An Experimental Study of a Woman on Edge
Sunday, December 19, 2004
"Eh, sweet thing! Over here!" called a man from the booth.
Leah gripped the pitcher of ice tea in her hand and gritted her teeth. Her shallow breathing alerted the girl next to her.
"Okay, let's put the tea down before we go over there," pacified Valerie, the other waitress, prying the pitcher out of Leah's grasp.
"Why do all the weirdos have to sit in my section? This is the third time they've been here this week," Leah griped.
"Just smile pretty and you'll get a good tip." Valerie pushed her towards the seating area of the restaurant.
Leah dragged her feet but managed to smile stiffly at the four patrons - middle-aged, slovenly-dressed men, all leering at the waitresses. They didn't look like the "fresh-outta-church" type she was used to. "Welcome to Chief's. My name is Leah, I will be your server today. Would you like to hear our specials?"
"Only if you're one of them," laughed the oldest of them. He looked like he belonged in a morgue.
Leah would ignore that. "I'll take your drink orders if you're ready."
The first three all ordered soda, but the one with the beard asked for help. "Excuse me, I left my glasses at home and I can't make this word out. Could you tell me what that says, doll?"
Leah leaned down to make out the words. "I'm sorry, which one are you point to?"
Suddenly, she glanced up to see all four men staring down the shirt of her uniform. She didn't listen for the answer.
Leah grabbed the skinny one by the scruff of his collar. "Listen, here, dirtbags. I'm not here for you to toy with. How about you sad little creeps get off your asses, find jobs, and never come here again!"
They called for the manager. She happily obliged.
Harry Clearwater didn't get mad very often. But when he did, it was scary. The cook had to hold the man back from slaughtering the guys in broad daylight. They all left with bruises and damaged egos. And very likely, soiled pants.
Maybe this working thing won't be so bad, Leah thought.
In some ways, Harry was the best babysitter anyone could ask for. As a teen, he watched his little cousins and helped out around the house as often as he could, even if some remarked these habits were too feminine for a boy. They kept their mouths shut when he became manager of a new restaurant that opened on the reservation, Chief's Seafood. It wasn't much, but it was a stable job. If he had gone to school, he probably would've gotten a degree in Childhood Development and worked with kids. So when he fell in love with and married a plucky aspiring nurse, he had no qualms about being the primary caretaker of their "surprise baby". Most of his early years as a manager were spent with a sleeping infant strapped to his chest.
As a child, Leah enjoyed running around the restaurant. Sometimes she could coerce her dad or the cook to play hide-and-seek with her on slow days. The older waitresses gave her leftover pie or cheesecake. She used her spare quarters to play songs on the jukebox.
It was better then. Maybe that's what she was doing here. For her, Chief's was the path to nirvana.
Harry stormed into his office. "Did they do anything else? Because we can press charges, if it comes to it."
Leah shook her head. "No, Dad, they were just really rude. If they're banned, I'm happy."
"If you really feel that way fine, but let me know if you aren't feeling well. If you're having problems like this on your second week, maybe it's not such a good idea for you to work here. You don't need the stress, sweetheart."
She'd promised to stick it out. No way was she going to quit now, not even if a thousand jerks messed with her, not even if she had to wear the stupid neon-red uniform for eternity. "Dad, I can handle it. It's just a few creeps and now they're gone. Besides, it's nice to have someone you can pay under the table, huh?"
Harry gave a half-hearted smile. "Yeah, yeah, okay. Get back out there, tough gal."
Leah left the cramped office for the bathroom. She needed time to recover in peace, away from prying eyes.
She didn't like this weak, feeling. Being made a target for abuse and crude jokes. Men like that deserved to die.
"Oh. My. God. Brooke!" squealed a girlish voice.
Leah ducked into a stall. The last thing she needed right now was to run into people from school to see her disheveled and puffy-eyed.
"I'm coming, I'm coming," called a nasal voice. "Maggie, you totally walk like a power-walking mom from the suburbs, it's weird."
"Whatever. Oh, crud, I dropped my eyeliner. Give me yours," demanded Maggie.
Leah listened to the two girls chatter like idiots for a full two minutes - airing the dirty laundry of everyone and their grandmother. It was so tacky. What the heck did she ever see in these two? Oh, right: last year, they followed her around like puppies and drank in her every word. They liked shopping and partying as much as she did, so she kept them around. Leah felt more ashamed of herself than irritated with them, knowing that she'd enjoyed their company but tossed them aside when things got rough. What kind of friend was she?
She was almost certain that they were leaving when she peeked out a crack. Who in their right mind brings a flat iron to a seafood restaurant?!
"That's not even the worst of it," Maggie was saying as she fixed her hair. "The party wasn't poppin' like I thought it would be so I just went over to Paul Lahote's house."
"Gag, he's a freshman."
"That's only two years below us. And he is so hot."
"Word."
"Anyway, I'm at Paul's, and guess who's on the couch - Sam."
"As in...Sam and Leah? You sure?" asked Brooke.
"No! Sam from General Hospital," snapped Maggie. "Of course it was Sam Uley."
"So what?"
"He was cuddled up with Leah's cousin, that Emily girl. They looked very cozy."
Brooke dropped her makeup brush. "Damn it, Mags! Why would you tell me that?"
"You asked what I did last night."
"No, why would you tell me gossip about Leah's freakin' boyfriend! How am I supposed to look her in the eye after this?"
"You won't," Maggie shrugged. "It's not like you'll get a chance to tell her, anyway. She hasn't texted me back in forever."
"Yeah, what the hell is wrong with her? She doesn't go out, she never answers the phone. For all we know, she could be getting stoned at the playground every day with Jimmy and them."
