I've been listening to 'Let it be' by the beatles to much in the last 3 days. That was a peice of information that you definatly didn't need to hear but i wanted to tell you anyway.
Leh Sundance. I want to change my screan name to Bitter Sweet Nightshade...thats so pretty. Should i do it?
14. Cleaning and Smacked Rears.
I woke up the next morning lying very close to another body. At first I thought it was Jim, but I quickly remembered that Madeline was now with me. I looked at the clock on the wall and saw that it was only 6:30.
After all those years of waking up around five every morning to get to the distribution center, I couldn't teach myself to sleep in.
Madeline was very used to sleeping until the late hours of the morning, but she would soon discover that working people had to get up earlier.
I pulled on a dress and then searched around the room for a pencil and paper. I sat down near the bed and began to sketch Maddy's sleeping form.
She was sleeping peacefully with her cheeks a soft pale colour and a halo of sandy blond hair spread around her head.
I worked slowly and carefully as I drew, and I only just finished my work as the clock struck eight.
Madeline made a noise and rolled over as I quickly stood up and hid my picture in my trunk. For some reason I didn't Maddy to see the picture.
"What time is it?" moaned Madeline, sitting up in the big bed.
"Eight."
"Its to early!" Madeline flopped back down and pulled a pillow over her head to block out the light.
"Ya only get tah sleep till eight thoity Ms. Maddy, den you gotta get up!" I called across the room.
I heard Madeline moan again and then grow silent. I spent the next half hour doing my hair and other things like that.
"Alright Maddy, get up!" I called. Madeline didn't make any move so I walked over to the bed and jumped beside her.
"Get up goil, get up!" I said, shaking her shoulder.
"No go away," came a muffled voice from under the pillow.
"Come on Madeline, we gots to get ya some new clothes." I flung the away the covers and dragged Madeline out of the bed. Madeline didn't like that very much, but I stood her up and began to help her put on her ragged dress.
"To bad me clothes is to small fer ya," I commentd as I sat her down and began to do her hair.
Shortly, there was a soft knock on the door.
"Its unlocked!" I called, still doing Madeline's hair.
Drake walked in and leaned against the table. I think Madeline was a bit embarrassed being caught with her hair half done, but Drake wasn't.
In the lower class nothing was indecent unless they were half naked, and even then there were a few exceptions.
"Almost ready?" he asked, eating an apple from the fruit bowl.
"Yep," I said, sticking the last few pins into Madeline's hair. "So, ya gots stuck goin dress shoppin again eh Drake?"
"Yeah, Jim believes I need to discovah me feminine side." Snorted Drake.
"Yah well Jims got 'imself enough feminity to last him dah rest of his life," I joked.
I stuck the final pin in Madeline's hair, and we grabbed our coats and headed out.
We got Madeline four dresses and then ate lunch in some restaurant. We didn't get any food to take back to Jim, it was Drakes way of getting payback.
When we got back Jim wasn't there. This came as a surprise, we all figured he would be lazing around doing nothing.
I asked if Madeline and I could explore the town but Drake said no. I guess he didn't want us running around when we had only just gotten here. Jim returned an hour later look quiet pleased with himself.
"Alright Jim, what poor goils life did you make a few dollahs less?"
"I did nothing of what you are suggesting my dear girl. I have found us a place to live." I opened my mouth to speak but Jim quickly put his hands in the air. "You don't 'ave to say anything, I already know I'm wondahful."
Madeleine and I made eye contact and began to laugh. We didn't find what he said funny, but it sure annoyed Jim.
"So are we in a grand 'ouse or a one room shack?" I asked, with some curiosity.
"It's a flat above a pub. Its got two bedrooms a kitchen and a bathroom. Smaller than our last house I knows, but the ownah don't give a hoot whethah we'ze rich oh we're moiderahs."
"A pub? I'd rather die before I enter a filthy place like that!" exclaimed Madeline.
I'm guessing that I wasn't the only one staring at her oddly, cause Madeline looked down to her feet, embarrassed.
"I hope the joint serves tequila." I said, thinking about our new home.
Both men groaned and stood to gather the bags.
"What's tequila?" asked Madeline.
"You don't know? Well we'll gotta teach ya, won't we boys?"
The guys just groaned again and I rolled my eyes. They just didn't have a stomach for tequila like I did, but it didn't mean they had to go whining about it.
