth handed a bag to Christine. "Go put these on, you start today."
5 hours later Beth and Christine closed up the cafe, saying goodbye to the last customer.
"Ready to go?" Beth asked.
Nodding , Christine added, "I am sorry about today. Umm....I kind of had this flashback when she was yelling at me."
Beth understood without saying anything. Her mom had told her everything that Christine had gone through, and she was sure Christine would eventually want to talk about it. "It's ok....But hey, you look great in pants and a blouse!"
Christine smiled, "Yeah, I look like you and everyone else in Harmony."