Maggie collected her things. "Exactly. Who knows? They might have broken up weeks ago!"
"Still, that Emily - what a skank! Your cousin's boyfriend? How desperate can you get?"
"Very, very, trashy," Maggie agreed. The two junior girls left giggling.
Leah sank to the ground, muttering curses under her breath.
She stayed in the bathroom stall until her shift ended.
The rang was washing away all the recent snow when she stepped outside. It was tempting to go back into the restaurant and ask her father for a ride, but she needed to sleep. Today had been just a bit much.
Leah was not quite home when her phone rang. "What?" she sighed. It wasn't really necessary for her father to call to make sure she got home safe. She liked to think she was somewhat reliable.
"Leah, are you home yet?" Harry asked.
"Nearly. Yes, I know, I'll heat up the food for Seth at five and everything will -"
"No, listen. Stay where you are, I'm picking you up."
"Why?" she panicked.
"I'll tell you when I get there."
"No, Dad, you have to tell me, now, or I'll worry, please."
Harry gave in. "Your mother just called. Emily was brought into the hospital. She was severely injured."
"What?" Leah gasped for air. She felt like the wind had been knocked out of her.
"A bear attack several hours ago. She lost a lot of blood."
"Oh my god. Oh my god. No. Please. Dad, tell me it's not bad," Leah pleaded. The world was spinning again. A world where Emily - a person that gave and gave - was robbed of her life was not the kind of world Leah wanted to live in.
"I don't know yet, honey, but all we can do is pray and be there for her and Judy."
Leah sobbed into the phone while Harry tried to soothe her.
This couldn't happen. Not to Emily. It wasn't right. Leah wished she could trade places with her, or that she had been there instead of pitying herself all day! She would have to beg for forgiveness for this in church next week. But she would never forgive herself.
When Harry and Leah pulled into the hospital, she practically sprinted past him to get inside. He had to steady her when she nearly slipped in some mud.
No one seemed to work fast enough. Every nurse was moving slowly. By the time they got to the room, they found Sue waiting outside holding a crying Judith. Wordlessly, Leah embraced her relation, too. As horrible as Leah felt, Judith must have been ten times worse.
Sue did not have a single tear in her eye, but she was barely keeping it together as it was. Harry placed an arm around his wife. She told them, "She will definitely survive. She's strong and stable right now. She regained consciousness, earlier, but now she's just sleeping."
Leah turned to the window they were looking through. Emily seemed perfectly at ease if a little pale. Not a single hair was out of place and she even wore a slight smile in repose. The only thing indicating she was unwell was the tubes and monitors around her. "She looks fine," Leah said, confused. "Thank God."
"Lee, you can't see it from here, but the bear marred the right side of her body. There are lacerations on her face and arm. She's got a lot of stitches. Despite the blood loss, she'll be right as rain, soon, don't worry."
"My poor baby," whispered Judith, placing her hand on the glass.
"What was she even doing up here?" wondered Leah. "This was near here, then?"
Leah didn't miss the looks her parents exchanged, but she was too tired to bother with it. Sue told her, "She was fishing up north."
"Emily? Fishing?" Emily preferred indoor activities, especially in the cold.
"Yes," Sue answered in a tone that told Leah to not question her any further. "She was fishing up north with friends but she got a bit away from the group and encountered a bear."
"I want to see her," Leah said suddenly.
This time it was Sue and Judith that traded glances. "I don't know," broached Judith. "She's very injured, dear. You won't want to see her like that."
"I need to, Judy. It's what she would do for me."
"Well, I suppose we could all get coffee," suggested Sue, shepherding Emily's mother away.
Leah entered the hospital room and sat in a chair by Emily's right. The fluorescent lights were harsh on Emily's skin tone, but that was nothing compared to the horror that became half of her face.
Everyone knew Emily Young to be a beautiful girl -poreless skin, high cheekbones, and arched eyebrows. A long nose that gave her a regal look. Mocha-brown eyes, always full of wisdom and goodness.
All of that was destroyed in a single moment. Three long stitches lined her face from hairline to chin before reappearing at her forearm and ending at her hand. Her eye was narrowly missed, but the corner of her mouth hadn't been so lucky. From this side of the room, Leah could see her mouth was twisted into a permanent grimace. Peaceful, loving Emily grimacing. How wrong.
But at least she was alive and that was something to be grateful for. Things could have just as easily been different. Leah sent up a silent prayer of thanks, gently touching Emily's hand.
The girl in the hospital bed stirred. "Leah. You came," she mumbled. Her eyes were half-open.
"Shh, it's alright," Leah soothed. "Just rest."
"My fault," Emily continued, her voice hoarse. "Don't be mad. It's my fault."
"Don't be stupid. Save your energy on getting better."
"They came and got me. I was bleeding and he was crying. I didn't want him to cry."
"Uh-huh. Got it." Leah got up to look at the drugs they had her friend on. Clearly, the doctors had overdone it.
"I told Sam not to be sad. I forgive him. I love him. I wish I didn't," Emily yawned. "But I do."
Leah froze in place. "You love Sam?"
Emily sighed contentedly. "Sam," she repeated. Then she dozed back to sleep.
A matronly nurse bustled in, clipboard in hand. "Ah, she's awake. Lovely girl. Such a shame, but we're very lucky she's going to be alright." She began to fiddle with the monitors. "Are you her sister?"
"No," Leah replied quickly. "Just a friend." She wiped her shaking hands on the skirt of her Chief's uniform. "Take care of her, will you?"
"Of course, hun."
Her steps were stiff and awkward, like a zombie's. Once out of the room, she found herself strangely craving the cigarettes her mother had confiscated years ago. And the leftover slices of pie she'd eat in her dad's office at Chief's. Anything really. She just craved.