Our flat was a nice and roomy, but I guess to Maddy it wasn't. On our way up the backstairs we walked past the owner of the pub, Brent Coleman. He was a rough looking guy who looked to be in about his late forties.
As we past him, Jim nodded and Brent nodded back. I could feel Madeline pull closer to me; bars and their tenders made her nervous.
And why shouldn't they be scary? A smoky dark place filled with ten or twenty men guzzling down the booze and in need of a fine woman. That should make a good girl nervous.
I made a mental note to show Maddy some self-defense moves next time we were in open spaces.
"So yoah lordship, I suppose you an' sir Drake will be choosin which room you'se get foist?" I asked, as we set our stuff down in the kitchen/living room.
"No. I'm going to let you ladies go first."
"Quick Madeline, grab the room wit dah most comfy bed!" I said, hustling Madeline forward. I rushed into one room and Maddy the other.
"Oooo I found the bouncy one!" called Madeline. I ran into the room and bounced on the bed. It was only a double mattress on the floor, but it felt very comfortable.
"Ok fellahs, we get dis one!" I shouted, as we both bounced on the bed.
The men peered into the room and watched us bouncing girlishly on the bed.
"Look how greedy ya are. Don't teach Maddy yoah sinful an' selfish ways Loki," teased Jim.
"Wait a minute. What is your name?" asked Madeline, turning to me.
"Mona St. Johns." I said, very confused by her question.
"No, I mean Jim just called you Loki, but I thought that was a made up nickname for Loraine."
"Loki really is me name," I confirmed. I hadn't realized before that she wouldn't be able to tell what me real name was.
Although Jim had been so proud of his great housing find, this flat was really dirty. As soon as Madeline and I had out stuff unpacked into the one dresser in our room, I pulled on a plain dress I had bought when we were shopping, and set out to clean the place.
First thing, I skipped down the stairs and entered into the pub. Brent was pouring drinks at the bar when I walked up.
"Do ya gots a bucket I can use?"
Brent scratched his bristly chin thoughtfully. "I reckon there is a bucket in back." Brent said. He looked from his bottle of whiskey to the door behind the counter.
Finally he shoved the bottle into my hand. "Here, serve drinks, I'll be right back." Brent walked into the back. I hopped over the counter and immediately a bunch of men came for their cups to be refilled.
I guess it was because I was a girl and they were all hoping to get lucky.
I served about seven drinks before Brent returned, a metal pail in his hand.
He raised his eyebrows in surprise when he saw how many men were asking for drinks. He handed me the bucket and I handed him the money the men had given me for their drinks.
"Hey girly," Brent's deep voice called after me.
"Loki," I corrected.
Brent just gave a small smile and flicked a small coin at me. I caught it and smiled at the shiny quarter in my hand. I guess it was a tip for working for him for those few minutes he was out of the room.
I put the coin in my pocket as I marched up stairs. I found three rags in the bottom the pail, and dipped them in once it was filled with water.
Madeline came out of our room while I was on my hands and knees scrubbing the floor.
"What are you doing!" she cried out.
"What does it look like? I'm cleanin dah place. You could b useful an' help me."
"But aren't there people downstairs who come up and do this?"
"No."
"Oh."
"If yoah gonna change befoah you start cleanin you bettah do it now," I said, in a commanding tone.
Madeline didn't look pleased with this, but with a small growl she went to change. As long as there were only four of us, I was the commanding woman and she would have to do as I say, friend or not friend.
Ten minutes later Madeline shuffled out again wearing the same dress she had on when I had visited her in her apartment. I chucked a soggy rag at her, and she quickly hurried to catch it, but still cringed at contact.
"Ya can wipe down dat doity table ovah there."
Maddy glared at me, but began to swipe half-heartedly at the table. By now I had scrubbed my way over to the guys door, and I was cleaning right in front of it.
I was innocently cleaning and not listening in, when Jim suddenly came out of the room.
Now the idiot was looking back at Drake instead of watching where he was going. Before I could say anything he trips right over me and falls to the wet ground.
"Timber!" Madeline suddenly shrieks out with laughter.
I started laughing with her and Jim grumbled off into his bedroom again. He really didn't like it when two girls were laughing at him.
We still continued to clean and in an hour, and with a bit of Drake's help, we were finished. I threw my rag into the bucket and stood up.
"Right Dinner time. Lets see what they got downstairs," I said, whipping a wisp of my hair out of my face.
"We can't go dressed like this. We'll look like dirty street rats!" exclaimed Madeline.
"Befoah I started travelin wit Jim I was a doity street rat and I dressed worse den this." I snapped, staring Madeline in the eyes.
I was really angry with Madeline that she would talk that away about her clothes. That girl had done hardly anything but complain since we picked her out of her miserable state.
I guess I must have sounded more angry and annoyed then I had though, cause Maddy swallowed then headed for the door.
I'm sure she would have objected with me taking her into the pub, but she was still flustered from my last explosion to say anything.
I guess she never realized I was one of the people on the streets she always looked down on, how would she see me now?
I grabbed Madeline's hand and dragged her to the bar."Hey Brent, gots any food?"
"Yah if you wanna be sick for a week."
I laughed at this, but Madeline looked repulsed. I figured it would be best to ignore her.
"How bout me an' Maddy heah , cook up some food foah yoah customers?"
"Do that for me and you can eat whatever you want. There are some hot dogs and sandwich material in the kitchen." Said Brent, pointing to the back room.
I took up Maddy's hand again and led her into the kitchen.
"Loki, I don't know how to cook."
"Well yoah gonna loin. Don't worry Maddy, hot dogs are dah easiest ting tah cook." I reassured, lighting the stove.
"Heah, fill dis with watah and put it on the stove, I'll get the customers ordahs." I said, handing Maddy the pot. I marched back into the main room.
Jim and Drake were sitting at the bar and had obviously been informed that us women were getting them their dinner.
"Gots some papah?" I asked Brent. He pulled out a tired looking note pad and a pencil.
"Okay, who wants a hot dog, put up yoah hand," I called across the room. A few hands flew up and I scribbled down the number on the paper. " An' who wants a sandwich!" A
few more hands flew up and I wrote the number.
When I came back into the kitchen, Madeline was staring at the stove with wide eyes.
"What's wrong?
"The water its...its...well look at it, its moving!"
I looked at the pot expecting to see something bad, but it was only boiling.
I figured that Madeline was only imagining things so I grabbed the hot dogs and put them into the pot.
"You're still putting them in there. Do you want the men to get sick!" screamed Madeline.
I stared at Madeline in her hysterics, to the pot of hot dogs. I tried putting myself into Madeline's shoes and finally something clicked.
"Madeline, things are always cooked like dis. Watah boils when its hot, that's what makes dah hot dogs cook." I held Madeline's shoulders to calm her as I explained the concept of boiling water. "Okay Maddy, I'll finish up in 'ere and you can go sit with the boys."
Madeline nodded and slowly left the kitchen. I don't think she was embarrassed, I think she was more puzzled and annoyed that she didn't know as much as she thought.
As I got the buns ready, I planned my next few tips to share with Madeline about the normal things in a life like ours. It looked like Madeline was already thinking about that, because she cam back into the kitchen.
"Teach me to cook. Drake says I should see what you have to teach me."
"Alright." I agreed. In the next five minutes I told Maddy about cooking hot dogs, cutting buns open, and making sandwiches.
With that done, we stacked the customer's orders on two trays and headed out to deliver them.
I think Madeline looked way to nervous for any man to want her, but I did get a smack on the rear. Madeline's eyes grew wide in horror, but before much could happen I turned and smacked the man across the face and headed back to the kitchen for my food.
Jim and Drake were already eating at a table, so I grabbed hot dogs for Maddy and me and joined them.
Dinner was quiet; we were all to hungry and tired to do anything but eat.
Jims mind was probably trying to work out a new plan. Madeline was probably thinking about how strange life had become. Drake was a hard one to guess his thoughts.
As I watched him I saw him glance a few times at Madeline, but then again, he glanced at all of us as well. I guess he was doing the same kind of thinking that I was.
Shouts outs!
Air: Its great to have a new reader! You made my day so much better with your review. You've earned a special place in my fan fiction heart...that was a corny thing to say. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as the others.
Koodles4you: Sorry i didn't mention you in my last chaptere, your review came in after i had submited it. So the fun thing was that i got two reviews from you at the same time. I can see how much you love Jim but you better hold it in:D. I'm still not sure what will happen with him and Loki but if she doesn't get him, you can have first dibs.
Also a special thanks to Shrieksy and Doc Na Skywalker for their offline and personal reviews of my story.